My Backyard Grocery Store

Several times this spring I've ventured out into my back yard with a colander and harvested an amazing array of delicacies. This year, I started with creeping bellflower (Campanula rapunculoides) and added mallow and wood sorrel. Such a delicious base for a salad! 

Bellflower is one of the several plants that go by the name "ramps." Sometimes wild onion or leek are also called ramps. Famous in folklore as the focus of desire of Rapunzel's mother, ramps have held worldwide appeal to a greens-starved populace coming out of winter hibernation.  

It's easy to pull up the plants by the roots and you want to do that because bellflowers are one of the most invasive plants in existence. As you can see by the photo above, they're coming up in the middle of my brick walk, in my flagstone patio, in my flowerbeds and throughout the garden, anywhere, sunny or shady, wet or dry. When small, the leaves look deceptively like coneflower or violets. They spread underground and through the air. They choke other plants mercilessly and carpet the forest. They have lovely blue flowers but don't be deceived! Don't let them get to the flowering stage or pulling them up becomes much harder. 

The stalks of bellflower are usually streaked with red like some poisonous plants. But I've never had an adverse reaction, even after eating a whole salad bowl of them. Still, it's best to start small--just nibble on a leaf. The next day, eat a few leaves. Ramps are delicious both raw and cooked. You might try them cooked as you would spinach for a start. 

Mallow is another green that grows prolifically in my garden. It is much more difficult to pull out because it has a long taproot. Instead, just pick the tender young leaves for your salad. Mallow is also good as an appetizer with a creamy spread such as Brie or asiago. It really doesn't have much of a flavor but is undoubtedly very nutritious. The fleshy root of mallow was once preserved in syrup and became popular as the treat marshmallow. Wood sorrel are the delicate sprouts that I used as a garnish in my salad. They have a delicious lemony flavor and scent.  

At right is the finished salad. I added shredded parmesan, chopped pears and croutons. A ponzu (citrus-based) vinagrette dressing topped it off. Protein, such as tofu, canned or sauteed fish or grilled chicken, could be added to make this an entree. Bon appetit! 

I've also enjoyed spring onions, chives, tarragon, purslane and arugula from my garden. It was fun to gather the tight buds of chives and dandelion and pop them into a brine to use later as capers (pictured below). The grape vines are budding out and the tender leaves will also be brined to make dolmas, grape leaf rolls stuffed with rice and sprinkled with olive oil, lemon and Za'tar spice. 

I've saved the last for best: a harvest of hops sprouts, which are cooked just like asparagus but can also be enjoyed fresh from the vine. Hops grow fast in my back yard, so I can enjoy the sprouts to my heart's (and stomach's) delight. I leave a few sprouts to form vines that are later used to make holiday wreathes. The "berries" of hops, when green, can be stuffed into a pillowslip to promote a good night's sleep. They are related to marijuana, after all. 

 

 

 

A Warm Salad for Chilly Days

 What do  you do when you crave a salad, but it's cold out? Create a warm salad! 

The inspiration for this dinner was the Escarole Lyonnaise, published in the February-March issue of The Food Network Magazine. It was created by Andy Liang.  Who could resist a warm salad with a dressing made from bacon drippings? 

Of course, I had to work in some short cuts, otherwise the meal would have taken me two hours to put together. Firstly, there was the chore of making croutons from a baguette. No baguette presented itself to me, so I rummaged in my freezer and drew out some mini-cornmeal muffins. Three of them went into my little toaster oven and were beautifully browned and crisped in about 10 minutes. 

Then, there was the chopping of the escarole. Since no escarole was on offer at my local Kroger's store, I found a "chopped" Mediterranean salad kit that contained not only escarole but other interesting greens and veggies (carrot, broccoli stalk) as well. Its dressing and condiment packs went into my fridge to be incorporated into other salads.  

