I'm new at this raw-foodism thing, and in the process of learning what NOT to eat raw, like sweet potatoes.

Is it ok to winter squashes raw, like pumpkin and butternut? Are there certain varieties that you cannot eat?

-Thanks

I often eat raw yams, but don't feel like eating squash. Lots of people eat raw zucchini - they make 'noodles' out of it for raw spaghetti.

I am not very experimental with recipes, but there's a recipe section on this website, as well as the section here about recipes.

I got the idea to eat yams from someones recipe or post.... but it's pretty well agreed that raw potatoes are NOT good or good for you. I tried raw potato juice once, cuz I heard it was good for you - but I got a terrible reaction to it - shakiness, weakness, confusion, nausea and it all lasted for a few hours.


[www.rawfoods.com]

Yes you can spiroolo squash and make veggie pasta ..you'll get the hang of it.

Pumpkin is yummy raw, cut up in cubes and kept around for a snack, it;s a fruit actually

Yams are not safe to eat raw. Cooking destroys certain toxins in them. I don't think that they are SUPER poisonous but you might get a negative reaction from them raw.

i like raw yams. squash is too slimy for me.

VeganLife,

Is that true about eating raw sweet potatoes? I'll sometimes cut up 1/4 of one and place it in a smoothie. Hopefully it's not that poisonous! Did you read this somewhere? First apple seeds and now uncooked yams. Tell me it ain't so!!!

I eat julienned zucchini almost every day in a salad after my lunchtime workout. For greens I throw in equal amounts of baby spinach and romaine lettuce. Add a few cherry tomatoes, mushrooms, sliced bell pepper, my zucchini and I'm good to go. Just need help with my salad dressing at this point!!!

My best to all,

David

I like both summer and winter squash raw. I have also been known to eat yams or sweet potatoes raw. My wife is not as much of a fan of winter squash or yam/sweet potato eaten in the raw state. Kind of bums me out because I was all hyped to make a sweet potato noodle with thai style almond butter based sauce. I think it would end up being a meal for one.

Thanks!

diamond dave, what kind of dressing are you after? tart, sweet, fruity, sour?

I'm hoping more people reply to this question. I have two spaghetti squashes, three acorn squashes, and one large "sweet dumpling" winter squash from our CSA farm. I have no idea what to do with them (and if they are all edible raw, or not--if not, I know what to do with them--compost).

Love,

Gypsy

i googled to see if i could find a recipe for squash soup and there were TONS!!

'raw food squash soup' recipe was what i typed in

here's a list, go to the soup section at the bottom
[www.fromsadtoraw.com]

here are some more soup recipes
[rawfoodsdiet.wetpaint.com]

click the soup link here, the first recipe is curried squash and fennel soup
[rawsacramento.net]

When I went to Optimum Health Institute in the San Diego area they served a very delicious winter squash grated. After some googling I found this:

[ROMOBOX:NEWLIST" rel="nofollow" >cgi.ebay.com]

This is a package of Winter Sunshine Squash seed that contains 30 seeds. Beautiful, bright red-orange squash out in the garden and on the plate! String less, orange flesh has a sweet, nutty flavor great for baking. Also good raw, like carrot sticks! Short vines bear 3-4 lb. fruits. 95 DAYS.

Also check out:

[www.nvsuk.org.uk]

Squash : Winter : Jaspee de Vendee

T&M believe this is the sweetest winter squash/pumpkin variety available. The flesh is so delicately sweet it can be eaten raw like a melon. Bush habit plants each produce several fruits up to 2kgs (4.4lb) in weight from late summer till frosts. Fruits st

From Thompson & Morgan Price: £2.09

Another:

[www.motherearthnews.com]

There is even a heat- and drought-tolerant moschata called ‘Tahitian’ that is grown from South Carolina to Southern California. Boasting big fruits weighing from 8 to 30 pounds on vines that often run 20 feet long or more, ‘Tahitian’ is described as “a butternut on steroids” by Tim Miller, an organic farmer near Austin, Texas.

In 20 years of growing ‘Tahitian,’ Miller has never had an insect problem. “Be sure to plant it in really warm soil, in a hill enriched with compost,” he says. Miller’s favorite way to eat ‘Tahitian’ is baked with a little cinnamon on top, but ‘Tahitian’ has such high sugar content that it also can be grated and eaten raw.

