The Joy of Leafy Greens: Beauty, Simplicity, Health

 

Fresh produce is an essential key to health, and in this era of heightened awareness of wellness, eating dark leafy greens daily is an easy and critical practice to cultivate. Steaming is perhaps the simplest technique for preparing hearty greens and requires no special utensils.  I purchase greens weekly at my local farmers market and upon returning, I prepare several days worth of greens right away so they will be ready for eating later in the week. The method which follows is applicable to nearly every variety of dark leafy green.

PREPARATION:

1. Rinse greens and trim about 1/4 inch from the bottom of the stems. The stems are edible and nutritious and should not be discarded.

2. Put a few inches of fresh water into a pot with a well fitting lid and bring to a boil.

3. Stack the greens in the pot, pressing gently so they fit, and cover. They do not need to be immersed in the water.

4. Gently simmer just until greens wilt. The timing will vary depending on the thickness of the leaves. The rainbow chard pictured above requires about 3 minutes. Steam a little longer if you prefer more thoroughly cooked greens, but don't over cook. I usually turn the greens over once during cooking.

5. Remove greens immediately from pot and place in a colander to cool.

6. Pour the cooking water into clean glass jars and reserve for later use. 

SERVING SUGGESTIONS:

It's fun to invent creative presentations for steamed greens. Here I've cut off the stems (and set them aside for snacks) and rolled up the leaves:

Drizzle with olive oil, a little sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.  

Other delicious garnishes: 

Toasted sesame seeds

Toasted chopped almonds, walnuts, hazelnuts, pine nuts

Lemon or lime juice

Fresh or dried oregano, marjoram or basil 

Umeboshi vinegar 

STORAGE:

Steamed greens keep perfectly well for several days in a covered glass or stainless steel container in the fridge. 

Greens can be served at room temperature, or gently warmed in a skillet in a little olive oil.

Whole leaves can be cut up before heating; kitchen shears are a great tool which make this task effortless. Greens can also be warmed briefly in some of the reserved cooking water. Add  a peeled garlic clove to the broth if you wish.  Enjoy a cup of the broth as a quick, energizing snack.

VARIETIES  OF LEAFY GREENS:

If you have access to a farmers market you will find many varieties of dark leafy greens which are not commonly available in conventional food stores. Some of the densely nutritious greens available now in Northern California farmers markets are:

Rainbow Chard

Collards

Beet Greens

Spigarello

White Russian Kale

Italian (Lacinato) Kale

Mustard Greens

Mizuna

Bok Choy

Arugula

Watercress

NEW TASTES AND FLAVORS:

Fresh local produce is full of intense complex flavors. It may take some practice to notice and appreciate them, especially if you are not accustomed to eating simple, unprocessed foods. If fresh, simply prepared greens seem flavorless or unappealing to you, try a mini fast of sixteen or eighteen hours; a serving of greens and a cup of warm broth may be a revelation when hunger is genuine.

During this extraordinary time, when food shopping is challenging and we must make do with narrower choices, consider taking the opportunity to re-frame preexisting ideas and expectations about what food should taste like, and what a meal consists of.

Our ancestors were foragers, gatherers and hunters, who did not eat three meals a day, nor did they know about the four food groups, food pyramids, vitamins, proteins or calories. Somehow, they were strong and resilient enough to reproduce generation after generation, and to survive over thousands of years in the absence of supermarkets, fast food, take-out and restaurants. Perhaps we can be inspired today by their example.

 

Cool Green Soup: Make your own!

Before setting off to my local farmers market each week, I inventory the fridge and decide how to use up the last week's vegetables before shopping for fresh produce.  Here's what I found this week:

arugula
bok choy
cilantro
carrots 
leek
celery

Since we're having a heat wave in San Francisco, I chose to make a batch of chilled green soup to enjoy in the warm evenings. When the weather turns cold, the soup can be heated. I don't measure the ingredients but for the recipe I created rough estimates.

INGREDIENTS:

 2 cups baby arugula leaves
 2 cups baby bok choy
 1 handful cilantro, with stems chopped
 2 carrots, chopped
 2 inches white part leek & 2 inches green part leek
 1 stalk celery, chopped
 fresh water to cover
 juice of one lemon or lime
 1 tablespoon olive oil 
 1 tablespoon smooth unsalted nut butter (cashew, almond, tahini, etc.)
 sea salt to taste
 freshly ground black pepper to taste


METHOD:

Place vegetables in a pot and add enough water to cover.
Bring to a simmer, cover, and cook gently on low heat for about 5 minutes.
When carrots are slightly tender, turn off heat.
Let soup cool.

