The Potluck

Dear Foodies,

Even though I haven't been posting recently, I have been thinking about what to post about, so I officially put myself off the hook. : )

SO.

Today I wanted to tell you about the history of the potluck. The Webster Dictionary defines the potluck as,

pot·luck
Pronunciation: \ˈpät-ˈlək, 1b also -ˌlək\
Function: noun
Date: 1592
1 a : the regular meal available to a guest for whom no special preparations have been made b : a communal meal to which people bring food to share —usually used attributively potluck supper
2 : whatever is offered or available in given circumstances or at a given time

It seems that the earliest use of "Potluck" was in reference to the times when you had to poke into the pot, and trust your luck to get something good. Of course today, you get to see your options before it makes it to your plate, so it's a little easier.

We also hear of the "Potluck" in the 16th century. When a wealthy traveler came to a inn or hostel, they were given a choice of what they would like to eat. The poorer travelers got whatever was left.

And then you have all of the different names for a potluck supper. Potluck dinner, Jacob's join, Jacob's supper, faith supper,covered dish supper, pitch-in, carry-in, bring-a-plate, fuddle, and last but not least, pot-providence. : )

Thanks for reading!

Benjamin Serven

Mr. Stripey

Dear Foodies,

I am not a tomato person. That's just me. But I do think that some tomatoes in particular, are particularly cool.

Check out the inside of this one.

The reason that I am bringing this up is that, Vesterbrook Farms has these tomatoes at the O'Fallon Market. Which means that you can get some in just a few days...

Dear Foodies,

I found this interesting article awhile ago, and I thought it would be good for you to read.

Excerpted from http://www.mercola.com/

Chlorine in Your Baby Carrots

The small cocktail or “baby” carrots you buy are made using the larger crooked or deformed carrots which are put through a machine which cuts and shapes them into cocktail carrots. You might have known that already. But what you might not know is that once the carrots are cut and shaped into cocktail carrots, they are dipped in a solution of water and chlorine in order to preserve them.

When a baby carrot turns white (“white blushing”), this causes the bags of carrots to be pulled from the shelf and thrown away. To prevent this consumer waste, the carrots are dipped in chlorine to prevent the white blushing from happening.

Chlorine is a very well-known carcinogen. Organic growers instead use a citrus based, nontoxic solution called Citrox.

Sources:

Eco Child’s Play February 19, 2009

World Carrot Museum

Green Daily February 19, 2009

Dr. Mercola's Comments:

About 3 billion pounds of carrots are sold each year in the U.S. Of these, about 20 percent are peeled and processed for sale as miniature “baby carrots,” carrot sticks, and other varieties of fresh, processed carrots.

Why are They Bleaching Carrots?

As described in the articles above, part of the processing of these mini carrot sticks entails submerging them in a bleach bath in order to keep them looking enticing longer by stopping the formation of so-called “white blush.”

According to one U.S. patent for inhibiting white blush on processed carrots, freshly processed carrots begin to develop a white, chalk-like appearance after just a few days, as opposed to whole, unprocessed carrots, which may be stored in your fridge for several weeks without deteriorating.

The rate at which the white blush appears depends on a variety of factors, such as:

• The condition of the carrots prior to processing
• The degree of abrasiveness of the processing
• The chemical treatments applied to the carrots during processing
• Humidity levels during storage

Additionally, carrots grown in poorly irrigated fields tend to form white blush discoloration faster than carrots grown in well irrigated fields.

Although this white blush does not affect the nutritional value or taste of the carrots, many people find them unappetizing, and stores can’t sell them once they’re starting to turn.

So, in order to prolong shelf life and reduce waste, chlorine has and is being used both for sanitation purposes and to curtail the development of white blush. The patent mentioned above calls for one or two chlorine baths during their processing, using a chlorine concentration between 50-150 ppm (parts per million).

Fifteen to 20 ppm of free chlorine is considered the typical amount experts say is needed to kill bacteria.

Is Chlorine Safe to Eat?

Chlorine is a chemical that companies use to make a variety of common products, including plastics, pesticides and paper. It’s also been used as the main disinfecting strategy for U.S. public water supplies since 1908.

Water chlorination has virtually eliminated waterborne diseases such as cholera, typhoid, dysentery and hepatitis. However, over the last 30 years a growing body of research has shown that chlorine and its byproducts are actually quite harmful to your health.

Over time, chlorine and disinfection byproducts build up in the environment, in your food, and your body. So although the amount of chlorine you ingest from cocktail carrots may be minute, it’s added to your overall toxic burden from a number of other sources – your water supply probably being one of the worst.

However, just like in water, it is not the chlorine you have to worry about. When chlorine interacts with organic matter it will form dangerous disinfection byproducts (DBPs) which are many thousands of times more toxic than chlorine. Research has now confirmed that the byproducts formed when chlorine reacts with organic material in water are some of the most potent toxins out there. Among them are trihalomethanes (THMs) and haloacetic acids (HAAs). These disinfection byproducts are believed to be over 10,000 times more toxic than chlorine.

It is important to understand that the term “organic” is used two ways here. The strict chemical definition of organic is any compound that is carbon based. The other organic term is used to identify foods that were grown under healthier conditions, typically free of pesticides.

