Updated 9/11/2018
This homesteading post really more about my smoothie recipes (below) than greens 
But are fresh greens really possible in the late autumn? Yes! Absolutely!
Does your body crave access to life-giving, healing greens to get back on the road to health? You may feel the need to boost your health after a long winter or fortify before heading back into winter. Blended, balanced green smoothies are a simple and delicious way of accessing the healing properties of greens.
Depending on your region, even without a cold frame, there are succulent fresh greens you can grow in a tiny space fall and early winter. They don’t get any fresher and you know what they have sprayed on them…hopefully nothing! Plus, for being EASY to grow, they rate a 10.
Some are ready to begin picking in as early as 25 days!
My Top Picks For an Easy-Growing Fall Greens Garden
1.) Spinach – abundant baby greens in 27 days. Sow thickly into a pot, raised bed or worked, composted soil.
2.) Tender and highly-nutritious chard in 28 days.
3.) My favorites for mildness and available nutrients are bok choi (20-25 days) and chard in my daughter’s arms (top photo).
You might also use:
- versatile kale
- detoxifying cilantro
- nutrient-rich beet tops
- and any baby salad mix you find in the hardware store seed display
Right now we are making smoothies by adding a few lovely chard leaves from the garden (minus stem) until the new crop of little babies grow up (did you ever think that’s why we sometimes call a garden a nursery?) The nutrients in chard are among the highest available. I really want to find ways to use chard because it’s SO easy to grow, and I’ve never experienced any pests.
Basic Berry Greens Smoothie Recipe (makes 5-6 servings)
- 2-4 bananas (to taste)
- 1 c. organic yogurt (for DF, I use 3/4 c. coconut manna or coconut cream unsweetened)
- 2 c. dairy milk, almond milk or coconut milk, etc.
- 2 c. frozen fruit (cherries, raspberries, mango, antioxidant packed aroniaberries (we add a bit of stevia or raw honey to balance their stronger taste), or blueberries)
- 2 good size handfuls of chard leaves minus the stems or greens of your choice
Same directions as above:
- Add water and leafy greens to your blender and secure lid.
- Press “Pulse” 4–6 times to chop greens.
- Add fruit and secure lid. Blend on a Medium to Medium-High speed for 50-60 seconds.
For a POWER breakfast or snack after WORKOUT you can add:
- flax seed
- bone broth protein powder (taste is not noticed) For 10 grams of types I, II, and III collagen/serving!
- spirulina
- raw shredded coconut, unsweetened
- virgin coconut oil
- cinnamon which stabilizes blood sugar, etc
- grass-fed gelatin for collagen (great for skin, hair and nails)
- 1-2 tsp local raw honey (for enzymes and live, active anti-allergy pollen)
We added raspberries to this one and it is that beautiful, brilliant raspberry color, almost the color of watermelon!
The Balanced Superfood Smoothie
A super-food green smoothie doesn’t taste anything like spinach, beets, or kale. If properly balanced it is sweet, nurturing, and nutritious.
Luckily, making a nutritionally balanced smoothie is simple – just follow these six steps, and you’ll have a healthy and satisfying meal on the go:
1. Choose a Base (1/2 – 1 cup):
100% Fruit juice, almond milk, brewed tea, coconut water, milk, rice beverage, water
2. Choose a Fruit (1 – 1 1/2 cups):
Apple, banana, blackberries, blueberries, cherries, grapes, kiwi, mango, melon, oranges, papaya, peach, pear, pineapple, raspberries, strawberries
3. Choose a Vegetable (1 – 2 cups):
Beet greens, spinach, chard, kale, Romaine, bok choi, carrots, celery, collard greens, cucumbers, pumpkin or spinach
4. Choose a Protein (Amount varies):
Greek yogurt, protein powder, gelatin or Cottage cheese
5. Choose a Healthy Fat (Amount varies):
Coconut (oil, cream or manna or shredded), Avocado (¼ avocado), chia seeds (1–2 Tbsp), chopped nuts (1/8 cup), ground flax seeds (1–2 Tbsp), hemp seeds (1–2 Tbsp), nut butter (1 Tbsp)
6. Give it a Boost (Amount varies):
Raw cocoa powder, fish or cod liver oil, vanilla extract (my recipe), spices (cinnamon, nutmeg, mint, etc.), ice, pink salt, raw honey
Green smoothies are easy to digest. When blended well, all the valuable nutrients in the fruits and veggies become homogenized, or divided into such small particles that it becomes easy for the body to assimilate the nutrients. In fact, the green smoothies literally start to get absorbed while still in your mouth. They are packed with micronutrients that the body craves.
