Food By Franz

Winter has set in and the Farmer Markets are over for the year – I will repost this next season when it’s applicable

Gardening, Our Other Passion - see us @ Garden4Us

If a garden is not in your picture, then the local Farmers Markets are for you! They have a wonderful variety of fruits, vegetables and flowers. Support community agriculture. Support the local economy. You will have a good time and be sure to find one locally – some feature entertainment and most have a wonderful variety of food for snacking! Plan a morning or afternoon feasting your eyes, wandering among the stalls and picking up something to add to that evenings culinary excursion. Enjoy one of the good things in Utah!

Box Elder County
Everyday, mid-June through October, Fruitway, Highway 89 from Brigham City to Willard

Cache/Weber county

Eden » Saturdays, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., now through Oct. 31, Old Town Eden Plaza, 5510 N. 2200 South; Ogden Valley Business Association, ovba.org

Logan » Saturdays, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., now through Oct. 17, Merlin Olsen Park, 100 S. 200 East; www.gardenersmarket.org

Logan » Wednesday, 4 to 7 p.m., (dates to be determined), Historic Courthouse (south side), 199 N. Main; www.gardenersmarket.org

Ogden » Saturdays, 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.; July 12-Sept. 27; Ogden City Municipal Gardens, 25th Street and Grant Ave.; ogdencity.com

Richmond » Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.; now through Oct. 17; Rockhill Farm, 563 S. State St.; 435-258-3777 or 435-258-1278

Davis county

Bountiful » Thursdays, 4 to 7 p.m., June 25 through mid-October, 100 S. 100 East, (shady area next to University of Utah extension center); 801-721-1642

Clearfield » Fridays, 3 to 6 p.m., July 31-Sept. 25, City Offices, 55 S. State St.; 801-525-2796

Kaysville » Thursdays, 5 to 8 p.m.; July 16 through Oct. 1, Utah Botanical Center, 920 S. 50 West; 801-544-3089

Salt Lake County

Salt Lake City Downtown Farmers Market » Saturdays, 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.; June 13 – through Oct. 17, Pioneer Park, 300 W. 300 South; downtownslc.org

Salt Lake City People’s Market » Sundays, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.; June 14 through Oct. 25, Jordan Park, 1060 S. 900 West, (International Peace Gardens); slcpeoplesmarket.org

Salt Lake » Tuesday, 4 to 8 p.m. Aug. 4-Oct. 13, Pioneer Park, 300 W. 300 South; downtownslc.org. Produce only

South Salt Lake »Tuesday, 5 to 8 p.m., June 16 through summer; Pioneer Craft House, 3271 S. 500 East, Salt Lake City

Murray » Fridays and Saturdays, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.; July 31 through Oct. 31; Murray Central Park, 100 E. 5200 South; Utah Farm Bureau, 801-233-3010.

University of Utah » Thursdays 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Aug. 20 through Oct. 8; the lawn east of Pioneer Theatre; www.hr.utah.edu/wellu/farmers_market

West Jordan » Tuesdays, 4 to 7 p.m.; Aug. 11 through Oct. 20, Veterans Memorial Park, 1985 W. 7800 South; 801-569-5119

Summit county

Heber City » Thursdays, 4 to 9 p.m., June 18 -through Aug. 27. City Park, 300 South Main (Highway. 40); 435-654-4555

Park City » Wednesdays, noon to 7 p.m.; now through Oct. 28; Canyons Resort, lower parking lot; parkcityfarmersmarket.com

Park Silly Sunday Market » Sundays, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. June 14 through Sept. 27; Park City Main Street; parksillysundaymarket.com

Utah county

Provo » Saturdays, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., now through Oct. 31; Pioneer Park, 100 S. 500 West; 801-542-9382 or visit: provosfarmersmarket.com

Lehi » Fridays, 3 to 7 p.m.; Aug. 7 through Oct. 2, Thanksgiving Point, 3003 North Thanksgiving Way. 801-407-8151

Spanish Fork » Saturdays, 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.; Aug. 1 through October; City Offices, 40 S. Main; spanishfork.org

Central Utah

Castle Dale » Wednesdays, 3:30 to 6:30 p.m.; Aug. 12 – through Oct. 17, Emery County Recreation Center, 75 S. 400 East; Ron Patterson, 435-636-3235

Elsinore » Wednesday through Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; mid-June through October. Made in Good Taste Market, 40 W. Main St. (East of 1-70, Exit 31); 435-527-1777.