Puree vegetables and broth in batches in blender or processor, adding lemon/ lime juice, olive oil, nut butter, sea salt and black pepper. 
Taste and correct seasoning.
This is an intensely concentrated, strongly flavored soup; its edge can be mellowed by the addition of some unsweetened nut milk or soy milk.
Chill in fridge in small glass jars; will keep for up to five days.

SERVING SUGGESTIONS:

Serve in chilled bowls as is, or garnish with your choice of chopped toasted almonds, hazelnuts, pumpkin seeds, avocado cubes, red pepper flakes, turmeric, fresh dill, lemon or lime slices, yoghurt etc....

 

Iron Skillet Brussels Sprouts

 

Iron Skillet + Brussels Sprouts + Heat + Oil 

This minimalist recipe requires only four ingredients and proceeds from beginning to end in a heavy black cast iron skillet, an inexpensive, indestructible and versatile kitchen tool. The thick bottom and sides of the skillet conduct and radiate heat evenly and intensely, making it ideal for oven roasting.

Brussels sprouts need little adornment to taste great, and roasting them brings out their sweet flavor. Select fresh, compact, brightly colored Brussels sprouts which are relatively uniform in size. 

Trim off the stems if they are very thick or gritty, then slice sprouts in half. If sprouts are large, make a small additional cut at the base of each half to facilitate cooking. Leaves which separate during slicing can be sprinkled on top of the cut halves before they go into the oven.

Ingredients:

1 pound Brussels sprouts, washed, stemmed and halved

3- 4 tablespoons olive oil

sea salt to taste

cracked black pepper to taste

Method:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Heat olive oil in skillet on medium flame and place sprouts cut side down in pan.

Saute for about 3 minutes or until cut sides are lightly browned; stir gently with a fork and add a bit more olive oil if needed.

Place skillet in oven and roast for roughly 10 - 15 minutes until sprouts are tender and browned to your taste.

Remove skillet from oven and allow sprouts to rest for a few minutes to develop their sweetness.

Serve straight from the pan, garnished with sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper.

 

A Winter Restorative: Root Broth

This season of excessive consumption, activity and stimulation creates a need for counter- balancing austerity. Root broth, a fortifying Winter restorative, is a satisfying response. Both the making and the drinking are effective antidotes to the restless chatter of our universe.

The broth is prepared by simmering a selection of roots in water until tender. Humans have cooked this way under very primitive conditions for millennia, ever since they tamed fire and created ceramic vessels. This simple non-recipe produces a warming and intensely flavorful clear broth, replete with valuable nutrients. Select any combination of the following ingredients- whatever is available will be suitable.

Ingredients:

carrots
turnips
white radish
purple radish
parsnip
ginger root
leek
garlic cloves
dried shiitake mushrooms
bay leaves
fresh water
sea salt to taste

Method:

Scrub and trim root vegetables and cut into medium sized pieces. Peel the garlic cloves but leave whole. Shiitake mushrooms are also left whole.

Place vegetables and bay leaves in a soup pot. Add fresh water, enough to cover the vegetables by one or two inches.

Bring to a simmer, cover and cook over a low flame, adding more water if level gets too low. Simmer until vegetables are tender but not mushy.  (Longer cooking is fine but will yield a thicker broth).  Turn off heat. Remove the mushrooms and when cool enough to handle, slice and return to broth. Taste and add sea salt as desired. Serve in a pre-heated bowl so that broth stays warm.

Living in Harmony With the Atmosphere of Winter:


"The three months of Winter are called the period of closing and storing. Water freezes and the Earth cracks open. One should not disturb one's Yang. People should retire early at night and rise late in the morning and they should wait for the rising of the sun. They should suppress and conceal their wishes, as though they had no internal purposes, as though they had been fulfilled. 
 People should try to escape the cold and they should seek warmth. They should not perspire upon the skin, and they should let themselves be deprived of the breath of the cold. All this is in harmony with the atmosphere of Winter and all this is the method for protection of one's storing."

-- From the Nei Jing, The Yellow Emperor's Inner Classic (circa 206 BCE-220 CE)

Nourishing the Roots: The Source of Vitality

A tree with a deep, well developed root system is more likely to survive periods of drought, heat, cold or other extreme weather conditions. According to Traditional Chinese Medicine, (TCM), the same can be said for humans. Maintaining a healthy, robust constitution is essential to one's ability to withstand the inevitable mental, emotional and physical challenges which confront us all.