I had most of the ingredients for the vinaigrette. After sauteing the bacon, you pour off all but 1 tablespoon of the drippings and add one shallot (minced) and  one plum tomato (chopped). After they have softened, you remove the pan from the fire and add Dijon mustard, red wine vinegar and olive oil. Season to taste with salt and pepper and there you have it! A wonderful warm Lyonnaise dressing! 

Then, assemble the salad. Toss the escarole mix in the dressing, add the croutons and the bacon, and if you want to "gild the lily", add a poached egg. Cover the salad with snipped fresh parsley. Winter salad, we salute you! 

 

In one of Rick Steve's travelogues, Lyon is called "the Capital of Food."  The Good Food blog lists typical recipes from this gastronomical center of the world. 

Hearty Barley Breakfast Bowl

We all need some "stick to your ribs" food on these chilly winter mornings.  May I present this Barley Breakfast Bowl to heal your morning cravings? It is warming, nutritious and endlessly adaptable. I've made this bowl with cooked barley because that's what I had on hand. But you could use any grain: noodles, oats, farro, or the traditional rice (in which case it is called Fried Rice). For best results, cook the grain the day before and store in the fridge, so it will dry out somewhat. 

Barley Breakfast Bowl (serves two) 

2 cups cooked barley
2 T. high-temperature olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced or pressed (optional)
1 medium tomato, sliced, each slice cut into bite-sized quarters
1 medium avocado, diced 
2 eggs, whisked together
2 scallions (green onions), sliced 
chopped parsley, salt and pepper to taste
Japanese seasoning (optional)

Heat a medium skillet or small wok on medium flame and add the oil, swirling in the pan. Add the garlic and swirl for a minute. Add the barley, sir and cook until warm. Add the chopped tomato. Move the barley mixture to one side of the pan and add the eggs, cooking just until set but not dry. Fold the eggs into the barley mixture and add the avocado. Turn off the heat and divide the mixture into two bowls, snipping the parsley and scattering the green onions over the top. Serve with additional salt and pepper on the side or Japanese seaweed and sesame seed seasoning. 

If you have other vegetables you want to add, put them in before the barley and cook until warm but not mushy. 

 

 

 

Higher Grounds

It's called mince in Britain. In the U.S., we refer to it as ground meat. As this once humble food has escalated to $9 a pound or more, I started to rethink my approach to this versatile ingredient. 

But first, a disclaimer. If you're a vegetarian, don't panic. Simply replace the word "meat" with cooked beans or chickpeas, lentils or tofu. This has already been done in the concept of sweetmeats or mincemeat pie. Not to worry. 

It's cold outside, so, as in every year, I developed a craving for the stick-to-your-ribs foods of my Scottish ancestry: Shepherd's pie, pasties, meatloaf. I rummaged around in my freezer; there was no ground beef but there was a nice top sirloin steak! Jackpot! I thawed it out and unburied my mother's old-fashioned meat grinder. 

This ancient tool needs to be in more kitchens. You can often find them at thrift stores. Most are made of galvanized iron but some are cast aluminum.  They clamp onto your kitchen counter or table and there's a crank that you turn to move the ingredients through the grinder. So it's easy to feed the meat into the hopper and have ground meat come out of the spout and into a bowl you place to capture it. 

But the beauty of the meat grinder is not in simply grinding the meat. Oh, no; you don't want to stop there.  Quarter an onion and place it in the hopper alongside the meat. Add some carrots. Celery. Mushrooms. Whatever your heart desires. The grinder accepts it all and makes a flavorful and nutritious medley.  

There's just something about a meat grinder that is very different than a food processor. The ingredients just seem to retain their autonomy somehow. The food processor is overkill. It makes a generic mush. Surprisingly, the meat grinder cleans up easily. It all comes apart. If a bit of rust forms, it can be wiped off with a paper towel (it's iron, so a little can't hurt if it goes into the meat). 

