Salmonella Outbreak in Peanut Butter Snacks

I want to make sure everyone (especially moms) knows about the salmonella outbreak in peanut butter products from Peanut Corporation of America (PCA). PCA peanut butter products have sickened at least 475 people in 43 states and Canada and may have contributed to six deaths according to the CDC.

PCA's products aren't sold to grocery stores. PCA only sells peanut butter to institutions and food manufacturers. Some food makers use PCA's peanut butter or peanut paste to make products including crackers, cookies, cakes, cereal, candy, and ice cream. Here are a few of the recalled products that you might be familiar with (but hopefully you don't buy, for many reasons other than salmonella):

• General Mills: Lara Bar Peanut Butter Cookie flavor snack bars and Jam Frakas Peanut Butter Blisscrisp flavor snack bars
• Clif Bar & Company: Clif Bar Chocolate Chip Peanut Crunch, Clif Bar Crunchy Peanut Butter, Clif Bar Peanut Toffee Buzz, ZBaR Peanut Butter, Clif Builders Peanut Butter, Luna Nutz over Chocolate, Luna Peanut Butter Cookie, and all Clif Mojo Bars
• Kroger: Private Selection Peanut Butter Passion Ice Cream sold at City Market, Fred Meyer, Fry's, King Soopers, QFC, and Smith's stores.
• Kellogg Company: Certain Austin and Keebler brand peanut butter sandwich crackers, select snack-size packs of Famous Amos Peanut Butter Cookies, and Keebler Soft Batch Homestyle Peanut Butter Cookies.

The FDA's web site has a list of all the recalls related to the salmonella outbreak.

AP Article

GOOD QUESTIONS: Non-dairy yogurt culture starter?

Question:  Carla, Where can I get a good yogurt starter? I want to make your coconut milk yogurt but I don't want to use a dairy starter.

Answer:  I recommend GI ProStart Yogurt Culture Starter from GI ProHealth which has a combination of three well-recognized and certified probiotic strains with documented clinical effectiveness. GI ProStart yogurt starter produces a nice, creamy, dairy-free yogurt when used with alternative milks like coconut milk and can also be used with cow or goat milk. 

GI ProStart has to stay refrigerated to keep the bacteria alive and you only use an 1/8 teaspoon to make two quarts of yogurt.

To get you psyched to make the coconut milk yogurt or any other probiotic-containing food (like sauerkraut), here are some benefits for you to consider.

• Good bacteria make vitamins our bodies need and utilize such as B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, B12, A and K.
• Good bacteria produce essential fatty acids
• Good bacteria digest lactose
• Good bacteria regulates peristalsis and bowel movements
• Good bacteria digests protein into amino acids
• Good bacteria produce antibiotics and antifungals which prevent colonization and growth of bad bacteria and yeast/fungus
• Good bacteria support the immune system and increase the number of immune cells.
• Good bacteria balance intestinal pH.
• Good bacteria break down bacterial toxins
• Good bacteria have anti-tumor and anti-cancer effects.
• Good bacteria protects us against environmental toxins like mercury, pesticides, pollution and radiation
• Good bacteria break down and rebuild hormones
• Good bacteria help normalize serum cholesterol and triglycerides

Thyroid Health Talk by Janet Lang, M.D.

While I'm on the subjects of thyroid and the Weston A. Price conference in November, here is a video excerpt of Janet Lang's lecture, Iodine in the Thyroid and Total Body Health. The conference recordings can be purchased at http://www.fleetwoodonsite.com/index.php?cPath=40_180. And below the video are download links for Dr. Lang's lecture notes.

Download JanetLang Lecture2008
Download JanetLange-IodinePatchTest
Download JanetLang-Interpreting the Iodine Patch Test

Update: Documents removed by request of author

Salt FAQ

Question:
Is there a big difference between refined and unrefined salt?

Answer:
Yes, huge difference. Refined salt has been stripped of all trace minerals, contains toxic additives and disturbs pH balance.

---------------------

Question:
Can one get a sufficient amount of iodine from iodized salt?

Answer:
No. The RDA (Recommended Daily Allowance) was established (150 ug/day) with one goal in mind: to prevent goiter and cretinism. The RDA for iodine has been successful at combating goiter and cretinism; however, the RDA is woefully inadequate in preventing many other thyroid disorders including hypothyroidism, Graves' disease, Hashimoto's disease, and enlarged thyroid.

---------------------

Question:
Does sea salt contain significant amounts of iodine?

Answer:
No. Although unrefined sea salt is an excellent source of around 80 minerals, it does not contain appreciable amounts of iodine.

---------------------

Question:
Are there any studies to back up the claim that there is enough iodine in iodized salt to supply the body's need for iodine?

Answer:
No.

---------------------
Source: Salt Your Way to Health, David Brownstein, M.D., www.drbrownstein.com

I heard Dr. Brownstein speak at the Weston A. Price Wise Traditions Conference in November. Amazing man, amazing lecture. If you or anyone you know have thyroid problems, I highly recommend his book, Overcoming Thyroid Disorders. Order online or 1-888-647-5616.

Dr. Brownstein says that he is yet to see any item that is more important to promoting health or optimizing the function of the immune system than iodine. In his clinical practice, he has witnessed iodine help with breast cancer, fibrocystic breast disease, fatigue, and thyroid cancer, to name just a few. I wish he were local to SF, but he is located in West Bloomfield, Michigan. More on his lecture later...

Here, Here! A Secretary of Food is What We Need.

There was a great op-ed column today in the New York Times by Nicholas Kristof suggesting that we need greater reform in the US Department of Agriculture. He goes so far as to say that the cabinet position should be renamed.

As Barack Obama ponders whom to pick as agriculture secretary, he should reframe the question. What he needs is actually a bold reformer in a position renamed “secretary of food.”

Here, here!

Please read this article, then sign an online petition at www.fooddemocracynow.org which calls for a reformist pick for agriculture secretary. Six great candidates are mentioned.

[Sorry folks, I know things have been sparse here on LF. I've been twittering more than blogging these days. It's so easy and immediate. If you want to follow me on Twitter, go to http://www.twitter.com/carlaborelli. There's a smattering of everything there from food, health to new media, movie reviews, rants and raves. All in 140 characters or less!]

RECIPE: Whey

Whey is often called for in recipes for lacto-fermented fruit and vegetables, for soaking grains and as a starter for many beverages. It has a lot of minerals. One tablespoon of whey in a little water will help digestion. It's beneficial for muscles, joints, ligaments. Cream cheese is a by-product. I never buy cream cheese; it's so easy to make as you will see below. Plus commercial cream cheese is produced by putting milk under high pressure and not by the beneficial action of lactic-acid-producing bacteria.

How to Make Whey

1. Line a large strainer set over a bowl with a clean dish towel or flour sack towel.
2. Pour in a good commercial organic yogurt, and wait a few minutes until some of the liquid (whey) drips out. If you want to use home-made yogurt, even better!
3. Tie up the towel with the yogurt inside. Tie this little sack to a wooden spoon placed across the top of a container so that the whey can continue to drip out. See photo on the right.
4. When the bag stops dripping, the cheese and whey are ready to be stored.
5. Store the whey in a glass jar and the cream cheese in a covered glass container in the fridge. (I usually add a little salt to the cream cheese before putting in the fridge.)