Our genetic make up is referred to in TCM as the "inherited constitution" or "ancestral energy". Each person is born with their own unique quantity and quality of constitutional energy, which determines the trajectory of birth, growth, maturation, aging and death. Ancestral energy is finite; when it is used up the organism ceases to live.

An essential teaching of TCM is the importance of nurturing the inherited constitution through proper life style, which is the foundation of "acquired energy". This means that the preponderance of the body's day to day energetic needs should be derived from appropriate food, exercise, and sleep. If acquired energy is not replenished on a daily basis, the body taps into the finite storehouse of ancestral energy, reducing vitality, resilience and shortening its lifespan.

Like the root system of a tree, the body's vital organs are hidden, but they are the source of our ability to sustain life. Nourishing the roots is a day by day mindfulness practice which can provide us with the emotional and physical strength to meet the vicissitudes of life.
 

Farmer's Markets: Where the Real Food Is

One of the great luxuries of life in Northern California is the accessibility of quality produce year round. Even in winter, a variety of fresh vegetables and fruits are available from regional farms. In San Francisco, neighborhood farmer's markets provide urban residents the opportunity to deepen their understanding of seasonal growing cycles and to become familiar with a broad range of produce which is seldom available commercially.

In our earliest millennia as a bipedal species, our primary occupation was to search for and gather our food. Anthropologists observe that foraging peoples walked an average of three to five miles a day in search of a remarkably diverse selection of edible plants, roots, nuts, berries and fruit. Our ancestor's survival hinged upon their knowledge of where each of many varieties of food was located in its season and the ability to gather it. Energy, intelligence and perseverance were critical to this task; our motivation was hunger. Homo sapiens succeeded in this endeavor well enough to reproduce and pass on the human genome from generation to generation.

Many thousands of years later, this essential human project has turned upside down. Moderns have little need to gather their own food, and little time to prepare it. Most of us spend our days (or nights) earning money with which to purchase our food, much of which bears faint resemblance to that of our forager ancestors. A vast assortment of what Michael Pollan calls "edible food like substances" is readily available in supermarkets and few calories are consumed in the effort to acquire it.

These changes have created a deep disconnect between humans and their sources of food, a decline in food intelligence and a troubled relationship between the instinctive drive to eat and an oversupply of aggressively marketed low quality calories. There is much confusion surrounding food choices and eating styles which has engendered a huge proliferation of widely variable and contradictory information about nutrition and health. Lost in the deluge of advertising and misinformation are the essential unprocessed foods which once were the sole components of our diet.

Farmer's markets offer honest commerce on a human scale. They bring farmers and shoppers together in venues where an abundance of the real food which truly nourishes and sustains us can be found. 

Black Orca? Calypso? Vaquero? It's a bean.

Black Orca, Calypso, Vaquero, Yin Yang; these are all names for this attractive black and white speckled heirloom bean which is a member of the Phaseolus vulgaris family.  In recent years many varieties of heirloom beans have become widely available and are prized for their beauty, smooth texture and subtle flavor.

Humans have cultivated beans since the advent of agriculture millennia ago. For many cultures they are the primary source of protein and other essential nutrients and are eaten at almost every meal. In subsistence farming communities, beans are cooked daily under very rudimentary conditions, often over an open fire. To create richly flavorful beans, all that is needed is a pot with a lid, a source of heat and a few simple ingredients.

Home Cooked Heirloom Beans:
 
Soaking time: Overnight or 6-8 hours.
Assembly time: Less than five minutes.
Cooking time: About one hour.

Ingredients:

2 cups dried heirloom beans, soaked and rinsed
5 cups fresh water
2 bay leaves
3 cloves garlic
1 medium onion
1/2 teaspoon sea salt (or to taste).

Method:

Sort through beans and remove any foreign matter.  Place beans in a heavy bottomed pot and add enough water to cover. While soaking they will absorb some of the liquid so there should at least one inch of water above the level of the beans.  Soak overnight or for 6-8 hours. (You can skip the soaking and plan on extra simmering time.)

Drain beans and add fresh water. Cover and bring to a boil. Lower heat, add bay leaves, garlic cloves and onion. (The garlic and onion can be peeled before or after cooking.) Simmer gently until the beans are tender but not mushy.  Stir occasionally and make sure beans are not sticking and are mostly covered in liquid; add a little water if necessary. Cooking time is roughly one hour depending on the freshness of the beans.

