Early fall broccoli rapini

Here&rsquo;s Rapini from Google images ... I searched &ldquo;health effects of bitter vegetables&rdquo; & found a pretty good discussion @ http://www.mothernature.com/Library/Bookshelf/Books/15/36.cfm As hunter-gatherers, humans have evolved over time to benefit from bitters & the bitter taste is now key to the health support - &ldquo;The stomach responds to bitters even before they arrive in it. Alerted by the taste receptors, the stomach produces all sorts of digestive juices, which start breaking down fats and proteins in the foods we eat.&rdquo; &ldquo;While it's true that you won't taste the bitterness through a capsule, you also won't get the same results this way. The stomach won't act in the same way as if you took <ate> the actual bitters because it will be sent a signal that a capsule is on the way, and the digestive requirements are different.&rdquo; This summary of bitters-uses reminded me of the uses of Purslane & international Tomato receipes that Roger has posted - &ldquo;Bitters enjoy a rather limited popularity in North America, but are quite popular in Europe. Herbal aperitifs, such as the elecampane cordial, are still used to kick off the evening meal in many northern European homes. Greeks dine daily on horta, a bitter mix of chicory and dandelion greens sprinkled with olive oil. The French and Italians are certainly no strangers to bitter herbs. Even today, many families enjoy steamed or fried greens such as dandelion every day. The ritual Jewish Passover meal, eaten by Jewish people the world over, includes bitters (in biblical times, these were probably hyssop, wild lettuce, chicory, dandelion and sorrel). In Germany gentian's distant relative, centaury, is used to make a popular bitter drink. And in North America, we drink bitters without even knowing it. The primary ingredient in beer is the digestive bitter known as hops. Other bitters include goldenseal, Oregon grape root and blessed thistle." The use of bitters in Asian & Aurvedic food traditions is well-documented & perhaps Salma can comment readily. For example, Kale is on her Seeds Wish List & Kale is considered one of the bitter vegetables - with usually less bitter bite than Rapini. My favorite way to introduce bitters per se to children comes from Maria Treben's slim, beautifully-illustrated book, Health from God's Garden. She recommends eating up to ten organic Dandylion stems per day - for the bitter white sappy juices. I find that children will eat Dandylion stems with the same interest that your goats gave your Rapini, Amy. :-)