Heirloom Seeds - Ever Taste a Tomato Grown for Flavor Instead of Transport?

(This is a slightly modified re-post from April, 2008)

In between discussions of high blood pressure, and the upcoming dreaded first colonoscopy, those of us of the “I owned an 8-track once” generation, will sometimes sit around reminiscing about the good old days. One sunny spring afternoon recently, amidst the usual memories of the firsts- first communion, first part time job, first kiss…- one of my friends looked up at the sky, big puffy white clouds rolling by, and said “Remember the tomatoes?”

We sucked on our frozen margaritas and fell silent.

Ahhh, yes, the tomatoes of summer from the local farm stand, or if you were even luckier , your own family garden, where you would pick one off the vine, and later sit on your back steps with your father, a tomato in one hand and the salt shaker in the other, and take a bite out of what had to be positively the best tomato in the world- or so your father said.

Now, tomatoes just don’t taste like they used to. I couldn’t even grow a good tasting tomato last summer. I diligently fertilized and watered three plants. The tomatoes sure looked great. But they tasted like grocery store tomatoes in February- bred for longevity, transport and the flavor of cardboard.

I bought my seedlings at the local nursery. Not this year. I’ll be buying heirloom tomato plants through the mail. Bred to test like a tomato, not the package they come in.

The largest provider of tomato seeds- and all seeds -to the commercial agricultural farmers these days is Monsanto Agrochemical. The seeds are genetically engineered(GE) to meet commercial grower’s needs for a sturdy, pest and drought resistant tomato. Notice flavor is not a Monsanto criteria.

There’s something inherently unnatural about one of the largest toxic chemicals manufacturers in the world now also being the world’s major seed - and therefore food- supplier.

And Monsanto is so big, they have been systematically buying up their smaller competition, now totally controlling the seed market.

Luckily, there are alternatives. A growing number of traditionalists are starting organizations around the world such as The Seed Saver’s Exchange. Their purpose is to protect heirloom varieties of fruits and vegetables for future generations.

Thank goodness.

I wonder if some day Monsanto will decide to genetically engineer the flavor back into the tomato?

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Eating Healthy Without Being Wealthy: Sweet Potatoes and Yams

From top: Camote (sweet potato), Purple Asian Yam, Sweet Asian Yam, Yampi Yampi, Jewel “yam” (sweet potato), Sweet Potato, Garnet “yam” (sweet potato).

Ironically, yams are sweeter than sweet potatoes.

Who knew?

I’m 50 years old, and I still can’t tell the difference between them.   Turns out, not too many people can.  But one thing everyone does agree on:  they’re both a healthy and inexpensive treat.

According to Zoe at Zoe Bakes,

“sweet potatoes and yams that we find here in the States are really all sweet potatoes.”

A USA yam is really a variety of sweet potato grown in the South.  The name caught on in the mid 17th century, when  slaves originally from Africa identified sweet potatoes with the “nyami” from their native land.  The name stuck.  The true yam is the tuber of a tropical vine (Dioscorea batatas) and is not even distantly related to the sweet potato.

Slowly becoming more common in US markets, the yam is most popular in Latin America and the Caribbean, with over 150 varieties available worldwide.

Health Skinny

Like all vegetables orange, sweet potatoes are an excellent source of vitamin A.  They’re also big with  fiber, protein, vitamin C, and anti-oxidants.

Little Known Facts

Spice up your Christmas dinner conversation:

• Sweet potatoes are as American as apple pie.  Native Americans were already growing Sweet potatoes when Columbus landed in 1492.
  
• The Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI), based out of Washington, D.C., rates sweet potatoes as the number one vegetable for nutrition.
• The sweetest of all yams and sweet potatoes is actually a yam, and is purple.
• Yams can weigh in as high as 200 lbs, and grow over seven feet in length.
• George Washington Carver,  an American scientist of  the late 1800s/early 1900s developed 118 different products from sweet potatoes, including a glue for postal stamps, dehydrated food, and an alternative to corn syrup.  In 1896, became head of the Agricultural Department at the Tuskegee Institute in Alabama, where he demonstrated the value of soil regeneration by planting sweet potatoes as the rotation crop for cotton.
  