Price » Saturdays: 9 a.m. to noon; July 18 through Oct. 17; Peace Gardens, 100 E. Main St., (north east corner); Ron Patterson, 435-636-3235

Vernal » Saturdays, 8 a.m. to 11 a.m.; July 4 through Oct. 10; Old Dinosaur Garden, Main St; avfarmersmarket.googlepages.com

Southern Utah

Boulder » Saturdays, 9 a.m. to noon, now through October, Burr Trail Outpost & Grill, corner of Highway 12 and Burr Trail; sue@boulderutah.com

Escalante » Saturdays, 8 to 11 a., July 4 through Oct. 31, Utah Canyons, 300 W. Main St.; 435-826-4049.

Kanab » Saturdays, 9 a.m. to 11 a.m.; now through mid-October, Kane County Travel Council Building, 78 S. 100 East; 435-644-5543.

Moab » Saturdays, 8 a.m. to noon; now through Oct. 24; Swanny City Park, 100 W. Park Dr. 435-259-2326

St. George » Saturdays, 8 a.m. to noon; now through Oct. 31; Courtyard at Ancestor Square, corner of Main Street and St. George Blvd.; ancestorsquare.com

Springdale » Saturdays, 9 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.; now through Oct. 24; Bit & Spur Restaurant, 1212 Zion Park Blvd.; zionharvest.org

Torrey » Saturdays, 4 p.m., mid-June through October. Robbers Roost Bookstore, 185 W. Main.; (435) 425-3265 or robbersroostbooks.com

It was surely first discovered growing wild…

Asparagus has a long history going back as far as the first century. A member of the lily family, asparagus, (Asparagus officinalis), comes from the Greek word asparagos, which first appears in English print around 1000 A.D. Asparagus has also been depicted in ancient Egyptian writings and was also grown in Syria and Spain in Ancient times. Egyptians over 2,000 years ago cultivated asparagus for medicinal reasons and legend has it that it was so revered they offered it up to gods in their rituals. It cannot be definitively tracked to any one specific area of origin, although it is known to be native to the eastern Mediterranean and Asia Minor areas.

Prized for its flavor, texture and medicinal qualities by the Greeks and Romans. Roman emperors loved this vegetable passionately and allotted special boats to fetch it. These boats were labeled as The Asparagus Fleet. The Greeks appreciated asparagus, but never gave importance to its cultivation. However, the Romans mastered the art of Asparagus cultivation by 200 B.C. as documented by Cato. They would eat the asparagus in season as well as preserve it for later consumption by freezing, which was obtained by preserving the winter snow in straw.

By the 16th Century, Asparagus became popular in France and England and was later introduced to North America. Native Americans discovered the medicinal power of asparagus. They started drying the asparagus to use it as a panacea for bladder, kidney and heart problems.

There are more than 300 species found worldwide.

A wild asparagus has thin shoots thinner than a pencil and is much different than the asparagus that you find In your grocery counter.
Through selective breeding and growing techniques they developed a thicker stem with more edible flesh. It was cultivated in gardens in ancient Rome some as far back as the first century AD. Some of the varieties produced such big shoots that they were 3 to the pound!

Purple asparagus originated from a region around Albenga, Italy. This “cultivar” is known as Violetto d/Albenga. Although the spears are of deep purple color, the ferns are actually green. The farmers in Albenga region propagate the plants using seeds from open pollination. Seeds are usually collected from vigorous female plants producing large spears. Purple hybrids produce larger spears but fewer in number per plant than the green hybrids.

There are even festivals that celebrate this vegetable! They are always in the spring, so plan for next year – visit Stockon, California and Empire, Michigan

Companion planting

Asparagus is a useful companion plant for tomatoes. The tomato plant repels the asparagus beetle, as do several other common companion plants of tomatoes, meanwhile asparagus may repel some harmful root nematodes that affect tomato plants.[15]

Mega Veggie™ Mega Veggie Benefits:   Bolsters your immune system Boosts digestion and helps detoxify Enhances your energy Delivers anti-aging protection, health and well being If you’re like most people, you’re not getting anywhere near your five to seven servings of produce a day. That’s where Mega Veggie can help. With one easy-to-swallow tablet you get 18 different vegetables! One tablet contains 50 mg. each of: Alfalfa Asparagus Beets Broccoli Brussels Sprouts Cabbage Cauliflower Carrots Celery Garlic Kale Mustard Greens Onion Parsley Red Pepper Spinach Tomato Yellow Squash