When beans are tender, turn off heat. Remove bay leaves and garlic cloves. Mash garlic cloves in a bowl with some beans and their broth, mix well and stir back into the pot. Add sea salt, taste and adjust seasoning. Serve warm beans in their savory broth, garnished with freshly cracked black pepper. Any steamed or braised leafy green will compliment this dish.

Grasping the Stinging Nettle

The sting of the nettle (Urtica dioica) is caused by three substances contained in its tiny hollow needles: acetylcholine, histamine and 5 hydroxytryptamine. Contact with the needles can create an unpleasant burning, itchy skin rash in most people. The Latin verb urere means "to burn" from which  the nettle derives its botanical name.

A common wild plant found throughout North America, Europe, North Africa and Asia, the nettle's sting has not deterred humans from gathering it for use as food, tea and medicine for thousands of years. Its fibers have been woven into cloth; today there is renewed interest in uses for this plentiful fiber.

Like many edible wild greens, the nettle plant is highly nutritious, containing valuable antioxidants, vitamins, minerals and an unusual quantity of protein for a leafy green. Brief cooking neutralizes the sting; thus the nettle becomes edible when steamed, sauteed, added to soups or other cooked dishes.


Nettles are now being cultivated by growers in California and I recently discovered some beautifully fresh ones at my local farmer's market. I prepared them using a simple technique which takes no more than five minutes and can be used to cook many varieties of  leafy greens.

Cooking the Nettle:
 
Heat a tablespoon or two of olive oil in a cast iron skillet, and using tongs or chopsticks to handle the nettles, pile them into the pan over a medium flame. Although an entire produce bag of nettles may look like a lot, they will quickly reduce in size as they heat.  Keep adding more nettles until they all fit into the skillet, pressing them down gently with the tongs.

With a kitchen shears roughly cut the longer stems into manageable segments. Stir the nettles and sprinkle with a tablespoon or so of rice wine and a few tablespoons of water; the resulting steam will quickly complete the cooking process. By now the nettles will be tender and much reduced in volume. Immediately transfer them to a warm serving dish. Garnish with sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste.

       
                                                                    

"Grasping the nettle" means to confront a problem head on. Linguists posit that this expression is derived from the notion that one is less likely to get stung by the nettle if it is grasped firmly in the hand rather than handled timidly; this flattens the tiny needles making it less likely that they will puncture the skin and inject their irritants.

"Where Do We Come From? What Are We? Where Are We Going?"

    Painting by Paul Gauguin, 1897. Museum of Fine Arts, Boston*  


Where Do We Come From? What Are We? Where Are We Going?  

The title of Paul Gauguin's masterpiece poses questions which have concerned Homo sapiens  for millenia, perhaps ever since our evolution 200,000 years ago in East Africa. A brilliant and engaging book which examines these questions has recently been published.

Sapiens: A Brief History Of Humankind by Yuval Noah Harari, Ph.D.  (Harper Collins, 2015).

From the book jacket:

"In Sapiens, Harari delves deep into our history as a species to help us understand who we are and what made us this way. An engrossing read." -- Dan Ariely, Duke University Professor of Psychology and Behavioral Economics.

"An encyclopedic approach from a well-versed scholar who is concise but eloquent, both skeptical and opinionated, and open enough to entertain competing points of view... The great debates of history aired out with satisfying vigor." -- Kirkus Reviews (Starred Review)

"Harari's account of how we conquered the Earth astonishes with its scope and imagination... A bravura retelling of the human story... brilliantly clear, witty, and erudite... It really is thrilling and breathtaking; it actually does question our basic narrative of the world." -- Ben Shephard, The Observer (London)

* * * *                                         

Professor Harari has created a fascinating video lecture course based on his book which "... surveys the entire length of human history, from the evolution of various human species in the Stone Age up to the political and technological revolutions of the twenty-first century." The series is available on You Tube via the link below.

A Brief History of Humankind
 http://tinyurl.com/mjf3cmh

"D'ou venons-nous? Que sommes-nous? Ou allons nous?" 

* Public Domain

Eating Bitter Melon: Momordica Charantia

Bitter, sweet, salty, pungent and sour are the five primary flavors according to Traditional Chinese Medicine. When eaten regularly in moderate quantities, the five flavors are thought to balance each of the five major organ systems and promote good health.

