Dr. Velásquez Runk mentioned that we wouldn't be talking about food much - but it is hard to resist after seeing all the appetizing foods made from plants at the Dekalb Farmers Market. So, for this week I would like for you to tell me about some delicious food made from a plant that you found at the Farmers market. In addition, I would like some information on the culinary traditions/history of your plant in different cuisines. I will start with something I purchased - Brussels Sprouts.
Brussels sprouts are one cultivar of the species Brassica oleracea. Other cultivars of this species are cabbage, broccoli, kale and collard greens. Brussles sprouts were first grown in Northern Europe in the 17th century. It is commonly believed that Brussels sprouts originated from cabbages. Brussels sprouts became widely popular in Northern Europe - places like The Netherlands, France and Brussels (hence the name). By the 18th century French immigrants had carried them to North America. Most commonly the buds are removed from the stalk, and then either steamed, boiled, or roasted. I like to pan fry them with butter and garlic.
I bought some plantains (Musa paradisiaca) at the farmer's market this week! Plantains are originally from southeast Asia and are a major food source in Africa and Latin America. They are easily mistaken for bananas, but they do not have as sweet of a flavor.
ReplyDeleteI have had tostones, which are little fried plantain patties usually served with a sauce, and plantain chips. My favorite plantain dish is mofungo, which is popular in Puerto Rico. The plantains are fried and then (traditionally) mashed in a mortar and pestle, then served with any kind of meat and usually a sauce poured over it. My favorite was with a white fish and garlic sauce. I'm going to try and make this dish with the plantains I brought home from the market!
I was excited to find za’atar, which is a Middle Eastern spice mixture, at the farmers market. Za’atar usually contains ground thyme, oregano, marjoram, sumac and savory mixed with toasted sesame seeds and salt. The exact recipe varies greatly by region however. The word za’atar can refer to the similarly flavored spices which make up its bulk (thyme, oregano, savory) which all belong to the family Lamiaceae, or it can simply refer to the Arabic word for thyme. Since this spice mix has been used for so long, there is a bit of confusion surrounding its history. In the Middle East, za’atar is frequently eaten by students because it is believed to improve memory and sharpen the mind. Typically za’atar is sprinkled on foods like pita bread or hummus or dipped in oil and then in the spice mix. I personally like to mix the za’atar with olive oil to make a thick spread, smear it on toasted flat bread and top with crumbled feta and caramelized shallots!
ReplyDeleteAt the Dekalb market across from the durian fruit were the jackfruit, something I enjoyed very much during my summer in Indonesia. I knew the fruit as "nangka" and we ate it quite often- for breakfast, lunch, or dinner in soups or with our rice and vegetables. The jackfruit (Artocarpus heterophyllus Lam.) is the largest of all tree-born fruits and generally weighs 10-60lbs (but it can grow up to 110lbs!) It is a member of the mulberry family and is native to south and southeast Asia. The fruit is starchy and full of fiber. We generally ate it in the un-ripe stage, when the fruit is a greenish tan color. You can eat the pods raw, but when cooked the fruit has a remarkable similarity to chicken. It was a delicious vegetarian substitute to add to rice and veggies. When ripened, jackfruit becomes very sticky and sweet. We only ate the ripe fruit in a dried chip form.
ReplyDeleteI found leeks at the Dekalb Farmer's Market. While it's not difficult to find leeks in a normal grocery store, they're one of the vegetables my family tends to cook for holiday meals or on special occasions, so I'm always happy to see them. They are one of the national emblems of Wales, but evidence has been found that they were grown in 2000 BC Egypt and Mesopotamia The scientific name of the leek group is Allium ampeloprasum. There are a few different varieties of leeks, but the most common kind is summer leeks. Leeks are related to onions and garlic, but have a much milder flavor. My favorite way to cook them is simple: just saute them with butter.