History – Moringa

Moringa is known in 82 countries by 210 different names, but the one name that fully encompasses all its attributes is “the Miracle Tree”. The indigenous knowledge and use of Moringa Oleifera is referenced in more than 80 countries and known in over 200 local languages. Moringa has been used by various societies (Roman, Greek, Egyptian, and Indian to mention a few) for thousands of years with writings dating as far back as 150 AD.

Aside from the nutritional and health benefits of Moringa Oleifera, its seeds it has the full potential of producing biofuel, cooking oil, personal care products, cosmetics, aromatheraphy, perfume, industrial oil and lubricants. Its oil is comparable to sunflower and olive oil. It is much better than palm oil in terms of properties, for it has a low trans fatty acids. Twelve kilograms of moringa seeds one liter of oil can be extracted and about eight and a half kilograms of cake among others as by products.

7 times the vitamin C found in oranges
Vitamin C strengthens our immune system and fights infectious diseases including colds and flu. Citrus fruits such as oranges and lemons are full of vitamin C. Moringa leaves have even more.

4 times the calcium found in milk
Calcium builds strong bones and teeth, and helps prevent osteoporosis. Milk provides a lot of calcium, but Moringa leaves provide even more.

4 times the Vitamin A found in carrots
Vitamin A acts as a shield against diseases of the eyes, skin and heart, diarrhea, and many other ailments. Carrots are very high in vitamin A, with Moringa leaves even higher.

3 times the potassium found in bananas
Potassium is essential for the brain and nerves. Bananas are an excellent source of potassium. Moringa leaves are even better.

2 times the protein found in yogurt
Proteins, the building blocks of our bodies, are made of amino acids. Usually only animal products such as meat, eggs, and dairy contain all the essential amino acids. Amazingly, Moringa leaves also contain them all.

.75 times the iron found in spinach
Iron is an essential nutrient because it’s a central part of hemoglobin in blood which carries oxygen to all parts of the body. Spinach is well known for its iron content. Moringa leaves also contain iron.

Moringa

Why Haven’t I Heard of Moringa Oleifera before?

While Moringa has been used by many civilizations with the earliest recorded date 150 AD, Moringa has only recently been “discovered” by modern science. According to Monica Marcu, Pharm D., Ph.D., “There are over 500,000 known species of plants on the planet and, to date, only 1% have been studied for medical and nutritional purposes.”
Where Can I Find Moringa?

Moringa may be the new kid on the block, where modern science is concerned, but with all its attributes Moringa will not only continue to help people who live a world away from us not only in location but also in need; it will also be integrated into many industries of the western world including food, pharmaceutical, and cosmetics.

Not many people know about the health benefits of Moringa Oleifera, and it’s rare to find it in the US. The tree typically grows in tropical and subtropical climates. The Moringa tree is said to have originated in the Himalayas, today it can be found in countries like Africa, China, India and the Philippines just to name a few.

There is a US based company that has managed to turn the miracle tree into an energy drink called Zija. Zija contains all the parts found in the Moringa tree, it’s the first all organic energy drink with no sugar or preservatives added, Zija is also the first company to include the Moringa leaf in a health drink.

History of Meatloaf
About meatloaf, meatballs, & related ground meat products. Who invented meatloaf, why & when? Good question! Food historians tell us from Ancient times to present cooks have been mixing ground meat with minced bread/rice/vegetables, spices, thickeners and serving them with sauce. For what reasons?
1. To distribute meat to more people (protein economy)
2. To conserve resources (use it up, don’t throw it out)
3. To make tough meat more palatable (aid digestion)

Early ground (finely chopped or minced) molded meat recipes concentrated on sausages in skin casings, meat fritters (similar to meatballs), rissoles, hashes, terrines, and croquettes. The meat employed in these early recipes was usually already cooked, as opposed to the raw meat typically used by Americans to make meat loaf today. Finished products were typically fried, stewed, or baked (in molds or pastry) and served with sauce. Meatballs (a diminutive form of meatloaf) are known in many cultures and cuisines. Recipes evolved according to local ingredients and tastes. Middle Eastern kofta and Swedish meatballs are two of the most well known.
Some of the earliest recorded ground meat recipes are found in Apicius, written in Ancient Rome. Book II is devoted to “minces.”
Ancient Roman meat balls
“Suffed Meat Patties (Apicius 48)
Esicia omentata: pulpam cincisam teres cum medulla siliginei in vino infusi. Piper, liquamen, si velis, et bacam mirteam extenteratum simul sonteres.
Pusilla esicia formabis, intus nucleis et pipere positis. Involuta omento subassabis cum careno.