Meatloaf
A rather ungainly name for a food that is easy to make and can be very nutrient-dense. So, we turn to AI (like everyone) for alternative nomenclature. "Italian Polpettone (stuffed with cheese/eggs), German Faschierter Braten, elegant French terms like Pain de Viande en Croûte, or descriptive names such as Herb-Crusted Forcemeat Loaf, Tricolor Stefania Slice, or Savory Pâté Terrine," are offered by the robot. I made a traditional meatloaf, but heavy on the mushrooms; they add such depth. When all had passed through the grinder, I poured it into a metal bowl with bread crumbs (leftovers from a Christmas baguette). I added two eggs, lightly beaten and then mixed it all together with my hands. I poured the mixture into an oiled loaf pan and cooked for 20 minutes in a moderate (350 degrees) oven. Then, I added a topping. Tomato sauce, panko crumbs, cheese are all traditional. Cook for another 20 minutes or until bubbly. Enjoy warm and reheated as needed! 

Kibbeh

With the remains of the ground beef, I wanted to branch out into something more exploratory. Kibbeh is the national dish of Lebanon. It is a tricky dish composed of an outer shell of bulgur wheat and meat and an inner stuffing of veggies and meat. Why not put them all together? So, that's what I did. I  soaked a half cup of bulgur in hot water and then lined a colander with some old sheeting, pouring the bulgur into it. I gathered up the bag and squeezed the excess water out of it. I added it to the ground beef mixture along with some 7-spice powder: https://feelgoodfoodie.net/recipe/how-to-make-7-spice/

If you don't have all seven spices, it probably will not make a difference. Some mint clippings also add to the flavor. This time, I added just one egg to make everything hold together. I formed tablespoons of the mixture into little lozenges and added them to a parchment lined baking sheet, baking them for about 20 minutes until browned. So wonderful, when dipped into a homemade tzatziki sauce! I served them as an appetizer with spears of cucumber and pineapple. 

Want to try kibbeh without meat? Here's a gift link to a vegetarian version with walnuts:
https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1012631-bulgur-and-walnut-kibbeh?unlocked_article_code=1.CVA.gHuT.BGcEi9qtCmW6&smid=share-url

 

 

My Life in Food: Remembering Alla Veccia Betola

My honeymoon in 1983 was memorable. My fiancé and I decided to go to Switzerland and Italy. I enjoyed it so much that I've been going back to both countries for 30 years.

During our courtship in Los Angeles during the early 1980s, we met almost every weekend someplace in downtown Los Angeles, Westwood, or Beverly Hills. This was because he lived and worked in Corona del Mar, south of LA, while I lived in the San Fernando Valley to the north and worked at Sunkist Growers. There were no cell phones then, no email, no texting. So, when we would meet, we would not leave the restaurant before deciding when and where we would meet again the next weekend.

Getting ready for our honeymoon required an even greater level of planning. It was my first trip to Europe (he had taken a tour right out of high school) and I was determined to have the most authentic European experience I could. Especially in the area of cuisine. I subscribed to both Gourmet and Bon Apetit magazines, so I was a burgeoning foodie even before that sobriquet was invented.

I began my research by going to the Los Angeles Public Library downtown. I was thrilled to learn that the legendary Mimi Sheraton of the New York Times had just published a series on restaurants in Italy. It was called, "Dining in Italy: Delights and Disappointments." In those days, when you found an article that you wanted to have a copy of, you had to go to the mimeograph room and request a printout. I did so, and received several pages fresh from the presses, smelling of ink. They were unattractive, with white printing on a black backgroiund. I packed them in my luggage.

I also had to buy and pack several maps. One of them showed the city center of Florence, Italy, in the heart of Tuscany. There was a restaurant called Alla Vecchia Bettola which was favorably reviewed by Sheraton. But it was in an out-of-the-way place across the Ponte Vecchio in the suburbs of Florence. We decided to take a taxi there and then walk back after dinner.