“The green smoothie… is a tremendous injection of chlorophyll, vitamins, minerals, enzymes, and antioxidants into the typical American diet.” ~A. William Menzin, M.D
“Methinks my own soul must be a bright invisible green.”
~Henry David Thoreau
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Karen
I love to see your fresh yummies growing so beautifully! I love a fall garden…as it still offers us food, and tender goodies to enjoy freshness longer! We grow indoors all year and begin in fall to be limited to fresh New Zealand Spinach, Salad Greens, Beets and Chard as well. I love using the stems of chard in cooking with lamb, and in sauted` I also love to cook chard (I cut the stems away and cook them first, so as to not overcook the leaf) with olive oil, garlic and fresh ginger….mmn! I cook this quickly and toss gently to mix in the delicious garlic and ginger. I love chard also in our favorite lamb stew for wintertime. I also make a beef stew, with fresh ginger and apple cider…and then loaded with vegetables! In fact, I add veges to everything I cook…even breakfast, adding them to delicious omelets, with lots of great flavor combinations! Our children love vegetables! I have a picture of one of our little boys; 2 years old, sitting out with his legs around a broccoli plant and his mouth eating out the top of the broccoli 🙂 Very cute! Thank you for sharing you loveliness with us! Oh Jesus is sweet to send you into our lives!
Jacqueline
Karen, how your words are sweet to my ears! I can only imagine your little one snarfing up the broccoli and cuddled around it, no less 🙂 Thank you for the good ideas for using it wih lamb. We will be making a lamb roast on the 16th and I will include it. I never though about adding ginger to the garlic butter. And yes, saute’ing is our favorite way. I am going to do a post on freezing chard in a week or two and show how we separate the stem from the leave for just the same reason you mentioned!! You are a real encouragement! I plan on messaging you about an idea that the Lord keeps bringing back to my mind :0 Blessings dear sister and family L! Sounds like the Lord has you right where He desires you to be!! Stand firm!
Misty
Wish I had your green thumb. Love your testimony for the Lord as well. Visiting from Shades of Autumn link up. {Through a Photographer’s Eyes}
Tish
I absolutely LOVE your blog!! I am so glad to find you through the Shades of Autumn photo challenge!! I did a little gardening before we moved about six years ago and I miss it terribly! My husband and I plan to build a few garden boxes for next year. I’m looking forward to it! I love your photos of the greens and never thought to try to grow them in the fall. I also want to try these smoothies.
Satakieli
Oh yum! We didn’t have enough room on our porch this year to grow spinach, which makes me sad because I do love the stuff. That smoothie looks pretty amazing too!
Thanks for linking up with the Shades of Autumn Photo Challenge, I hope you’ll join us again next week when the colour theme is yellow.
Mrs. T.
We love Swiss Chard as well. Sadly, some chipmunks dug up almost all of my chard seedlings this year, but we are enjoying some other greens from the garden.
One thing we love to do with Swiss chard is to stir fry it with garbanzo beans. You can find a post about it here: http://pleasantburgpress.blogspot.com/2011/05/kale-and-chick-pea-stir-fry.html
I change out between kale and Swiss chard and sometimes use both… it is a lovely lunch.
Jacqueline
You know, that sounds really satisfying, and we love chick peas/garbanzos. I think they have a lot of protein to compliment the greens! Thanks for the link!! Have you ever tried a spot of apple cider vinegar with the chard? It’s delicious 🙂
Jennifer Price
Thanks for the reminder to add greens to our daily smoothies 🙂
Do you have any thoughts on spinach-as to whether it’s better cooked or raw?
I’ve read that it’s better cooked, but I prefer it raw; just wondering if you had read
anything about it?
Thanks!
{esther} Our Simple Country Life
You know, I NEVER heard of a fall garden! I think it’s a wonderful idea! We too love making “green” smoothies. A GREAT way to get extra vitamins in the kids without a fuss!
Thanks for sharing!
Much Love and Blessings,
ESTHER
alicia
That looks so healthy but does it taste good? lol. I really need to do better at adding more greens in my diet. Lovely captures for the theme. Thanks for joining Rebecca, Kristi, and me for the Shades of Autumn Challenge!
Jacqueline
OK, Alicia, come on over for lunch tomorrow and I will make you your own personal green smoothie!! Ha ha1 Thanks for the visit today…looks like it’s going to be a lovely autumn with lots of color for photos 🙂
Kim @ Eat What You've Got
I love green smoothies and so does my 5-year old (I am still working on my husband). We have our fall garden planted and can’t wait until we can begin harvesting. I wanted to let you know that I have given you “The Versatile Blogger” award on my blog at http://eatwhatyouvegot.blogspot.com/