Animal, Vegetable, Miracle

Yesterday, my copy of Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver finally arrived in the mail! If you are interested in food, family, health and eating locally, this is a must read. It will change the way you look at picking produce, making meals and living your life, but in a (somewhat) realistic way.

The book is about the year that the Kingsolver family spent eating only what they could grow themselves or buy locally. While they do live on a small farm, they make recommendations for us city dwellers as well. The book also talks about the social, cultural and even political (not in a partisan way) facts that brought them to their experiment. As well as the effects on their two children and their exceptions to the rules (coffee and spices anyone?). The book also contains some great recipes, which are also available on their website www.animalvegetablemiracle.com. If you live close, I’ll loan you my copy (as soon as a get Sweet Hubby to read it) and they are readily available at the local library.

Meaty Matters

While I have tried to buy organic milk and free range eggs for a number of years, I have not been so vigilant when it comes to meat. The reason is simply economic and while I would be happy to reduce my in take of meat and invest in higher quality products, I’m afraid my family would revolt.

However, the nutritional differences can’t be ignored. Firstly, range fed beef has far fewer calories. Cows that spend their days wandering the pasture and foraging for sustenance are not as fatty as those kept in pens and feed all the corn they can consume. I read that simply substituting grass fed for corn fed beef could save 17,733 calories per year (http://www.eatwild.com/healthbenefits.htm).

Furthermore, grass fed beef has 2 to 4 times the amount of omega 3 fatty acids than their grain fed counterparts - music to my salmon hating husband’s ears. Grass fed beef is also the best known source of another good fat conjugated linoleic acid or CLA, which has been shown to slow tumor growth and provide cancer defenses.

All of this aside, grass fed beef is expensive. I went to Whole Foods yesterday to check it out. Ground chuck was almost $4.00/lb and it went up – sharply – from there. I did buy a pound of the ground chuck and, yes, I think it was probably tastier than the norm. I’m thinking about splurging on some steaks to see if Sweet Hubbie can taste the difference. If that works out, I’m going to start looking for somewhere to buy in bulk, hopefully that will be cheaper.

Asparagus

If you start looking, reading and talking about early spring fruits and vegetables, it doesn’t take long for someone to bring up asparagus. A few weeks ago, I noticed it was on sale in my local grocery store and looked fresher and better than ever.

With a little research I discovered that asparagus is not a fussy plant. It grows in most of the U.S. – including zone 7 were we are. It produces a fern like plant and grows wild in many areas. One source even recommended foraging for it. The closest I come to foraging to stopping by the local consignment store, so I smiled, nodded and moved on.

I started calling various local food sources. I started with the local farm cooperative and moved on the local farmers and larger managed farm projects. I even went so far as to call the county extension agent. While everyone seemed to think it was a reasonable question, no one had or knew anyone who has fresh asparagus. I think that’s very odd.

In fairness, it does take two to three years for an asparagus patch to begin production and several farms have it in their plans, but no one expects to have any this year. So, what’s girl to do? This girl grabbed a seed catalog and ordered 25 roots (1 year old) plants – shipping now. Where am I going to put them….hmmmm details, details….I’ll let you know when they get here – wish me luck!

Strawberry Preserves

By Sunday, my lovely strawberry harvest had been re-invented as a stack of mason jars filled with ruby red goodness. Making strawberry preserves is not difficult, although it ‘s a process not everyone is familiar with. When considering a good place to start when learning to preserve produce, strawberry jam is a great option. Its high acidity level means no pressure canner and, so long as you follow the directions, the worst that will happen is that it won’t gel properly and you’ll still have a great ice cream topping (I know, it’s happened to me).

The recipe I used can be found in the Sure Jell package. This is an ingredient easily available in your local grocery store – typically near the Jello. However, I also found it online (so I would know what I needed on my trip to the store) at http://www.recipezaar.com/Strawberry-Jam-58523.

A few side notes, the recipe calls for “crushed” berries. I started this process with a large bowl and a potato masher, but my family had texture issues, so I finished the job with my food processor. Also, you need to use heated jars. I cleaned my in the dishwasher and just filled them warm out of the dishwasher. Always use new lids for safety and don’t worry when they don’t gel right away. It happens while they are cooling – good luck!

