A dear friend, who not only creates and prepares some of the most delicious meals on the planet, but also writes exquisitely about food, wrote an enticing and slightly sexy piece about figs. I was inspired. Although when it comes to figs, I’m easy.

This ancient fruit may indeed be the first cultivated fruit in the Middle East, but for those of us living in the US, we can be grateful that California has risen to become the third largest producer of figs in the world, just behind Greece and Turkey. For some riveting facts about figs and their rich history, the California Fig Advisory Board supplies a healthy dose of interesting tidbits.

This unlikely sexy food only makes a brief appearance and sadly does not last very long nor refrigerate well – I suppose this is why dried figs are so popular!

Figs are attributed with mighty powers and without going into serious research as to the veracity of these claims, I will only say that there are some wild claims as to this fruit’s ability to cure or heal everything from ’sexual weakness’ (?) and venereal disease to bowel health, diabetes, earaches, abscesses and asthma.

All I know from experience is that experiencing fresh, ripe figs is a sensual experience – with their plump, round shape and multi-textured sweet meat and fun tiny seeds, figs are a riot of taste and sensation.

What is slightly more documented is the Fig’s potent mineral and fiber content. Figs are high in vitamins A, B1 and B2 and minerals such as potassium, calcium, magnesium, iron, copper and manganese. According to one Suite 101 writer, dried figs have 250 mg of calcium / 100 g, which is more than 100 g of whole milk, which only contains 118mg!

I was really turned on to the magic of figs a couple of years ago when attending a Suppers Program, which is a program about getting back to basics in whole food nutrition. It was held at a woman’s home in Princeton and we all went out to raid her garden and each of us came up with a recipe (she had obviously purchased some of the main course/protein stuff). I was immediately attracted to her fig tree, which was full and ready for my greedy hands. I created a simple and delicious Fig & Tomato salad (the recipe is at the end of the old post in the previous link) using fruit from her garden. Yum.

I’ve got fig tree envy, but know without any doubt that the vigorous and tenacious critters that dwell near our home would never let one grow in my back yard. I’ll have to rely on my local producers (or my grocery store if desperate) during the short growing season.

My advice is to RUN don’t walk to find some of these sensual treats!

eat. blog. be merry!
GD Meg

There’s no denying that the green divas are foodies! We love to play with locally sourced, sustainably grown goodies, cook it, play with it, eat it of course, talk about it and eat some more . . .

So, tonight’s show is all food. We have two interviews folks. The first is with Kendrya Close, Executive Director of the Food Shed Alliance, which is based not far from our studio in Blairstown, NJ. The Food Shed Alliance is an amazing organization that has helped to support and promote area farmers and bring more awareness to the surrounding communities through a variety of events, including really yummy farm-to-table dinners hosted at some of the local farms. Kendrya will tell us about all their wonderful programs.

Then, our second interview will be with Misty Krupier, owner of a Brooklyn-based food business that is dedicated to using locally sourced food that is sustainably and responsibly grown. Through her business, Lucas Fine Foods, Misty will be starting a program to provide healthy lunch boxes for local kids. Can’t wait to hear more about that!

And of course, if you haven’t already heard, it is National Farmer’s Market Week, so if you haven’t been to yours yet, make sure to get to one this week – the harvest is ripe for the taking!

Tune in and turn on a friend!
Thursday, August 5, 2010
7 – 8pm EST
HomeGrownRadioNJ.org

The fresh berry season is upon us – yipppeeee!

Growing fresh berries may be the most exciting way to gather the little yummies – especially if you have a local bear that becomes familiar with your crop! Until our current house, I’ve always had some berry bushes and enjoyed the picked-off-the-bush freshness of berries for breakfast AND dessert! I tried container strawberries on the deck in the last couple of years, but it was such an unbelievable chore to keep them from the critters, that I gave up, surrendered my succulent beauties to some very happy chipmunks and whoever else was enjoying them.

I love to buy fresh local berries or even pick them myself from some of the U-Pick farms in my area (Northern New Jersey).  Those wonderful farmer’s markets cropping up in a neighborhood near you will be brimming with wonderful fresh berries.  LocalHarvest.org has a wonderful Farmer’s Market locator.

Knowing that berries often get the worst kind of pesticides sprayed on them, I’m careful to find out how they’ve been grown. The Organic Center has posted and published a handy free pocket guide that helps understand when you should only buy organic and when it is okay to buy non-organic fruits and veggies – the  Organic Essentials pocket guide.

Here are a few ways I enjoy berries . . .

 
1. Green Diva Meg’s Special Berry Breakfast
I eat this almost daily during the week – bring my glass container to work and savor it during a morning break (I hate eating first thing in the morning).

Ingredients

1/4 – 1/2 c. Plain Yogurt* (I prefer 2% or non-fat greek or some good organic stuff)
1/8 – 1/4 tsp. Vanilla
2 pkts. Stevia Plus powder (or sweeten as desired)
1/4 – 1/2 c. Granola (obviously your favorite – or NOT. this is optional)
up to 1 Tbs. Ground Flax Seeds
1/4 – 1/2 c. Berries!  (whatever mix you like)

*As you may have guessed, I like to make my own vanilla falvored yogurt, which cuts down on a lot of suger. I try to buy low-sugar granola too and sometimes, I cut out the granola all together, which cuts out a bunch of sugar, carbs, and fat . . . not often enough!

In a medium-sized bowl, mix the vanilla into the yogurt thoroughly, then add stevia or sweetner and mix well again. Then add granola (or not), fresh berries (cutting strawberries into bite-sized pieces, obviously), ground/roasted flaxseeds, and enjoy!