Refrigerated, the whey lasts for about 6 months. The cream cheese lasts for about a month.

Top Photo by MomtheBarbarian

RECIPE: Cultured Cranberry-Shallot Relish

While at the Weston A. Price Conference a couple of weeks ago, I picked up a recipe card from Meant To Be Foods, a sponsoring exhibitor. Meant To Be is a commercial kitchen offering nutrient-dense foods to families in the Redmond, Washington area. The owners are Nutritional Therapists who offer cooking classes and private consultation. Their approach to food is rooted in the work of the Weston A. Price Foundation. Their food offerings seem to be similar to Three Stone Hearth, a worker-owned cooperative in Berkeley. Local Forage loves Three Stone Hearth, and, while I haven't tasted all their products, I'm sure Meant To Be Foods is just as meticulous, quality-minded and delicious. 

While at the conference, I picked up a recipe from Meant To Be that I thought Foragers would like since many of you share my lacto-fermentation fetish.

In vegetable ferments, we use salt to keep inhibit bad bacteria growth until enough lactic acid is produced to preserve the vegetables. See RECIPE: Sauerkraut and The Finer Points of Vegetable Ferments. Salt can be eliminated if whey is added to the mixture. Rich in lactic acid and lactic-acid-producing bacteria, whey acts as an inoculant, reducing the time needed for sufficient lactic acid to be produced to ensure preservation. While I don't find that whey is necessary in my vegetable ferments, it is essential in pickling fruits. It's easy to make whey; all you need is yogurt and a dish towel. (See RECIPE: Whey for instructions.)

Cultured Cranberry-Shallot Relish

1 cup thinly sliced shallots
3 tablespoons coconut oil
1 cup water
1 1/2 cups rapadura
3 tablespoons orange zest
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
1 cup dried currants
4 cups cranberries
3 tablespoons whey or 1 package of culture starter

Over low heat in a non-reactive pan, saute shallots in coconut oil until soft, stirring occasionally. Add water, rapadura, zest, ginger, currants, and half of cranberries.

Bring to a simmer. Roughly chop remaining half of cranberries. When mixture has come to a simmer and all rapadura has dissolved, remove from heat. Cool to room temperature and stir in chopped cranberries and whey or culture starter.

Pack into pint or half pint jars, place lids on loosely and set in a warm place to culture 3-5 days.

Top photo by Muffet

Bottom photos by Stephen Borelli

 

Do Flu Shots Work? Ask A Vaccine Manufacturer

I have written before on the flu vaccine. See Flu and Other Vaccines, Flu Vaccine and Mercury.

I encourage everyone to do the research before you take a flu shot.

And I'd like to add one other interesting piece of information to the flu shot conversation here on LF — a recorded response by a rep at a vaccine maker to a caller's questions about efficacy and mercury content (thimerosal). The response is — perhaps unintentionally — a bit more honest than what you might hear from their ads.

In the call, the rep says that even the one that is mercury-free contains trace amounts of mercury. How many doses of "trace" amounts equals a significant amount? Do your research before you believe the FDA and EPA safe dosage limits.

Source: Mercola.com

Related:
EWG.com: EPA Suppresses Inconvenient Study in Critical Mercury Decision

British Medical Journal study which concluded that the effectiveness of annual flu shots has been exaggerated

Archives of Internal Medicine 2005 study that couldn't find support for the use of flu vaccine to prevent deaths in the elderly

More:

Study published in October 2008 issue of Archives of Pediatric & Adolescent Medicine found that vaccinating young children against the flu had no impact on flu-related hospitalizations or doctor visits during two recent flu seasons.

A study recently published in the Lancet found that influenza vaccination was NOT associated with a reduced risk of pneumonia in older people.

 

RECIPE: Coconut Milk Custard

There is nothing more comforting to me than a warm custard, whether it's in a pastry, a quiche or alone in a ramekin. I remember my mother making it for us kids as a snack. It was something that we loved, and my mom felt great serving it to us because she knew it wasn't just a vapid sugar-delivery system like so many other kid snacks.

This recipe is a dairy-free version of my mom's. It's very simple. I substituted coconut milk for cow milk. You all know about my recent obsession with coconut milk. I'm on a riff, y'all.

If you're lactose-intolerant, have a cold or flu or just want to get some lauric acid in your system, check out this delicious recipe. For more on the benefits of coconut — antimicrobial effects, cardiovascular support, weight loss, metabolism/energy enhancement, increased digestion/nutrient absorption, etc.—check out the Coconut Research Center or CoconutOil.com. Also read this very interesting 1996 article from lipid researcher Mary Enig, Ph.D., A New Look at Coconut Oil.

Coconut Milk Custard

Ingredients:

• 5 large eggs
• 3 tablespoons of honey (or 1/3 cup rapadura or sugar if you're not into honey)
• 1 cup coconut milk*
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• Options: add a little cinnamon or nutmeg during or after baking. My photo shows a dusting of cinnamon but I usually skip this and let the natural coconut flavor prevail.

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Place rack in center of oven. Beat eggs, honey, and coconut milk until frothy. A stick blender works perfectly fine as well.

Pour mixture into 8" by 8" baking dish or individual ramekins/containers. Place in larger pan filled with hot water. Water should be halfway up the sides of baking dish. Bake 30-45 minutes or until knife inserted in center comes out clean. Be careful not to overbake. If serving hot, spoon into dishes; if serving cold, allow mixture to cool before cutting into squares.

Serving idea: The custard would be really nice with small cubes of butter-sauteed pineapple or a small dollop of whipped cream. I would add one of these or add a dusting of cinnamon if I were having guests over, as the custard is not super attractive by itself without accoutrement

Makes 4 ramekin-sized servings

*See RECIPE: Coconut Milk Yogurt for the brand of coconut milk that I use.

Other Related:

I'm Cukoo for Coconuts

Coconut-Fruit (aka Schtinky) Balls

The Great Con-ola

Chinese Milk Provides More Trick Than Treat

I'm sure most of you read today about the melamine-tainted milk recall in China. What you may not think about is American food products that contain Chinese milk.

Read Ann Marie Michael's article, "Very Scary Candy", at the Cheeseslave blog and reconsider the candy that you will let your kids consume this Halloween.

Apparently Hershey's doesn't buy Chinese milk. Mars does, but NOT, purportedly, from companies with melamine-contaminated dairy products. And, Cadbury is recalling products that are contaminated. If there ever was a time to avoid candy by mega-brand companies, it would be now. Keep your kids safe!

Update: Sherwood brand Pirate's Gold Milk Chocolate Coins have been recalled as well. These candies are sold at Costco, as well as many bulk and dollar stores. These are the ones wrapped in shiny gold foil.

Oh, and while you're at Cheeseslave, check out the Bruce Fife* recipe for Coconut-Flour Blueberry Muffins. They are grain- and gluten-free. I made them yesterday and they were delicious. I'm trying to stay on a grain-free diet so it was a guilt-free indulgence which I was very grateful for. I used Bob's Red Mill coconut flour.

*Of "Cooking with Coconut Flour: A Delicious Low-Carb, Gluten-Free Alternative to Wheat" book fame.

Related: New York Times article from today: Melamine Is Discovered in More Eggs From China

Photo credits: The Daily Mail and The Imaginary World

RECIPE: Coconut Milk Yogurt (from canned milk)

As promised in the Home-Made Yogurt post, today I'm writing about Coconut Milk Yogurt.