“Ground meat patties in *omentum: Grind chopped meat with the center of fine white bread that has been soaked in wine. Grind together pepper, garum, and pitted myrtle berries if desired. Form small patties, putting in pine nuts and pepper. Wrap in omentum and cook slowly in *caroenum.
“Within the section dedicated to recipes with ground meat, the Apician manual includes this curious rating: “The ground meat patties of peacock have first place, if they are fried so that they remain tender. Those of pheasant have second place, those of rabbit third, those of chicken fourth, and those of suckling pig fifth.” (Apicius 54).”
—A Taste of Ancient Rome, Ilaria Gozzini Giacosa, translated by Anna Herklotz, forward by Mary Taylor Simeti [University of Chicago Press:Chicago] 1992 (p. 89-90)
*NOTE: *omentum means pork caul fat; *caroenum means reduced wine.

American History of Meatloaf
By Dana Jacobi

Food history is full of surprises. The history of an American staple, for example – meatloaf – offers more than a trip down culinary lane. It provides a glimpse into how advances in technology have shaped the way we eat and prepare food today. I was intrigued to discover that my grandmother’s hand-cranked grinder, the kind that attaches to the edge of a table, was key to meatloaf becoming an everyday dish. Cooks relied on it, particularly in the early half of the 20th century, until butcher shops installed refrigeration units that were able to reliably store more perishable chopped meat. In fact, when my mother bought chopped meat at the butcher – well into the 1960s – she made him grind it in front of her so she was sure that he used a clean machine and that he gave her the lean ground round she asked for.
Early meatloaf recipes called for veal, which was less expensive than beef at the time. The meat in one widely published version was first cooked then chopped, blended with other ingredients, molded, then cooked again into a loaf. Recipes indicate that meatloaf as we know it today – blended with bread or cracker crumbs, egg and seasonings, then baked in a rectangular pan – gradually became popular between 1900 and the 1920s. Among the most popular early recipes were several created by the Quaker Oats Company using their product as binder in place of breadcrumbs. Binder is an essential meatloaf ingredient because it creates an even, smooth texture. In addition to whole-wheat breadcrumbs, oats or even cooked rice, it can include a generous amount of finely shredded or chopped cooked vegetables like spinach, carrots or the broccoli used in this recipe. Nutritionally smart, the vegetables help keep a meatloaf nicely moist.

History-Focus on Tea
Posted on 01/28/2009 04:57 pm by manx | Edit

A Wealth of Antioxidants

In Traditional Chinese Medicine, tea is considered a “grease cutter” that prevents harm from fatty foods, according to Efrem Korngold, O.M.D., a practitioner of Chinese medicine in San Francisco, and coauthor (with Harriet Beinfield, L.Ac.) of Between Heaven and Earth: A Guide to Chinese Medicine (Ballantine Books, 1992).

Japanese researchers wondered if this traditional belief could be scientifically verified. In the 1980s, they found potent antioxidant compounds in tea, notably epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG). Antioxidants help prevent and repair the cell damage that can lead to heart disease and many cancers. Since then, dozens of additional studies have shown tea reduces risk of these diseases and helps treat them, thus validating Traditional Chinese Medicine’s claim.

Tea – White, Green and Black
The oxidation process that turns white and green teas into oolong and black teas destroys some of their EGCG. Black teas still contain significant amounts of antioxidants, which is why they reduce risk of heart disease and stroke. Alas, black teas have not shown much ability to reduce cancer risk. For cancer prevention, green tea is the way to go because it retains the most EGCG. White tea is promising too, although more studies are needed. As the least processed tea, it contains the most cancer-fighting polyphenols.