I've read about others some time ago but have lost the links.

some recipes to blend up

Tomato/ Celery
(add in sundried tomatoes if you want to )

Cucumber /Avocado

Kiwi Lettuce

Pineapple /Parsley

mango/fennel

raspberry/ celery

Thanks for all of the links! I'm going to check them out, now. :-)

Love,

Gypsy
XOXO

I'm finding this information very helpful, thanks again. Good thing squash stores well.

i wish i was glamorous like you coconut cream!

I made yam smoothies according some receipt I found on the web. Don't like it so I throw it away. The texture is too rough for me. I will rather eat cooked yam or squashes once a while to enjoy the flavor.

coco Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> diamond dave, what kind of dressing are you after?
> tart, sweet, fruity, sour?


Hi Coco!

I'm sorry it took me so long to come back to this great thread. While off topic, I'm trying to figure out a good raw dressing for my salads that is tart & sour. Figure I'm getting enough sweet with all the fruits I eat.

Thanks so much for your help,

David

Dave try something below .. you might find something you like .. i interchange sauces as dressing and dressings as ssauces and sauces into soups .. the choices are virtually endless really



Re: Raw Comfort for Cravings
Posted by: Jgunn (IP Logged)
Date: August 02, 2007 12:17PM


heya .. i posted this enormous list of dressings a month ago so i will repost it here.. .ifyou cant find something you like out of it im afraid i will have to call you hopeless .. just teasin !

the dressing dont nessecarly have to go on a *salad* you can toss the veggies in it or use it like a pasta sauce ... be creative !!

Pick through them and if theres things you dont feel fit into your current raw state dont use them ... some stuff is raw , some are oils, salts , spices etc.

lol ive been collecting salad dressings for awhile =p

BALSAMIC BELL PEPPER:
1 bunch basil, stems removed
1 clove garlic
1/2 red onion
1 sweet bell red pepper
1/4 C balsamic
1/4 tsp sea salt
*Puree all ingredients... can add water if needed to thin...

BANANA:
1 ripe banana
1/2 C water
2 Tbl rice vinegar
1 Tbl agave
1 Tbl grainy mustard
1 1/2 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/8 tsp pepper
*Puree all ingredients till smooth...

AVOCADO TOMATO:
1 large tomato chopped
1/2 cucumber peeled
1 small avocado peeled, pitted
1 tsp fresh oregano or 1/4 dried
*Puree smooth...
**It's easiest to cut avocado in half... remove pit... then spoon out avocado)

CARROT CELERY:
1/2 cucumber peeled
1 C carrot shredded or large handful small carrots
1 celery rib cut in pieces
2 Tbl Braggs
1/4 C ground almonds
*Puree smooth...

CARROT AVOCADO:
1 C carrot juice
1 small avocado peeled, pitted
2 Tbl Braggs
*Blend smooth...

ORANGE MANGO:
1 mango ripe, peeled
1/2 C orange juice
1/2 tsp curry or to taste
1 garlic clove pressed
*Puree smooth...
(Variation: can 1 tsp nama shoyu)

ARTICHOKE: (for those this will work for)
1 Tbl apple cider vinegar
1/4 C water
1 Tbl agave
1 garlic clove
1/2 tsp basil dried
1/2 tsp oregano dried
1/4 tsp white pepper
2 artichoke hearts (water packed drained or frozen thawed drained)
*Puree smooth...

CHILI CILANTRO: (for those this will work for)
1 4oz can green chilis
1/4 C fresh cilanto
1/4 C water
1/4 C fresh lime juice
1-2 garlic cloves pressed
2 tsp raw honey
1/4 tsp pepper or to taste
*Puree smooth...

ZESTY LIME: (for those this will work for)
1 garlic clove
2 Tbl capers
2 Tbl raisins
juice of 1 lime
1 tsp lime zest
1 tsp whole grain mustard
1/2 tsp Stevia or to taste
2-3 Tbl cilantro
salt and pepper to taste
*Puree all ingredients...

BALSAMIC PARSLEY: (for those this will work for)
3/4 C water
1/4 C balsamic vinegar
1-2 Tbl capers
2 tsp dijon mustard
1 1/2 tsp dried basil
1 Tbl fresh parsley minced
*Blend all ingredients...

SOUTHWESTERN:
1/2 C salsa (any kind you make)
3 Tbl lime juice
1 Tbl white wine vinegar
1 Tbl dijon mustard
1/4 tsp chili powder
*Puree smooth...

CITRUS:
1 orange juiced
2 Tbl lemon juice
1 Tbl balsamic vinegar
1 clove garlic pressed
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp dry mustard
1/2 tsp Stevia or to taste
*Whisk or shake in jar...