A kefir or yogurt can be made with fresh young coconut juice, blended young Thai coconut meat, or even dried coconut, but this particular recipe is for canned coconut milk and is yogurt-culture based. We'll start our cultured coconut milk discussion with canned coconut milk yogurt since it's easy, and the canned milk is readily available. Then, maybe later we'll go pro with a fresh coconut recipe and slap a kefir on yo ass and shit. (Sorry Mom, I just signed up for this and, well, those words just slipped out.)

Coconut milk, by the way, is not the thin liquid found inside the coconut itself; that's called coconut water. Coconut milk is a product made by steeping equal parts shredded coconut meat and warm water. The meat is pressed or mashed to release as much liquid as possible, the mixture is strained, and the result is coconut milk.

I only have experience with one brand of coconut milk—Natural Value, the non-organic and full fat version made from Thai coconuts. There are a few reasons why I use the non-organic and full-fat version...

Non-organic—The organic version has guar gum, a thickening agent. Guar gum makes the milk taste yucky and creates homogenity so that you don't get the separation between the cream and the lighter coconut milk. It's unfortunate that they add guar gum in the organic version.

Full Fat—I don't recommend "lite" coconut milk. You're paying mostly for water and won't get enough of the fat, which is where you'll find the most flavor and nutrition.

No Preservatives—Natural Value Coconut Milk does not contain the preservative, sodium metabisulfite like the Chaokoh* or Mae Ploy brands do, which is unfortunate because Chaokoh was highly rated by the Cooks Illustrated testers as being the creamiest, tastiest and lowest in sugar and Mae Ploy is prized by Thai chefs as well.

Coconut Milk Yogurt is a terrific substitute for dairy-based yogurt and is incredibly delicious and probiotic-rich. As made below, it's a little thinner than commercial yogurt, but it has no preservatives or thickeners. Try it with fruit, cereal and in soups and curries. (And by the way, If you're afraid of the fat in coconut milk, read I'm Cukoo for Coconuts.)

Ok, enough ado, here's the recipe from CoconutLover#1 (me):

Coconut Milk Yogurt

3 14-ounce cans coconut milk

1/4 cup good quality commercial plain yogurt (or previous home made batch)

1-2 tablespoons honey

Candy thermometer

1. Bring the coconut milk to ~125 degrees and remove from heat.
2. Cover and cool to about 110 degrees. It is very important that you allow the temperature to drop so as not to kill the bacterial culture you are now ready to introduce.
3. Remove about one-half cup cooled coconut milk and make a paste with one quarter cup of good quality commercial yogurt. The commercial yogurt you use should be unflavored and unsweetened. You could use a starter but why spend the extra bucks? Commercial yogurt works fine. You can use your home made yogurt as a starter for your next batch.
4. Mix the paste with the remainder of the cooled coconut milk, honey and stir thoroughly.
5. Pour milk into any appropriately sized shallow glass, enamel or stainless steel container (I use a Le Creuset pot), cover and let stand for 24 hours at 100-110 degrees up to a maximum of 29 hours. To keep the correct temperature for the culture, I use a 60 watt bulb in my oven and leave the light on. No other heat is needed. Remember, too high a temperature will kill the bacterial culture; too low of a temperature will prevent the activation of bacterial enzymes.
6. Remove from oven and refrigerate.

RECIPES: Home-Made Yogurt

Here's why I make my own yogurt.

First, home-made yogurt is indescribably delicious. The long, slow culturing imparts a tang that doesn't obliterate the cowness. See, it's indescribable.

Second, even with the best commercial yogurts, I have complaints. Take for instance Straus. Straus is a lovely organic dairy located in Marshall, CA along the shores of Tomales Bay. Straus is my favorite non-raw organic milk. The Straus' are good people who make a very good product. And they use glass bottles, my favorite! While their yogurt tastes just fine, I have a problem with the texture. Personally, I like my yogurt to separate. It makes me feel closer to the cow, closer to milk's natural form if I can see the whey pooling up in the container. For some reason, the whey in Straus yogurt doesn't separate easily. I don't believe it's homogenized but it has a homogenized-like texture — too creamy, too blended for my taste. Nancys, another decent organic brand, contains milk powder which brings me to my third point.

Third, many commercial yogurts contain milk powder. I avoid milk powder; it's a refined food. My intuition tells me: AVOID. Mary Enig and Sally Fallon make bolder statements. In "Dirty Secrets of the Food Processing Industry," they say that commercial dehydration methods oxidize the cholesterol in milk. Oxidized cholesterol, as you know, causes arterial plaque. They also say that the high temperature drying "creates large quantities of cross-linked proteins and nitrite compounds, which are potent carcinogens, as well as free glutamic acid, which is toxic to the nervous system." I couldn't find any support for this in my cursory online search, but I remember that back in 2006, China rejected 100 tons of milk powder by West Farm (Darigold) because it was over the safety limit for nitrites. Which, in retrospect, is hilarious given China's abysmal record of food safety in the last 2 years.

Fourth, home made yogurt has less lactose if prepared properly. For those of us with lactose issues, this is important. If you culture your home-made yogurt for a minimum of 24 hours (unlike commercial yogurt which is fermented for about 4 hours), the fermentation process almost completely digests the lactose, according to Elaine Gottschall, researcher and creator of the Specific Carbohydrate Diet and late author of Breaking the Vicious Cycle: Intestinal Health Through Diet, a book I highly recommend. Lactose in milk is a disaccharide and the fermentation converts it to galactose which is a monosaccharide that is easy to absorb.

Ah now, with all that said, I provide you with directions on how to make your own wonderful yogurt. And I'm happy to report that neither a yogurt maker or a special culture is necessary.

Home Made Cow's Milk Yogurt

Makes 1 quart

1/4 cup good quality commercial plain yogurt (or previous home made batch)

1 quart pasteurized whole milk, non-homogenized

a candy thermometer, if you want to be precise

1. Bring one quart of milk to the simmer stage (180 degrees) and remove from heat. Stir often to prevent scorching and sticking to the bottom of the pan.
2. Cover and cool to about 110 degrees. It is very important that you allow the temperature to drop so as not to kill the bacterial culture you are now ready to introduce.
3. Remove about one-half cup cooled milk and make a paste with one quarter cup of good quality commercial yogurt. The commercial yogurt you use should be unflavored and unsweetened. You could use a starter but why spend the extra bucks? Commercial yogurt works fine. You can use your home made yogurt as a starter for your next batch.
4. Mix the paste with the remainder of the cooled milk and stir thoroughly.
5. Pour milk into any appropriately sized shallow glass, enamel or stainless steel container (I use a Le Creuset pot), cover and let stand for at least 24 hours at 100-110 degrees up to a maximum of 29 hours. After 30 hours, it starts to kill the good bacteria. To keep the correct temperature for the culture, I use a 60 watt bulb in my oven and leave the light on. No other heat is needed. Remember, too high a temperature will kill the bacterial culture and will prevent proper "digestion" (conversion) of the lactose. Too low of a temperature will prevent the activation of bacterial enzymes and will result in incomplete "digestion" of the lactose.
6. Remove from oven and refrigerate.

