Gardens Of Knowledge

Now with schools starting across the country it's time for communities to think about another subject - gardening.Schools across the nation should think about adding it to their curriculum. It not only teaches kids about nature and sustainability but also about giving.The produce can be easily given to those families and fellow students  who need it.

Schoolyard gardens are here and there in several major cities like New York, Chicago and Los Angeles. Kindergarteners through high schoolers learn about how veggies and fruit is grown and produced. They learn about composting and the importance of bugs such as worms  for soil aeration. There's also the satisfaction of seeing produce ripening and harvesting it .  Having a school garden can also be inspiring. Kids will want to have a small home garden themselves and influence siblings and cousins to do the same. Another plus is that it will make them. want to think  about possible  futures   in     biology, cooking   or  even farming.  It will even show them how to be more generous and more aware of the less fortunate  around them when the produce is donated to food pantries.

Gardening will also teach kids about nutrition. This was the case at the Martin Luther King Jr Middle School in Berkeley California, It happened to be near where famed chef Alice Waters lived. She came in and helped start the Edible schoolyard plan.It helped inner city kids learn all about the science of growing  along with the importance of fresh ingredients in cooking.The program helped them make important choices when it comes to eating and snacking. There are even cooking classes where students solve math problems by reconfiguring recipes. The program them went to New Orleans and then Los Angeles. It is now employed in almost every big American city.and is helping a second generation of students learn how to cook and eat better.

If your school district  doesn't include gardening as part of its' curriculum, then protest It's important that students know the value of fresh food and how it can impact their lives. Fight to have a garden of knowledge in your town.

Healthy Nibbles

With school starting up soon  kids are going to be noshing and nibbling like crazy.The problem is eating right.What 's the perfect one? The healthiest choice, of course!

Any kid of any age loves finger foods.Yes, they may reach for the pizza rolls and head to McDonald's for nuggets.
These  are great maybe once in a while for fun however the best bet is go homemade. Instead of the store bought pizzas use whole wheat English muffins with fresh tomato and low fat mozzarella.Drizzle with olive oil and bake in an oven or toaster oven for fifteen minutes at 325 F. Sprinkle fresh picked basil on for more flavor. As for those chicken nuggets, think soy which are lower in calories but big on flavor.Morningstar Farms has them and they taste like the real thing.Create a home made honey mustard by mixing antioxidant rich honey with mustard. You can also make a homemade salsa to go with it.This can also go well with whole wheat tortilla chips too. Julienned peppers and carrots are great nibbles too when paired with spiced Greek yogurt. Add a dash of cumin or curry powder for zip.

Kids are hard wired for sweets.Its easy to reach for sodas and candies to boost up flagging energies.Try flavored waters like Hint that really do have a hint of flavor or the BAI juices and sodas. Both are only five calories each and come in a varieties of flavors like dark cherry and dragon fruit. Try all natural cookies like Back To Nature.They have a wide variety of types to choose from such as Oreo like sandwich cookies along with mint and peanut butter ones. This is still summer so have plenty of plum's, peaches and nectarines on hand too.These make excellent snacks and are easy to carry to activities. As the season progresses add in apples and pears too. Apple slices dipped in cinnamon are a great snack .  Keep snack cakes, cookies and even sugar drenched energy bars out of reach.If there are protests explain that sugar is no good and will make them too hyper.Steer them towards more natural sweeteners like dark honey, stevia  or agave nectar.

Snacking can be both fun and healthy.Make sure good for you nibbles are on hand. Your students will thank you for it .

A School Ready Kitchen

Many schools are starting this week (bummer, right?) and that means revamping the fridge and pantry to fit students needs.Those scholars will  need fun and nutritious foods to help them through the day and those all important study hours.Feed  them right  and they'll do better at school - hopefully,

Kicking off the school day can be  a pain, especially if the little and not so little ones have spent the summer starting off with junk cereals.It's time to go back to eating healthier breakfast foods. One of the best cereals to eat is Mom's Best Cereals. The company creates good for you spins on Cheerios,Coco Puffs and Lucky Charms. They are made with without any high fructose corn syrup along with no partially hydrogenated oil and best of all no artificial flavors or preservatives. The  cereals also taste better than the national brands and don't have their residual cloying sweetness. The boxes also are fun, having interesting and fun facts on ecology and animals. Pancakes and waffles are always in demand- however make them with whole wheat or buckwheat flour.That classic oatmeal is always good , even in hot weather. It's a warm fulfilling bowl that can be supplemented with the fruits of the season.What about eggs? Should kids eat them or not? The answer is yes, but only if they don't eat too much cholesterol on a weekly basis. A poached egg or an egg sunny side up served with bacon can be saved for a birthday or holiday breakfast and not a school day one.

