…and other FAQs re: organic eats appeared in a recent column by Marion Nestle in The San Francisco Chronicle. There are remarking similarities between questions/myths about organics and questions/myths about farmers markets. Also between pesticide-free carrots and burning bras. Check it out.
Farmers markets for Fathers Day
I recently wrote about grilling and brunch essentials for Fathers Day, all at farmers markets. Links to DC attractions for Dad, too. Check it out!
15 minutes on… healty(er) iced coffee at 7-Eleven
12:09 pm
The Takoma Park Jazz Fest was in full swing today, but my usual iced coffee source was shut down. No explanation in the hand-written note, but I suspected the closing of the Drifting Nomad for the day was connected, if not to the Fest, then to one of a trillion other things more fun than serving coffee and sandwiches inside on a blazingly clear, sunny day.
As readers may recall, I like my coffee. Just one cup a day, but I do love that one cup. I also like finding little tricks to pull it off in different ways. So I ventured into the nearby 7-Eleven, pleased with the change of pace from my usual weekend routine. But I soon found myself standing before an iced coffee utterly at a loss. The choices: artificial mocha, or artificial vanilla. All jazzed up, you might say. The theme of my day! Processed with who knows what kinds of chemicals and with the use of who knows how much energy. Continue reading
Quick tweets meet slow eats
In the foodie world, it isn’t just greens that are going micro. Folks on Twitter (Tweeple, if you will), are now sharing tiny reviews and itty bitty news items about everything from restaurants to cooking at home to public foodie events in 140 characters or less. I have to say this has been fabulous for keeping up with D.C.-area food fun. I’ve doubled or tripled the scope of my D.C. gastronomical awareness, and it’s only been a few weeks.
One set of tweets I recently enjoyed came from chefrock, of The Carlyle Club in Alexandria. He took us through a meal at Rammy-winning Brabo in a play-by-play that could rival any Tom Sietsema review or Iron Chef narration. In quick, nutritious bursts, chefrock took us from the very beginning of the meal (“Fresh baguette was gooder than good. Nothin like great bread to start a meal off right. Service is awesome, so glad its still alive”) to dessert (“Apricot cobbler was nice and refreshing, not too sweet. The chcolate terrine was ridiculous! I’m stuffed!”). Continue reading
Starbucks getting healthy?
Even if you missed those ads with the ernest burlap backdrop talking about how real and good Starbucks is, perhaps you heard of the ‘bucks’ transition to health food? They aren’t serving acai-goji lattes just yet, but they are pledging to eliminate high fructose corn syrup and expand real fruit and organic options. Check out this summary.
Running out
It was the end of the month. “What about you?” She asked. “Do you ever run out of food?”
I wasn’t torn by the question or the answer until later. “Only when I don’t have time to go shopping,” I said.
When do you take it back?
Not to be nasty, but I have to ask. How big of a hair do you have to find to warrant a trip back to wherever you bought lunch to demand a refund?
15 minutes on…?
Again, let’s see what emerges in 15 minutes of writing.
10:55 p.m.
Today, I had the pleasure of talking with a woman doing interesting work with international ag. (We were going to and from a triathlon, but more on that and the food of sport later). She is working to negotiate fair and sustainable agricultural practices overseas, particularly in Brazil. The problem she faces is the good old invisible hand.
Companies that buy and sell commodity goods (think soy and palm oil) want the cheapest prices possible. Yet the cheapest prices are often reaped from the backs of exploited workers, and grown from environmentally damaging practices (monoculture, clear-cutting). So some negotiation needs to happen. This work brings her face-to-face with ADM and Cargill execs who simply don’t see a sound financial case for higher wages or green practices–never mind that these practices are dictated by law.
So this triathlete/negotiator’s approach is to address the companies. But of course they’re not the only ones involved! There are whole countries (China, India) full of middle men happy to buy the cheap goods with no questions asked. So where does one start? How does an international body enforce this law-abiding and do-gooding? Continue reading
Roots=?
It’s 10:32 p.m. EST. What can I write about food in 15 minutes?
Let’s see.
Today, I spent a couple of hours in the garden. As the light waned and we relied increasingly on the glow of a remote street lamp, we weeded and transplanted. The plot never fails to serve up metaphors. Today, a poignant one came care of some dandelion roots. These sneaky things had lodged themselves under the soil, snaking out beneath the surface of the arugula patch. No leaves whispered their secret. Not even a sprout hinted at their proliferation. Yet all the while these roots grew.
What are these things? Continue reading
Strawberries no bigger than a knuckle
Russ Parsons, author of How to Pick a Peach: The Search for Flavor from Farm to Table, was on American Public Media’s “The Splendid Table” this week talking about strawberries.
A few fun facts he shared:
- Go tiny when you choose strawberries. No bigger than a knuckle is best if you want maximum sweetness and flavor.
- The best strawberries are not fit for shipping. They’re too fragile! This means you’d better buy local, or you’re getting something bred to last–not to taste good.
- You can “cook” fresh berries into sauce simply by adding sugar. They’re so delicate that all it takes is the compounds in table sugar to break them down. (The same way the fresh fish in ceviche cooks in lime juice).
- Strawberries taste really good in this recipe (I have yet to try it, but it looks delightful and gets points for creativity!)
Listen to the whole interview at SplendidTable.org. Scroll down to the links to this week’s show.
For my own contibution, I will point you toward Bon Appetit magazine’s Strawberry Tiramisu. A great no-bake recipe for your sweltering summer kitchen.
You Are Delicious 