While this yogurt may not be as thick as commercial yogurt, it will be a true yogurt with no thickeners or extenders. Speaking of thickeners, sometimes I add some Straus cream to the milk in the beginning if I want a more viscous consistency. For a Greek-style yogurt, strain the whey with cheese cloth (as in the photo) or flour sack towels.

When you're ready to eat your home-made yogurt, try and eat only one cup. I dare you! It's so delicious, you'll be wanting more. Try the fresh yogurt with with sage honey drizzled on top or with fresh berries to make your mouth say wow.

FOR RAW MILK YOGURT: In step 1, only heat the milk to 110 degrees so as not to kill the good stuff which is why you buy raw milk in the first place. I like raw milk yogurt better than the pasteurized, both in flavor and texture.

Tomorrow, I hope to post on Coconut Milk Yogurt, my latest obsession.

Related: Got Frankenmilk?

Photo by MomtheBarbarian

Baking Powder: Go Aluminum-Free

Many of us Local Foragers already use aluminum-free baking powders due to health concerns. But pastry chef and cookbook author, David Lebovitz, says there's another reason not to use aluminum-containing baking powders — taste. Aluminum-containing baking powders give a bitter and tinny flayvah to your pancakes, waffles and muffins.

Since high baking season is right around the corner, let's discuss a few things from David's article, Why You Should Use Aluminum-Free Baking Powder.

First of all, remember that you can make your own single-acting baking powder from the following:

2 parts cream of tartar
1 part baking soda
1 part cornstarch

(I almost always use arrowroot flour instead of cornstarch in recipes. I have an aversion to cornstarch for oh so many reasons. For more info on arrowroot read my 5/07 post: Arrowroot: Cornstarch Substitute.)

David's recipe above calls for cornstarch. I almost always use arrowroot flour instead of cornstarch in recipes. I have an aversion to cornstarch for oh so many reasons. (For more info on arrowroot read my 5/07 post: Arrowroot: Cornstarch Substitute.) A recipe specifically for arrowroot comes from Bob's Red Mill. Here it is:

2 parts cream of tartar
1 part baking soda
2 part arrowroot flour (aka "arrowroot starch")

They recommend sifting and resifting this mixture. And they say that this mixture, when sealed tight in a jar, lasts for 3 months.

If you decide to use store-bought cornstarch, there are several brands that offer aluminum-free formulations: Rumford, Giusto's Vita Grain, Bob's Red Mill (Amazon link to Bob's) and Frontier. I use Giusto's because it's in the bulk section at Rainbow Grocery here in SF, and I try to buy in bulk as much as possible to reduce packaging waste.

Baking powder is a leavening agent and can get deactivated quickly. David actually recommends not buying in bulk since baking powder loses its power quickly when exposed to humidity in the air. I usually only buy what I need for a particular baking session and use it immediately. If you have baking powder in your pantry and aren't sure if you need to replace it, David says to add a teaspoonful to a half cup of boiling water. If it boils vigorously, the baking powder is still good. If nothing happens, trash it and buy some fresh stuff.

Thanks, David!

 

GADGETS & GIZMOS: Food Mill

Food mills are like a combination of a sieve (or chinoise) and an electric blender or food processor. They remove seeds, peel, and pulp from fruits and vegetables. I primarily use food mills for making tomato sauce, soup and juice, but they're also great for applesauce, berry purees, baby food and creamy mashed potatoes.

The Spremy Electric Tomato Strainer (pictured above, $239 on Amazon.com) is my mill of choice. It separates seeds and skin and will produce a perfectly smooth tomato puree. It is made in Italy and can handle very large quantities in one session. The most I have done in a single session is about 300 pounds (as described in my post, Premium Hollister Red) but it could probably handle a lot more. With the Spremy, all you have to do is core the raw tomatoes and cut into pieces small enough to fit through the neck. You can do the same with apples—no stove-top preparation necessary.

If you don't want to spend the money on an expensive electric tomato mill, you can get similar results (much more elbow grease required, of course) with the hand-cranked Oxo Good Grips Food Mill (pictured below, $49 on Amazon.com).

When I've used the hand-cranked versions in the past to make a tomato puree, I've had to parboil the tomato in advance to make it easier to crank. The Oxo includes 3 stainless steel grinding discs for fine, medium and coarse textures. It has a release button that makes it easy to exchange discs and disassemble for storage. Three non-slip legs hold the Oxo securely over bowls and pots up to 11 inches in diameter. The legs also fold for easy storage.

While not a vitally necessary kitchen tool, a food mill can make the difference between a good dish and a great dish.

Premium Hollister Red

It started out as a small operation.

The location: Hollister, or "Hell-town" as my cousins and I call our home town, located two hours south of San Francisco. My plan was to pick a couple boxes of tomatoes, use my mom's Spremy to press the big red globes into a couple of jars for sauce-making and call it a day.

Hollister is located in the fertile San Benito River valley which supports some of the most productive farmland in the state, much of it certified organic. Throughout the county, you will find fields of lettuce, peppers, garlic, onions, tomatoes, broccoli, celery, cabbage and cauliflower; orchards of walnuts, almonds, apricots and plums, and vineyards of Cabernet, Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Negrette. In total, there are about 40 different crops, but there's one crop that I've always especially fancied and wait expectantly for every year — tomatoes.

My Uncle J is my metaphorical gateway to Hell-town tomatoes. People are fond of Uncle J, they really, really like him. I'm talking about important people, people with tomato husbandry skills. Yeah, people with tomato husbandry skills who might even own or work for certain unmentionable farming operations in one of the most bountiful agricultural areas in the state. Those kind of people.

So I brokered this deal with Uncle J on that Sunday morning just a few hours before I was to head back up to San Francisco: In his truck, he would drive me down to the field where his tomato contacts are. I would come alone. I would bring clean bags or boxes and wear grungy shoes. We would get out of the car and I would pick as many tomatoes as I wanted, provided that they fit in the back of his flatbed. We would exit the field, and on the way out we would both wave to the tractor driver moving pallets. When I got home, I was to share the harvest with my sibs who were also home for the weekend due to a family event.

So this is how it went down, originally. I picked 3 boxes of red tomatoes for sauce and 1 box of hard greens for fermenting. I thought this was it, my work is mostly done.

On my way back to San Francisco, I get a call from my friend Mark who has a sixth sense for food hijackings. He always happens to call or come over just when I've scored a mortadella from my Mom, or fresh almonds from Farmer Ruth or, in this case, boxes of still-warm-from-the-sun, vine-ripened Hollister Red as he calls the variety. Mark remembered the heavenly flavor of last year's crop and he was calling to see if I could "hook him up". I told him that I would share the boxes I had picked with him and our other tomato-obssessed friend, Goldy. When Mark found out that I only had 3 boxes, he decided that he had to go to the source himself...and plunder it. He wanted to make sauce for his entire Kiwani's club; my harvest was "not enough". I knew that he just wanted a big-ass load of sauce for his freezer. He doesn't even belong to the Kiwanis for chrissakes.

The following day, Mark and Goldy went down to Hell-town which would be the day before the tomatoes were to be tilled under. They met Uncle J. at a crossroads and jumped into his truck. An intelligence error had occurred because, as they picked, they spotted the rototiller just 10 rows ahead of them, a day early. This sighting of the rototiller inspired quick picking. Within 45 minutes, they were able to free some 300 pounds of tomatoes from their certain death and load them into the escape vehicle.