• Carver also demonstrated that an economical and nutritious diet is possible from peanuts and sweet potatoes.

Healthy Recipes

SWEET POTATO BUTTER

• 2 Garlic cloves
• Freshly ground Pepper to taste
• 2 Sweet Potatoes
• Fine Sea Salt to taste
• 2 medium Carrots
• 2 Tablespoons chopped Parsley
• 1/2 to 3/4 Cup Vegetable broth
• 2 Tablespoons chopped Cilantro (Optional)
• 1 Tablespoon extra-virgin Olive Oil

Put unpeeled garlic cloves on aluminum foil and bake at 350 degrees F. in oven or toaster oven for about 10 minutes, until soft.

Microwave or boil unpeeled potatoes until done. Peel carrots, cut into large chunks and microwave or boil until soft.

Drain carrots, peel potatoes and put both in a food processor. Squeeze in the baked garlic. Add 1/2 cup broth and blend. With motor running, add oil and keep blending, adding more broth until puree is fairly smooth and full.

Add salt and pepper to taste. Dip can be made as long as a day in advance, covered and refrigerated. Bring to room temperature for serving and stir in the optional herbs right before serving with raw vegetables and bread sticks.

BAKED SWEET POTATO FRIES

• 1-1/2 lbs. sweet potatoes (about 2 large)
• 2 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 tsp. Maldon sea salt or kosher salt
• 1/4 tsp. orange zest, garlic powder or curry powder (optional)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Peel and julienne sweet potatoes. Place in a large bowl. Drizzle olive oil, salt and orange zest or any combination of spices you wish over sweet potatoes. Toss with your hands to make sure they’re fully coated. Place sweet potatoes on ungreased cookie sheet and bake 30 minutes, turning halfway through.  These are also great cooked on the grill.

MASHED

Roast or boil peeled sweet potatoes until they’re tender, then mash them as you would white potatoes. Season with chopped garlic that you’ve sauteed quickly in a bit of olive oil.

ROASTED

Cube sweet potatoes, along with onions, garlic,  and a variety of other root vegetables such as parsnips, carrots and white potatoes, toss the whole pile in olive oil, salt, and pepper, and spices of choice (optional).

Spread them in a baking pan (single layer is best), and roast them at 450 degrees F.  Stir every 10 minutes until they’re nicely browned.

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Eating Healthy Without Being Wealthy: Holiday Stress Busters

Eating the right foods can help you ease those inevitable emotional ups and downs around the holidays.  Here’s some suggestions to get you through.

1)  Eat foods that increase Serotonin -

one of those feel good, calming brain chemicals.  These include:

a)  complex carbohydrates such as:

• Oatmeal,
• Whole grain bread, or
• Whole grain anything, including pastas and breakfast cereals.

Complex carbs provide a steady serotonin stream.

b) whey protein - e.g. dairy products like cheese plates - contain a stress busting ingredient called alpha lactalbumin, which boosts the body’s level of tryptophan, a building block of serotonin, by as much as 40%.  Other sources of tryptophan include:

• Beef
• Poultry
• Barley
• Brown rice
• Fish
• Soybeans
• Peanuts

c) But in a pinch, if you need a quick shot of the wonder chemical, disregard normal recommendations to avoid simple carbohydrates such as chocolate, and eat a few sweets.  The key is moderation.  Simple carbs will provide a serotonin spike that could get you out of a cranky mood - and fast.

2) Eat foods that decrease stress-inducing cortisol levels.

a) Web MD suggests that:

” If you have a particularly stressful event coming up, you may want to consider Vitamin C supplements. In one study, blood pressure and cortisol levels returned to normal more quickly when people took 3,000 milligrams of vitamin C before a stressful task.”