ReplyDeleteWell, I didn't go to the Farmers Market, but I did go to the Georgia Organics Conference! The food there was awesome, too. One plant that I have been interested in lately is Turmeric. It's a rhizomous plant in the same family as ginger. It's native to tropical south Asia, so it's found in lots of asian cooking. It's a major part of Ayurvedic medicine, but originially it was used for the dying properties and later for its medicinal use.
ReplyDeleteThe powdered roots are often used in curry base, leaves are used as wraps, and the root is used fresh, like ginger.
I like to make a tea drink out of it- add 2 parts turmeric to 1 part ginger, and 1 part cinnamon. Add to honey and any type of milk you like. Heat gently over the stove, and enjoy.
Recently I had a craving for cucumber and humus on bread. I had humus at the house but I hadn’t had a chance to get a cucumber from the grocery store. However I knew that I was going to the Dekalb Farmers Market, I could just pick one up there. At the Market I found what I was looking for a Cucumis sativus, a cucumber. I’m not really sure what variety it was but it looked like a common, green with bumps cucumber.
ReplyDeleteCucumbers are originally from India, though they are now grown on most continents. There are many varieties grown and sold on the global market. Cucumbers grow like a vine and will climb structures. They are considered a fruit though are often prepared as a vegetable. Personally I like to have them pickled or if fresh, sliced with ranch or humus. Though recently I have been craving them on sandwiches.
I didn't go to the Farmer's market either, but this weekend I went produce shopping at J&J's flea market. Like the Farmer's Market, J&J's has a large variety of fruit and vegetables that you wouldn't find at the typical American grocery store. Much of the produce reflects the Latin American culture of most of the shoppers and vendors.
ReplyDeleteI tried the Guava fruit while I was there. I had never seen one before - only heard the name in trendy and Mexican fruit juices before. It is a little yellow, tough skinned fruit about the size of a small plum. Inside it holds many tiny seeds coated in a mealy flesh, somewhat like a pear. I brought some home and added the juice to fruit juice blends. It's got a certain tang that really adds a nice touch.
The Guava fruit is a general term for many different species, but the most commonly sold (and one I think I had) is called "apple guava." The fruit grows in tropical and subtropical regions - hence it's popularity in central and south American culture. In Mexican cuisine, it is popularly used juice beverages, desserts, dried snacks and alcoholic drinks. Because it contains high levels of pectin, many South American countries, namely Brazil, use it frequently in jams, candies and other types of preserves. It is also consumed raw in many parts of the world, particularly Eastern and Southern Asia. It is a popular roadside snack in Taiwan and is considered the winter national fruit of Pakistan.
The leaves and bark of the guava plant have long been used in folk medicine and have recently gained attention for their anti-cancer, anti-microbial and astringent properties. Further research is being conducted.
I bought jalapeños at the Dekalb Farmers Market. I really like the heat from jalapeños, but these ones, being fresh, were pretty spicy, so i decided to make jalapeño poppers filled with cream cheese, corn and some other tasty herbs.
ReplyDeleteJalapeños, or Capsicum annuum, originated in Mexico, where it is still widely cultivated today. A jalapeño plant produces up to 35 pods within 70-80 days, and when picked, will grow more pods. The plants can grow in many soil types as long as they have sufficient water. The US partakes in this cultivation, as well, mainly in New Mexico and Texas. They can be pickled and served on top of nachos or in tacos, or they can be served as chipotles, which are fully ripened jalapeños. My mother likes to make a jalapeño jelly and serve it with crackers and cream cheese at Christmas time. They can be stuffed, sauteed, or just chopped and put into a salsa.
At the farmers market I bought some dried sage (Salvia officinalis). It is an herb I got used to eating in Italy. One of the common pasta sauces in the region where I stay is "burro e salvia" or butter and sage sauce. It is really easy and quick to make so I like to have sage on hand for that, and I often end up using ground sage since it is easier to find so I was very happy to find the dried sage at the market.