The bitter flavor is the least represented in the Standard American Diet, which is predominantly sweet and salty; sour and pungent (spicy) foods are also eaten with some frequency. Coffee is one of the few bitter foods in the American diet today; bitter greens like dandelion were once eaten regularly in certain regions of the U.S. as a springtime "tonic".

"Eating Bitter" is a Chinese expression which refers to enduring hardship; it is sometimes said that one must "eat bitter to taste sweet". The organ system which is strengthened by the bitter flavor is the heart, which "rules the blood" and "houses the spirit".

Bitter melon (Momordica Charantia) was first cultivated in South Asia in the 14th century; today it is used extensively in Asian, Indian, Caribbean and Filipino cuisine. When bitter melons appear in early summer at my local farmer's market, Asian American customers eagerly crowd around to select the best specimens.  Highly regarded for its health giving properties, ku gua  has been used in Chinese herbal medical formulas for centuries.

On the exterior, the bitter melon has a strange primitive beauty. Its color ranges from pale celadon to deep green; the darker the pigment the more bitter the flesh.  

The inside of the bitter melon contains seeds and pale flesh which most recipes instruct the cook to remove. For those who enjoy or even crave the bitter taste, bitter melon is delicious in stir fry recipes, or hollowed out and stuffed with flavorful ingredients. Onion, garlic and chile peppers seasoned with sesame oil are commonly used in bitter melon preparations.  Many techniques are employed to reduce its bitterness, but it is not possible to change the true nature of the bitter melon! 

Haiku:


"Oh bitter melon
 my heart rebels
 against your jade green beauty."


~ O-risa-san,  20th century ~

When is a potato not a potato?

When is a potato not a potato? When it's hyperprocessed into a package of Idahoan Buttery Homestyle Mashed Potatoes.

Idahoan holds a dominant position in the world of processed potato products and they occupy prime placement on supermarket shelves. One of its popular creations is a line of flavored instant mashed potatoes such as "Four Cheese" "Roasted Garlic" "Loaded Baked" "Smoked Bacon"  and "Buttery Homestyle".

Serious attention has been devoted to Idahoan's packaging which is designed to appeal to the consumer on multiple levels at first glance. "Buttery Homestyle" sports a rich gold foil and red label, retro engraving of a farmer in his field and appetizing image of creamy mashed potatoes. The words "homemade", "homestyle" and "buttery" are prominently displayed.  The word "Idahoan" and the blue ribbon inscribed with "America's Favorite Mashed Potato" drive home the message of wholesomeness and stimulate nostalgia for a classic American comfort food which many associate with childhood and family.

Perhaps the nice folks at Idahoan, who have been in the dehydrated potato business since 1960,  are betting that most shoppers will not turn over the package to examine its ingredients panel. Those who do will discover that the product is not a sweet vision of homestyle goodness, rather it is an unpleasant dream brought to you by industrial food science.
   

The first four ingredients-  potatoes, vegetable oil, corn syrup and salt - are a formula the food industry has carefully developed, knowing that fat, salt and sugar are irresistible to most humans. Following these is a long list of multi-syllabic ingredients,  most of which do not spring from the green fields of the Idaho farmer but have been developed in laboratories by food industry chemists to enhance flavor, appearance and shelf life.

The really bad news comes into focus in the Nutrition Facts box, required by law to show the nutrition breakdown per single serving, which Idahoan defines as 1/2 cup. Unrealistically small serving sizes are a ubiquitous device used in food industry nutrition labels to confuse consumers and obscure the facts about what they are really eating.  It is unlikely that the average person will limit their intake to just 1/2 cup.

What cannot be hidden is the fact that one small serving contains 440 milligrams of sodium; some of the other Idahoan mashed potato flavors contain close to 600 mg per serving.  The American Heart Association recommends sodium intake of 1500 mg or less daily,  but has found that the average American, including children over the age of two, now consumes 3400 mg of sodium daily. Excess sodium intake is linked to high blood pressure, stroke and heart disease, major causes of illness and mortality in the U.S.

Fortunately, no one must rely on a fancy foil package of processed potatoes in order to enjoy a delicious potato dish. Flavorful, organic potatoes are in season now and available in farmer's markets at much lower prices per pound than the hyperprocessed instant. 

Select small potatoes like Yukon Gold or Fingerling; they can be steamed in minutes in simmering water.  Once tender, drain potatoes and serve whole. Sprinkle with a few drops of olive oil and sea salt and enjoy a simple, nutritious meal straight from the earth.  That old time farmer in his potato field will thank you.