Here are some foods high in Vitamin C:

• Oranges, and other citrus fruits - 3/4 of orange juice has 60 mgs of vitamin C.
• Broccoli - 45 mgs in 1/2 cup.
• Tomotoes - 1 slice has 25 mgs.
• Baked potato - 1 small has 25 mgs.

b) You can also lower your cortisol levels by eating foods high in magnesium.  Avocodos, as well as foods from the list below, all contain high levels of magnesium.

Does anyone out there have any diet stress busters for the holidays?

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Eating Healthy Without Being Wealthy - Dark Chocolate and Red Wine Have More in Common Than You Think

Dark chocolate and red wine have more in common than you think.  It’s all about their Flavonoids - a clan of polyphenolic compounds that pack a powerful antioxidant punch.  Antioxidants eat free radicals, and free radicals cause many age related degenerative diseases such as cancer and heart disease.

Dark Chocolate - The darker the better.

Dark chocolate, but not milk chocolate, or dark chocolate eaten with milk, according to a recent Web MD article.  Recent evidence shows that milk puts a roadblock on much of the adsorption of the powerful antioxidants that chocolate is laden with.

Also, milk chocolate typically has only 15 percent to 25 percent cocoa.  Dr. Sheeler of the Mayo Clinic says that to gain the health benefits, the chocolate must contain at least 60% cocoa.  Dark chocolate tends to have 50 percent to 80-plus percent cocoa.

“No need to eat a whole chocolate bar,” says Dr. Sheeler.  “30 calories of dark chocolate per day provide you with all the health benefits.  And no need to buy the priciest brands.”

You just want to stay away from the really cheap brands which are stripped of the flavonols during processing.

Web MD describes one example of how flavonols work in A Dark Chocolate a Day Keeps the Doctor Away::

“Epicatechin is a particularly active member of a group of over [6000] compounds called plant flavonoids. Flavonoids keep cholesterol from gathering in blood vessels, reduce the risk of blood clots, and slow down the immune responses that lead to clogged arteries.”

So be a good do-be, and eat your fruits, vegetables and chocolate.

Red Wine - It’s in the red.

White wine is called the “white bread” wine when it comes to health benefits.

From Science Daily, Mar,2008:

“Researchers showed for the first time that a natural antioxidant found in  purple grape skins and red wine can help destroy pancreatic cancer cells by reaching to the cell’s core energy source, or mitochondria, and crippling its function.”

Graph of Antioxidant Activity

Antioxidant Activity is reported as Oxygen Radical Adsorbance Capacity (ORAC) of various foods. Note that since this chart was published in 2004, milk chocolate has been removed from the list due to the negating milk effect and low cocoa content.

Where else are flavonoids found?

In a ubiquitous  variety of inexpensive common foods such as tea, soy products, and many fruits and vegetables.  Western populations consume an average of 150-200 mgs per day.  Mediterranean diets top the list of cultural diets containing higher levels.

Here’s the top ten fruits, vegetables, and legumes:

Apples, apricots, blueberries, pears, raspberries, strawberries, black beans, cabbage, onions, parsley, pinto beans, and tomatoes.

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Eating Healthy Without Being Wealthy - Cucumber Yogurt Salad Dressing

Similar to Mediterranean Cucumber Salad, but spicier, this dressing is a delicious and inexpensive healthy alternative to commercial dressings.  Low in both fat and calories, it’s great on salads, tomatoes, steamed vegetables, or baked potatoes.

 Ingredients

• 2 medium cucumbers - peeled and seeds removed (organic not necessary)
• 1 cup low fat organic yogurt
• 2 cloves crushed garlic
• 1/4 cup fresh chopped parsley
• 1/4 tsp salt, or to taste
• dash of cayenne or other hot pepper, or to taste

Grate the cucumber.  Squeeze out some of the liquid and set aside.  Mix the yogurt with the cucumber, and add the rest of the ingredients.  If the dressing seems too thick, you can add back some of the cucumber juice.