Preserving the Harvest

Lately we’re hearing a lot about eating with the seasons. In theory, I think this is truly the way Mother Nature intended it. I definitely think there are certain products that shouldn’t be eaten too out of season. Tomatoes are one of my favorites, but if you’ve ever picked up a tomato at the grocery store in January, you know what I’m talking about. Produce eaten out of season is comparatively tasteless, expensive and lower in nutritional content.

Recently, I joined a farmers’ cooperative which delivered fresh, local produce every week. Let me tell you long before February ends I had come up with every way I could think of to eat sweet potatoes and cabbage. While I like cabbage fine, I don’t really care for sweet potatoes and the lack of variety was maddening. So, what’s the solution? Well, obviously you have to find a way to preserve the harvest. Our grandparents did it and those old recipes are not only still out there, but safer and easier than ever.

This is a wonderful time of the year. The really exciting produce is just coming into season with promises of so much more to come. My goal over the coming months will be to capture the wonders of the harvest in ways that we can eat locally, seasonally – and well – over the coming months. I have no misconceptions that I will be storing all, or even most, of what we will eat through the winter, but you have to start somewhere. Moreover, I refuse to blow my food budget out of its normal parameters, so it will take a little trial and error. Wish me luck!

Picking Strawberries

Yesterday, Dad and I took Aubrey to pick strawberries. We called ahead and were told that they had just pulled back the frost prevention coverings and were surprised with the first of the season. The weather was a bit damp, but Aubrey had a great time taking berries I picked and dropping them in her grandfather’s basket.

We picked a gallon of berries, which cost $9. These are beautiful berries that smell as sweet as they taste. Better yet, I picked them from a field of newly budding produce and gave my $9 directly to the farmer who planted and cared for them. Odds are good my $9 will go directly back into our local community and not to California. Moreover, when is the last time you took a child anywhere you felt good about, where $9 bought at least 2 hours of good, clean fun. You can’t even go to a movie for that.

The farmer told me he will have heirloom tomatoes, onions, garlic and watermelons all available later in the summer and gave me a list of the farmer’s markets where he sells his wares. There are farmers markets on that list I’ve never heard of. I’m am looking forward to seeing more of him - soon.

Fresh Butter

I have a friend at work (hi David!) who sends me great tid-bits on various food related topics. This latest one comes from a former co-worker (hi Kathy!). It’s a beautifully illustrated guide to making your own butter.

Now, I know what they say about eating real butter and I typically use Smart Balance or some other type of “buttery spread”, but there’s something so natural and just plain tasty about real butter that no spread can match. I haven’t made this yet, but I hope to soon. I think it would be a great project to get the kids involved with – maybe in conjunction with some homemade bread.

Check it out at - http://www.omnomicon.com/how-to-make-butter.

Winter May Not be Really Over

So, it’s happened. This morning we awoke to a light sprinkling of snow on the back deck. The spring frost that always seems to come just late enough to kill all of the beautiful plants, flowers and early veggies is here again. Tonight is scheduled for more of the same.

I brought my plants inside, although I’m not sure the garage is enough warmth to overcome sub-freezing temperatures. I have been planning to take Aubrey to a you-pick-it farm this Friday (daycare is closed for Good Friday) and pick berries to make jam, but I’m not sure there will be any berries on Friday. Keep your fingers crossed.

Green Tea

Let’s talk tea – green tea. Years ago when nutritional information about green tea started to come out, I tried to like it. Then I just tried to drink it regardless of whether I liked it. It didn’t work. I have since found that while I still don’t love the strait stuff, there are alternatives that I’ve used to wean myself on to it.

The first was Arizona Green Tea and Honey in those massive glass bottles at the convenience store. That stuff is great! But, one day I made the mistake of turning the bottle over and reading the contents. I don’t remember all the sordid details, but the sugar content was outrageous. I then moved to Celestial Seasons bags in the grocery store. With enough honey, these are good too – especially the mint and they come in caffeinated and decaffeinated.