ReplyDeleteSage is a plant that is native to the Mediterranean, but is no grown all over the world. Use of this plant has a very long history and goes back to the Ancient Greeks and Romans and was used for its healing properties. Pliny in his natural history wrote that it was often used as an anesthetic. It was often included in monastery gardens and was supposedly one of four herbs that could be mixed together that would help ward off the plague. In addition to medicinal uses it is an extremely common herb used in cooking. It is especially popular in Italy but is also common throughout Europe, the UK and the US. A common use in the US is in turkey stuffing. Interestingly, France has never really developed a taste for sage. While it can be found there, it is not considered one of the more popular herbs. Some sage dishes I have had in Italy include, Salvia Fritte (fried sage leaves) and strozopretti (not sure on spelling but this is a spinach dumpling pasta) with burro e salvia, it is also used as a seasoning on most meats, including chicken, beef, rabbit and wild boar.
While at the Dekalb Farmers Market I found purple potatoes, which is something that I had wanted to try for a long time. Purple potatoes originated in Peru and Bolivia, but are popular all over South America. The scientific name of the purple potato is Solanum andigenum, and there are few varieties that fall under this name. I'm not sure what kind I got. Many plants in the Solanaceae family are toxic such as Nightshade and Datura, but also have edible plants such as other potatoes, tomatoes, and eggplant. Purple Potatoes are in the Parque de la Papa in the Andes. Purple potatoes can be used in basically any recipe that calls for potato. I cooked mine up in a frying pan with olive oil, rosemary, and salt.
ReplyDeleteI didn't bring much money along to the farmer's market, but I managed to pick up a few jalapeños. I love them, but I've never bought fresh ones myself. I wasn't sure whether to go for the big fat ones or the smaller skinnier ones, but I ended up getting the low down from a nice indian lady. She broke one in half and took a nice bite. She said the skinnier ones had more flavor, so that's what I went with. I'm probably going to chop them up and add them to my grandma's dank cheese dip recipe. Overall, I enjoyed the farmer's market experience. I've never been to one of that size and international range.
ReplyDeleteThe jalapeño is a medium sized chilli pepper. It is a cultivar of the species Capsicum annuum originating in Mexico. Apparently about 40,000 acres in Mexico are dedicated for the their cultivation. It is actually named after Xalapa, Veracruz, where it was traditionally cultivated. Interestingly, jalapeño juice is often used as a remedy for seasonal allergies and cardiovascular problems. Jalapeno slices are commonly served in Vietnamese Pho, but I am most familiar with pickled and sliced jalapeños for tacos, nachos, etc. Jalapeno poppers are the jam. The interweb says they are often referred to as armadillo eggs. How about that. I'm hungry.
The lentil (Lens culinaris) is a legume that was first cultivated in the Near East. Lentils are one of the first crops to be domesticated, with evidence of human consumption dating back at least 9,000 years. Presently, they are grown all over the world, with Canada being the largest exporter. There are many different varieties of lentils, of which the most popular ones are: brown, green, and red lentils, with brown lentils being the ones you most commonly see in grocery stores. I was excited to find red lentils (from Canada!) at the Dekalb Farmers Market, since they cook differently from the brown lentils I usually make. Lentils are one of my favorite things to cook because they are easy to make and you can use them in many different dishes. I usually make lentil soup and add any vegetables I have on hand. Lentils are filling, nutritious, and a good source of protein, iron, vitamins, and minerals.
ReplyDeleteI bought a white cauliflower at the farmer's market (they do actually come in other colors - like green, orange or purple). Cauliflower, like Sam's brussel sprouts, is a cultivar of the Brassica oleracea and the name means "cabbage flower". There are four main groups of cauliflower, the one that we see most often in grocery stores is the northern european annual which was developed in Germany in the 18th century. Cauliflower was originally introduced to Northern Europe from Italy. Fun fact - the part of the cauliflower that is consumed is called the "white curd" and it is an inflorescence meristem.