On the way home Mark and Goldy called and warned me to get the Spremy ready. The next day starting at 4pm, we pressed 300 pounds of tomatoes into the most luscious, evenly textured, seedless/peel-free puree.* The Spremy, an imported Italian electric tomato press that I borrowed from my mom, allowed us to set up our own mini cannery. It worked like magic.

It took us 2 hours just to set up the operation. Goldy, a set designer/art director for feature films who can build anything, fashioned a shunting device out of foil for the waste matter so that it fell directly into a compost bin. The ever resourceful Mark created a washing station from plastic bread racks where our tomatoes were hosed and dried. Our friend Clare cored and cut tomatoes while Goldy and I rammed the tomatoes down the neck of the Spremy. Respite from the loud, burly motor came only when we had to turn the machine off to transfer the puree into the jars. Mark plied us with wine while friends arrived to marvel at our stupidity and nourish us with home made goodies including a french onion soup from Michelle S. that blew our socks off. Extra takeaways of sauce for her, please.

At about 8:30pm, Mark recorded a message on the "tomato hotline" (my home phone) telling our friends how much sauce was available for the taking. Since the puree is highly perishable and we couldn't store it all, they had to show up that night if they wanted to share in the fruits of our labor. And they came with empty containers in hand.

All in all, it was a fun, communal experience...that I won't be doing again. At least for another year.

Pasta dinner at my house — who's in??

*One of the by-products of the tomato pressing is tomato water or juice. We made gallons. And oh boy did it make a lovely Bloody Mary at a party a few days later.

Tomorrow's post will include info on where to buy your own Spremy, the rockingest tomato press available west of the boot.

 

'Loving Lard' Article in the SF Chronicle Today

An article in today's San Francisco Chronicle, Loving Lard, restated what people like Sally Fallon and lipid researcher Mary Enig have been saying for years — (1) the science behind the anti-fat crusades is, at very best, inconclusive and (2) the type of fat matters more than the total amount. The studies which supported the lipid hypothesis (the theory that there is a direct relationship between the amount of saturated fat and cholesterol in the diet and the incidence of coronary heart disease) made no distinctions between trans and saturated fats; they lumped them into the same category -- the bad category. As Local Forage reader, Razwell, says in the comments on LF post, Saturated Fat Getting More and More Props: "There are EXACTLY 18 clinical dietary intervention trials to date and NONE of them support the false idea that saturated fat increases CHD [coronary heart disease] mortality or incidence. The Women's Health Initiative 2006 is the most recent."

Mary Enig's books explain the HUGE difference between trans and saturated fats and the misguidedness (I'm being nice here) of the vegetable oil industry.

It warms the cockles of my heart to see information on the vindication of saturated fats entering the mainstream. Thank you, Michael Pollan.

If you enjoyed reading the Local Forage article by Steven Fineberg on rendered fats like tallow and schmaltz (recipes therein), you'll love Loving Lard.

Bonus: At the end of Loving Lard, there is a recipe for Perbacco's Apple Crostata. My tough-audience parents were here a month ago and I took them to Perbacco. They (we) raved on and on about the simplicity, lightness and general perfection of the Apple Crostata, so I'm happy to have my grubby little hands on the recipe.

In conclusion, LARD RULES. Accept no substitutes. Unless, of course, your religion forbids it.

_________________________

Local Forage reading list:

Know Your Fats : The Complete Primer for Understanding the Nutrition of Fats, Oils and Cholesterol by Mary Enig

Eat Fat, Lose Fat: The Healthy Alternative to Trans Fats by Mary Enig

The Cholesterol Myths : Exposing the Fallacy that Saturated Fat and Cholesterol Cause Heart Disease by Uffe Ravnskov, MD

Video from Slow Food Nation: McClure's Pickles

After spending quite a bit of time in the Pickle and Chutney Pavilion at Slow Food Nation over Labor Day, I feel qualified to say that...WE ARE AT A PICKLE PINNACLE. Pickles have finally reached the height of grandeur and respect that they are due. Pickles are no longer just a warehouse-club item purchase that gets stuck at the back of the fridge. Or just a cheap condiment whose ingredients aren't scrutinized. They are a gourmet food and they're increasingly being recognized as an integral part of a healthy diet, especially when naturally fermented. Home pickling has become the latest DIY (do-it-yourself) craze. I have written several articles on my fermentation fetish (I have an entire category devoted to it), so this is a topic dear to my heart.

At the Pickle and Chutney Pavilion, it was a pleasure to meet Bob and Joe McClure, two young (and I might add, stylish) craftsmen who are bringing the old tradition of pickling to the modern age. While not naturally fermented, they are using a delicious vinegar-brine recipe handed down from their great-grandmother for two variations of pickled cucumbers: spicy (rated: house on fire) and garlic dill. They also sell a relish. They buy ingredients from local farmers and and take their time (2 months) to let the hot-brine process churn out a perfectly crispy, tangy pickle. 

They sell their products online and also through retailers in NY, MI, CA, PA, IL, MA, UT, and NC. If you get a moment, check out their quirky McClure's Pickles web site, especially their About page which includes their "pickle legend" and a 40s-style video commercial starring the Apple Sisters and Bob McClure in a funny / subversive take on the Andrews Sisters + seedy MC.

With their intentionally clashing ties and shirts and trucker hats, they would fit in as SF Mission Street hipsters but instead Bob McClure is an actor and writer in New York and Joe operates the Midwestern branch of the company in Detroit where he is finishing his Ph.D. in physiology. They are funny guys as you can see in the video.

Other Slow Food Nation video posts on Local Forage:

What's Up With Blenheim Apricots?

Hoshigaki Persimmon Spa

Tablehopper Getting Jiggy in the Spirits Pavilion

Video from Slow Food Nation: Hoshigaki Persimmons

This is the video referenced in the Blenheim apricot post.

Erick Haeberli of We Love Jam sells these persimmons, called hoshigaki. Hoshigaki persimmons are part of an old Japanese culinary tradition brought to northern California by immigrant Japanese farmers in the early part of the last century. Each farmer has their own preparation technique and style. But all are first hand peeled and hung to dry and massaged by hand daily until they are the perfect consistency. I haven't tried these yet but the flavor is supposed to be unbelievable. They cost around $30/lb.

If you want to see what the hoshigaki look like while in the process of drying, Elise Bauer of Simply Recipes has some neat photos on Flickr.

Video from Slow Food Nation: We Love Jam

What's Up with Blenheim Apricots

While at Slow Food Nation, I came face to face with the endangered foods described in the Ark of Taste.

What is the Ark of Taste you ask? It's a Slow Food project aiming to rediscover, catalog, describe and publicize rare foods around the globe that are threatened by industrial standardization, the regulations of large-scale distribution and environmental damage. Preserving these foods also preserves the unique economic, social, cultural, and culinary heritage of the people who produce them. Many of the breeds of animal listed under the Ark of Taste, for example, have been farmed for centuries by people who have built up their own cultures around the animals they raise.

Some interesting stats: According to Slow Food International, Europe has lost 75% of its crop diversity since 1900, and the United States has lost 93%. Thirty plants feed the majority of the global population.