GRAPEFRUIT:
1/2 C grapefruit juice (red)
1 Tbl lemon juice
1 Tbl seasoned rice vinegar
1-2 garlic cloves pressed
1/4 tsp sea salt
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp lemon pepper
*Whisk or shake in jar...

ITALIAN TOMATO BASIL:
5 sundried tomatoes soaked
1 C tomato chopped (about 1 tomato)
1 garlic clove
1/4 C fresh basil chopped
1/4 C water
2 Tbl balsamic vinegar
1/4 tsp sea salt
*Puree Smooth...

RASPBERRY:
1 shallot chopped (about 1 Tbl onion)
3/4 C frozen raspberries
1/3 C frozen apple juice concentrate or raw honey
1/4 C raspberry vinegar
1 Tbl dijon mustard
1/8 tsp sea salt
*Puree smooth...

ORIENTAL GINGER:
2 Tbl apple cider vinegar
1/2 tsp Stevia or to taste
1/2 tsp sesame oil
1 Tbl nama shoyu
1/2 C pineapple juice
1 tsp ginger grated
*Whisk or shake in jar...

BASIC:
1/4 C red wine vinegar or rice vinegar
2 tsp lemon juice
1/4 tsp Stevia or to taste
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/8 tsp cayenne
1 tsp nama shoyu
1 1/2 tsp dijon mustard
1/3 C water or veggie juice
*Whisk or shake in jar...
VARIATIONS: (just add to basic recipe)
ITALIAN: 1 1/2 tsp oregano, 1 tsp basil, 1 tsp tarragon (all dried)... and crushed (can use mortar and pestle or just use back of spoon and bowl)
TARRAGON: 1 1/2 tsp dried tarragon crushed
CUMIN: 1/4 tsp cumin

AVOCADO SPINACH: (from book Rainbow Green Live-Food Cuisine)
1 large avocado
2 C spinach chopped
1/2 apple
1 tsp cayenne
1 tsp Celtic salt
water for consistency
*Puree all ingredients till smooth and creamy

CREAMY ZUCCHINI: (from book Rainbow Green Live-Food Cuisine)
2 C zucchini chopped
1 Tbl raw apple cider vinegar
1 Tbl olive oil
1 Tbl Italian seasoning
1 tsp Celtic salt
*Puree all ingredients till smooth and creamy

Vizard Dressing
A tangy dressing that, on a salad of fresh spinach, reminded me of
Russian dressing with a twist last night.

1/4 C tomatoes
6 tsp. apple cider vinegar
2 tsp. nama shoyu
2 tsp. agave nectar or honey
1 clove garlic
1/2 C soaked sundried tomatoes
1/4 C olive oil
dash of sea salt
1 Tbsp. lemon juice

Blend in food processor until smooth and enjoy on salads or as a dip.
Use less acv to make it thicker for dipping veggies.

Sweet and Sour Onion Dressing
1 med. yellow onion
1 tbsp. honey
1 T celery seed (this is key)
2 tsp. dry mustard
3/4 C apple cider vinegar
3/4 C olive oil

Blend in food processor until smooth and enjoy!

SOY GINGER DRESSING

2 tbsp. cider vinegar
2 tbsp. soy sauce (use nama shoyu or braggs)
4 tsp. oil
1/2 tsp. sugar (use honey or agave)
1/2 tsp. ground ginger (use a little more, if desired)
1 sm. clove garlic, crushed



Ginger sesame dressing
2 cloves garlic -- coarsely chopped
1 T fresh ginger -- coarsely chopped
3 T rice wine vinegar (use apple cider vinegar)
2 T soy sauce (nama shoyu or braggs)
2 t sesame oil
3 t tahini
2 T vegetable oil (use olive/hemp/flax oil)
__________________

Basil Vinaigrette
1/2-1 cup olive oil
1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup Raw honey
3 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
2 cloves garlic, minced
sea salt to taste
just whisk together in a bowl..and enjoy..


and....

tomato-basil vinaigrette
1 cup olive oil
1/2 cup balsamic or apple-cider vinegar
1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes, chopped
1/2 cup fresh basil leaves, sliced
1/3 cup pine nuts, chopped
2 tablespoons water
1-2 tsp. honey
whisk together in a bowl and let set in the refrigerator for a few hours.

(I thought of doing this one and blending it all together. The dressing I had was smooth, with no chunks.)