Cooking with Pressure: Fast, Healthy, Flavorful

Most younger Americans have probably never seen a pressure cooker, let alone used one. Pressure cookers had their heyday in the 1940's following their introduction at the 1939 New York World's Fair, but they were soon supplanted by the huge wave of convenience foods which swept the country in the 1950's, when most of those old cookers were relegated to basements and attics and forgotten.

But pressure cookers retained a place of honor in kitchens throughout much of Europe, South America, North Africa and India, where they are valued for making flavorful healthy meals which are also remarkably fuel and time efficient. The most beautifully designed sleek, safe and durable pressure cookers like the Italian one in the photo are made by European manufacturers; these contemporary stainless steel models last for a lifetime and are a pleasure to use.

Today the pressure cooker is again gaining recognition in the U.S. among cooks who appreciate the intense, concentrated and pure flavors created by relatively brief cooking under pressure. Dense vegetables like beets, winter squash, carrots and potatoes cook in roughly one third the time required by conventional cooking methods, as do legumes, brown rice, barley and other whole grains. Savory vegetable stews, soups and sauces which normally require slow cooking can be prepared in minutes using a single pot from start to finish.

I acquired my first Italian pressure cooker in 1982 and have used it year round since then. In warm weather I prepare garbanzo beans or white beans to use in fresh green salads with ripe tomatoes and herbs. In autumn when apples and pears are plentiful, I make apple- pear sauce with cinnamon and ginger; in winter, black beans and spicy red bean chile are often on the menu. Winter and summer, this dependable kitchen tool keeps the pressure in the pot where it belongs, and out of the kitchen.

Autumn is Harvest

Autumn Harvest Festivals:
Agricultural societies in many parts of the northern hemisphere harvest their major crops in the autumn. In China the primary harvest is celebrated in autumn with the Moon Festival; it coincides with the full moon. The Jewish world observes the harvest festival of Sukkot during the first full moon following Rosh HaShana, and Canadians have their Thanksgiving holiday in October. The original American Thanksgiving is thought to have been held in early autumn, immediately after the harvest; in later years its date was pushed to the end of November for commercial purposes.

Harvest Etymology:
Linguistically, harvest is synonymous with autumn. Until the 16th century, "harvest" was the word English speakers used to refer to the autumn season; it is a direct derivative of the Old High German word "herbist" and the later German "herbst" which mean "autumn". The word in Old English is "haerfest"; the Dutch is "herfst". The Oxford English Dictionary defines "harvest" as follows:

1. The third season of the year, autumn.
2. The season for the cutting and gathering in of ripened grain and other produce.
3. The crop of ripened grain.

The OED offers this quote from Milton to illustrate proper usage of the word:

"Seed time and Harvest and hoary Frost shall hold their course."


Autumn Haiku:

Autumn moonlight-
a worm digs silently
into the chestnut

--Basho, 1644- 1694

A Pear is Wabi Sabi

Wabi sabi is a Japanese expression which describes the beauty of things which are transient, imperfect, incomplete, rustic, simple, serene and melancholy.

Wabi is translated as meaning simple, humble, healthy or normal. Sabi literally means rusty but it also refers to the elegant beauty of something as it matures and ages. Some sources state that the term wabi sabi was originally used to describe the aesthetic beauty of a rusty tea kettle in which water was boiled for the traditional tea ceremony. Tea ceremony implements which embody the value of wabi sabi are highly prized by practitioners.

The beauty of a ripe pear may be appreciated only briefly; its color, fragrance and taste are at their peak when it reaches maturity. Whether the pear is picked and eaten or allowed to fall from the tree its existence is momentary; the pear harvest signals the end of summer, the coming of autumn and the cold dark days of winter.

A pear is wabi sabi.

Summer: When The Fire is on the Planet

According to the words of the Yellow Emperor, whose Classic of Medicine dates from the second century BCE, summer is the season of "The hot weather, the Fire on the planet, the blood vessels, the color red, laughter and joy..."

The Heart, which houses the spirit and moves the blood, is the organ associated with the summer season; compassion and the surrender of ego are its tasks and love is its positive manifestation.

In summer, one is instructed "to be happy and easygoing and not hold grudges, so that the energy can flow freely and circulate between the external and the internal. In this way illnesses may be averted..."

-- Neijing Suwen circa 240 BCE (The Yellow Emperor's Classic of Medicine)

Photo: Dahlia Garden in Golden Gate Park, San Francisco

Blue is for Berries!