My big break, however, came on a trip is fall to the Korean restaurant on Green Spring Avenue. It is a hole in the wall, mostly an Asian grocery with a few tables and a kitchen in the back. It was there they served a green tea I actually liked – first sip, no sweetener. It’s actually a green tea, brown rice blend. I happen to like brown rice and there was just enough flavor and familiarity to make it work.

I haven’t completely cut out my coffee, but I am down to a cup a day. I recently read a CNN article written by a Japaneese dietician who went to college in the states and experienced the college weight gain. Upon return to her homeland she quickly shed it and has never had that problem again. She pointed out that if American substituted (plain) green tea for soda this alone would make a major difference in their health – weight wise and otherwise.

Now, for those of you who know me personally, you know calories aren’t my major quest, but let’s take a minute to review some of the other benefits (taken from Wikipedia).

- The main antioxidant polyphenol of green tea extract, EGCG , when fed to mice induced with Parkinson's and Alzheimer's disease, helped to protect brain cells from dying, as well as 'rescuing' already damaged neurons in the brain. My Grandfather died of Alzheimer’s I want all the protection I can get.

- In a recent case-control study of the eating habits of 2,018 woman, consumption of mushrooms and green tea was linked to a 90% lower occurrence of breast cancer.

That’s enough evidence for me. Try it again. It’s not that bad it just takes some getting used to, but don’t give up.

First Peanuts and Now Pistachios

Last fall when the peanut salmonella scare broke, I cleaned out my pantry. I had a large box of the peanut butter crackers that we plastered all over the news and more than one person in my family had experienced stomach flu type symptoms. I also banned the use of my generic peanut butter – even though the claimed jarred peanut butter was never at risk. I finally bought expensive Smart Balance peanut butter in both crunchy and smooth, much to my husband and step son’s relief, but I still won’t buy Nutty Buddy bars because I’m just not 100% convinced.

Today, the story is pistachio http://www.mercurynews.com/news/ci_12064352. Be sure to read the fine print – Kraft found this contamination in September, but the manufacturer didn’t recall the products until another contamination was found in March. What happened to all of those other pistachios they sold in between?

When did it get so risky to buy food off the grocery store shelf? Did this type of thing not happen years ago or did we just not have a way to report it?

Seedless?

This week I took my baby, Aubrey, to the doctor for her 2 year old check up. For those of you who haven’t ever taken a toddler for a regular check up, I want to be clear – this isn’t fun for you or the toddler. We were there for over an hour, in which time they drew blood, gave her a shot and poked, prodded and peaked in just about every orifice.

My personal philosophy on doctor’s visits is that everyone disserves a treat when they are over. As we were too late for her to eat with her class at school, I decided to take her to lunch. Normally, this would be an under $7 trip through the McDonalds drive-through, but how I would justify this kind of mass scale misdemeanor I have no idea, so I needed a better plan.

I decided to take her to Zoes Kitchen. Zoes started locally here in Birmingham, although I’ve heard that it’s been sold to a big California company and is destined for national franchise. Zoes specializes in chicken – salad or grilled, not fried. It’s conveniently located between the doctor’s office and the daycare. It has outdoor seating under big, striped umbrellas and it was a beautiful day. The choice was made.

I ordered the chicken salad with fruit. Aubrey had the kid’s grilled cheese. We both ordered water - $12. When the food came to the table, I quickly tried to hide the chips (unsuccessfully) and loaded her plate, currently containing toasted white bread with melted processed cheese product, with fruit. She did happily eat all the red, seedless grapes and much of her processed cheese product sandwich, but as I looked at our plates I began to wonder exactly how far that produce had traveled. I’ve just seen the first bit of broccoli. I don’t think the cherry tomato was from “around here”, if you know what I mean.

What really occupied my thoughts were the grapes. My thoughts began with, “I wonder if you can grow red, seedless grapes in Alabama?” Shortly thereafter I thought, “how does a seedless grape reproduce?” Something tells me there’s more than water, sun and soil at work.