Have y’all noticed those insanely fast-growing, spindly trees that line most of our farm? In the winter they may have just looked like wooden shafts shooting from the ground, but now they are bursting with bright green leaves. These are Moringa trees and they are pretty incredible.
Native to South Asia, Moringa is now cultivated around the world in places that are warm, most successfully in sub-tropical regions. Packed with protein, vitamins and minerals, it is considered one of the MOST nutritious vegetables in the world!
- It has 7x more Vitamin C than oranges
- 3x more Iron than spinach
- 3x more Potassium than bananas
- 4x more Vitamin A than carrots
- 4x more Calcium than milk
- and ALL 9 essential amino acids!
- Impressive, right???
Almost every part of the Moringa tree can be consumed in some way.
The leaves can be eaten RAW
- In salads
- Juiced or added to smoothies
- Mixed into guacamole
- Added to pestos, salad dressings, or other sauces
- Sprinkled on as a garnish
- Steeped in tea
And COOKED
- Steamed or sautéed with other greens/veggies
- Boiled before including in pasta or rice dishes
- Baked into goodies
To maintain the nutrition of the leaf, they are best added to cooked dishes shortly before the end of cooking time
Moringa leaves are often dried and ground into powder form which keeps longer than its raw form and provides an easy way of adding nutrients to what you eat and drink. We love using the powder as tea or adding to beverages, soups, sauces, dressings, or as a garnish.
Moringa trees also grow seed pods, which look like a giant, thick, ridged green beans holding large seeds thats are also densely packed with nutrients. These seeds can be eaten raw or are sometimes boiled.
We LOVE Moringa here at the farm. Check out some of the ways our staff likes to use it!
Ceci’s Moringa Iced Tea
1 bunch Finca Moringa leaves
Your favorite fruit and/or herbs (goji berries, peaches, apricot, raspberries, mint, Mexican mint marigold, etc)
Boil Moringa leaves for 15-20 minutes. Let steep until cool. Store in the fridge.
Moringa Mint Pesto
- 1 bunch Finca basil
- 1/2 bunch of Finca Mint
- Optional: a handful of arugula and/or chopped kale
- 1/4 cup fresh moringa leaves OR 1 tsp moringa powder (or both!)
- 2 cloves of garlic
- 1/4 cup Olive oil
- a splash or two of apple cider vinegar
- juice from one lemon
- 2 tablespoons of hempseed
- 1 tablespoon of nutritional yeast
- Salt to taste
Mix all ingredients in a food processor or blender and enjoy! I love this pesto on pasta or fish, and I even use it as a salad dressing (I add a little water until it is a more desirable consistency for dressing).