Tea Reduces Risk of Heart Disease

In the West, tea began its transformation from beverage into health food in 1993, when Dutch researchers published a study in the prestigious British medical journal Lancet on the effects of dietary antioxidants on risk of heart attack among residents of Zutphen, a city in the Netherlands. Men who consumed the most fruits and vegetables had the lowest heart attack risk. But tea also was protective, a finding that surprised Western scientists and sent them scurrying to the earlier Japanese research on ECGC. Since then, many studies have shown tea—both black and green—helps prevent heart disease and the most common type of stroke. Another group of Dutch researchers followed 4,807 men for five years. Compared with those who drank no tea, men who drank one or two cups a day had 43 percent fewer heart attacks—and 70 percent fewer heart attack deaths. Similar studies by Harvard and Saudi Arabian scientists also show fewer heart attacks and heart attack deaths in regular tea drinkers. And a Dutch study shows tea also reduces risk of stroke.

If tea really helps the heart, it should exhibit a “dose-response” effect—as tea consumption increases, heart disease risk should decline. That is the case. In the Harvard study, moderate tea drinkers were 31 percent less likely to suffer heart attack. The figure for heavy tea drinkers was 39 percent. The Saudi study also showed a dose-response effect. How do the antioxidants in tea reduce risk of heart attack and stroke? Several ways: They reduce cholesterol. They improve arterial function. And they slow the buildup of fatty, cholesterol-rich deposits on artery walls (atherosclerosis) that can lead to heart attacks and strokes.

Note: If you drink tea for heart benefits, don’t add milk. A German study suggests milk somehow neutralizes ECGC, counteracting tea’s heart-helping actions.

Green Tea Reduces Risk of All Major Cancers
An occasional report shows no cancer-protective benefits for green tea, but these few negative findings are vastly outnumbered by dozens of studies that show increasing green tea consumption decreases risk of all major cancers, including breast, ovarian, cervical, lung, stomach, prostate, colorectal, esophageal, pancreatic and malignant melanoma.
Green tea shows a clear “dose-response” effect for cancer prevention. Consider breast cancer. Australian researchers categorized green tea consumption in 2,018 Chinese women as low, moderate or high. Low tea intake reduced breast cancer risk 13 percent; moderate, 32 percent; high, 41 percent. A study at the University of Southern California showed a similar dose-response effect for reducing breast cancer risk.

This excerpt was taken from an online newsletter from The Herb Companion – Great site!

Carson I.A. Ritchie in Food in Civilization makes the most comprehensive case for the Neolithic invention of soup. “Evidence suggests that the Neaderthalers had evolved quite sophisticated cooking techniques. They were able to keep alive members of the group who were apparently either very elderly or lifelong invalids. The remains of one young man found near La-Chapelle-aux-Saints in France were those of a cripple who could have been of no use in hunting for the group. Another skeleton was that of an old man who had his teeth worn down to such an extent that he would have found it impossible to chew meat. There was no milk in those days, the food on which, in later times, old toothless people were kept alive. It seems at least likely that people of this sort were nourished on a diet of soup. Now the invention of soup making opened the door for all kinds of other sophisticated cookery.

What went on in the Neanderthal kitchen is a matter for conjecture, but one sensible suggestion is that he boiled animals in their skins. The hide of a flayed animal would be suspended on forked sticks, filled with meat and water, and a fire lighted beneath it. After some time the water would boil, the meat would be cooked, and the broth could then be eaten by invalids. The skin would not catch fire with the heat because it would be cooked by the water. The experiment of boiling water in a bag made of fairly thick paper demonstrates that this kind of cooking is a practical idea. There can be no doubt that cooking in a skin took place in many parts of the world, and it was still being done in Ireland as late as the sixteenth century. …Until recently, Icelanders used to steam their bread in the boiling water of the hot springs by simply wrapping it in some waterproof substance and then dangling it in the hot spring at the end of a rope….

Another way in which Neanderthal extended his list of recipes was by using hot stones. The hot-stone technique meant the invention of frying. In addition, stones, heated to great heat on a campfire, could be transferred to any receptacle filled with water. A sufficiency of hot stones would induce the water to boil. [While] anthropologists have doubted the feasibility of primitive man’s being able to pick the hot stones out of the fire…two stout poles, tied together with a thong, provide a pair of tongs with which even the hottest objects can be removed from a fire. This was the technique used by gun founders in Southeast Asia to remove pieces of slag from a furnace….” (Beaufort Books, 1981)