Take a moment and remember what the name means.
Way more than just the start of the summer season.
Archive for May, 2010
Seasonal Love
May 30
One of the tragedies of being a farm market junkie is watching a product breathe its last visit into the stands. Such is the case with local radishes. Today they were the slimmer incarnations of their earlier, thicker, and redder selves. I was a woman on a mission and visited two markets only to hear the same lament: This is probably the last weekend for these sweet, little snacks. Yes, I call this veggie a snack or a salad topper as it has taken on a new role in my kitchen. I barely had any attachment to them prior to this season.
OK, I confess I love the appetizer radishes at New York’s Prune Restaurant where chef Gabrielle Hamilton serves them with a side of butter and Kosher salt as a dip. Simple and good. Pick your special cocktail or beer and you have a great treat.
This year I took them to a whole new level with Melissa Clark’s New York Times recipe for roasting them with anchovies. Read no further if anchovies are not to your liking. I tried them once and then became a farm market radish lover. I admit I needed to tweak the recipe and cut down on its olive oil and butter but that little tweak did not affect the overall taste: Delectable. I never served them on bread but on corn thins, a light, puffy crisp of a cracker (and G-F). I think of all the times I scoffed at trying the simple, humble radish! What a shame; what a taste waste!
Maybe my composter will be the saddest of us all as the green tops have played an important role in adding depth to my soil and fulfilling my soul!
Oh, seasons. You come and go, and now my energy is focused on local strawberries. Talk about sweet, mouth-poppers!
Yes, a few more weeks of these beauties.
Time passes quickly in the fields.
Locally Grown
May 28
Winter is an especially difficult time to focus completely on local products. Unless you are dedicated to root vegetables, you are somewhat limited by selection. Certain parts of the country, obviously, have more options than others, but the local focus is especially difficult to maintain when the fruits from Southern Hemispheres beckon. True locavores start scoffing!
Now as we move into summer, we are seeing signs of local life. Little roadside stands are starting to pop up again and there are many more selections at the larger farm markets. Corn has made its way out of the fields and local strawberries remind us how sweet a taste they can provide. This is a good transitional season.
This week Chipotle Mexican Grill announced an even bigger commitment to locally grown produce. They slowly began the rollout two years ago and have continued to expand its offerings as part of its “Food with Integrity” program. When you select red onions, jalapeno peppers, and tomatoes, they come with a local assurance. In some states, such as California, the range of options is much larger as locally grown lemons and avocados are easy to add to the local farm list. The company’s goal is to find local produce that travels no further than 250 miles from its distribution centers. They manage to find over 70% of their produce from within 150 miles!
Chipotle wins the tip of the hat for its commitment to locally grown and sustainably raised ingredients and the fact that they score top marks within the fast food category for having more naturally raised meat than any of its competitors. These are all noteworthy markers that hopefully will become more imitated. They are the largest national restaurant buyer of locally grown produce!
We strive to be healthy eaters and finding a restaurant at an affordable price point helps make this a reality for more diners.
We’ve talked about the menus that list the calories and how that is becoming a national trend not just focused in single cities such as New York. Now here’s a twist to think about as you get ready for the weekend festivities:
How about a restaurant chain that decided you might pay better attention to the calorie debate if you saw it printed on your receipt. It’s an interesting twist and it assumes people look at their receipts! Not only do you get calorie information, you get suggestions how to make an even smarter decision next time you customize your order!
Burgerville in the Pacific Northwest, an area known for its emphasis on healthy living with smart food approaches and outdoor activities, decided customers needed a little more information than the simple itemization of their order! They are considered a fast-food chain but have always stressed their commitment to finding local suppliers and having customers understand that nutritional information is important to the company. BTW, this company is no slouch in its environmental commitment with its ever-expanding compostable product line to its use of wind-power rather than straining the electric grid.
The company may prove to be a model of innovative approaches to healthy eating at affordable prices. They have grown considerably over the years and now have almost 40 locations in Oregon and Washington. They established a food program to help customers make healthy choices and entice them with coupons for future visits and receipts filled with calorie information and suggestions about possible item substitutions!
Maybe this forward-informational approach is a model for what other companies should do. Diners need help with price points and healthy eating strategies.
Let the West lead. Lots to follow.
