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February is the month of in between~not quite spring yet, but still abundant with citrus and greens. There is arugula, mustard greens, kale and chard as well as every type of citrus imaginable. The blood oranges are delicious and when chopped up, add a beautiful element to any salad or dish. I was talking to one of the vendors about the cauliflower and broccoli at this of year. She said because it was closer to flowering and had been on the stem longer, the protein increases as well as nutrients. The flavor is stronger and even a little sweeter. Lastly, appropriate to the winter, there are plenty of dried goods and nuts available this time of year. The walnuts are so fresh the melt in your mouth and almonds from raw to toasted to seasoned. The following is a recipe on how to make your very own almond milk. Living Nut or Seed Milk 1 cup almonds, walnuts, pecans, sunflower or sesame seeds, etc. soaked for 4 hours and rinsed Blend all ingredients on high speed until well-blended (approx. 1 minute). Pour into a nut bag and squeeze until no more liquid remains in he bag. Makes 2-4 cups pf milk. Bread from leftover almond meal 6 cups almond meal (save in freezer..the pulp from your almond milk) Put everything in a bowl and mix with your hands. Place some of the batter in between 2 wax paper sheets and roll with a rolling pin until 1/4″ thick. Cut into bread sized pieces with a dull knife or cookie cutters. Dehydrate at 105 degrees for 6-8 hours. This week we celebrated the rainy weather by creating a delicious salad of kale, greens~zucchini and more… This time of year is challenging to both get outside and the ‘wares’ of each farm are seemingly sparse. This is the time to get creative and keep in mind, anything that you find now will be teaming with flavour. Combine a few things together and use aromatic spices such as cumin below to accent the winters offerings. 2 diced roma tomatoes (if in season) 1 zucchini, peeled and chopped 1/2 onion chopped very fine 2 t cumin Cilantro and cayenne to taste 2 T lemon juice 1 T water 1 T olive oil 1 t flax oil 4 drops sesame oil This Holiday Season was certainly one of great generosity~our Christmas party hosted with the CARE project of SF General was truly successful and our presence their only possible through the MANY amazing donations of the local farms. Our mission is to educate about the benefits of eating locally, sustainable and seasonally. The beautiful produce donated allowed us to create dishes that were delicious and healthy….reflecting just what this area has to offer. Often fresh food is looked at as a luxury~organics being priced higher than the produce you find in Safeway. However, when you calculate the nutritional value and the time and energies that go into bringing this fresh produce to you at the local markets, in the end, it is a bargain! Rather than having to eat 6 carrots to receive health benefits, you can eat one! I spoke to a farm this week at the Heart of the City market in the Civic Center SF…they have been coming here for 25 years! The owners who grow and take care of the produce come personally to sell the produce. DeSantos does not use spray, however, are not certified organic and their prices are easily par with what you would find in the grocery stores. And you cannot get any fresher. They drive all the way from Fresno to bring this to us~fresh, colorful and delicious! Here are a few pictures of our dinner and preparation….again, THANK YOU!! to those who donated~it would not have been possible without you. ~happy new year!~
We were honored to cater the CARE (Cancer Awareness, Resources and Education) holiday dinner. It was a success with over 150 guests who are cancer survivors, patients, and families in the CARE program under SF General Hospital attending the event, held at the Unitarian Church on Franklin Street. The menu included: butternut squash soup baked butternut squash fresh salad of persimmon, pomegranate, and roasted pumpkin seeds fruit salad of persimmon, strawberries, pears and apples braised escarole with garlic purple mashed potatoes home pies including apple and squash, as well as cheesecake…all made with love This evening would not have been possible without the support and kindness of the following local farms who donated all the food, and the love and support of all our friends and families who volunteered. Apple Farm Delicious heart-warming desserts were prepared graciously by Shelley Lindgren of A16 and staff and friends. We are delighted to have played a part in this special gathering. Stay tuned for more… Join us this week at Beretta, for drink specials that benefit Life Ingredients… These tasty cocktails