Wild blueberries were a valuable seasonal food gathered by Native Americans of the Northeast for thousands of years, just as huckleberries were to the native peoples of Northern California and the Pacific Northwest. But it wasn't until the early 20th century in the state of New Jersey that blueberries were first domesticated for large scale cultivation. Since then, North America has become the world's largest blueberry producer; British Columbia, Maine, Michigan, New Jersey, Nova Scotia, Oregon and Quebec are among the top growers.

Until recently, California had virtually no blueberry crop, as the available varieties thrived only in cool moist climates. Thanks to the dedicated work of scientists at the University of Florida in the 1990's, hybrid blueberry varieties have been developed which grow well in warmer climates and the California blueberry crop has blossomed. Last year's harvest weighed in at 20 million pounds and the increasing demand for this delicious nutrient dense fruit is driving those numbers ever higher. As production has grown, prices for what has long been a luxury item in California have fallen and fresh blueberries can be found at more affordable prices during the height of the growing season.

Berries of all sorts have lately become the focus of much interest for their healthy properties, and a growing body of new research indicates that the antioxidants and other nutrients in berries may be important keys to protection against certain cancers, improving memory and learning capacity, lowering LDL cholesterol, maintaining normal blood sugar levels and supporting healthy eyesight. Anthocyanins are the purple- blue antioxidant compounds which make blueberries blue; they are also present in significant amounts in many other plant foods such as cherries, red and purple grapes, red cabbage, beets, cranberries, blood oranges, strawberries and cocoa.

Fresh blueberries are most nutritious when eaten raw; enjoy them solo for snacks at work or school, or add a handful to your favorite fruit salad. For a special treat, blend blueberries with nut milk or soy milk; serve immediately in chilled glasses. Summer is the season for blue velvet smoothies!

Red Lentils: A 10,000 year old legume

When the legendary hunter Esau returned home to the family tent, famished from a day spent tracking game, he insisted on eating a bowl of lentils, not meat. "Let me swallow that red, some of that red stuff..." he said to his brother Jacob, who then gave him the lentils he was cooking. (Yes, there's much more to that story; you can look it up).

A valuable source of protein and other essential nutrients, lentils have been cultivated in the Near East since the Neolithic Era (circa 9500 BCE) making them one of the earliest crops domesticated by humans. In South Asia, home to a large vegetarian culture, lentils of many varieties are a daily staple for millions. Their versatility and satisfying flavor have created a remarkable culinary tradition from which every home chef can draw inspiration.

Red lentils are small and split into halves, making them among the easiest legumes to prepare as they require less than a half hour to cook. Once you learn this basic lentil recipe, create your own variations by incorporating your favorite spices and herbs. Dried red lentils will keep well in your pantry, ready for impromptu meals using any seasonal vegetables you have on hand. There is no need to pre-soak the lentils, but do pick them over and wash them before continuing preparation.


Red Lentil Soup

2 tablespoons olive oil
2/3 cup leek or onion, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 dried red chile peppers, crumbled
2/3 cup cilantro or Italian parsley, chopped
1 rib celery, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
1 bay leaf
2 medium sweet potatoes, diced
2 cups red lentils
5 - 6 cups fresh water
1 - 2 tablespoons white miso paste (or sea salt to taste)
1 teaspoon Hungarian paprika
1 tablespoon fresh or dried marjoram or oregano
2 small zucchinis, thinly sliced
juice of one large lemon

In a thick bottomed soup pot, saute leek, garlic and chile peppers in olive oil until fragrant. Add cilantro, celery and carrot, and continue to saute a few more minutes on a medium flame; if needed add a bit more olive oil. Add bay leaf, sweet potatoes, lentils and water. Stir well, cover soup and bring to a gentle simmer. Stir occasionally and allow to cook on a low flame for 20- 30 minutes, adding more water if soup is too thick. When lentils are soft, remove about a cupful from the pot, place in a bowl and stir in miso, paprika and marjoram. Return miso mixture to the pot. Add zucchini slices, cover, and allow soup to rest for a few minutes on a very low flame without bubbling until zucchini is tender. Stir in lemon juice and serve in warm soup bowls garnished with lemon slices, chopped cilantro and more chile pepper.

Fresh Favas are Fabulous!

Yes, I know. Preparing fresh fava beans is a lot of work. All that husking, steaming and peeling; the big mound of green pods which shrinks into a modest bowl of beans, the dark fava juice stains on your fingertips, the pile of empty husks to schlep out to the compost bin. But there's nothing as fabulous in the height of springtime as a bowl of delicate fresh fave to savor slowly after hard labor.

