A Nod To The Laborers

 With it being labor Day we need to honor those who grow, truck cook and serve our foods. ANy kind of food service is hard work, whether it's picking produce, cooking exotic and enchanting dinners or serving those dishes.

We need to fight for the rights of farm helpers and to help farms maintain their land . So many are now financially strapped and they're selling the lands for strip malls and Mc Mansions. We need to support those mom and pop restaurants that give us the best pizza, lo mein and curry.Let's not forget those work the school and college cafeterias who make sure our kids eat well and at some schools twenty-four hours a day

It is Labor Day . Honor those in the industry who labor hard. They deserve our support not just today but everyday.

The Local Cuisine

 One of the biggest question any vacationer has is where do the locals eat  and even shop for food? It's impoirtant to go to decent eateries and shops where you know you'll get good food. However where do you begin? The locals.

Check out the your destination for all sorts of a good places to eat and drink. what helps is Googling the town or city and then typing in the best restaurants. Forget their websites . TRy the Yelp and even Facebook fan pages. Diners are brutally honest on these. Yelp reviewers even post pictures of their favorite dishes and desserts too. what happens if the dish is too expensive? Go for the eatery's cheaper dishes. They're probably just as good as what's posted.what if it's a big city like Paris or New York? Again Yelp reviews help but also restaurant guides and with New York , The New York Times always has excellent and pretty honest reviews. Check out reviewers' Sam Sifton and Pete Wells along with Ligaya Mishan. All three also cover the boroughs too and sometimes restaurants, on Long Island, New Jersey and Connecticut. Another way is ask the locals themselves. Don t be afraid to quiz at the gas station or even at the local drugstore. If it's a small town like a Jersey shore one, you'll get a whole slew of answers just by standing on line.

This also applies ot local farmers markets and grocery stores. Many are heading to shore towns, like in New Jersey. Most motel rooms have kitchenettes where you can cook a quick meal. You'll also need dishwashing soap and if you haven't packed them, shampoo and sunscreen too. Local groceries stock these too. How do you know of the local grocery store is a good one? Check out the parking lot. If it's relatively full then you kniow its a popular store. Again some grocery stores will have their deli sections reviewed  and list what it good to buy. Also local groceries usually get their produce from nearby farms so you know the fruits and veggies you;re buying are going to be tasty and fresh. Locals also buy from these farms too so check them out. They may also have great sovenirs and gifts, like homemade jam or honey along with homemad e ice cream and ices. Rememember to check out the local fish stores too if you want to make lobster or filets.

Alsways trust the locals when you go on vacation. They have the best advice when it comes to where to eat and shop. Heed them for a better holiday experience.

Your Local Food Road Trip

 It's going to be a tough summer to travel  thanks to gas prices  starting at five dollars a gallon. itr's even worse for those who love to go to food oriented  cities and towns. However some gems may be in your back yard and only a walking distance or short hop away.

Before you travel map out where you'd like to go. Nowadays it doesn't pay to wander aimlessly and burn up one hundred dollars of gas. If you are planning a distance drive, not only check out that one restaurant or farmer's market, but check out other food related businesses. There might be a great bakery or creamery that;s worth investigating.If you're headed to the Jersey shore, then any one of the Boardwalks that dot the coast should be included. There you can get such classics as cotton candy ,frozen custard and clams on a half shell. Also make a visit to any of the waterfront candy shops where you can buy such favorites as salt water taffy and homemade fudge.If you're driving through quaint country towns, there's usually a few farms on the way too. These are perfect for picking up fresh corn and tomatoes along with other veggies. Make sure there's plenty of room in the back seat or trunk for your haul too.Some farms even have strawberry and  early raspberry picking right now. Wear the appropriate clothing and bring containers in case the farm doesn't supply any.

City dwellers have a whole cornucopia a their fingertips. New York City may be a gourmet town but there are plenty of down to earth real food eateries. Luckily the city, like any metropolis has a great transit system. You can try the trendy restaurants and bistros in Greenwich Village along with gelaterias and pastry shops.Harlem has some of the best foods and it's an easy trip uptown. Try the ever popular Melba's for eggnog waffles and fried catfish. There's also Brooklyn, home of hipster breweries and fun ice cream shops that offer unusual flavors.The other boroughs , queens. The Bronx and Staten Island also have some great hangouts. Staten island has the plus of Kim Kardashian who has been hanging out with boyfriend Pete Davidson at his favorite haunts. Go to Philadelphia if you live not far from this historic city. It's the ultimate foodie town too , known for its' food markets like the Reading Terminal. Here food lovers can try and buy all sorts of goodies and treats from home made German   pretzels to  hand made.Italian sausages Baltimore has it's waterfront rich with local seafood dishes while Chicago has some great steak houses and of course deep dish pizza.

