Plastic's Tight Grip

 Like it or not plastic has a tight grip on how America eats. Without it  our produce along with meats and fish could go bad. We can get sick.Yet our addiction to plastic is deadly. IS there a happy medium for the future?

Regular contributor Kim Severson wrote about this very real problem in today's New York Times Food Wednesday Food section. The US alone [roduces the most with forty percent of it being plastic. The country also has a problem with food waste too. yet one cucumber rotting in a land fill is not as bad as plastic. Yet plasric helps in reducing food waste. Americans have a bad habit of buying too much and not eating or using what they buyThe average American family spends $1500 on produce yearly Not that much is eaten and it's thrown out.The Biden Administration is trying to reduce this. There is already a draft to create a strategy by 2030. Plastic has been protecting produce since th 1930's - for ninety years!It started with cellophane wrapping vegetables and fruits and keeping them fresh, to the plastic clamshells big in the 1980's and those popular bagged salads that arrived a decade later in the 1990's . The top trend now is converting the plastics to biogdegradable wrappings according Soren Bjorn chief executive officer at Driscolls' the company that produces all sorts of fruit.

Other countries are also tackling this, Spain has a plastic tax. France has a severely limited plastic wrapped produce. The Europan is also adding more restrictions to stop plastic consumption across Europe. Canada is trying to hammer out a plan that could eliminate plastic packaging of produce by ninety-five per cent by 2028. Here , companies and scientists are experimenting with new ways of combatting the overuse of plastic wraps. There are some possible alternatives. One is bags from trees. An Austrian company is employing birch and beechwood trees to create celllulose for paper bags.Other companies are creatng netting from trees that can decompose in a few weeks. Then there are the films from surprisingly orange and shrimp shells.Most fruits and veggies now have an edible coating made from plant based fatty acids. This is sprayed on cucumbers, avocados, and other produce. Clamshells are now being tackled with the classic plastic being replaced by cardboard. This will be good for the more fragile fruits and vegetables.

How can plastic wrap consumption be  lessened. It will takes laws and innovative ideas to do such.It can help in a small way of protecting the environment.,

Honey For All Seasons

 Honey is a big part of Rosh Hashanah.Eating it represents a sweet new year .It's also a vital part of fall baking and cooking too. It has it's benefits as well along with having an earthy sweet flavor - the perfect addition to any recipe.

What exactly is honey? In rough terms bee vomit which is stockpiled in the hive in  a wax structure called a honeycomb. The bees regurgitate in the honeycombs' thousands of cells where it's then stored. The sweet's thick and viscous texture comes from water evaporation thus producing a type of syrup. Honey can be gotten from both wild and domesticated bee coloniest has many uses , including acting as a kind of antispeptic . YOu could use it on wounnds if there are no bandaids around. Sugar is known to have an osmotic effects, drawing water out of surrounding tissues.It also reduces swelling and encourages fluid from lymph nodes to heal the wound. However honey is best in different recipes and even some cocktails. What kind should you buy? There are eight varieties that can suit your needs. Most stores sell wildlfower honey which is a blend of different wildflowers to make it. This can be used in baking, especially apple recipes along with  -  surprisinly tomato sauce. The honey gives th e sauce a rich earthy sweetness that paired perfectly with the savory ingredients. Another popular honey is clover honey. This has a light , sweet taate that's perfect for baking, marinades or just adding to tea or oatmeal. There is also eucalyptus from Austrailia and orange blossom honey , another popular kind. 

Since it's the start of the Jewish New Year a honey cake recipe is the perfect recipe for the weekend. Try one that also has strong black tea along with cinnamon and nutmeg blended in for a unique flavor. Any kind of honey would work here but if you want it to give it a light flavor then go with the clover. A lovely fall treat are honey cupcakes with salted honey icing . You cna use fresh  honey from your local farm for both the cake and the frosting or one with some flavor like the orange blossom. Don;t use raw honey or it could liquify and ruin the texture of both. Honey cookies are an unusual but tasty treat to make. They have a light  flavor , perfect with tea or coffee .They'd also make a good addition to any fall brunch as well. Honey can also be an ingredient in apple pies too. Use it instead of sugar to sweeten. Again a light clover based one works well.  you could also create a healthy apple cake that uses the sweet instead of sugar. This is also the season for roasts , especially for ham. use a honey baked glaze rich also with fresh orange juice,  and brown sugar for one. Honey is an excellent glaze for chicken , especially Cornish hens,

Start the year off with honey. Begin autumn with a wide range of delicious honey recipes.it's the perfect ingredient to try with both sweet and savory fall dishes.

