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Spring is around the corner and, happily, this means my hens are all laying again. Like a common barnyard chicken, I, too, seem biologically activated by the extra three-plus hours of daylight we’ve gained since the winter solstice (Dec. 21). It pains me to admit this as a lifelong Oregonian, but I’m always surprised by how solar-powered I am.
For freckly, blue-eyed people, maximizing one’s time under UVB radiation might be at odds with one’s desire to avoid skin cancer, but so it goes — the constant negotiation of living. Luckily, it’s not that hard to get vitamin D from other sources than the sun; oily fish like salmon, trout and tuna are good places to start, but mushrooms, fortified cereals and vegan supplements based on lichens can get you the rest of the way there.
Vitamin C is even easier to find in foods — it’s in tons of fruits and vegetables, and since it’s water soluble you don’t have to be as worried about overdoing as you do with the fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E and K) that settle in your liver (water soluble vitamins are peed out when taken in excess, though it is still possible to overdose on B and C vitamins if you try hard enough). And if you know anything about vitamin C, you’ve likely heard the name Linus Pauling.
To the layperson, he may be best known for his 1970 treatise “Vitamin C and the Common Cold,” but Pauling’s research in molecular genetics uncovered the hereditary nature of chronic blood disorders like sickle cell anemia, and his work in quantum mechanics and molecular biology transformed our understanding of biochemistry.
After the United States dropped the first atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan, Pauling became increasingly alarmed at science’s applications toward war and the long-term human health risks of nuclear weapons. These risks were substantiated by the Baby Tooth Survey, which found radioactive strontium in the baby teeth of children growing up near bomb test sites. Pauling joined a committee to file a petition to end nuclear weapons testing — and all war.
Both the chemistry of vitamins and nutrition as a medical science are fairly recent fields of research, but in his final decades, Portland’s prodigal son took an interest in both, and turned his research toward the benefits of a healthy diet.
Though he gets pretty granular on the role of dietary vitamins in overall health, “How to Live Longer and Feel Better” advises the reader to avoid sugar, alcohol and cigarettes (the latter tip arriving in all caps); to drink plenty of water and get some exercise every day; eat your vegetables and lastly: “Avoid stress. Work at a job that you like. Be happy with your family.”
Pauling asserted that megadosing vitamin supplements is the key to optimal health, while physicians today largely disagree (on the contrary, the science is pretty clear about its dangers!). Claims of vitamin C’s efficacy against the common cold were widely debunked more than 20 years ago, though a recent analysis suggests vitamin C substantially reduces the severity of symptoms even if it doesn’t shorten their duration. Either way, most dietitians would agree that a dense salad like this one is a nutritional slam-dunk. Serves 4-6
Ingredients
1 cup farro, spelt, pearl barley, quinoa or other whole grain/pseudocereal (I used pearled wheat)
2 teaspoons coarse kosher salt
1 teaspoon dried oregano
3 bay leaves
1 large red bell pepper, seeded, stemmed and diced
2 Persian cucumbers or 1 English cucumber, diced
½ cup diced red onion
1 15-16 ounce can garbanzos, drained and rinsed (or ~1 ½ cups cooked chickpeas)
½ cup chopped pistachios or hazelnuts
½ cup chopped parsley
¼ cup good olive oil or other flavorful oil (walnut or pistachio oil are great here)
Juice from one lemon
2 cloves garlic, minced
Salt and pepper
2 cups arugula
½ cup crumbled feta (optional)
Instructions
- In a dry skillet over medium heat, toast the farro (or other grain) while shaking the pan until it’s lightly browned and fragrant, about 10 minutes. Transfer the toasted farro and the oregano to a pot of boiling salted water (3-4 cups should be enough). Cook according to the directions on the package, then drain any excess water through a sieve and discard the bay leaves. Spread the cooked grain out on a sheet pan to cool and dry.
- While the farro is cooling down, combine the diced vegetables, garbanzos, nuts and parsley in a large mixing bowl (if you’re very clever, you diced everything up while the farro was cooking). When the cooked farro has cooled to lukewarm, add it to the vegetable mixture.
- In a smaller mixing bowl, whisk together the olive or nut oil, lemon juice, minced garlic and a few pinches of salt and pepper. Pour the dressing over the salad and toss to coat evenly. Cover and let the salad soak up the dressing for 20-30 minutes.
- Add the arugula, toss to mix, then top with crumbled feta (if using).