The Slow Food Foundation for Biodiversity believes that the best way to save rare foods is to eat them, creating a market for artisanally produced or unusual foods. Ark products rage from a type of fava bean grown only on Santorini, Greece to dairy products from the Irish Kerry cattle...and, more locally, to the Blenheim apricot and Charbono grape.

Eric Haeberli of the We Love Jam company in the video above* makes a jam with Blenheim apricots. He and his partner produces the jam from one of the last remaining Blenheim orchards in the Santa Clara Valley here in northern California. Eric became famous when Food + Wine magazine described his jam as "simply the best jam we have ever tasted." Since then they have developed a cult following, receiving orders from every corner of the world.

I can attest that Blenheims are a truly magnificent apricot. I grew up eating them. No other apricot is quite like them; everything else tastes watery and bland.

BTW, Eric sells other other products like an incredibly delicious bbq sauce, biscotti, bread and butter pickles, plum jams, kumquat marmalade and massaged persimmons. (Yes, massaged persimmons. See the next video for an explanation.)

Buy Eric's products

* If you are reading this in the daily digest email (*URP) and can't see the video player with the arrow button in the middle, click on the title of this post to take you to the blog itself.

Video from Slow Food Nation: LF Talks with Tablehopper

Last Saturday I posted a bit about the Slow Food Nation event here in San Francisco. What I didn't tell you is that I was a roving reporter for the event organizers, capturing a few short video interviews with farmers and artisanal food producers. These videos were shot and edited quickly by my accomplice, filmmaker Beth LaDove, and appear on the Slow Food Nation (SFN) home page in a YouTube playlist. I thought I'd post a few of the videos here over the next few days with commentary. The farmers and artisans that we talked to were not only from the San Francisco Bay area; they were from all over the country. And many of them, BTW, do mail order or online sales.

To give you an idea of how festive the environment at SFN was, I'll start out by posting (above) an interview not with a farmer or artisan but with an food/restaurant e-columnist, Marcia Gagliardi of Tablehopper.com who I caught up with in the Spirits Pavilion. If you haven't heard of Marcia (rhymes with Garcia) and you live here in San Francisco (or you plan to visit San Francisco), you must take a look at her site which has reports on the latest and greatest local restaurant news and gossip, reviews of restaurants and bars, and notices of culinary events. It's terrific -- very insider-ish. I always consult the site when I want to try a new restaurant.

We have several things in common, Marcia and I: we both write about food, we're both of Calabrese Italian descent and one of each of our parents frequently trespasses private property in the name of "foraging" for mustard greens, prickly pears and other delectables. Someday I'll have to introduce my mother to her father. I think they'd get along like, uh, thieves.

Slow Food Taste Pavilions: Preview Night

Tonight was the press-only preview of the Slow Food Nation Taste Pavilions. I just got home and I wanted to get a quick post out.

For those of you out of the area or not on the Slow Food bandwagon, Slow Food Nation is a three-day festival that has been billed as "The Largest Celebration of American Food in History". It's essentially a campaign to change the way America produces and eats food. Its programs at Civic Center Plaza and Fort Mason will demonstrate how everyday choices affect our well being, our culture, and the health of the planet. The peeps behind Slow Food Nation hope to inspire a new activism with food at its core.

Programs include:

• a Food for Thought lecture series with speakers such as Michael Pollan, Wendell Berry, Alice Waters, and Eric Schlosser
• a lush Victory Garden in front of San Francisco’s City Hall (free access)
• a Taste Pavilion with curated booths devoted to everything from charcuterie to chocolate
• Slow On the Go booths at the Victory Garden with local restaurants, markets, and artisan purveyors selling Slow "fast food” (free access)
• farmer's market (free access)
• speeches and musical and dance performances (free)
• rock concerts including artists Gnarls Barkley, Phil Lesh, New Pornographers
• films

There is a lot of discussion on the internets about the $65 ticket price for the Taste Pavilions. For a sample of the brouhaha, see the comments on Michael Bauers blog post from yesterday. For those that are on the fence* or are having buyers' remorse, I wanted to share that I felt $65 was well worth it. Top Bay Area architects have transformed 50,000 square feet of the Herbst Pavilion into a beautiful, engaging environment in which to sample the delicacies. While this isn't an accessible price point for all people, (and I hope that sustainably-produced food will evolve to be more affordable), I do feel that the value was there. $65 is the least of what you would pay in a restaurant for the quality and quantity of food that is being offered. On top of the terrific vittles and drink, you are receiving an educational and interactive experience with some of the finest purveyors in the country. The Pavilions are a food lover's wet dream, IMHO.

Read Chron blog post about preview night

*Tickets for the workshops and the Taste Pavilions, BTW, are sold out online for both days. I don't know if they are releasing any tickets at the door.

Good Comments: Anna on The Dark Side of Deep Fry

Anna had a comment on the Dark Side of Deep Fry Post with which I wholeheartedly agree -- industrial vegetable oils are not your friends. Actually, the topic of cooking oils warrants an entire post. I'll put it on my list. Until then, here are her comments. Thank you, Anna.

Note: PUFA = Polyunsaturated fatty acids; CVD=Cardiovascular Disease

She says:

Not to mention the acrylamide compounds formed when starches are cooked in unstable oils at high temps. Yuck. I avoid fried starchy foods for all sorts of reasons. You can bet paleo humans weren't consuming french fries. Beef tallow is the best fat for high temp cooking in fat. It is more stable than PUFAs, therefore less prone to oxidation, and tastes best. Beef tallow has a long history of safe use by humans, unlike the modern industrial vegetable oils (only a little more than 100 years, similar to the dramatic rise in CVD). And saturated fats are not the cause of CVD, despite the campaign to implicate them. Unstable PUFAs, on the other hand, are implicated in cancer development and other health problems. Even if humans don't consume saturated fats, the body makes saturated fats because they are so necessary for structural materials. Except for some olive oil in uncooked foods, I tend to avoid the common industrial vegetable oils by making my own salad dressings, mayonnaise, etc. The rest of the fats I use are home-rendered lard, coconut oil, and butter. Yum!

Speaking of lard, see Steven F.'s Local Forage post from March on Rendered Fats.

LF Guide to Alemany Farmers Market

Market: Alemany
Location: 100 Alemany Blvd, San Francisco, CA 94110 map
Days/Times: Sat 6am-5pm
Year round/Seasonal: Year round, rain or shine
Phone: 415.647.9423

Download full Alemany Guide

For months, I have been working on a post that chronicles my excellent adventures at the Alemany Farmers Market. Fed up with the high prices at Ferry Plaza, I set out a year ago to discover the hidden gems at the less-hyped Alemany. I have been pleasantly surprised. With 56 years in operation, Alemany is the oldest farmers market in the city. Every Saturday, year-round and regardless of weather, the Market draws over a hundred farmers and producers from Sonoma County to the San Joaquin Valley, many of which who sell inexpensive, quality produce. There is a wonderful diversity of farmers and product.

At first, I didn't think Alemany had much certified organic or sustainably farmed produce. The certification process is quite expensive so Certified Organic is not a requirement for me, especially with the smaller farms. Without the organic designation (and I know this isn't always foolproof anyway), one must do a certain amount of due diligence to discern which farms are growing in a manner that is clean and healthy, and to determine which are actually farmers—some of the produce at Alemany is sold by people who buy it at warehouses and their only connection to the food they're selling is that they have a truck and a drivers license. Well, I've done some due dilligence, and I'd like to share with you the farmers from which I buy.