The taxi dropped us on a busy corner in a charming and very old Italian neighborhood. We swung in the creaky door and were treated to the sight of a bustling trattoria with hams, sausages, and Chianti bottles wrapped in straw hanging from the rafters. We were ushered to a long table mostly filled with locals enjoying their wine before dinner. The earnest waiters had a bit of trouble finding menus for us; apparently most diners didn't need a menu because they knew the restaurant's offerings by heart.

Even though the place was very busy, we weren't hurried along in our dining. I don't remember exactly what I ordered, but I do remember it being expertly seasoned to bring out, not overpower, the flavors of the meat and vegetables. The pasta was perfectly al dente. I hesitated when the waiter wanted to pour me a glass of the vin du table. After all, I had just come from Montepuiciano where I had tasted the powerful "Super-Tuscans." But I was pleasantly surprised. This Chianti was not like the sweet, insipid wines at pizza joints in the U.S. We ended the dinner with a light, refreshing dessert, a pastry that was like eating clouds.

Impulsively, I pulled out the mimeograph review from my purse and showed it to the waiter. In hesitant but fluent English, he asked if the restaurant could have it and I handed it over, even though there were several other reviews for restaurants we had not visited yet. He rushed off with it to show the proprietor.

We walked back to our hotel on the other side of the Arno River by a winding route through a park with a monument to the fallen war dead from that community. It was a delightful August evening and we felt completely safe. We were also unimpaired by the unpleasnat feeling when you overeat. It was just the right amount of food and drink to fuel a nice walk and a deep rest that night. I often remembered that evening fondly as we returned to the U.S. and took up our lives as a married couple.

Fast forward to 2004. Our daughter was beginning high school and our son was 10, high time, we thought, to introduce them to the joys of international travel. We planned a trip to London for just a couple of days and then on to Florence. I had never flown into Florence before; it seemed such a strange way to go to such an ancient city. But, as our taxi took our family from the airport to our hotel in the city, I looked over at my kids and saw their eyes shining as they looked out the taxi windows onto the Tuscan countryside and the quaint streets and buildings.

It is so wonderful traveling with children and viewing sights through their eyes. Wonderful in the original sense of inspiring wonder. My daughter seemed like a fresh-faced Juliet and my son like a young prince. He had the uncanny ability to lead us home to our hotel no matter where we roamed or how we got there. Of course, I looked forward to taking them to Alla Veccia Betola. But, would it still be open after more than 20 years? It's a valid question if you're talking about an American restaurant. But in Italy, there is no question. Yes, the restaurant was still around and busy as ever.

There were a few changes. In addition to the straw-wrapped bottles of Chianti, there was now a display of fine vintages from the surrounding countryside. But the hams and sausages were still aging in the rafters and the people were served family-style at long tables. Patrons at our table struck up conversations with our children and they experienced the interchange with people from different cultures. As our dinner came to an end, I mentioned to the waiter that once I had given them a review that had appeared in the New York Times. He looked at me curiously. "Come with me," he said. I grabbed my children's hands and followed him through the swinging door into the kitchen. And there, framed beside the door, was the mimeograph of Sheraton's review in all its white-on-black glory. I'm sure it's there still. The review from August 1983 has been digitaized and you can read it here.

Farmers in the Crosshairs

 

Between retaliatory tariffs and deportations, farmers are getting the short end of the stick, which is now both ends of the stick. Winter wheat is planted in the fall and is almost ready to harvest (pictured above). Half of that wheat is exported. But now, it looks like farmers, producers, and shippers are going to be required to pay a $1 million shipping fee to help revive the U.S. shipbuilding industry. The country only has 14 ships sailing under its flag; all the rest of the ships that export grain and other commodities to other countries fly under various flags, many of them Chinese. Retaliatory tariffs are also an issue. How much can winter wheat farmers, who rarely make a profit anyway, bear in this trade war? 