ReplyDeleteCauliflower is a wonderfully variable vegetable to cook with - it can be boiled, roasted, steamed, eaten raw etc. It also works well as a low-starch potato substitute or vegetarian meat substitute. Cauliflower also contains several compounds that have showed signs of efficacy in cancer prevention, although preparation by boiling significantly reduces them. Since my cauliflower is so large (boarding on abnormally so...) I plan on breaking it up over a couple of meals: a Moroccan vegetable tagine with a tomato-paprika sauce, and then probably slice the rest into "steaks" and roast it in the oven with parmesan.
I bought several dried loose teas, one of which was Jasmine Green Tea. It's more aromatic than plain. I drink Green Tea everyday and I've wanted more loose leaf teas in the house so this was a great opportunity for that, especially since I have three different seeping items for loose leaf. (bags are just easier sometimes :))
ReplyDeleteThis is traditionally a Chinese tea, originally crafted from the jasmine plant, which oddly enough was imported into China. The Chinese became famous for their jasmine tea blends. Chinese farmers simply blend jasmine flowers with traditional tea leaves from the camellia sasanqua plant. The jasmine flowers are picked at just the right moment so that, after blending, they continue to open and release the optimum jasmine fragrance.
I purchased Kale and the Dekalb Farmers Market. I juice a lot so put this is a juice along with cucumber, carrots, lemon, lime, cilantro, apples, kiwi (which I also bought at the Farmers Market) It tasted awesome. Kale (also called Borecole) is a form of Cabbage. It is botanically known as Brassica oleracea and it’s in the Acephala group. Other cultivars of this species along with cabbage are broccoli, collard greens and other varieties of spring greens. The exact origins of kale are unknown but it was the most widely eaten green vegetable during the Middle Ages before cabbage became more popular. However it remained a very important staple food for northern countries because of it resistance to frost. Some actually say it tasted better after frost. It can be found and grown pretty much anywhere in the world. Kale has always mostly been used for culinary uses because of its high nutritional value and great taste. However it’s also been used for medicinal purposes in remedies, and as an ornamental decorative. I personally always put it in my green juices, I like it steamed with carrots and dried as chips.
ReplyDeleteI wasn't able to purchase anything at the Dekalb farmers market, but I sorely coveted galanga root for the Thom Kha Gai soup I have been wanting to make.
ReplyDeleteThe galanga plant, or Alpinia officinarum, is a member of the Zingiberaceae (Ginger) family along with ginger, turmeric, cardomom, and many other common spices and ornamentals. Galanga is native to east Asia, but can be grown in warm or temperate regions around the world. It has a spicy flavor, soapier than ginger and used primarily as a spice rather than as a stand alone food.
While the root can often be confused for ginger, the skin of galanga root can more of a reddish orange hue (at least, the variety I found at Dekalb did), and the flavor is apparently very distinct - galanga is more pungent but still clean. One similarity with ginger is it's usefulness in easing digestive discomfort. Galanga root can also be used as an anti bacterial or anti spasmodic remedy, and some consider it an aphrodisiac.
Because of it is used almost exclusively over ginger in Thai cuisine, galanga is sometimes called Thai ginger. It is used especially to brighten soups and tone down stronger flavors like fish or beef with a more delicate aroma. Galanga was apparently used medicinally in Europe, arriving their in the 9th century, but phased out of use and familiarity in that region.
I bought some really rad asparagus to roast in my oven. Asparagus officinalis, from the family Asparagaceae, is a perennial and takes about two years before it starts sprouting like a trooper for pretty much forever without too much fuss. It is a dioecious plant with the appearance of occasional hermaphrodites, and it produces a red berry that is poisonous. It has diuretic properties, and it has a rich and extensive ethnobotanical history. An Egyptian frieze dating from 3000 BC illustrates its use as an offering to the gods.
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