Tomatoes Year in Review

a mix of Pantano Romanesco and Pineapple - heirloom varieties that do well here in the North.
these are ready for roasting, blending, straining, and freezing.

Pineapple grew really large.

Once frozen I will slip them out of these containers. heat seal them in plastic so they maintain a block shape, and compact them nicely into the freezer.

Hot Pepper Sauce Tutorial

Small Batch: Flan

Small Batch: Sriracha

The Giant Food Industry behind "Organic"

Howard, Philip H. 2009. Organic Industry Structure. Media-N: Journal of the New Media Caucus

I'm disenchanted by truth, media, and real food - organic meets large scale farming -  "the lessor evil" ?
- yes, but I try to shop local and small whenever possible and my wallet permits.  For me, this is a large contribution to aid in the pursuit of the American Dream and stay healthy at the same time - a win win!

Making Honey

"Antioxidants are found in fresh fruits and vegetables and also raw, dark honey such as that derived from buckwheat blossoms. " honey is also an anti inflammatory, is absorbed more slowly than sugar helps boost the brain function, inhibits the growth of certain bacteria in the stomach, and it is a probiotic.

Product Review: Local Shiitake Mushroom Farmer

I not grow veggies, care for animals, and try to preserve local foods in ready to eat meals - part of that is purchasing from other local farmers - This week I will pick up 5lbs of "fruit of the fungi" shiitake mushrooms.

From these, I will produce wood fired mushroom, goat cheese, and rosemary pesto Neopolitan style pizzas, mushroom soups, and stir fry of kale and mushroom.  All of these will be frozen as prototypes and as soon as the farm commerical kitchen is in place - we will provide lots more good meals for customers.

Shiitake mushrooms nutritional components include essential amino acids, vitamins and minerals, including iron and an antioxidant called selenium.

Lentinan, one of the main components of shiitakes has been found to be effective in suppressing cytochrome P450 1A, an inflammatory and carcinogenic enzyme and exhibit anticancer activities 

they have beneficial cholesterol-lowering and antiviral tendencies, strong anti-fungal properties and also helps decrease the proliferation of specific cancer cells. 

Selenium is a trace element found in soil and is required to maintain good health in trace amounts. In food, the mineral is found in Brazil nuts, poultry, seafood, and meats, while significant amounts are found in oats and brown rice.

A deficiency of selenium is rare but symptoms can include muscular weakness and fatigue.d a bad odor on your fingernails.

Selenium aids in many of the metabolic pathways and may help treat prostate cancer; ongoing research is exploring the relationship between low selenium levels and coronary heart disease.

Selenium also benefits the skin during healing following burn injuries. Shampoo with selenium may alleviate dandruff problems. For skin care, selenium’s antioxidant properties regenerate vitamins E and C, thereby decreasing the aging of skin.

Major benefits of selenium have been found to improve the immune system against bacterial and viral infections, against cancer cells and herpes virus, cold sores, and shingles. One of the major nutritional benefits of selenium is increasing the HDL cholesterol to LDL cholesterol for a healthy heart.

F.A.B.: Mayonnaise

My guilty pleasure especially during tomato season is Mayonnaise If you make it at home with farm raised free range chicken's eggs - does it have less fat? Maybe not - but we will give Hellman's and Heinz just alittle competition  - small farmers Unite!!!!

 "Hellmann’s alone accounted for $401.2 million in sales last year, according to Businessweek -- nearly a third of the total $1.3 billion mayo market here. Heinz Ketchup is a distant third with $278.6 million in sales, edged out by the $286.2 million worth of Tostito’s salsa sold last year. Mayo’s dominance is such that the varieties account for five of the 10 most popular condiment brands, including Best Foods and Kraft. Kraft, for instance, offers its classic mayonnaise, as well as Miracle Whip, and flavored mayos such as reduced fat Chipotle, Garlic & Herb, Horseradish-Dijon, and regular Hot & Spicy. According to SymphonyIRI Group, a market-research firm that analyzed the sales data, nearly 400 million containers of mayonnaise were sold in the year ending Sept. 5, 2010. That’s compared to 271 million jars of salsa and 256 million bottles of ketchup sold nationwide." 
-from the nypost - not my favorite resource or newspaper - but hey, maybe the numbers are somewhere in the ballpark - either way - we know it is a h u g e market."

"Born from Henry J. Heinz’s horseradish business, Heinz has become one of the best-recognized food companies in the world, with its bottles of deep-red ketchup sitting on millions of kitchen tables. But it has expanded its offerings to include Ore-Ida French fries and Lea & Perrins Worcestershire sauce.

For the year ended Oct. 28, the company reported $11.6 billion in revenue and $1 billion in profit. It generates a majority of its sales in Europe, but its Asian markets are growing "quickly. And it has improved its net sales for eight consecutive fiscal years.

- from NYTimes regarding the buyout by Warren Buffet's firms

Small Batch: Ice Pops Paleta

here is a more recent video of their fundraising activities from kickstarter to refinance losses from Hurricane Sandy

F.A.B.: Farmers, Artisans, and Bakers

In the next series of this blog, I review local products I've discovered and recommend after consideration not only of taste - but also of ingredients and sourcing of those raw materials, practices, and packaging.

In a way, our government, about which this Gettysburg address was about, has failed us - they've sold out to lobbys of special interests - whomever has money - BIG money - speaks the loudest in Washington, D.C.

One of the easiest ways to fix this, is to redistribute wealth in a real way - focusing our dollars on the small - yes, I mean small -  business owners to revitalize an economy 
"...of the  people, by the people, for the people shall not perish from the earth"- from the Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, November 19, 1863

As a people, I believe we can take back our government by putting money back in the  hands of the people.  Can you re-direct your spending money to small businesses?  I'll bet you can.  Let's begin with Farmers, Artisans, and Bakers!  This plan really has an immediate impact on your quality of life because you will be able to see the difference in the art and woodwork, the food, and celebrations in your life.  More details to follow...We can do it!

One of our founding principles - equal opportunity for all - the pursuit of the American dream - that is what made this country great.  The reasons large box stores and multi BIG corporations are not healthy are numerous - but here are a few - profit rules over integrity and shortcuts are taken to harm animals, humans, and the earth - box stores box out the small business because these areas/malls that they carve out in our neighborhoods discourage small businesses by the high lease/ rents for storefronts nearby that follow, they employ people but at what price - low wages, and even lower wages for many jobs outsourced to other countries.

As I discover more F.A.B. businesses - I will recommend them to you - and provide the best way to purchase directly from them through our F.A.B MEMBERSHIP.