Yes, as a matter of fact, we actually do care about table manners. This particular article singles out “guys”, and not in a gender-neutral sense, neither. And that would seem to imply that men require some, oh, let’s call it “coaching” with regard to playing nice at the dinner table. I’m not sure that I’m ready to concede that men are pigs, as the data isn’t in yet. But I’ll pass this along for those who might benefit.
Compared with meat and other grain-related foodstuffs, vegetables may seem relatively inexpensive, says Peter Ayton, of the market analyst Mintel. Research indicates that sales of fruit and veg have been star performers, growing steadily over the past few years. Mintel predicts that this will continue, due as much to our interest in healthy eating as reasonably stable prices. In the longer term, rising oil prices combined with water shortages are likely to increase costs. Most vegetable production needs nitrogen fertiliser, which is energy-intensive, and plenty of water.
Heirloom Tomatoes: They aren’t pretty, but they taste better than they look. A few years ago, we became ‘converts’. It’s worth seeking them out, which occasionally means finding a local farm or Farmer’s Market. Want more info? Have a look at this information about Heirloom Tomatoes on that Internet thingy.
We have a plan. A good one. Mostly, we think that it’s a good one because we’ve never really had a plan before, and so we don’t have much in the way of yardsticks with which we can measure. But we’ll cover that matter another time.
Our plan is simple: We are reducing the amount of meat that we consume. There you have it. That’s our plan. Read the rest of this entry »
The problem with Beet Salads is this: they have the word “beet” in the name. Take that out, and you’ll get a much higher take-rate. Apparently, there exists (with some people) some kind of bias, an unwarranted, largely automatic dislike for the colorful root.
Like so many things (especially with food), we bring our prejudice with us wherever we go. The dining table is no exception. Hence the reluctance to try the beet salad, a bright, sweet, rich combination of flavors and texture. The irony is that what’s become known to us as “The Beet Salad” is by far the most requested salad. Our clients and customers ask for that one more than any other. And when serving this one to friends and guests, it’s largely the same vibe. Long story short: Very few people think that they are going to like any salad that contains beets. Those daring enough to take a leap of faith, though, are generally rewarded. Here then, is one recipe of the Beet Salad. Obviously, there are variations on this theme, but our favorite (the most popular) is the version with Pistachios and Goat Cheese.
Strawberries? In Salads? You kidding Me
So, here’s the deal: It turns out that strawberries and salads go together like movie stars and stupid baby names. Like so many other things, though, the trick is to start out with only the best raw materials.
In this case, that means choosing the best strawberries that you can possibly find. We’ll write an article on that one topic alone, one of these days. For now, though, have a look at this list of salad links, all of them fit nicely into our strawberry salad motif.
We just happened to have found this really useful website that does a swell job of identifying and mapping local farms, farmers, markets and the like. Obviously, we think that’s a big deal. And going forward, it’s likely to become an even bigger deal (we see that as good news).
Why Locally Grown?
People worldwide are rediscovering the benefits of buying local food. It is fresher than anything in the supermarket and that means it is tastier and more nutritious. It is also good for your local economy–buying directly from family farmers helps them stay in business.
We haven’t tested this dressing, but it looks interesting and weird enough for us to WANT to try. Your mileage may vary. Just FYI. Have a look. Read the rest of this entry »
The secret to putting great fruit salads on the table is simple: There is no secret. Oh, sure, there are a lot of little things that matter, including keeping a small amount of lemon juice on the fruit. But generally, the only real key is that you should select the best fruit that you can buy. And that’s occasionally harder than it sounds.
There are two types of people in the world: those that really, really like shopping at Whole Foods, and those who hate those shoppers. We “get” the whole duality of this; we are both types, at the same time. Anyway, Columnist Mark Morford nails it, in this piece.
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