There's a whole local food scene waiting to be discovered. Best of all, there's not that much traveling. You can find good food and interesting places without burning up a lot of gas.

The State Of Food Now

It's been a little over three months that our lives, and our eating habits have been changed. Not only that our shopping has also been altered. Have we adapted? It's an interesting question.

The Corona virus has  upset everything and definitely changed the whole modern food chain, from how our food is grown and caught to how we eat.  The New York Times Food section this past Wednesday ran an article about the salmon industry and how the virus impacted it. Julia O'Malley wrote about how out of staters come to the Naknek area for the work. They either work fishing or processing. The businesses have to be shut down meaning there's no work and no products going out to the stories and buyers. It has hit hard for Brian Nicolson, a Brooklyn winemaker who returns to his family business in this Alaskan outback. Farms across the country are also affected.Some will prosper. Some will not. Thanks to the restaurants closing down or limiting their services, many farms have suffered. Many crops have had to be destroyed. Now with bans being lifted, the farms can make a comeback. It's just a matter of keeping the workers safe, despite the bad workplace conditions and the lack of medical benefits for them.

Thankfully the shortages have more or less stopped. It was bad, with farmers killing off livestock because they couldn't sell the meat. It seemed they were more catering to the restaurants because home chefs were stockpiling every kind from frozen nuggets to fresh hams.The flour shortage due to people going wild for home baking is also over. We realize that we have the capacity to be hoarders, especially when it comes to such essentials as milk , bread, eggs and cold cuts. Yet we also have the hidden capacity to be fearless home chefs and bakers. Being quarantined has retaught us to read through cookbooks that have been collecting dust for years and use such gadgets as corers and ravioli cutters that have been sitting idle in kitchen drawers. There has also a down side. As people binged watched their favorite shows and movies they also binged ate. Snack sales went up tremendously. People wanted comfort foods, from Oreos, and their counterparts (try the Acme's Tuxedo brand of sandwich cookies) to potato chips and pork rinds. Home bakers indulged on frosting rich cakes and butter laden cookies. Hopefully this is over and we can appreciate the fresh fruit and veggies of the season for a quick bite.

How have we adapted? How has our country adapted? The answer varies depending on who you talk to or what you read. We did relearn to cook and bake which is always good. Yet we also discovered our dark side when it came to hoarding and binging.

Pistahcio Chewy Bites A Healthy Stocking Stuffer

Want a healthy bite to put into everyone''s X-Mas stockings? Then try Setton Farms' Chewy Pistachio Bites. These are a better treat than all those Christmas candies and cookies. They're also a great respite from the rich holiday bites we're all indulging in right now.

Setton Farms is a California based pistachio farm located in the lush farming area northeast of Los Angeles. It is unusual in the sense that it is a Kosher farm where it is not only checked by an onsite rabbi but also must follow the strictest food regulations. The company is known primarily for its' dried fruits and nuts.such as pears, pineapple, almonds and walnuts. Setton also produces several different types of plain and flavored pistachios from unsalted to salted to jalapeno, garlic and chili lemon.Now there;s a brand new treat, pistachio chewy bites. These are a tasty respite from the heavy, sugary holiday fare.They're a mix of heart healthy mix of pistachios and dried cranberries held together with agave syrup.They're gluten and dairy free. Each chew is 105 calories with 60 fat calories and th best part is they're loaded with nuts!.

You'd expect something this good for you to be not so tasty. Wrong ! These are the best tasting chews  I've had in a long time! The pistachio's mild nutty flavor is the perfect foil for the cranberries' tartness and the agave's sweet syrup flavor. The texture is a fun chew too and a quick bite. It'll make a great stocking stuffer , giving those Santa pops and chocolate coins a run for their money. After the holidays  they'd be perfect in gym bags and lunch boxes. The chews are a better alternative  to that three o'clock candy bar or doughnut too. They're also a nice dessert too or a great nibble when you're craving something sweet.Surprisingly they can be turned into savory and sweet recipes, from a spicy Mediterranean couscous to popcorn balls. If you really want decadent party treats then dip them in semisweet chocolate and let them harden. The Chewy Pistachio Bites can be bought at A&Ps ,Shop Rite, King Kullen, Wegman, Lucky's and a few other supermarkets. 

This holiday season give your body a healthy gift of Setton Farms Chewy Pistachio Bites. These are super yummy and super good.Try them now as an alternative to all those sugary cookies and candies.

