Campbell's Kitchen

Growing up in the New York Metropolitan area as I did, I seem to have picked up a certain awe of growing food. Most of what I ate grew on supermarket shelves and sometimes tasted of them too.

We had a little patch where every year my dad would plant tomatoes and cucumbers and we'd watch eagerly for those vibrant little plants to yield their treasures. The beefsteak tomatoes had a smell so rich and fruity all you wanted to do was cut them up, sprinkle a little salt and bite into a taste of heaven. The "burpee" cucumbers (very amusing name for little kids to say) tasted of fresh air, pure soil and green outdoors even though they were grown in a shaded little sliver of land in the middle of a big city.

We'd make the 2hr trek every year to pick apples upstate and I'd be in awe of the fruit hanging on trees so perfect and juicy. When I was little, I was sure they glued them on there so people like us could come get them. When my parents weren't looking, I'd find some low hanging fruit and take a bite, leaving it hanging on the tree, just because I could. Even the occasional bout of poision ivy brought back from these trips never served to dim my anticipation of the yearly outing.

The first time I came out to Northern CA, I fell in love...but it wasn't San Francisco I left my heart in. We went up to Napa Valley touring the wine country one January. The wines were lovely but what I remember most were the orange trees, grown ornamentally (a concept I couldn't fathom at the time) in front of the wineries. Like the guilty 7yr old sampling the apples on the tree, I found a low hanging orange and "liberated" it in my purse when I left. Back at the hotel with a knife purloined from the room service cart, I cut my treasure open. Lush and fragrant juices ran over my hands as I forced the butter knife through the tough outter peel and found the rich orange treasure inside. It was probably the best orange I've ever eaten in my life.

Now that I live in the bay area myself, it's my goal to grow as much fresh produce as I possibly can on my little chunk of land. While I'm not a notable green thumb, I am determined to appreciate nature's bounty wherever I can encourage it to spring.

Here's what we currently have growing on our property:


Tomatoes - plum, purple plum, two kinds of cherry
Tomatillos
Green Beans
Soy Beans
Yellow Corn
jalapeno and fresno hot peppers
peas (they're not doing so well though)
leeks
fennel
broccoli
cauliflour
acorn squash
butternut squash
sugar pie pumpkins

Simon & Garfunkle quartet (parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme) as well as oregano, marjoram, basil, chamomile, lemon balm, lemon verbena, chocolate mint, yarrow and borage

The fruit trees/plants on our property are:
2 pommagranite trees
manderine satsuma tree
eureka lemon tree
mexican lime tree
donut peach tree
kiwi vines
thompson's seedless grapes
2 blueberry bushes
raspberry patch that frustrates the b-jeesus out of me because it grows great but never makes fruit
strawberries
two apple trees with about 6 different apples growing on them (we have a friend who is a member of the California Rare Fruit Growers Association and every year he takes us to the event where they exchange "scions" to graft onto your trees)
2 ornamental plum trees (we just found out we can graft other types of plums onto these so watch out!)



In addition to these, we have some "volunteers"...we planted yellow plum tomatoes the first year here and they've mysteriously traveled to all corners of the yard, popping up where least expected. And last, but not least, the neighbors apricot tree which is slowly seeking asylum over the fence in our yard.

So, with an aching back but a happy heart, my garden grows reaffirming that it is the most basic and simple things in life that bring us the greatest rewards.

Meryl

find some great quotes about gardens and gardening here:
http://www.quotegarden.com/gardens.html

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Edited by 2727835 at 05/29/2007 1:35 PM

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Edited by 2727835 at 05/29/2007 1:59 PM

I went out with friends to a Moroccan restaurant on Saturday night. While I ate Moroccan food once at Epcot Center, I wasn't prepared for the atmosphere at this restaurant!

The restaurant sits on a side street on the outskirts of San Jose. It is unremarkable from the outside, made more so by the building under construction next door. Once inside, everything changes. You walk in to a big "courtyard". Water chuckles softly in an in ground fountain in the floor. Beautiful Mosaics adorn the ceilings and walls and you gaze through the muted lighting into a palace.

http://menaramoroccan.citysearch.com/tab3/contentbuilder/layout.php3%253FcontentPath%253Dcontent%252F00%252F01%252F33%252F93%252F45%252Fuserdirectory3.content

Through the "courtyard" where the bar is housed, you enter a room where muted lights and fabric draped walls continue the feeling of opulence. Small gold leaf enhanced tables surrounded by piles of cushions are grouped around the tent like interior. Our host lead us to one in a corner and we settled onto soft cushions on the floor, unsure if we'd be able to get up again after eating but willing to try it out.

It was an amazing experience! The interior is all decorated to look like a palace or maybe a harem.

You order one set of dishes for the table...everyone eats the same thing. Order placed, your server returns with a towel for each person (no, not a napkin, a towel), a pitcher of water and a basin. We were instructed to place our hands over the basin as the warm water was emptied over our hands. Then you keep the towel, you'll need it after all as you get no utensils.