Staying in Shape
May 26
As you’re getting your body ready for summer activities, it’s time to turn to Men’s Health Magazine and look at some of the Superfoods they identify that help reduce the effects of aging. If your body stays younger, you can be more active: Simple math.
Here are some interesting ones to add to your shopping outing:
–Avocados. This vegetable gets a lot of confusing press for its high fat content. Stop: It’s the good fat, the one that reduces the bad (LDL) cholesterol. Take it in. Most guacamole experts prefer the Mexican avocado splashed with a healthy dose of lime juice. Or just slice an avocado onto a salad or top your scrambled eggs (egg whites) with this colorful, soothingly sweet taste.
–Black Beans. With all the talk about BPA and can-leeching, find a market that offers dried beans and avoid the canned variety all together. Studies indicate that black beans have a special property in being able to boost your brain function. Grab a 3-ounce serving, your pen, and the New York Times Crossword Puzzle. See how effective this strategy is!
Sounds like we are solely advocating a Latin American-influenced diet, but the next flavor may move you around the globe.
–Turmeric. This bright colored, yellow spice gives flavor to many Indian dishes. Try it on chicken or use it with rice to benefit from its special properties that help lessen the possibilities from Alzheimer’s.
Don’t forget almonds and walnuts and last week’s nutty examination. Then move over to the dried fruit aisle for dried plums and figs, both of which have numerous health benefits. Figs for their lowering of blood-sugar and plums for their overall effect on lessening aging’s impact. Of course, fresh figs should not be overlooked when they are in season as they pair wonderfully with so many foods (cheeses) and turn an ordinary salad into a special treat. Add a little Balsamic, a ripe tomato, and you’ve got a beautiful plate.
Never too young to consider these foods and the longer list of possibilities. Time to start your weekend shopping.
Food News to Digest: Now
May 25
Food recalls have not slowed down. It’s as if we’ve learned nothing or that no one is doing anything; or enough. Fear of Salmonella or E. Coli are at the heart of the recent list of troublesome reminders about the safety of our foods. Just when we thought the Romaine Lettuce problem was over as we had passed many of the “Use-By” dates, we have another whole alert that seems far more widespread and with a product that is more readily available at a number of supermarkets. Just because a product has a Use-By or Best-if-used-By Date, does not mean that is the way our refrigerator protocol works. We buy and believe items are still good after those dates, maybe not as perky fresh, but still tasty. This particular recall should have you scrambling into the fridge to look for Use-by Dates of May 13-16 for Romaine-based products from Fresh Express. This link will guide you through the recall process. 
Last weekend there was the ubiquitous alfalfa sprout recall. That’s a product you should consider growing yourself or finding a small farmer who specializes in the care and feeding of these sprouts. Their recall notices are almost legendary for their frequency. Maybe the best solution is to find a taste substitute or skip the sprout concept all together and spice up your taste buds with an alternative.
All that talk about soda taxes and helping local economies may be going down the drain. Major outreach groups have formed, and it seems that the soda tax may be more wishful thinking than reality for a number of cities (Philly, another example). Anyway, the tax may not solve the problem which for many people borders on addiction or at least beverage dependency. Here’s another take on soft drinks:
–A new study blames the sugar in soft drinks, not the caffeine, for spiking blood pressure. Researchers found that eliminating a single soft drink daily produced a positive effect! That would seem a reasonable solution to help with blood pressure: Cut back by a single soft drink daily, and you’ll notice an improvement in blood pressure.
Wait: Let me see if I get this? We can do something to help our health! Yes, pay attention to the food safety recalls as that is our only line of defense at the moment. We can’t sit around and wait for FDA or any of its cousin agencies to solve these safety issues immediately. Secondly, we need to adjust our food intake accordingly and pay attention to the health news that impacts our lifestyle.
We can make these simple adjustments.
Killing High Fructose
May 24
It was a big announcement, and one we were happy to welcome. Likely one that will be widely imitated as no food processor wants to be the evil king. We’re talking high fructose corn syrup–HFCS–the evil darling of so many products. It’s what creates flavor for many foods. It’s the sweet we’ve become used to or maybe the reason we crave a sweet taste. Or maybe one of the primary factors contributing to obesity.
What happens when it goes; when a company decides to step up to the plate and eliminate HFCS?