Variations - add 1 tsp of Dijon mustard.  Substitute dill or mint for the parsley.  Can also be used as a dip.

The Skinny on Cucumbers

Historians have found evidence of cucumbers in Western Asia over 3,000 years ago.  A natural diuretic and rich in fiber, cucumbers contain vitamins and minerals that contribute to the following health benefits:

• Lower blood pressure
• improved complexion
• can be used topically to hydrate skin and soothe skin irritations

Nutritional Profile

(provided by Wholefoods)

So, this summer, be cool as a cucumber, and enjoy all those fresh picked cukes and other vegetables!

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Eating Healthy Without Being Wealthy - Kale

Do you hear the word kale and run for the hills?  Well, hang in here with me.  Kale is packed with a combo of vitamins and minerals that will help keep you going for the long term.  And I have recipes that can get you through the actual flavor of it.

Why is kale good for you?

It’s anti the big three:  Aging, Cancer and Inflammation.  All green leafy veggies are.  It’s also good roughage.  You can’t ever get enough roughage.

To read more nutritional details about kale, check out the Whole Foods website.  It has a nice summary of recent scientific research supporting it’s health benefits.  And the studies were not sponsored by Kale Growers of America.

How do you cook it?

4 easy, top notch ways to make kale that even your children will eat.

1) Sauteed Kale and Onions

• Take the small softer leaves of one head of kale and chop small.
• Saute 1 medium onion in 2 Tablespoons (Tbs) of olive oil and 1 Tbs of butter ( or any ratio of oil and butter you like)  with a pinch of sugar over high heat until they start to brown.  Add 2 cloves of chopped garlic.  Saute until you start to smell the garlic (about 30 sec).
• Add the kale.  Stir and saute until kale is thoroughly cooked and onions are browned, about 10 minutes.

2)  Simple Steamed Kale- easy- you can do this same recipe with spinach, or any green leafy vegetable.

• Wash a head of kale, pull out the stems from the mature leaves only, then tear or chop all the leaves into bite size pieces.
•  Heat a large saute pan with 3-4 Tbs of olive oil.
• With the leaves still wet,  put them into the pan with 2-4 cloves of chopped garlic.
• Stir and cover, checking regularly until wilted.
• Add 2 Tbs of lemon juice, salt and pepper to taste, and serve.  Can be served hot or lukewarm.

3)  Kale and Potatoes a la Home Fries.

• Take 1 lb of smaller red potatoes cut in quarters and boil until they are easily pierced with a fork.  Cool and cut to a 1/2 inch dice.
•  Wash a head of kale, pull out the stems from the mature leaves, and chop the leaves into smallish pieces.keeping leaves wet, stir also coat with olive oil (about 2 Tbs) and salt and pepper to taste.  Set aside.
•  Chop a medium onion, and saute it in 2 Tbs of olive oil (or any combination of oil and butter) and a good pinch of sugar over high heat, stirring constantly.
• When the onions just start to brown, add 2-4 cloves garlic, and the potatoes.  Add salt and pepper to taste, and saute over med- high heat, browning the onions and potatoes.
• Add the kale, stir, cover, and lower the heat.  Stir occasionally until the kale is cooked through, 10-15 minutes

4)  Roasted Kale with olive oil.

• Wash a head of kale, pull out the stems from the mature leaves, and coat with olive oil.  Place in single layer on a cookie sheet.
• Roast in a 375F oven for 12-15 minutes, turning once.  Kale will be brittle and brown.
• Remove from oven and sprinkle with salt.

Bonus:  You can also add coarsely chopped kale leaves to soups in the last 15 minutes.

Little known facts about kale.