Here are some highlights:

1. Cheapest organic peaches ($1/lb.), pluots and plums in town—Ferrari Farms
2. Quail and duck eggs at Haney Egg Ranch
3. Heirloom citrus varieties at DeSantis: mandarinquats, meyer lemons, kaffir limes, rangpure limes, Buddha's Hand, Tarocco Sicilian blood oranges, Seville oranges, bergamot. Try the Colomondini oranges in drinks. Many of the city's fancy bars buy them here.
4. Bariani, my favorite olive oil
5. Exotics like rambutan (winter) and Thai coconuts untreated with fungicides at Family Farm Fruit
6. "Ugly" (and reasonably priced) shiitake mushrooms from Far West Fungi
7. Peppers, tomatoes and melons from Al
8. Cardoons and mustard greens from Molinari
9. Jersey butter from Springhill Cheese
10. Unpasteurized pomegranate juice and Lisbon lemons from Twin Girl Farms
11. Dry farmed Early Girl tomatoes from Two Dog Farm
12. Medjool dates from Palm Springs Desert Gold
13. Free-range Rhode Island Red and Araucana eggs from Phan Organic Farms for $4 per dozen. And carrots.
14. Mizuna, baby chard, mixed greens, wild arugula (just like what I ate in Rome when I lived there) and strawberries from Miramonte Farms, AKA Two Crazy Ladies. Love these ladies!
15. Sage honey and propolis from Jan Snyder.

Click on Download full Alemany Guide to open the PDF version of the guide and print it. In the guide, most of the stalls are labeled with a number so you can find them. A few are not labeled, but I will update those at a later date. Please note that not all farmers are there year round. Some are only there during the summer months.

Oh, and don't miss Jackie Jones. She performs every Saturday from 10 a.m. to noon on the prepared food side near the mexican food trucks. This charming one-woman-band plays swing and novelty music on a homemade guitar and musical saws, while simultaneously acting as puppeteer for a tap-dancing cat. Adorable—kids love her and so do adults. (She'd be great at a birthday party, 415-648-0117.)

Have fun with this and let's compare notes! Report back on your experiences and make suggestions for additions/deletions to the guide.

The Dark Side of Deep Fry

As I was reading Liz Lipski's newsletter, I was reminded of a fact that we may not think about when eating deep fried foods:

Liquid fats, no matter the type, go rancid very quickly at deep-frying temperatures of 375-425 degrees. A few years ago a college student who worked in a fast food restaurant told me they changed the oil in the deep fat fryers once a week.  So for at least 6 out of 7 days, whoever eats fried foods is consuming rancid fats. And rancid fats are very toxic to liver and gall bladder.

Photo by Dyanna

FIELD TRIP: Tomato Tasting at Berkeley Farmers Market

My friend Lorn and I flew across the bridge at 3pm on our way to the Tuesday farmers market in Berkeley. We were in a hurry to gorge ourselves on peak-of-season tomatoes. You would have thought we were on our way to pick up lottery winnings. Lorn sped over the Bay Bridge in his red convertible (a veritable tomatomobile) singing adult-content hip hop lyrics while I ripped off layer by layer of fog-proof clothing, hair blowing wildly. We were excited to enter a warmer climate and even more excited to sample the amazing tomato crop from the hard-working small farms that surround us from the north to the south. Lorn is as fanatical about tomatoes and food as I am, so this was going to be fun.

Our mission: to taste test 35 different heirloom and slicing tomatoes from about 6 or 7 different farms. We made a bee line to the tasting booth. There was no smiling or funny stuff once we got there; we took this job very seriously. We were all business. The interesting thing is that Lorn and I pretty much agreed on favorites.

All the tomatoes were all wonderful, but here's a list of our special picks.

• Hawaiian Pineapple variety, Riverdog Farm. A large, golden-orange beefsteak heirloom tomato. Has a luscious, very rich, sweet pineapple-like flavor.

• Cherokee Purple variety, Avalos Farm (in Hollister, my home town.) Cherokee Purple tomatoes are beefsteak in style, with a deep purple/red hue and green "shoulders" across the top. Extremely sweet with a rich smoky taste. Good acid balance. This one's in the Slow Food Ark of Taste, y'all. Didn't know that until right now when I searched on the name.

• Early Girl variety, Dirty Girl Produce. Dirty Girl is known for their dry-farmed early girls. I look forward to these every year. Huuuge yum factor. They are generally smaller in size than the heirlooms (like a large plum), very red and pack a super concentrated flavor.  The skin is fairly thick and they have an excellent acid-to-sugar balance.

• Sun Gold Cherry Tomato, Catalan Farm. Lorn and I couldn't get over these yellow babies. They are like little candy nuggets, sugar kisses. Enough said.

If you live out of the San Francisco area, I hope you can find these varieties. They represent the bounty of summer. Thank you to the Ecology Center for organizing the tasting and to all the farmers that participated.

RECIPE: Crispy Pecans

This is the basic recipe upon which Spicy Candied Pecans is based.

Crispy Pecans

4 cups pecan halves
2 teaspoons sea salt
parchment paper

Mix pecans with salt and filtered water (water should cover pecans completely) and leave in a warm place for at least 7 hours or overnight. Drain in colander. Spread pecans on a stainless steel baking pan lined with parchment paper for easy cleanup and place in warm oven (no more than 150 degrees) for 6-12 hours, turning occassionally, until dry and crisp.

Store in an airtight container. Delicious on salads or as a snack with cheese, or in Carla's Purely Pecan Pancakes.

Read Enzyme Inhibitors and Nuts to understand why we "crisp" the pecans.

RECIPE: Carla's Purely Pecan Pancakes

I have been on a no-grain diet for 3 months now. For an Italian, this is akin to enduring Chinese water torture. I won't go into the reasons why I'm on this diet since I want to get this post out tonight not next week. But I will say that this is one standout recipe where I'm not missing the white flour. In fact, I don't think I'll go back to flour pancakes again. (Did I just say that?)

Pancakes for me are an essential comfort food and the ultimate BDS — butter delivery system. (You already know how much I adore butter.) Indeed, on a Sunday morning with fresh squeezed orange juice, Blue Bottle coffee, nitrate-free bacon, New York Times and the requisite organic butter and real maple — pancakes kick some breakfast-time-ass.

I know you're thinking, how unhealthy, I can't believe you eat pancakes, Carla. Well, Virginia, I do. Understand how imperfect I am: I like cured pork, potato chips, Coca Cola, Velveta cheese dip, and men with soul patches. I like lots of things that don't have a perfect nutritional profile.

But here's the thing, now I can take one of my ill-advised indulgences and transform it into a superfood. OK, superfood may be an exaggeration, but these pancakes are definitely not devoid of nutrition like regular pancakes. They're protein-packed. I've removed the flour completely from the traditional recipe and replaced it with...you guessed it...pecans. Yes, my friends, ground pecans. Read it and weep. I'm assuming you're weeping because pecans weren't part of the group nut buy this year. (O where O where are those wonderful PECANS that we bought from you last year, Jim?)