How Green Is Your Kitchen

Earth Day is tomorrow and people all over the world will be evaluating what they can do to reduce their  carbon footprints. It's also time for home chefs to examine their kitchens and see if they need to make any "green" adjustments.

One of the most used resources in any kitchen is water. We need it to wash fruits and vegetables , along with our plates and utensils.It quenches our thirst  when we're thirsty and is often an ingredient in both savory and sweet recipes. Yet do we respect it? How many times do we just let it run as we seek the exact temperature? This is one of our worst habits. If you're hand washing dishes, use a small plastic basin like what you'd use for leftovers to wash the dishes. Then do a quick rinse to get the soap off. Don't let the water run. As for dealing with a parched throat, the best bet is put ice cubes in a glass before you fill it with tap water.  The ice will instantly chill it. and that way  you're not wasting water.As for cooking , get the exact measurements - not that you're throwing away any overage. washing fruits and vegetables are always a must however this also creates water waste. Use a large bowl for any kind of produce washing however scrimp on the water. Due to the pesticides used, you can't repurpose the water. It does have to be dumped down the drain.Another idea is using vinegar to clean skins and even rinds.Wipe down with a towel afterwards.

Paper and plastic are big components of a home kitchen. Our food comes in both. What to do with those boxes and containers afterwards? Any box should be put in the recycling paper bin or bags.This includes cereal and microwave foods boxes along with any cookie paper bags or pie boxes. Those paper bags from the grocery can be repurposed to hold the flattened boxes along with newspapers. Milk and ice cream cartons, made of wax coated paper do need to be thrown out with the regular trash. The plastics lids, however ,can be put into the plastics. As for plastics, whether they're bottles or cupcake holders, they all belong in the plastic recycling bins. You can repurpose  your water bottles by refilling them with tap water. Any straws can also be used for a second and even third time.. Just wash and dry them. What about those cracked plastic and glass containers? Do you just toss them or use them for a different purpose? Small ice cream bowls can hold dry snacks such as nuts pretzels or potato chips. The larger ones can be used as fruit bowls or even to hold rolls for dinner.The same principle goes for cracked glass , although this last does come with a caveat. If there are sharp edges, then you'll have to throw it out. A jagged edge can produce a nasty cut on the fingers.Just remember to toss the glass into the plastic bin. Many towns recycle the two together.

Is your kitchen as green as you want it? Use this Earth Day weekend to re-valuate your family's habits. Changing them may help save the planet in a small but very important way.

Using Your Beans

One of nature's best foods is the bean.It's tasty , nutritious and versatile.You can have it in soups or salads,hot or cold .It can be made into a main dish or a side.Best of all there are so many varieties.You could make a different bean dish every day and each one would be unique. Beans are one of the greatest sources of fiber and soluble fiber.They're also high in protein,which also makes them a good sub for meat.They're also high in iron and floats as well as complex carbs.They may give you gas and if that's the case, you could take Bean-o or Gas-X or a more natural solution would be to soak them overnight in vinegar or baking soda to neutralize them.Most beans do require an overnight soak or even a precook rinse.Beans can either come in cans or in packages.It pays to have a big variety of both around. What are some bean recipes that are both tasty and good for you.A meatless chili is always a good bet.You can use a few different types in it such as kidney ,garbanzo and black beans. of course kidney beans are good on their own, usually cooled off in a salad. Serve them in a tasty three bean with the bright yellow wax beans and green beans for color and nutrition.Some three bean salads do have a dose of sugar. Sub it with a bit of honey or a tiny bit of stevia. Add iodine rich sliced red onions cut thin and herbs too.Lentils are another great and versatile bean.Try in in a veggie laden with soup or on it's own with antioxidant rich turmeric .This is not only a delicious meal but also a great dip for whole wheat tortilla chips. Any kind of bean is good in any kind of dish.Try them hot or cold for a tasty treat. They are a worthy addition to any diet.