The fava season is very short and is awaited eagerly by aficionados. If you spot fresh favas in the produce market, take a generous quantity home or you may have to wait till next spring for another opportunity. Select unblemished pods and avoid any which have begun to split open or are too large, as this indicates that the beans are overly mature.

Shelling favas can be a pleasant meditative activity; sit with a bowl in your lap and enjoy the simple task of splitting open the pods and removing the beans. To cook, bring a pot of fresh water to a boil; add the beans and simmer gently for three to five minutes until just tender. Remove from heat immediately, drain and immerse in a bowl of cold water to prevent further cooking.

When cool enough to handle, remove the thin outer skin from each bright green bean (more meditation, more compost!) Place peeled favas in a bowl, sprinkle with olive oil, fresh lemon juice and a little sea salt. Serve immediately and with the first taste you'll agree that this fabulous slow food is worth every minute of preparation!



Health note: A genetic disorder known as G6PD deficiency, most common in individuals of African, Middle Eastern and South Asian heritage, can cause critical illness following consumption of fava beans. For further information, please Google "favism" or "G6PD deficiency".

Artichoke: An Ancient Thistle

According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the word artichoke was originally an Arabic term, al kharsuf. Artichoke cultivation has been traced to ninth century North Africa; when the edible thistle was introduced to Spain in the middle ages it took on the Old Spanish name, alcarchofa; in ancient Italy it was called articiocco, which is clearly where the English word originated. The French say artichaut, and may comment that someone has "coeur d'artichaut, une feuille pour tout le monde". (A heart like an artichoke, a leaf for everyone.)

Artichokes grow well in California which produces 100% of the U.S. commercial crop. It is a thrill to see the rows and rows of silvery gray artichoke plants growing on the big farms along California's coastal roads in springtime. Every part of the plant has a magical, other worldly beauty; the long spiky leaves, the tightly closed green center leaves which form the edible globe, and the deep purple blossoms which bloom when the fruit is left unharvested. It is a food which may be enjoyed even without eating.

In my own neighborhood in San Francisco, I have discovered a beautiful artichoke garden nestled along the side of a private home; every year I enjoy observing the life cycle of these plants, one of which is in the photo above. In addition to being easy to grow and aesthetically delightful, artichokes are a gourmet springtime treat with excellent nutritional properties including generous amounts of antioxidants, vitamins, minerals, fiber and protein. So, whether you know it as al kharsuf, alcarchofa, articiocco, artichaut or artichoke, now is the time to enjoy this ancient edible thistle.

Preparation: Steam well rinsed artichokes gently in a steamer basket over simmering water until tender. Artichoke is done when a leaf detaches easily when pulled. Serve with a simple dipping sauce of lemon juice, olive oil and salt. Chilled or room temperature artichokes are delicious, so remember to steam a few extras to store in the fridge for later use.

Beets are Beautiful!

Beets are beautiful, especially these red and white striped heirloom Italian Chioggia beets which are named after a coastal fishing town south of Venice. Striped, golden, or red, beets are versatile, simple to prepare, nutritious and irresistibly sweet whether roasted, steamed, cooked in soup or sliced into salad.

If you purchase beets with green leaves still attached, carefully cut them from the root with a sharp knife. The greens are best used right away when they are at their freshest. Wash well, slice stems and leaves and steam briefly or saute in a little olive oil with some onion, leek or garlic. Beet greens are very flavorful and simple preparation is all they require.

Beet roots keep well in the fridge for 3 or 4 weeks; store in a loosely closed plastic bag. Steaming whole beets without cutting or peeling is quite simple. Place 3 or 4 medium sized well scrubbed beets in a pot and add enough water so that the beets are about 2/3 covered. Bring water to boil, lower heat, and allow to simmer gently until beets are tender when pierced, about 35- 45 minutes. Cooking time will vary depending on size.

Carefully transfer cooked beets to a large bowl and allow to cool enough to handle. Place a beet on a cutting board and slice in half. Put beet halves cut side down and remove skin which will slip off easily, then slice into half rounds. Store sliced beets in a clean glass jar in fridge; their sweetness will develop as they cool. To enjoy a warm beet salad right away, arrange slices in a bowl, sprinkle with a little olive oil, vinegar or lemon juice and sea salt to taste; then enjoy the deep red beauty of beets!

For more beet recipes, see posts titled "Pacific Rim Beet Borscht" and "Butternut & Beet Saute".