So, immediately if not sooner, go to Trader Joes (or wherever) and get some pecans. Ok, once you've done that, do dis, then make dis:

Carla's Purely Pecan Pancakes

Put half a cup of Crispy Pecans* in a food processor. Pulverize until the natural oil in the nuts makes the pecan flour start to lump up. I guess you could call it a paste.

To that, add:

1 egg

1 tablespoon of yogurt*

1/4 teaspoon of baking soda

1/2 tablespoon honey

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon of vanilla extract

pinch of salt

and blend well.

Get the griddle or pan nice and hot. Pour the batter into a very well-oiled (a pool of oil, basically, if you're Teflon-phobic like me and have a pan with no coating) pan. Personally, I use coconut oil. It adds another level of flavor, is more nutritious and can sustain higher heat than most other oils.

Don't make the cakes too thick or too large. Hit the pan so the batter spreads. Otherwise the outside will burn before the inside is done.

Sometimes I add banana.

This recipe makes about (3) 4-inch pancakes. These cakes are rich so 3 per person is about right. Multiply the recipe above by the number of people.

*I'm not supposed to be eating unfermented dairy either (argh), but if you want, you can use heavy cream instead of yogurt.

**Read Enzyme Inhibitors and Nuts to understand why we "crisp" the pecans. I'm not sure how much the crispiness contributes to the success of the recipe so if you don't crisp the pecans YMMV (your mileage may vary).

Addendum to the Butter List—Spring Hill

I knew I was missing something. Thanks to Julie C. at CUESA for reminding me.

In the Butter: Don't Hate. Embrace. article I forgot to mention that Spring Hill Cheese Company also has an organic cultured butter. It's made from Jersey cow milk which is, as I mentioned, TDF. Spring Hill sells at a few (mostly northern county) retail stores, at various farmer's markets in the bay area as well as in their online store.

Spring Hill has about 320 acres out in Petaluma with about 400 Jerseys. I keep meaning to pick some up of their cultured butter at the Alemany farmers market. Julie says it tastes really terrific, but you need to eat it fairly quickly after purchase even though it's a pasteurized product.

Besides peddling butter, Spring Hill has a rotating selection of more than 25 cheese varieties including raw cheddar, sun-dried tomato jack, dry jack, Old World Portuguese (on the cheddar/gouda continuum) and three varieties of quark, a low-fat cheese made from strained yogurt.

Butter -- Don't Hate. Embrace.

Sportsfans and Foragers, it's time for butter facts:

• Properly produced butter contains many nutrients that protect against disease*
• Butter and cream contain little lactose or casein and are usually well tolerated in their natural state, even by those who are lactose intolerant.
• Fermented (aka cultured) or soured butter and cream are even more digestible than regular butter.
• Organic, cultured butter has restored enzymes for better digestion.
• Those with an extreme intolerance for milk protein can often take butter in the form of ghee or clarified butter from which the milk solids have been removed.
• There is no scientific evidence that butter contributes to heart disease or cancer.
• At the turn of the century, butter consumption in America was 18 pounds per person per year. Today it is a mere five pounds.

The quality of the dairy products you are consuming boils down to what the cows are being fed on the farm. As many of you know, I am a big fan of raw milk. Compared to conventional pasteurized dairy, raw dairy products are more delicious, more nutritious and are the product of more humane treatment of cows. Cows that are fed concentrates containing grain and soy (which is typical in this country), in addition to large amounts of corn silage and with only a little hay produce incredibly large amounts of milk— 20,000 pounds or more per year. These cows have have constant low-level diarrhea and often have diseased livers, as is evidenced in the slaughterhouse. This is not what nature intended. The milk of these stressed cows is of a totally different quality than the milk of a cow fed with grass and hay. Here's a fact that says it all -- the average lifespan of a conventionally raised factory-farm cow is five or six years. This is half (half!) the 12-15 year lifespan of a properly fed cow.

Raw milk dairies, at least the ones here in the bay area (Claravale and Organic Pastures), feed their cows grass and hay. Their cows are living longer than conventional cows and the cows' milk doesn't have to be pasteurized in order to get the microbial count down. Their microbial count is low because they're fed right and treated right. Try testing the microbial count of conventional milk prior to getting pasteurized --not pretty, peeps.

Another thing...I've mentioned this before here, but studies show that CLA levels in the milk of pastured cows can be as much as 500% greater than milk from cows fed typical grain-based diets. Among other things, CLA can improve the way the body uses and stores energy by regulating the accumulation of body fat and improving muscle tone. CLA has also been shown to prevent thickening of the arteries and to help regulate the immune system.

*People laugh at me when I put butter on a croissant. They think it's redundant. Aside from that fantastic feeling of my teeth cutting through fresh, cold, creamy butter, let me count the ways that butter is beautiful. First, butter provides vitamin A. Vitamin A is needed for the health of the thyroid and adrenal glands, both of which play a role in maintaining the proper functioning of the heart and cardiovascular system. Abnormalities of the heart and larger blood vessels occur in babies born to vitamin-A-deficient mothers. Butter is our best and most easily absorbed source of vitamin A. Second, butter contains lecithin, a substance that assists in the proper assimilation and metabolism of cholesterol and other fat constituents. Third, butter contains a number of anti-oxidants (betacarotene and vitamin E, for example) that protect against the kind of free radical damage that weakens the arteries. Fourth, butter is a very rich source of selenium, a vital anti-oxidant, containing more per gram than herring or wheat germ.

Never considered buying cultured butter before? Here are some sources to get you started:

Vermont Butter and Cheese Co. Cultured Butter. My favorite. Whole Foods, Andronicos, Mollie Stones, Berkeley Bowl, and Rainbow Grocery all carry it. Find a store that carries it in your area.

Organic Valley Cultured Unsalted Butter. Organic Valley products are sold at Rainbow Grocery, Cal Mart, Mollie Stones, Bryans, Haight Street Market, Golden Produce, Bi-Rite, Real Foods, Harvest, etc. Find a store that carries it in your area.

Organic Valley European Style Cultured Butter (churned longer, lowering the moisture content and increasing the fat content.)

Added 7/25/08 Spring Hill Cheese Company Cultured Butter. Sold at bay area farmers markets, marin/sonoma retail stores, and through their online store.

Raw butter sources:

Organic Pastures raw butter
While I like OP milk and have great respect for Mark McAfee, I must mention that I personally I haven't had a great experience with OP raw butter. Perhaps it's due to refrigeration issues at the stores, but it always tastes a little off to me. It's possible that mail order could deliver a more stable product if they're packing with dry ice. Might be worth a try if you can't get raw butter in your area.

Claravale Dairy - Unfortunately Claravale doesn't carry butter. Too bad because their herd is all Jersey. Jerseys produce the best milk I have ever tasted.

For more on butter, see Butter is Better article at the Weston A. Price foundation web site.

The Sourceror - Raw Milk. Local Forage's Guide to sources for raw dairy in the bay area. (with delivery times)
The Sourceror LA - Raw Milk:  Local Forage's Guide to sources for raw dairy in the greater LA area.

Photo credit: zappowbang   

 

A Few Seats Left for Food Matters Film, 7/17

We sold out for the screening of the Food Matters documentary the day after I announced it. However, as of this moment at 11:20pm Monday, 10 or so more seats are available due to cancellations.

It's this Thursday, July 17 at 7pm. Are there any takers? Follow the links ASAP and sign up!