Warming up to root vegetables

It is just over 30 degrees here in Brooklyn. So it should come as now surprise that yesterday marked the end of the growing season, and with it my CSA share.

Gone are the strawberries and bright colorful fruits and veggies from when the season opened in June. This week's loot was noticeably more rooty. With veggies like potatoes, carrots and celery root.

Normally, these ingredients don't sound all that appetizing, but surprisingly I've been craving them recently. If these hardy foods can stand up to the weather, well then, perhaps they can help me stand up to it too.

I think all root vegetables do well with a nice roasting. Yesterday, I took several of my roots that had been collecting for a while (potato, sweet potato, turnip), and made a great meal with them. I simply cut them up, and threw them in a roasting pan with some olive oil, salt and thyme. Then put them in the oven at 425 degrees for 25 minutes or so, taking them out halfway through to mix. I served with some broiled fish, brown rice and garlic collard greens. Yum!

I also enjoy making soups with root vegetables (see my recipe for Celery Root Soup). I'd love to hear other creative ideas too. Please share!

Bad apple or prized find? The lure of the wormy apple.

These are not the kind of apples you fight for in the store or see pictured next to proud, grinning farmers. Yet, there was something about these bruised, neglected, harbingers of fall that captivated me.

They sat, dejected in a box labeled "take em or leave em" at my local CSA. Many I am sure, passed on the chance to acquire these ugly ducklings. Not me. I know how rare it can be to find an organically grown, New York state apple in these parts. Apparently, the climate here makes it tough for organic growing methods. Even my organic-loyalist the Park Slope Food Co-op, carries "minimally treated" ones.

I also should be clear - this was no charity case. I wanted to see what all the rage was about. I've been curious about wormy apples ever since Amy Hepworth, proudly bit into a wild untreated apple before a packed audience at the Park Slope Food Co-op last year. Amy, who supplies the minimally treated apples available for sale, declared her preference for the maggot-ridden ones, even going so far as identifying the pests she was consuming. Her statement got the attention of New York magazine which profiled her in its August issue, entitled "How Farmer Amy Hepworth Became a Cult Hero to Foodies."

Ever since, I've wondered if we were passing on the good stuff. I mean if the farmers and pests like them, shouldn't we? So I had to try them (the apples, not the pests - sorry, I am not as adventurous as Amy).

I took my knife and cut up an apple. And yes it was delicious! Sweet, crisp, juicy... all the important attributes I look for. Absent was the 'waxy' taste I find so common, and have come to accept.

As a CSA member, I am a stakeholder in my farm. Which means, like Amy Hepworth, I feel a special connection to all that grows from my farm - whether or not it is photogenic. I am sure I would have a different mindset if I shopped at Whole Foods. Fortunately, the good stuff comes to Brooklyn!

Nuts: nature's perfect food

Are you nuts about nuts? I am.

And fortunately, as a health counselor, I can disclose my consumption of these guilt-free. [You should see the messages from my advisers after yesterday's ice cream disclosure.]

Nuts are nature's perfect food: a healthy balance of fat, carbohydrate and protein. Which makes sense if you consider that a nut is basically a seed and contains everything necessary for a plant to create life.

Nuts are extremely compact and durable, which make them very convenient for modern life. It is no wonder they are so prevalent in trail mixes and energy bars.

Fellow nut lovers can rejoice when they visit the Tierra Farm booth at the Park Slope Farmers Market (Sunday @ 5th Avenue and 4th Street). Tierra Farm is a small, privately-owned producer of organic nuts based in the Finger Lakes region of New York State. My current favorite is the Organic Dry Roasted Sea Salt & Onion Cashews. Very addictive! Other favorites include Garam Masala Cashews, Roasted Pistachios, and Tamari Roasted Almonds.

Nuts are one of the few sources of healthy, plant-based fats. They are high in desired monounsaturated fats and essential fatty acids. All of which are important for healthy skin, hair and nails. As well as memory and cognitive function.

However, like all foods, nuts should be eaten in moderation. The foods are rather calorie dense. I recommend just a few at a time. You'll find yourself satiated surprisingly faster than most snack foods.

We all scream for Blue Marble ice cream

Ice cream, it seems, has once again become in vogue for health counselors.

The shift in our universe is largely thanks to Blue Marble Ice Cream in Brooklyn. Here ice cream is handmade from local organic milk. Chocolate is fair trade organic. And the bowls and spoons are all compostable.

I was tipped off to the place by my friend and fellow health counselor, Angela, who has been visiting the store a little more frequently than she would like. Both of us, it seems, have been craving ice cream lately. So I recently decided to visit the store with my sister, Nina, who was visiting.

This conversion didn't come easy though. It had been almost a year since I've indulged in the stuff. Part of my attempt to reduce the amount of sugar in my diet. Blue Marble's commitment to quality sourcing did ease my guilt a bit. However, I would be lying if part of me, didn't still think what I was doing was 'bad.'

So I put on my health counselor hat. Why might I be causing my craving for ice cream? Or rather what was my body trying to tell me? Perhaps I need to cool down. Or be less strict with my diet. Or maybe I just need more fat.

I realized there was some truth in all of this. My success in eliminating most processed foods from my diet over the last year had brought with it significant weight loss. More so than perhaps my body was ready for! Ice cream, while not the only source of fat, was actually beneficial in helping me return to balance.

The whole episode reminded me that it important to have a flexible attitude towards food. And there are no universally good or bad foods. Yet, don't get my wrong, most of us eat too much ice cream and sugar. But if you want to indulge, why not choose the best?

I recommend the Mocha Chip. :)

The local season begins!

I'm officially into summer. I just picked up my share of produce from my local CSA (Community Supported Agriculture). This week we were treated to strawberries, red lettuce, bok choy, chard, turnips, radishes, scapes, and parsley.

When you become a member of a CSA you pay upfront for a share of a particular farmer's harvest for the season. The season lasts 22 weeks from now until mid November. Every week is a mystery. You get some familiar items (e.g. strawberries) and some unfamiliar ones (e.g. scapes).

I personally love the challenge of figuring out what to do with my produce. It is also a great way to connect with your fellow CSA members. Gotta good recipe for these turnips? What is the best way to store my bok choy?

And how cool is it to have my very own personal farm? Answer: Super cool!