Lunches can be made both fun and healthy. One good investment is a bento box. This Japanese classic is perfect for storing sandwiches and snacks. The compartments let eaters have the right amount of the main dish and sides or snacks.These are easy to be had and can be found everywhere from Target to Amazon.com This allows you to make  a nutritious main such as a mini salad or sandwich along with tasty veggie and fruit sides.For sandwiches , always have whole wheat or seven grain slices instead of white  and think beyond the usual baloney and mustard. Make a guacamole spread  for sandwiches instead of mayo and think tomato slices or broccoli florets.If you do have to serve protein then think leftover steak or chicken which don't have the preservatives or nitrates. Salads can be made fun and colorful too. Add carrots along with diced red and green peppers.Extras  can be whole wheat croutons or sunflower seeds.Look for dressings that are low in fat  but high in natural ingredients such as extra virgin olive oil and lemon juice. Have the student make the salad to suit their likings.

Get your kitchen ready for the new semester. Have healthy ingredients for nutritious breakfasts and lunches. It'll make for a better student and better grades.

Buckles & Crisps & Cobblers Oh My

Summer baking isn't always an easy thing.Who wants to create a complicated torte when it's ninety degrees outside?However there are some tasty baked treats that require almost no work, They are the fruit filled buckles, crisps and cobblers. They are  baking at it's simplest but also at its' most delicious.

For starters, buckles, crisps and cobblers are somewhat alike but there are some differences. Buckles are more buttery and cakelike. Fruit of the season is mixed with a rich batter and sometimes topped with a streusel topping. It's one of America's oldest dessert recipe, having been made in colonial New England kitchens. Originally it was made with blueberries but now home bakers can use peaches and nectarines as well as raspberries and blackberries. It does have to be made with wet fruit hence the buckling effect so unfortunately apples and pears won't work with it.Melissa Clark offered a recipe in her A Good Appetite column in Wednesday's New York Times Food column. Hers is made with mixed berries such as blueberries  and blackberries along with black raspberries. She also gives it a light sprinkle of cinnamon too and tops the finished buckle with iced cream. Whipped cream or even crème fraiche also goes well with it too.

Crisps are somewhat easier to make and a good starting off point for novice home bakers.They're simply a mix of sugar butter and flour poured over fruit. They can be made with everything from rhubarb and strawberries  to apples and peaches. Apple crisps sometimes have oats added to them as well but it's up to the baker. They're a snap to make , and a fun back to school treat to make with the kids serve with mounds of cool Whip or iced cream.Cobbler is another simple dessert that can be made with frozen biscuits. Bisquick can also be used to create a tasty topping as can yellow cake mix. Your best bet is a scratch  one using flour and baking powder for a light fluffy one. Some home bakers add oatmeal and cinnamon but save that for the crisps. French style has one or two eggs in it for a much more cakier topping.A good cobbler is an equal blend of biscuit that's not too sweet and that will sop up the fruits' juices and fruits that will bake up soft and pulpy. Cobblers can also be made with cherries and blackberries but the peach kind is the best. Again you can serve it with vanilla ice cream , crème fraiche or good old whipped cream.

The weather is sweltering yet you can still bake. Try the super easy buckles  crisps or cobblers with the fruit of the season. They are a snap to make and oh so delicious to eat.

A New Kind Of Deli

Walk into any deli and you're going to see the usual stuff. There's a display case of mayo drenched salads, and an array of deli meats. What you won't find is chaga or even a tank of live eels. Where could you be? At Harry & Ida's , a deli restaurant mash up that's an East Village staple.

Jeff Gordonier  wrote about this interesting and mind blowing deli in Wednesday's  New York Times Food section. It was created by Will and Julie Horowicz and named for their great-grandparents who were deli owners themselves. The newest generation keeps certain culinary traditions such as hefty brisket sandwiches, fresh killed and smoked eels and brined beef tongues. The first won Mr. Horowicz the top prize in the Brisket King of NYC competition. The deli's restaurant division Ducks is also garnering attention for its' barbecue, also winning recognition and second place at the Kingsford Invitational barbecue contest.The Horowicz's didn't come to their family's business easily.Ms. Horowicz was a Vassar grad , teaching English on the island of Reunion, off the coast of Madagascar. Her brother, a ping pong enthusiast (who has a fondness for playing the game au natural) had to come up with a snack heavy menu for the Flatiron district table tennis hangout SPIN New York.After garnering knowledge at SPIN, they opened up Harry & Ida's , definitely a homage to the family business

What makes them different than their great grandparents deli is their choice of foods.It's not just traditional Jewish deli foods but others that are from the American South, Native American and Asian traditions.Chaga sits marinating in a jar as Will Horowicz turns this Russian fungi into a tea. It's certainly not the traditional Dr. Brown's celery and cream sodas that are standard issue at any New York City deli.There is skate(!) jerky along with cattails (!!!) marinate in brine,.  The last is a standard in indigenous cuisine and tastes like cucumber Pickled ,it'll fit in well in the Horowicz's deli, standing in for the traditional dill pickle. There are also brining crab apples, a sight not seen at any other eatery . Spruce , another North American food is also on the menu.. The brother and sister are big into foraging as well as fermentation, This is what makes the deli a stand out.They experiment, not selling for the everyday stuff like cole slaw and potato salad.