Tariffs on exports of corn, wheat, and potatoes are particularly egregious to Colorado farmers. Through decades of work, the state's farmers have managed to create a market in Mexico for about 19 percent of their potatoes. Now, that market is at risk if Mexico joins the trade war that is forming with our nearest neighbors.

The third burden on America's farmers during this Administration is the threat of the disappearance of their labor force. Without migrant labor to harvest the crops, it doesn't matter what the prices, tariffs and fees are. Those crops will rot in the fields and orchards.  Read more about it here in the March 25, 2025 issue of the Colorado Sun:

https://coloradosun.com/2025/03/25/trump-tariffs-shipping-fees-could-take-bite-out-of-colorados-ag-industry/

What to Expect This Summer: Food Shortages and Price Increases

 I'd like to go on record here on the first day of Spring, 2025, predicting which foods we in the US will find expensive and in short supply later this year. Let's revisit this post in a couple of months to see how well I did. You are welcome to leave a comment with your predictions, too! 

The basis is California

As a young woman working in corporations, I found myself living in an odd place: Modesto, California, in the heart of the San Joaquin Valley. As I drove to work in nearby Stockton every day, I passed rows upon rows of grapevines. There was also the odorous sugar beet factory, with piles of rotting beet pomace, munched on by contented cows. Planes flew above, dropping loads of sticky malathion to quash the Mediterranean fruit fly that was damaging orchards. 

Around this time of year, the groves of almond trees were beautiful, wearing their white blossoms. Almonds grow well in this area although they require a lot of water. So, if you cherish almond milk on your morning cereal, it would be best to think about switching to a different alternative milk. I predict prices will rise because the federal government ordered that water be released from the area's reservoirs last month. More than 2.2 billion gallons of water flooded the fields, orchards, and vineyards. This means that water, which comes from the Sierra Range in Northern California and the Cascade Range in the Northwest, will not be available later on when the almond trees really need it. 

Today, March 20, 2025, the cost of a one-pound bag of shelled raw almonds ranges from $8 to $10. A half-gallon of Bettergoods Almond Milk at Walmart is only $2.44 (but it may be out of stock).  Other nut crops are also grown in California such as walnuts and pistachios. In fact, 99 percent of US pistachio production comes from the Golden State. 

Now, let's look at those grapevines. Virtually all of the nation's table grapes are grown in California. Water shortages will affect the size and quality of the crop. Raisins, too, will be affected. And wine. Are you ready for a California wine shortage? 

Other fruits will have crop shortages and failures. Oranges, lemons, tangerines, grapefruit. Stone fruits: peaches, plums, nectarines, apricots. Kiwi fruit. Olives. Dried fruits too. Trail mix.  A one-pound bag of Trader Joe's Trail Mix today is $13.83. Let's revisit the snack aisle in a couple of months and see what's what. 

The line between fruits and vegetables is somewhat undefined, but what's clear is that the bounty of fresh produce that comes from Central California is going to be diminished. From artichokes to zucchini, consumers will see high prices and empty shelves. Even such staples as tomatoes and potatoes might be hard to find unless you grow them yourself.

Many specialty crops come from California. So our holiday tables will be more expensive to fill with goodies like fig jam and pomegranates. In the Delta country around Sacramento, a special kind of rice is grown that is used to make sushi. And for all you people who shy away from gluten, the rice flour you use comes from California, too. Better start looking for substitutes. 

A question lingers: why was all this water released prematurely? It seems that the new administration in its infinite wisdom thought that the water would flow through the valley and south several hundred miles to Los Angeles. But it is patently clear looking at any map that water flows through a process called gravity from the highest elevations to the lowest. The mountains are in the North and East, while the lowest elevations are in the west, at sea level. In the San Joaquin Valley, water pools in the valley, on the floodplain, and is absorbed into the earth. It was a colossal error to release the precious water, and we'll be paying for it for years.  But who will pay the most will be the farmers. They have already invested in seeds, fertilizer, equipment. Crops and trees will die. Soil will dry up and blow away. Harvests won't happen.