Creamy Mac Ranch Dressing
1/2-1 full cup raw mac. nuts
1/3 cup r. apple cider vinegar or lemon juice
2/3 cup cold-pressed olive oil
1 tsp salt
Italian seasoning to taste
1/2 TBS sage
DIRECTIONS:
Blend the macs. with 1/4-1/2 cup of water (depending on the thickness desired).
Add the apple cider vinegar, olive oil, sea salt, Italian seasoning, and sage.
Blend thoroughly.

Ranch Dip or Dressing
1 1/2 C cashews or macadamia nuts*
1/2 C water
3 T fresh lemon juice
1-2 cloves garlic
1-2 tsp Celtic Sea salt*
1/2 tsp dried dill (or 1 very small sprig fresh)
1/2 tsp dried basil (or 2 leaves fresh)
1 stalk celery
Mix all ingredients in Vita-Mix or blender until smooth and creamy. Makes 2 cups. If making dressing, use an extra 1/2 to 1 cup of water


avocado mayo:
1 cup pine nuts
1 large avocado
1 tbs. lemon juice
2 tbs. apple cider vinegar
1 tsp. Celtic sea salt
1/2 clove garlic
blend and use as mayo, or a dip, there's lots of uses for it, but I use it on lettuce and put tomatoes or other veggies in between, it's the same consistency as may and really yummy

Salad Dressing:
1 pear
small handful of pine nuts
2 cloves of garlic
a shot or two of apple cider vinegar
some olive oil
dash of sea salt
pinch of cayenne
pinch of dried herb
vitamix all ingredients

Thousand Island Dressing
2 red bell peppers
2 tomatoes
1 c. celery, chopped
1/2 c. pine nuts, soaked 2 hours
1/2 c. sunflower seeds, soaked 6-8 hours and rinsed
1/2 c. fresh parsley
1/2-1 c. water
4 TBS. lemon juice
1 tsp. sea salt
Blend in blender until smooth and creamy. Adjust seasonings to taste

Caesar Salad Dressing:
makes 1 pint of thick dressing that will keep fresh for a week.
5 tablespoons raw tahini
1/4 cup pinenuts
2 tablespoons tamarind paste (optional)
1 nice clove garlic
2 green onions, or 1/4 cup sweet onion
1 lemon, juiced
3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons maple syrup or 3 soft dates, pitted
3 tablespoons nutritional yeast
1-2 teaspoon black pepper or to taste
1-2 teaspoons sea salt or to taste
2 tablespoons good olive oil (optional)
fresh water, 2 tablespoons at a time as necessary to blend
In a blender or Vita Mix:
Blend tahini, pinenuts, tamarind, garlic, green onion or minced onion, lemon juice, vinegar, maple syrup or dates, nutritional yeast, black pepper and sea salt, adding oil and fresh water, 2 tablespoons at a time as necessary to blend until very smooth.
Season with sea salt and pepper to taste.
Separate Romaine lettuce leaves and break into pieces. Dollop dressing on, a few tablespoons at a time, and toss with lettuce until well coated, but not drenched. Serve and sprinkle with 'Pinenut Parmesan'

Sun-Seasoned Tapanade
Tapanade is a traditional Mediterranean spread or condiment made from olives and olive oil. This recipe includes the sweet addition of sundried tomatoes for body and savory flavor.
1 cup sundried olives, pitted
1 cup sundried tomatoes, soaked in 2 cups fresh water until soft (5-15 minutes)
2 tablespoons good olive oil
1 cup artichoke hearts, chopped (optional)
1 teaspoon sundried sea salt, or to taste
Soak sundried tomatoes in 2 cups of fresh water until softened (5-15 minutes)
In a blender or food processor: Blend softened sundried tomatoes, pitted olives, olive oil, artichoke hearts and salt until fairly smooth.
Add more oil as necessary to blend.

Dressing/Dip
1 cup almond milk
1 cup extra virgin cold pressed sunflower oil
1 tablespoon onion powder
Add everything to blender except oil & blend while slowly adding the oil. Chill in fridge to thicken up. !

Annette's Favorite Salad Dressing
1 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup catsup (buy a healthy one)
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar (raw & unfiltered)
1 tablespoon honey--more or less to taste (raw & unfiltered)
1 teaspoon mustard (buy a good one from the health food store)
1 clove garlic (minced)
Place ingredients in order given into mixing bowl and stir. Then pour into blender and blend well. Chill to blend flavors, or can be used immediately.

