Hello again!
Here I am Again...2 posts in 1 day...somethings strange with that picture! Just feeling energetic I guess..I had some goji berries today..1st time ever! I read about this 'superfood' and that it was native to China and had seen them so decided I needed to try them...so that meant a trip to a couple markets and I had my camera with me so decided to snap a few photos of color and heat here in Shenyang!
If you want to know more about goji berries, here is a quote from webmd on the goji berries.
What Is a Goji Berry?
The goji berry is also called the wolfberry. It is a
bright orange-red berry that comes from a shrub that's native to China.
In Asia, goji berries have been eaten for generations in the hopes of
living longer.
Over time, people have used goji berries to try and treat many common health problems like diabetes, high blood pressure, fever,
and age-related eye problems. Goji berries are eaten raw, cooked, or
dried (like raisins) and are used in herbal teas, juices, wines, and
medicines.
What Are the Benefits of Goji Berries?
Research shows that eating berries -- like blueberries, acai berries,
cranberries, strawberries, and cherries -- offer definite health
benefits. It may be because berries like the goji berry are filled with
powerful antioxidants and other compounds. Goji berries also have
compounds rich in vitamin A.
In laboratory tests, antioxidants minimize damage
from free radicals that injure cells and damage DNA. When a cell's DNA
changes, the cell grows abnormally. Antioxidants can take away the
destructive power of free radicals. Research is ongoing to see if this
effect carries over into prevention of disease and aging.
Some studies using goji berry juice found benefits
in mental well-being and calmness, athletic performance, happiness,
quality of sleep, and feelings of good health. These are preliminary
studies that need to be repeated before definitive conclusions can be
drawn.
While goji berries are a rich source of
antioxidants, it's still unclear how they stack up against other
berries. Researchers also don't know whether goji berry supplements have the same health benefits as the actual berries.
As you may have seen, Shenyang got drenched with rain 2 days ago...and even though it was severly flooded everywhere in the city on Friday, today there was no evidence of it! Amazing!
We went to the spice market..here there is everything spicy, fishy, fruity, salty...any way you can preserve and dry, you'll find it here in this market! The colors are just amazing...and so is the smell..not bad...just very strong and pungent.
Here are a few photos of our walking around the market in search of goji berries!
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| mushrooms...and lots of them! |
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| Hot peppers anyone!? |
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| Rod buying the goji berries..they are about the size of a raisin (I looked it up online in the US..can be bought at amazon.com for 19 USD/ 16 oz, here we paid 15 RMB (~ 3.00 USD for a 1/2 pound) |
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| Dried fish..didn't try these! |
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| Dried seaweed...yum (not!)...I'm sure it's good for you, but I can't get over the look of this one! |
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| beans, and more peppers |
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| More seaweed...or something! |
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| dried shrimp and other small seafood critters |
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| more mushrooms, and some large cinnamon bark |
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| dried plums..I tried these...they are good! |
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| dried beef and pork jerky |
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| I can't remember what all.the red ones inthe middle are dried tomatoes very sweet! |
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| Sarah holding a bag of goji berries with dried plums int he background |
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| Raisins...all kinds! |
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| Fresh shelled walnuts (they go great with Goji Berries!) |
So there you have it a way to break the summer doldrums in Shenyang and get a blast of color for the eyes, an awakening for the nose, and a taste treat for the pallet...almost got all of the senses in 1 day!
Thanks again for your thoughts and prayers!
Rod & Sarah