Kale belongs to the Brassica family, a group of vegetables including cauliflower, cabbage, collards and Brussels sprouts.

The earliest recorded existence of kale is in 600 B.C., when Celtic wanderers brought it to Europe from Asia Minor.  It is known to have been eaten by ancient Romans, and peasants of the middle ages.

Like brussels sprouts, kale tastes sweeter when picked after the frost, and freezes well even uncooked.

Ornamental cabbage is actually a form of kale.

“A whole culture around kale has developed in north-western Germany around the towns of Bremen and Oldenburg as well as in the land of Schleswig-Holstein. There, most social clubs of any kind will have a “Grünkohlfahrt” (”kale tour”) sometime in January, visiting a country inn to consume large quantities of kale, sausage and schnapps. Most communities in the area have a yearly kale festival which includes naming a “kale king“.’  ( from wikipedia)

Long Live King Kale!  And long live us, if we eat healthy.

Note: I follow the 80:20 rule - if I do it 80% of the time, I’m good.

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Eating Healthy Without Being Wealthy - Garlic

For thousands of years garlic has been hailed as a food, a medicine, and in folklore, as a powerful herb, capable of mystical feats such as warding off vampires, or keeping away evil spirits.

Most of us are familiar with the white papery type found in grocery stores, but actually there are over 600 varieties of garlic grown around the world. A member of the onion family, it will add a lovely flavor, either raw or cooked, to most any dish, and is both inexpensive and bountiful year found.

Health Benefits

• Antibiotic- combined with Vitamin C, it’s antibacterial and antiviral, boosting the immune system and helping ward off colds, flu, and yeast infections.
• Blood thinner- similar to aspirin, it can reduce the risk of blood clots.
• Reduces the chance of atherosclerosis, a cause of heart attacks and stroke.
• Reduces cancer risks.
• Anti-inflammatory, that can reduce the severity of asthma attacks, and ease the pain of osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis .
• Natural mosquito repellent.
• Can assist in managing high cholesterol levels, though this last has conflicting studies.

Composition

The main therapeutic benefits of garlic come from a sulfer containing compound Allicin. A break down product of the amino acid alliin, it is activated when the cloves are finely chopped or crushed. This action activates a protein enzyme, allinase, which performs the chemical breakdown.

The finer you chop, the more Allicin is formed. After chopping, you should wait a few minutes before cooking to allow time foe the chemical conversion to occur.

History and Folklore

“One must be very suspicious of anyone who does not eat garlic.”

Roman Proverb

Garlic is rich with folklore, and well documented in history.

“The entire ancient world loved garlic - particularly the Egyptians, who used to swear on garlic in much the same way as we swear on the Bible today. Egyptian slaves were given a daily ration of garlic, as it was believed to ward off illness and to increase strength and endurance. During the reign of King Tut, fifteen pounds of garlic would buy a healthy male slave. Indeed, when King Tut’s tomb was excavated, there were bulbs of garlic found scattered throughout the rooms. When Moses led the Hebrew slaves out of Egypt (around 1,200BC), they complained of missing the finer things in life - fish, cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions, and garlic.

The Greeks had ideas of their own on the virtues of garlic. Greek athletes would take copious amounts of garlic before competition, and Greek soldiers would consume garlic before going into battle. It became custom for Greek midwives to hang garlic cloves in birthing rooms to keep the evil spirits away. As the centuries passed, this ancient custom became commonplace in most European homes.

Hippocrates (300BC) recommended garlic for infections, wounds, cancer, leprosy, and digestive disorders. Dioscorides praised it for its use in treating heart problems, and Pliny listed the plant in 61 remedies for a wide variety of ailments ranging from the common cold to leprosy, epilepsy and tapeworm.”

Soldiers of the Roman Empire in 200 A.D. were paid part of their salary in garlic. They were made to eat it daily, much like we take vitamins today. Of course, during that same time period, lawyers and judges believed eating walnuts would increase their brain power, soley because the walnut meats are shaped like tiny brains.