2. Green Diva Meg’s Easy Berry Crumble
I posted this prematurely (about a month ago). Please visit a previous post for the yummy details!

3. Elegant Fresh Strawberry Dessert
This one comes from my mother, who was well-known and loved for her dinner parties back in the 60s and 70s, when dinner parties were a more formal and regular occurance (at least in our household).

Ingredients

Fresh Strawberries
Sour Cream (could substitute with some good thick greek yogurt)
Brown Sugar

Wash the strawberries, but keep the green tops (unless they are yucky) and keep them whole. If you have enough small individual bowls for each guest, give them one each of a couple of tablespoons of sour cream and brown sugar. Small parties/groups can just share. The goal is to dip the strawberry into the sour cream, then into the brown sugar and eat the whole thing (double dipping isn’t encouraged in a shared environment unless you are all very close and comfortable with that sort of thing).

4. Old Faithful – Berry Fruit Salad
I like to mix up all kinds of berries (color is important – I’m not sure why, but it is – so, I like to make sure I have some red berries AND blue/black berries).

Ingredients

Berries
Peeled/Cored, sliced pears
Peeled, sliced up peaches
Fresh heavy cream (optional)

Obviously, this is a personalized thing. My daughter just LOVES to make whipped cream and so sometimes we go nuts and use it, but it really doesn’t need it.

5. Healthy Berry Smoothie
The basis of this is from Anne Louise Gittleman’s Fat Flush Plan, but as always, I tend to alter recipes to fit my own taste.

Ingredients

1/2 c. Fresh Berries (can use frozen in winter)
1 Peach or Nectarine
1/2 c. Water
1 Tbs. Flaxseed Oil
1 Pkt. Stevia (or other sweetner – to taste)
Vanilla Protein Powder (I prefer Whey, but you can use whatever type you like)

Mix it all up in the blender and enjoy!

Have a berry wonderful time . . .

eat. blog. be merry!
gd meg

Is there anyone NOT sucked into the whirlwind of earth day hype?
Is there anyone that isn’t thinking of how they can get their green on?
Is anyone else feeling overwhelmed by it all?

Us Green Divas area all about easy does it! If we make earth day more of a lifestyle and simply start by making one green improvement from wherever we are on the big green super highway, sustainable living habits seem to sprout like hearty organic weeds and multiply. Before you know it, you’re talking local sustainable agriculture at your favorite new potluck dinner club!

I started with food. Yum.

The low-stress way of doing this, is to know you don’t have to do it ALL. Just pick one that resonates with you and start there. It should be fun and bring you some joy. This is NOT about adding stressful activities to your lifestyle, but adding some thoughtful and hopefully more meaningful activities to the things you already do anyway.

·         Learn about your local farmers – find them, meet them or at least read up on what they are growing and producing and what methods they employ.

• Join a CSA – Consider buying a share in a local Community Supported Agriculture, which helps a local farmer or farmers and you get delicious very fresh, local veggies regularly throughout the growing season! Here is a website to learn more about CSAs and search for a CSA near you!
  
• Go to your local farmers markets – there are so many new local farmers markets springing up everywhere. The season is just about to begin. Find a farmer’s market near you!

·         Question your local supermarkets – talk to the manager or produce manager about the source of their produce, how much of it is locally produced, organic, etc. If you ask them nicely to use more local growers (and get some friends to pester them as well), they might just do it!

·         Get educated about regional, seasonal foods – It is difficult to go totally seasonal, but there is evidence that it is better for our health to eat regionally and seasonally. Just becoming more aware is a start. One New Jersey natural foods caterer, Burden Free Foods is working on a delicious 100-mile menu that will highlight and use food within a 100-mile radius!

·         Become a conscious carnivore – look for meat that is humanely, naturally, regionally (if possible) and consciously produced. It will likely be more expensive – eat less meat, add more whole grains and veggies (won’t hurt you). Read my post ‘6 Reasons to be a Conscious Carnivore‘

·         Grow something – even if you don’t have a yard or even a balcony or deck to pot some veggies, you can grow herbs on a window sill. It’s fun, it’s miraculous, and is a great reminder of the connection of where food comes from and how good it is fresh. Or as an alternative, you can volunteer for a public garden group and help green your community.

·         Start a dinner club – this has all kinds of possibilities and potential implications. You can do it in connection to an organization or just a social group of friends – either way, it is fun and has a way of growing (organically of course) into something interesting and nourishing both physically and mentally. This idea was inspired by my favorite foodie organization, Sustainable Table, who made buttons for Farm Aid 2007 that said, ‘Bring back the potluck!’.

·         Patronize restaurants that use locally grown, organic foods – this makes a statement. There are more and more chefs coming around to the concepts of sustainable, local agriculture. Three local, sustainable food chef activists that are worth learning more about (and eating in their delicious establishments!) — Alice Waters of Chez Panisse, Michel Nischan of the Dressing Room and Judy Wicks of the White Dog Cafe. 

·         Love the food you prepare – find a way to de-stress, slow down and enjoy the food preparation process. CAUTION: this may produce heightened awareness about the quality of the food you use and create a desire for higher-quality food sources!

·         Eat at least one meal per week with your family – whatever type of family you have, whether it is traditional or a group of friends. Create a sense of family around a well-loved and thoughtfully prepared meal (you don’t have to do it all yourself, remember POT-LUCK works).

eat. blog. be merry!

GD Meg