Some people protest and say the product no longer tastes right. Some notice little difference. Where will you straddle? The company of most recent note is Hunt’s which just announced no more. No more HFCS! That’s big news for people who like their Hunt’s Ketchup. Perfect timing at the beginning of the summer grilling and picnic season.
This health-conscious approach and smart business decision is sure to be imitated by competitors at every price point. You won’t miss the HFCS; they replaced it with the natural sweetener: Sugar. As consumers we are becoming ever more vigilant in our search for fewer ingredients and natural solutions to items we learn have health-negative effects. It all starts with a perfect tomato; it’s not about a long list of ingredients.
As for HFCS–who needs it? We don’t!
Have you noticed the new caution? I might add, the smart, economic caution associated with some of the decisions restaurants are making in terms of the little, subtle changes.
Here are a few:
–Bread and butter do not just magically appear when you are seated. You are often asked if you would like to have bread and butter. Smart, cost-saving approach to running a restaurant. Not like we need to have bread and butter! Nor do they need to put a basket on the table and waste its contents.
–Sauces. Rather than just put cocktail sauce or tartar sauce, for example, on every fish or seafood plate, servers are checking to see if the diner wants either or both. If not, hey, the kitchen saves the money on either or both of the sauces. Lemon falls into that category. It is no longer just a natural plate adornment. More often than not, guests make the inquiry. It’s not an automatic slice or 1/8th.
–Water. Of course, in higher-end restaurants, the water question comes with numerous choices and dollar signs: Flat, fizzy, or tap. At multiple price points, water does not even come to the table unless you ask for it. With a worldwide water shortage, this is a logical, natural omission. Why serve something that’s just going to get poured out and wasted?
As consumers watch their dining out dollars, restaurateurs play the same game. Economic uncertainty still drives many businesses to close their doors. Recuperation is a slow process and little glimmers of hope do not mean we are out of the woods.
Little changes make a significant difference. We can support each other.
Some studies are just more fun to read than others. I can’t hide that fact! Take the French Fry discussion. According to the Journal of Food Science, if you cut potatoes into strips and want them to become French Fries, you’ll need more oil and, they’ll need to cook longer. Translation: They will not be considered a healthy food.
Yet, if you make circle fries out of your potatoes, you’ll shorten the cooking time, i.e. reduce the oil you’ll need and still come up with a similar tasting product, albeit healthier.
This all rests on the premise if you believe potatoes are healthy to start with! I confess: I’m a potato person and like the nutritional benefits from this food!
My prediction: More circle potato products with fun-sounding recipe names!
The Oil Spill on our Food
May 21
We as consumers have become more proactive about everything food-related. Now it’s time to step up to the plate in another area of concern and questioning. We’ve diligently followed the recalls and made proper adjustments. We’ve established a relationship of sorts with our local purveyors and made certain they were following good safety practices. We’ve read everything about organic and know which fruits and vegetables are at the top of the must-do organic list. We’ve learned about the word sustainability, and now it’s time to put on thick reading glasses and figure out what the market signs really say.
The specific area of greatest concern at the moment is fish and seafood. Where is it coming from? This is a very difficult time as we watch so much of the Gulf fishing region (1/3 of our seafood comes from this area) struggle to have any fish to catch and supply. The stories from the fisherman are all devastatingly sad. Questions arise when and if this area will be able to return to its prior position in the food chain. There are numerous reports attesting to the possibilities of a strong future, but at the present time, the news is bleak for the fisherman and the consumer.
Several markets had supply on hand since they were able to purchase quantity and could easily store the fish. Others have not been as lucky. Some were also hit with the European volcanic eruption which stalled any hopes of getting salmon to the US, but then the Alaska wild came in: Problem solved. It’s seafood such as shrimp, crabs, and oysters and fish such as grouper and snapper that are currently in the most limited supply column and receiving our attention. You can check the supply and safety issues as information gets updated daily.
When your market runs a sale of one of these products, it is time to ask the question: Where is it from and when did it come in?
Regardless of the food issue, we need to hold the cards and ask the questions. Information changes quickly and with something as diverse and confusing as the oil spill, this minute’s answer may not apply in 10!
For the record, all current reports indicate the fish and seafood is safe to eat, albeit we will pay a premium. As for tomorrow and the future, we need to stay focused and make certain we are aware of the information cycle and make any necessary adjustments to our shopping.