feature local, organic fruit from: Persimmon Pomegranate Fruit Salad Ingredients fuyu-persimmon-thumb.jpg · 3 persimmons, peeled, chopped (1/4 to 1/2 inch pieces), seeds (if any) discarded · 3/4 cup pomegranate seeds · 1 Granny Smith or Fuji apple, peeled, cored, chopped (1/4 to 1/2 inch pieces) · 7-10 leaves fresh mint, thinly sliced crosswise (stack then, then roll them up like a cigar and take slices from the end) · 2 teaspoons lemon juice · 1 teaspoon honey Method Gently toss all of the ingredients together. Serves 4. Keeps for at least a couple of days in the refrigerator, but best eaten same day it is made. Although the fog was in, bits of sun peaked through to shine down upon the abundant fruits of the fall~persimmons, pomegranates, apples, brussels sprouts…even strawberries! We really are fortunate to have so much delicious produce year round. What I have mostly noticed are the dried goods that are becoming available. Rather than fresh fruits, you find nuts~fresh walnuts still in the shell, almonds that are crunchy! …and a new-comer, honey. This made from all natural process and local bees is said to help support allergies as much of the honey contains the local pollens and so your body is able to build a slow immunity to the pollens that may plague you now:) This week, we made a delicious salad of pomegranate, walnut and apple salad~and I can’t forget the persimmons! We shopped around, found all of our ingredients right there. You will notice that the recipe calls for mint~but we couldn’t find any and so just added a little extra flavor and thought nuts might do the trick…and they did. Please enjoy. November is a special time of year~the days are cooler, the nights even chilly. The markets are remarkable different as each vendor reflects the fruits of late fall~Thanksgiving is just around the corner. The colors have changed, the textures are firmer as fleshy fruit turns to root vegetables, squashes~and the warm winter foods that nourish us throughout the winter. Although you may not be able to get to the market, there is an abundance of information about what’s in season, nutrition, or events that can be found online. A great resource is CUESA~Center for Urban Education about Sustainable Agriculture: The following excerpt was taken from them. What’s SpecialPersimmons
There are two distinctly different types of persimmon and many varieties of each type. Astringent varieties, like the acorn-shaped Hachiya, must ripen fully before they are eaten; their unripe flesh is tannic and causes an extremely unpleasant sensation in the mouth. These varieties are generally harvested when they are hard and ripened on countertops or windowsills. When they are ready to eat, their thin skin is a translucent orange, and their flesh is runny and gelatinous. Astringent varieties are often used in baking or preserving and can be dried to make the Japanese treat, hoshigaki. Hamada Farms, which grows four varieties of persimmon, dries about 6000 Hachiyas every year using the traditional Japanese method. First, they hand clip the persimmons from the tree, leaving a “T” where the stem meets the branch. Then, they remove the leaf crown at the top of each fruit, peel the skin off with a potato peeler, and hang them to dry in the sun. The resulting products are dense and succulent treats covered with a white powdery substance that some mistake for mold. The powder is actually a sugar bloom that naturally surfaces, coating the fruit with a delicious sweetness. Non-astringent varieties of persimmon, like the squat Fuyu, can be eaten when they are still hard. The fruit’s flavor is sweet and mild, and its texture is smooth. These varieties are perfect for eating out of hand, slicing into salads, or drying in thick rounds. Here’s a peek at what you can hope to find at local farmers’ markets in October:
Apples
Arugula
Asian Greens
Basil
Beets
Broccoli
Cabbage
Carrots
Cauliflower
Celery
Celeriac
Chard
Cilantro
Collard Greens
Eggplant
Fennel
Fresh Herbs
Garlic
Grapes
Jerusalem Artichokes
Kale
Lettuce
Melons
Mustard Greens
Onions
Parsley
Pears
Peppers, Hot
Peppers, Sweet
Persimmons
Pomegranates
Potatoes
Pumpkins
Quince
Radishes
Shallots
Spinach
Summer Squash
Sweet Potatoes
Tomatoes (maybe!)
Turnips
Winter Squash
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There are several species of persimmon—some native to China and others to North America—but the Asian Diospyros kaki accounts for almost all commercial persimmon production. Both American Indians and settlers ate the fruits of the native Diospyros virginiana, and until Japanese immigrants introduced Americans to Asian persimmons (also known as kaki fruits), the indigenous persimmon enjoyed some popularity.