During World War 1, the Russian army used garlic to treat wounds incurred by soldiers on the Front Line. Although Alexander Fleming’s discovery of penicillin in 1928 largely replaced garlic at home, the war effort overwhelmed the capacity of most antibiotics, and garlic was again the antibiotic of choice. The Red Army physicians relied so heavily on garlic that it became known as the “Russian Penicillin”.”

It’s clear that, regardless of what future studies find, garlic is a keeper in the diet. Not only does it taste great, it’ll help keep you healthy, and, when worn in a string around the neck, safe from evil.

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Eating Healthy Without Being Wealthy- Avocados

I love writing about eating healthy, though I’m not always that good with its actual implementation. Better to confess this now, rather than be outed by my spouse, in a rousting comment, later on. Anyway,

At $1.19 each, avocados are a great deal.

The California Avocado’s Association states that “California avocados contain 25 nutrients, including vitamin C, folate, vitamin E, fiber and unsaturated fats. They are also naturally sodium-free, contain no trans fats and are low in saturated fat.”

Of course, all avocados, whether from California or South America, have the same nutritional value.

Don’t let their marketing spin mislead you. However, the less distance the fruit needs to be transported, the less you’ll contribute to global warming.

Avocados don’t need to be purchased organic.

That saves you a 50% mark-up over those fruits or vegetables that do. For more on this, see the post, When Eating Organic Pays Off and Doesn’t.

A one ounce, 50 calorie serving (1/5th of an avocado) give you all this:

• Nearly 20 vitamins and minerals, including 4% of the recommended Daily Value (DV) for vitamin E, 4% vitamin C, 8% folate, 4% fiber, 2% iron, and 4% potassium.
• 81 micrograms of lutein. Lutein has been shown to be concentrated in the Macula of the eye. Research indicates that eating it may help us maintain healthy eyesight as we age.
• A natural “nutrient booster,” enabling the body to absorb more fat-soluble nutrients, such as alpha- and beta-carotene as well as lutein, in foods that are eaten with it.
• Unsaturated fats ,that satisfy your fat cravings and curb hunger, while not contributing to your cholesterol levels and heart disease.

Use avocados on your salads and sandwiches.

Use them as a substitute for saturated fats in your diet.

Here’s my favorite guacamole recipe from Cook’s Illustrated.

INGREDIENTS

2 small avocados,ripe - slightly soft to the touch - and preferably Haas
1 tablespoon minced red onion
1 clove garlic, minced or pressed through garlic press
1/2 (about 1.5 teaspoons) jalapeno chile, minced
2 tablespoons minced fminced fresh cilantro leaves
salt to taste
1 tablespoon lime juice, fresh squeezed

See Illustrations Below: Dicing the Avocado

1.Halve 1 avocado, remove pit, and scoop flesh into medium bowl. Using fork, mash lightly with onion, garlic, jalapeño, cilantro, and 1/8 teaspoon salt until just combined.

2. Halve and pit remaining avocado. Using a dinner knife, carefully make 1/2-inch cross-hatch incisions in flesh, cutting down to but not through skin, (see illustrations below). Using a soupspoon, gently scoop flesh from skin; transfer to bowl with mashed avocado mixture. Sprinkle lime juice over and mix lightly with fork until combined but still chunky. Adjust seasoning with salt, if necessary, and serve.

(Can be covered with plastic wrap, pressed directly onto surface of mixture, and refrigerated up to 1 day. Return guacamole to room temperature, removing plastic wrap just before serving.)

STEP BY STEP: Dicing the Avocado

1. Use dish towel to hold avocado steady. Make 1/2-inch cross-hatch incisions in flesh with a dinner knife, cutting down to but not through skin.

2. Separate diced flesh from skin using spoon inserted between skin and flesh, gently scooping out avocado cubes.

Anyone have any good avocado recipes?

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