Poppy Seed Dressing
4 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice
4 Tablespoon fresh orange juice
1/2 cup soaked almonds
2 Tablespoon green onion
1/2 teaspoon paprika
2 tablespoon poppy seeds
Place almonds in a bowl, cover with distilled water, and soak overnight. Drain and place all ingredients in blender except poppy seeds. Blend until desired consistency is reached, adding distilled water if needed. Stir poppy seeds in by hand before serving.

Grape Juice and Avocado Dressing
"One of my favorite raw recipes is to make 1 cup of fresh grape juice and put it into a blender with the flesh of one ripe avocado. It makes a wonderful sweet sauce for over strawberries, peaches, nectarines, apples, etc. Just use your imagination.

Darlene’s Favorite Salad Dressing
1/2 avocado, peeled
1 celery stalk
1 tomato
1/4 cup fresh snipped chives
1/4 cup fresh snipped parsley
1/2 cup coarsely chopped onion
1 cup water
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar (organic)
2 teaspoons Celtic Sea Salt(or other seasonings)
Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.
Chill. Serves 4 to 6.

Merry's Favorite Salad Dressing
1 avocado (peeled)
1 clove of garlic
Water
Lemon juice or Celtic Sea Salt to taste.
Put avocado and garlic and seasoning in blender with enough water to cover half way. Blend until creamy. Add water if needed to desired consistency.

Chris's Favorite Salad Dressing
1 cup extra virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons raw, unfiltered, organic apple cider vinegar
3 tablespoons raw organic honey
1 teaspoon garlic powder (or one fresh, finely chopped garlic clove)
1 teaspoon Italian herb seasoning
2 teaspoons of Celtic Sea Salt
Pour all ingredients into a salad dressing jar and shake vigorously. We have found it gets better the longer it sits. We refrigerate it and the olive oil thickens somewhat, which makes it cling to the salad better.

Ruth's Favorite Salad Dressing
1 cup flax oil (or extra virgin olive oil)
1 tablespoon basil (or Italian herbs)
1 teaspoon granulated garlic (or fresh garlic)
1 tablespoon dried onion flakes
Celtic Sea Salt to taste
Mix with a hand blender or shake in a jar.

Rhonda's Favorite Salad Dressing
1/3 cup lemon juice
1/3 cup honey (raw & unfiltered)
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 garlic clove
1 tablespoon minced sweet onion (or dried onion flakes)
Celtic Sea Salt to taste
1 teaspoon oregano
1/2 teaspoon basil
Mince garlic clove and onion

Richard's Favorite Dressing
One avocado, mashed
Juice of one lemon
One tablespoon flax seed oil
Celtic Sea Salt to suit taste
Dash of the following: cayenne pepper; curry; kelp powder; favorite dried herbs (I use a mix of basil, chervil, tarragon, marjoram and chives). Find an herb mix that you like. Add distilled water to consistency you like--the thin you can use on salads, the thick as a veggie dip or whole grain/rice snack cracker spread.

Avocado Dressing
1 ripe avocado
1 lemon, juiced
Mash the avocado until smooth, add the lemon juice until a creamy consistency is obtained. To Serve: Place leaf lettuce on a plate, spread with avocado mixture, top with raw sweet corn salad.

Tahini Salad Dressing
1/4 cup lemon juice (freshly squeezed)
1/2 cup flax, or extra virgin olive oil
1/3 cup tahini
1 tablespoon finely chopped onion
1 garlic clove
1 tablespoon pure maple syrup
1/4 cup distilled water
Celtic Sea Salt to taste
Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend till smooth.

Italian Dressing
1/2 cup Extra Virgin Olive oil
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 - 2 cloves garlic
1 teaspoon whole grain mustard (optional)
1/2 cup distilled water
1 green onion
1 teaspoon honey or maple syrup
dash cayenne to taste
Place all of the above ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. Then stir in: 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning (or 1 teaspoon oregano & 1/2 teaspoon basil) Refrigerate till used.