Our meal started with a big conical woven bowl of warm bread which was used to sop up a "salad" of pureed tomato and eggplant, minced cucumber and various other veggies. While it was good, I would come to regret it later as it made me require a lot of very filling bread to soak it all up.

The next course was by far everyone's favorite. A large fillo wrapped pastry, covered in powdered sugar with the words "Be Happy" stenciled on in cinnamon, the B'stilla turned out to be filled with a mixture of chicken and almonds. It was a wonderful combination of savory and sweet. All my friends begged me to find out how to make it so they could have it again soon.

The next two dishes were different types of tajines, slow cooked dishes that get their name from the name of the pot they're cooked in. Tajines function kind of like crockpots, in that they keep the food at a constant temp and make sure all the moisture stays in and on the food.

The chicken in lemon sauce (they turned out to be cornish hens) was wonderful, tart and flavorful once it had cooled down enough for us to pull the meat from the bones. We wound up eating more bread to soak up the juices so nothing would go to waste.

The lamb shanks in honey sauce were rich as rich can be. Truly a dish worthy of a sultan, the meat was tender and not too fatty and the cous cous with mixed veggies and chick peas on the side saved us from having to hit the bread bowl yet again. (They did give us spoons with this...I guess they figured that we weren't up to the challenge of chasing couscous around the plate with our fingertips).

Our waiter then returned with a pitcher and ewer so we could wash our hands again. This time the water was fragrant with the scent of roses, slightly cloying but still making me feel pampered as royalty.

Last, a tray arrived with diamond shaped pieces of bakalava. Small shot glasses were placed on the table and the waiter managed to pour the mint tea from a full standing position, 3 feet above the table without showering us or the desserts. Applause were in order.

Replete and relaxed we were just contemplating leaving when the music started and out came a bellydancer. She coaxed several members of our party into impromptu lessons. I only wish I had gotten a picture of my husband shaking his hips with his napkin/towel as an impromptu veil.

Needless to say, a good time was had by all. Should you ever find yourself in downtown San Jose, look this place up...you'll be really glad you did!

Oh, and in case you're wondering, I did find a recipe...I'll let you know how it goes once I try it:

B'stilla - http://www.recipezaar.com/62205

My parents were very free thinking people. Even though we are Jewish, they were able to appreciate the joy and love of the season...especially when it came to kids. As a result, we'd have our hanukkah celebration and get our 8 gifts but we still had a Christmas Eve (Or Erev Christmas as we called it) tradition all our own.

This one too revolved around "the city". We would head to Manhattan and enjoy all the traditions that make NY magical during the holidays. Stood on line through santa's village at Macy*s to sit on the big guy's lap and (my favorite part) get a candy cane from the elves.

Then it was out to Sacks 5th Ave. and various other dept stores to see the animated windows and on to FAO Schwartz to play with the season's hottest toys (which, in retrospect, was a bit cruel considering that on most years we'd already gotten our gifts by then!)

Once it got dark we'd head down to Rockefeller Center to see the tree. It was a magical scene no matter how many times I went. The lights glittering overhead and the crowds gathered round to admire the tree towering over golden and surprisingly happy looking Prometheus statue and the ice skating rink. Oh how we loved to stand around and watch the skaters. Ok, I'll be honest...to watch the skaters FALL. When you're a little kid the merits of a perfectly executed figure 8 are trumped by an unplanned introduction to the ice.

Finally we'd head over to Mama Leone's for a traditional Italian Christmas dinner complete with seven fishes and strolling accordion players. Frank Sinatra would play over the stereo and we'd fill up on italian bread before the food ever came.

Finally we'd go home, hang our stockings on the wrough iron electric fireplace and go to bed, secure in the knowledge that even though we were Jewish, Santa wouldn't forget two good little girls like me and my sister.

Happy Holidays everyone!

With Thanksgiving right around the corner I feel a sense of melancholy for days past. While I have good friends to spend the holiday with, I can't help but miss my family and the shared rituals of my youth.

There were no sleighs in my neck of the woods and the only river in our area gave off fumes like rotten eggs and it was doubtful any self respecting fish would live there. I grew up in New York City

Ok, so technically I grew up in Eastern Queens, about as far from Manhattan as you could get while still claiming to live in New York City. Even though I understood that I lived one of the five boroughs, I knew I didn't really live in "The City", that cultural mecca that everyone thinks of when they hear the words New York.

"The City" was a place reserved for special occasions and Thanksgiving was one of them.

Every year on Thanksgiving my parents would take us to the Macy*s Thanksgiving Day Parade. The US Postal workers would have been proud to recruit us because neither wind nor snow nor sleet would keep us away. They'd bundle us up in warm coats. and take us on the Long Island Rail Road into Penn Station. There we would disembark and follow the surging crowds that thronged 34th Street to see the show.