Summer Support Vacation At A Soup Kitchen

Everyone tends to forget about food kitchens and food pantries when the temps go up. It's a funny concept that we have about those who need our help. We're fine about donating time and food items during the fall and winter , and ignore doing this in favor of our own pursuits come summer. Unfortunately neediness is year long.Those who needed our help and a meal in December still may need us and a plate of  home cooked goodness now.

If you have time, even a spare vacation day, you can help out at your local soup kitchen. There's always work to be done , whether prepping fruit and veggies or making sandwiches,Also  you can dispense cold drinks  for hot visitors and ice cream for their kids. Helping out is a good lesson for the your young ones too, especially for teens and tweens. It's a great way for them to use  vacation time and giving to the community. The kitchens probably need helping cleaning up along taking out garbage and dumping spoiled food. Volunteer to wash pots and pans as well as sweeping or mopping up floors.Some soup kitchens also contribute lunches to nearby preschools, (this may be more prevalent with churches  that have both ) Volunteer to make sandwiches or be a part of the breakfast program. The best part  is the smiles you'll receive.  Also suggest having weekend cookouts where families could gather for hot dogs and corn. It's a fun way of meeting people and brining the community closer together.

If you don't have time to donate, then donate your garden. So many of us wind up with overage. After all there's only so much tomato sauce to make or zucchini bread to bake. You'll not only contribute to their meals but to better nutrition too Even those bushel baskets bought at the farm or farmer's market can be halved and donated. These can also go to food pantries too, Giving families the chance to enjoy home cooked meals made with fresh and nutritious ingredients. It helps them cut back on eating processed foods and snacks too. Some stores are contributing  their unsold produce as well along with leftover breads and dairy products. Try to get your local farms involved too or have them introduce a day where those in need can shop there for half price.

Poverty is not a seasonal thing. It exists all through the year. If you can donate vacation time or some garden produce. Both will be a great summer gift.

Tis The Season For Picking

June is here and with it a plethora of fruit to pick. This is the times when farms all over the United States open their grounds to fruit lovers and foodies . Pick it yourself offers a wide range of having the best fruit and either eating it fresh or creating tasty and also healthy dishes.It's also a fun way of spending time and making memories with family and friends.

The first step is scouring the Web to see what farms allow picking.  Check to see if there are age restrictions (some places will not allow children under ten or twelve)  along with any fees. Some farms will charge you for gloves or baskets. Others will just hand you a basket and you pay per pound at the end. Another aspect is dressing for it. wear sneakers and socks, You don;t want to step on something or get bit (snakes do occasionally slither in and out of rows and orchards - especially in my state New Jersey).Also take plenty of water and sunblock. Picking on a hot sunny day is no different than time spent at the beach. If you feel light headed  or faint, stop , pay for whatever you picked and head for the car.

Pickings right now are good . This is the start of the strawberry season and some states such as Texas are in full bloom. Blueberries  and blackberries will be ripening towards the middle and end of the month . Peaches are also currently good for the picking too.One important thing to remember is don;t get too carried away. Fruit spoils quickly and if you and your group picked too much,  then you could wind up with throwing  away half of your bounty. Luckily you can freeze fruit, along with making it into a yummy compote..You can also turn it into relish or chutney for your barbecues too.

Make a date at your local farm to go fruit picking. It;s a fun way of bringing together family and friends.It's a great way of enjoying the healthy bounty of the season too.

Pumpkin Time

This is the time to go out and get the biggest pumpkin we can. Pumpkins not only make great decorations but also great dishes. This versatile cousin of a cucumber can be taken from the first course to the last with snacking in between.

The pumpkin comes from the Curcubita pepo or large squash. Larger pumpkins comes from the Cucurbita maximus. The name pumpkin derive s from the ancient Greek for melon pepon which the e French translated into pompon and the English pompion. The American colonists then gave it the new name of pumpkin. Pumpkins were used in early Mexican cooking , even before the Spanish Conquest. Since it is a cousin of the squash , the pumpkin is then natural loaded with good things. It is high in Vitamin A. It's also high in riboflavin, thiamine and niacin.The seeds which are great for healthy snacking are chock full of the much needed zinc and potassium.

What can you do with pumpkin? The Piedmontese of North western Italy transform it into a creamy soup , redolent with rice, butter and onions. This is one of the most definite signs of the fall season and is just wonderful on a chilly day. Pumpkin can also be used in ravioli stuffing where it is pureed. Pumpkin bread and muffins ar another way to go. Of course there is the ubiquitous pumpkin pie, popular between now and Christmas. However you can also do a spin on this with a light pumpkin mousse or pumpkin ice cream.


Remember that the pumpkin isn't just for decoration. It is a healthy part of your fall diet. It's the perfect treat for these October days.