Russian Dressing
1 Avocado
1 small ripe tomatoe
1 tbsp honey or agave
1 tbsp cider vinegar
1/2 tsp Celtic sea salt
1 clove garlic, minced
Blend it well in the blender and pour it on your salad

Thousand Island Dressing
2 red bell peppers
2 tomatoes
1 c. celery, chopped
1/2 c. pine nuts, soaked 2 hours
1/2 c. sunflower seeds, soaked 6-8 hours and rinsed
1/2 c. fresh parsley
1/2-1 c. water
4 TBS. lemon juice
1 tsp. sea salt
Blend in blender until smooth and creamy. Adjust seasonings to taste


Salad Dressing:
1 pear
small handful of pine nuts
2 cloves of garlic
a shot or two of apple cider vinegar
some olive oil
dash of sea salt
pinch of cayenne
pinch of dried herb
vitamix all ingredients

Italian Sunflower Dressing
1 cup sunflower seeds*, soaked 6-8 hours and rinsed
¼ c flax oil
¼ c lemon juice
1 T Nama Shoyu
½ t dried basil
½ t dried oregano
½ t dried thyme
In a blender, mix all ingredients until smooth and creamy; adjust seasonings to taste Yesterday 07:38 PM Gosia Simple dressing ideas:

* orange juice and tahini (I simply squeeze the juice on the salad, then pour tahini, and then mix)
* strawberries and tahini, processed
* lemon juice, tahini, water, processed
* as above, but use nuts/seeds (macademias, sunflower, hemp, sesame etc), processed with water, instead of tahini


Ranch Dip or Dressing
1 1/2 C cashews or macadamia nuts (I used a combo of both, mostly macs though)
1/2 C water
3 T fresh lemon juice
1-2 cloves garlic
1-2 tsp Celtic Sea salt
1/2 tsp dried dill (or 1 very small sprig fresh)
1/2 tsp dried basil (or 2 leaves fresh)
1 stalk celery
Mix all ingredients in Vita-Mix or blender until smooth and creamy. Makes 2 cups. If making dressing, use an extra 1/2 to 1 cup of water.

...Jodi, the banana eating buddhist

holy salad batman! copied, i'll start wading through them tomorrow. should only take me a year or so to try them all, ha ha!

lol i think ive done them all .. all but a few (im not terribly into spicy anymore) were really good to me ..

in almost any one of them i cut the salt quite a bit at least in half sometimes none .. i leave the salt to last to taste if at all

...Jodi, the banana eating buddhist

Jodi,

What can I say? You are quite simply an angel. Thanks so very much for an incredibly complete list! Wow, if I can't find something to my liking there's something wrong. Like Coco, I'm going to print these off and study them at a later time.

You are a gem!

David

jorgeben Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I'm new at this raw-foodism thing, and in the
> process of learning what NOT to eat raw, like
> sweet potatoes.
>
> Is it ok to winter squashes raw, like pumpkin and
> butternut? Are there certain varieties that you
> cannot eat?
>
> -Thanks


jorgeben

While answering a question on the "slicing my finger" thread yesterday, I inadvertantly also answered your questions as to eating squashes raw..I forgot that I was dealing with two seperate topics on two different threads!!..Sorry!!..

Rather than reposting the same info again on this thread, please click onto the "slicing my finger" thread for info regarding squshses, sweet potatoes, yams, & cassava (yuca, yucca, manioc)..

Bruce

Thank you, thank you, thank you. I have had a difficult time with the salad dressings and many of these are excellent sources of nutrients that only add to a great salad.

I am still confused as to whether or not you can eat yams raw. It appears there are both yes and no answers. Is it possible for only those that know for sure to answer this? I know yams are not the same as white potatos and there is a recipe in my juicing book so.....I think MAYBE its okay. What do you guys think?

Gina

True yams may be eaten raw..

Sweet potatoes may be eaten raw..

All members of the squash family may be eaten raw..Bitter melons are defineatly an acquired taste!!..

Cassava, also known as manioc, yuca, & yucca comes in two forms..

The first is sweet cassava which tapioca is made from..This type does not need to be cooked to be safe to eat..

The second type is the bitter cassava..This tuber has an substance in it that MUST be subjected to heat in order to render it safe to eat..

Both sweet potatoes & cassava are sometimes mistakenly called yams by locals in various parts of the world..

Real yams are a tropical tuber that are usually much larger that a sweet potato..

They generally will not be for sale in the average grocery store here in the USA..

You will most often find them in stores catering towards Asian, African, Carribbean, & South American (Hispanic) shoppers..

Unless you are shopping with someone who truly knows how to accurately identify tropical tubers; I would suggest only shopping at groceries that have someone working in them that speak English fluently..

Here in Baltimore we are blessed with a pretty decent selection of ethnic grocery stores..

However many of them are operated by folks with a not so good command of the English language..

This makes it hard sometimes to get accurate information about produce..Especially as the same food item may have dozens of different names; depending upon clan, language, dialect, country, region, etc..

So the moral of the story is: Do not eat tropical tubers raw unless you are sure of what variety that you are consuming!!

Bruce