So please understand that the chlorine forms these DBPs in ALL carrots, organically and non-organically grown.Long-term risks of consuming chlorinated water and DPBs include excessive free radical formation, which accelerates aging, increases vulnerability to genetic mutation and cancer development, hinders cholesterol metabolism, and promotes hardening of your arteries.

Excess free radicals created by chlorinated water also generate dangerous toxins inside your body. These have been directly linked to:

• Liver malfunction
• Weakening of your immune system
• Pre-arteriosclerotic changes in your arteries

In addition, chlorine destroys antioxidant vitamin E, which is needed to counteract excess oxysterols/free radicals for cardiac- and anti-cancer protection.

Chlorine has also been shown to destroy protective acidophilus that nourishes and cooperates with the immunity-strengthening "friendly bacteria" lining your colon.

So is it really realistic to say that carrots bathed in bleach are completely safe to consume?

I would say no, especially when considering that baby carrots are typically fed to young children.

The sobering fact is that in most cases science isn’t even close to understanding the potential short-term and long-term impact of chlorine and other chlorine-based chemicals on your body. There are hundreds of them. And science isn’t even close to understanding what levels of these chemicals can cause damage.

The chemical industry likes to point out that there’s no “sound science” to suggest that chlorine is dangerous and shouldn’t be used. Others strongly disagree.

In the book Pandora's Poison: Chlorine, Health, and a New Environmental Strategy, Joe Thornton of Columbia University’s Center for Environmental Research and Conservation contends there is enough sound science available to understand that chlorine can cause big trouble in your body, not to mention the environment, and that a range of alternatives to this chemical are readily available.

Are Chlorinated Veggies Really Necessary?

I recommend avoiding eating vegetables processed with chlorine. You’re already being bombarded with chlorine and other toxins from so many other sources, and the remedy, in the case of carrots, is so simple. Just buy whole, unprocessedcarrots and wash, peel, and cut them yourself.

Your healthiest option, of course, is to locate fruits and vegetables that are grown organically and preferably locally. While this may be a challenge in some areas, it is clearly worth the effort and will go a long way toward avoiding the many health hazards related to the factory-farming and commercial processing methods used in producing conventional foods.

Mexican Garden Patties

Dear Foodies,

This is what I had for dinner last night. Mexican Garden Patties. Or, (technically) Zucchini Pancakes.

This is definitely one of my favorite ways to use zucchini. These pancakes are delicious!

Now don't get the wrong impression. This is not the kind of pancake that you put syrup on. In my family, we put salsa, sour cream, and guacamole. It is sort of a Tex-Mex type of food. Make sure to try this one out. It will become a family favorite.

Mexican Garden Patties

(Zucchini Pancakes)

8 Small or 4 Large (or 2 overgrown. remove seeds) grated

1 to 1 1/2 lb. Jack cheese, grated

1 onion, chopped finely

1 can jalapeno chilies, diced

4 eggs

2 cups whole wheat bread crumbs

2 cups flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

2 cloves garlic

salt and pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients together, adding breadcrumbs last. Cook on griddle just like pancakes. Serve with sour cream, salsa and guacamole.

Belated Important Announcement

Dear Foodies,

In all my blogging I have forgotten to tell you about something very important. You can sign up (through me) to find out what the Farmers will have at the farmers markets before hand.

And get this.

It's FREE.

Costs you absolutely nothing. Period.

All you have to do is email me at the address on the side of the page, and I'll put you on the list I am building. Then every week you get an email from me with the local produce available. I am still building my list of farmers so there may not be one in your area. But if you let me know what general area you live in I can see if I can find someone for you to connect with.

Thanks for reading!

Benjamin Serven

Dear Foodies,

I have to admit an "Oops".

I was incorrect about freezing zucchini in my post some time ago. My Mom informed me that it tends to dry out the zucchini and it takes on a pithy consistency. So...

The good news is, the recipe in the post still works, and it also works for green beans and broccoli. : )

See you at the markets!

Benjamin Serven

P.S. Sorry for the confusion on not being able to leave comments. I've heard from several of you via email, and I've got my IT people working on it. : )

Dear Foodies,

I recently found out about a contest that Panera Bread is holding. Basically you go to the website and enter. Pretty simple.

Here is the deal though. If you enter a sandwich, and email me about it, I'll do a post about you and your sandwich. Send me some pics, of you and your sandwich. Hope you win!

Benjamin Serven

California Eating

Dear Foodies,

I just got back from CA, as many of you already know. : ) While in CA I had opportunity to eat out a little. One of the places I got to stop was here.

Gayles Deli

We had stopped at the beach, and then I found out, that we were going to lunch. Little did I know. : ) We were going to Gayles, a local hang out with killer food.

They had this cool picture on the wall

And this cool "Tarte" on the counter

We ordered at the counter. It was obviously a great place considering the amount of people who were there. We actually had a pretty hard time finding a seat.

I ended up ordering a Fingerling Potato Salad, with fresh tomatoes, and some kind of olive oil based dressing. I also got some red, yellow, and green peppers, with sausage and onions.

Topped off with a Martinellis.

It's probably a good thing I had to leave right after lunch, because I never even got to the...