Every year had it's memory. We were accosted by a saggy Woody Woodpecker one year. Another we stood in sleet puddles 5 inches deep with the few other hardy (or is that foolish) souls who felt compelled to be there to welcome Santa and the start of the Christmas Season. Yet another it was 75 degrees and you couldn't get around the News Kiosk on the corner in less than 30 minutes.

My mother was pretty amazing if a bit unconventional. Clad in 3 inch heels, she could keep up with a float for blocks at a time to get the perfect picture, usher small children to the front of the barricades through a crowed of resisting Manhattanites and make sure we all stuck together in the process. Back then there were lots of panhandlers in Penn Station. I'll never forget the year when pressed for a landmark we wouldn't miss she said, "Kids, if we get separated, we'll meet by the man with no legs".

My dad usually followed quietly along, lifting me or my sister to his shoulders when the crowds got too much, doling out dollars for fragrant pretzels and chestnuts when we got hungry and enjoying the company of his all female brood.

My sister and I would whine and complain when we had to get up in the morning but once there, we'd get in the spirit. We'd wave at the stars on the floats, confident that it was us they were waving back to, argue over which balloon was cooler, snoopy or kermit and scramble for the chocolate balls the elves threw when Santa's sleigh came through to signal the end of the show.

Now from miles away I watch the parade on TV but it's not the same. One day, when I have kids of my own I'll make that trip to NY so that they can see my past and start a tradition of their own.

A recent thread on these boards broached the topic as to whether Cabbage is more nutritious cooked or raw. Having no life and lots of free time, I decided to explore this topic more thoroughly in order to answer the question, "To cook or not to cook??"

The first thing I learned is that there are many researchers with less of a life than me. They have researched hundreds of studies on the nutritional benifits of cabbage. Luckily, these researchers with less of a life have more of a budget than me so they've come up with some answers. Of course, like researchers everywhere, they've then proceeded to argue with each other about whose answers are right and since researchers all want to think their research is the "right" research. As a result very little of this research has been fully proven accurate. Isn't grant money grand?

But I digress so let's leave those silly researchers behind and get back to our nutrition question....How should Cabbage be eaten?

The answer?

"YES".

Eat it cooked, eat it raw, the one thing both camps agree on is that you should eat it. It is probably better for you than the latest nutritional celebrity, pomagranites, although I can't see anyone marketing a juice made of it.

Cabbage is loaded with Vitamin C, contains Calcium, Vitamin A, Iron and a healthy dose Fiber. It also has loads of phytochemicals, those compounds said to fight cancer.

The answer to how to prepare it, it turns out, depends on what you want your cabbage to do for you. Below is a brief outline of the benefits of one over the other.


To Cook
Iron:
Researchers report that the act of cooking helps to increase the availability of iron already contained in such vegetables as asparagus, broccoli, cabbage, and tomatoes, making it easier for your body to absorb. Cabbage, increased from 6.7 percent to 26.7 percent


Not to Cook
Vitamin C:
According to the USDA Consumer and Economics Institute Agricultural Research Service, if the water used in cooking cabbage amounts to 1/3 the amount of cabbage, 90 percent of the vitamin C is retained. Use four times as much water and ascorbic acid retention drops to less than 50 percent. If you drink the liquid it was cooked in the vitamin C is not lost.

Cancer Fighting:
Cabbage provides anti-carcinogenic glucosinolates, which are formed by the activity of myrosinase enzymes released when cabbage is sliced or chopped. Cooking denatures the myrosinase enzyme, thus stopping the production of glucosinolates.


Not to Eat

Cabbage Soup Diet:
This diet was dreamt up based on the unproven principle that cabbage is catabolic. This does not mean that they shed or tear up the curtains. What it means is that they take more calories to digest than what you get out of them. Research has shown that the diet works, but only because it provides less than 1,000 calories a day which is basically considered starvation level subsistence.

The basis of the diet revolves around drinking endless amounts of a cabbage soup it provides the recipe for. I personally think the diet works because the mere thought of eating any more of that soup puts you off of all food for the rest of the day.

If you'd still like to see the full cabbage soup diet after this ringing endorsement, you can find it at:

http://www.cabbage-soup-diet.com/


So if I haven't filled your "head" (ha ha, note the clever cabbage pun) with information already, there's more! It seems that it also matters where on the head the cabbage comes from. Pale center leaves are much less nutritious than their greener brethren (or sistren? do Cabbages have gender? Do I even want to explore this path?)

So the Verdict?

There is none, what do you think this is, "Law & Order"? I lied, I never actually planned to come to a definite conclusion. What? I told you I have no life and lots of free time If those grant enriched (ha ha, another pun! En-RICHed...God, I crack me up!) scientists haven't managed to agree on an answer what makes you think I know?

You're still here? You must be REALLY interested in the cooked vs. raw debate. Since I'm now bored of the topic you'll have to satisfy your curiosity at one of the the sites listed below:

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0860/is_n8_v51/ai_7746731
http://www.emaxhealth.com/1/166.html

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Edited by 2727835 at 11/09/2006 1:22 PM