Harry and Ida's is a blend of new and old thanks to Will and Julie Horowicz. They blend traditional deli foods with new spins and ancient techniques. It's what makes their deli unique in a city full of the usual pastrami sandwiches.

Small Brands Huge Successes

It wasn't that long ago that small , artisanal brands were eclipsed by, national and more widely known ones.This is changing, as more and more foodies discover smaller , more naturally made foods. These are becoming popular and to the owners; and inventors; delight, successful.

Stephanie Strom wrote about this in yesterday's New York Times Food section. Just as easy as it is to publish a book nowadays' due to platforms like Nook, it's relatively easy to produce a new item..Thanks to Facebook and Twitter small companies can get their product out to millions.Another reason is that sales are not tied to grocery stores anymore. Many companies, like the artisanal soda company,Zevia  received their success from sales on Amazon. Another boost comes from Whole Foods,it;s the store that sells  smaller, more naturally processed food stuffs,If a new food , whether a cookie or prepared meal gets a following there, they're golden, The company's decentralized structure allows for store and regional to incorporate small lots and batches into their store inventory. This is a boon for small companies that would usually start out selling or even handing out free samples at flea markets or street fairs.

For those who want to start up their businesses, there are some points to consider first. Concentrate on the product instead of the investors advises Will Rosenzweig, the founding chief executive of The Republic Of Tea and an investor as well.So many new companies should be improving their brand instead of trawling for angels.This is the reason he founded the Food Business school at the Culinary Institute of America, to help with the hard and sometimes financially demanding early days,Many smaller companies though  have passed this hurdle. There is the new condiment company, Sir Kensington , created by friends and former Brown University classmates, Scott Norton and Mark Ramadan. Their ketchup is a throw back to the original recipe of just tomatoes, tomato paste and natural sugar.Another new entrepreneur Lindsey Rosenberg has introduced a new kind of cake and bread mix, Cherryvale Farms. It's a big seller at Whole Foods and New Leaf Community Markets, a smaller all natural grocery store chain.

If you have a new food idea, go for it. Nowadays you can be a success with your gran's tomato sauce recipe or those peanut butter balls you love making. It's  a new era for food and drink entrepreneurs . Go for it and make a mint.

An Easy Summer Sauce

We are in the middle of tomato season. This versatile fruit that masquerades as a veggie can be made into everything from a sandwich to a bowl of salsa. However it is best made into a tasty pasta sauce. The garden taste comes through, tangy and sweet, perfect for any pasta when made this way.

David Tanis believes this and wrote about it in his column  City Kitchen  in today's New York Times Food section.. One of the best aspects of homemade sauce is that you can make it and use it months from now. There will be that ripe taste in the middle of a cold winter. Even if you don't; have them in your backyard you still can get beauties at your local grocery store and get them cheap. According to Mr Tanis, this is another reason to make sauce. He suggests looking for ugly, cracked and large ones that are slightly bruised. These are cheaper due to these imperfections yet still  have a sweet, dense blood red flesh, perfect for sauce. Another suggestion is using plum tomatoes if you like their taste(slightly sweeter than the beefsteaks).The one standard he demands is that they be sun ripened. (remember home growers can also use the less than perfect ones from their gardens too instead of tossing them onto the mulch pile)

Prepping them  for sauce is easy. This is not the kind of recipe where home chefs don't; blanch and peel the tomatoes. What it does require is the surprising hand held grater, a gadget not necessarily associated with sauce making., Cut the tomatoes in halves or quarters and then squeeze out the seeds if you don't like a few in your sauce. Now place the cut side against the grater's large holes and gently rub until there's only tomato skin  left. Now add a pinch of sea salt, two tablespoons of olive oil along with a sprig of basil and a halved garlic clove. You can add tomato paste to thicken it for a more traditional textured sauce. Cook it in a low wide saucepan over a high heat. Once it starts to boil the lower the heat and let it simmer.It can be kept in the fridge for five days afterward or just frozen for later use down the line. . Mr Tanis recommends serving it with farfalle or penne, textured pasta that will hold the sauce but I can also see  it with bucatini,the thick tubular spaghetti.Serve with a sprinkle of pecorino or Romano  for the best summer dish  of the season.

Take advantage of tomato season and make this easy and delicious sauce. It's a great way of enjoying the harvest right now. Freeze some for later to have the taste of sun ripened tomatoes on a cold winter's night.
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