It’s somewhat ironic how quickly the Slow Food concept – and everything it embodies – is gaining momentum.

The Slow Food movement has caught peoples’ attention worldwide, by upholding the appreciation and awareness of quality, clean, ethical food and its origins; using fresh, sustainable, seasonal ingredients; and cooking in a manner that emphasizes flavor, health, patience and enjoyment. In other words, it is the antithesis to fast-food eating.

There are long-time pioneers who have been leading this crusade, such as Michael Pollan, author of “In Defense of Food: An Eater’s Manifesto” – a book questioning the sustainability, flavor, nutrition and structure of the current food system and praising the good old days, when people cooked from scratch and only had access to items in season, like apples in the fall, oranges in the winter, asparagus in the spring and tomatoes in the summer.

There’s also Alice Waters (chef, author and owner of Chez Panisse), who has revolutionized the food world in her mission to educate about the environmental, societal and health benefits in sourcing and eating good, clean, fair food that is grown sustainably and seasonally at local farms.

Most widespread, perhaps, is the Slow Food organization, which has chapters in more than 30 countries and represents 100,000 members – all of whom are united by their desire to practice, restore and promote the Slow Food concept through relationships, education and events, including farm tours, dining at sustainable restaurants, movie screenings and more.

One such screening, as offered by my local Slow Food Los Angeles Chapter, is the showing of Ingredients – the latest documentary highlighting the health, economic and environmental importance of growing and consuming local food, establishing relationships among local farmers, chefs and consumers and the dangers of continuing down an export-oriented, processed, genetically modified, mass-produced, tasteless food path.

Ingredients features input from all facets of Oregon’s supply chain, including several farms, such as 47th Avenue Farm and Ayers Creek Farm, chefs, like Alice Waters and Greg Higgins, agricultural organizations, such as Oregon Sustainable Agriculture Land Trust, grass-roots movements, like Slow Food Portland, and community representatives, such as Lake Oswego mayor, Judie Hammerstad.

One of the major concerns in the documentary is that because food is “shipped from ever-greater distances, we have literally lost sight of where our food comes from and in the process we’ve lost a vital connection to our local community and to our health.”

The domestic garlic industry understands this, as the majority of fresh garlic in the U.S. is shipped from China, which can take between 30 and 60 days to reach U.S. markets, traveling 7,300 miles to get to California. There is little to no sight of where the garlic originates, there is a huge disconnection to the local community and farmer, and the garlic’s time travel eradicates health, flavor, safety and the environment.

As a family run farm that puts the land first in operations, grows our garlic as sustainably as possible and selected our heirloom seed (which originated in Italy) for its flavor – as opposed to volume capabilities – we support the Slow Food movement.

Unfortunately, I can’t claim that I’ve seen this film, but I’ve heard and read enough about it to know that I fully agree with its premise and am waiting in eager anticipation to see it. However, it’s only shown in select locations, or you can purchase the DVD on the Web site. (For local listings, click here.)

So, in this case, do as I say, not as I do. I encourage everyone to check out Ingredients – it might transform the way you look at your food, for the better.

Halloween’s a popular holiday for garlic, particularly for those looking to ward off vampires.

Except, Twilight’s Edward Cullen, of course.

Still, cooking garlic can also keep the vampires at bay. So, remove that garlic clove from your neck, chop it up and toss in a tasty, ghoulish Halloween dish – characterized by a pumpkin ingredient or orange hue.

Perfect for a night awaiting trick-or-treaters, for trick-or-treating fuel or while doing the Monster Mash at said Halloween bash.

Pumpkin & Yellow Split Pea Soup

Pumpkin Soup With Smoked Paprika

Roasted Spicy Pumpkin Seeds

Pumpkin Seed Pasta

Roasted Sweet Potato Salad

Cavatelli With Spicy Winter Squash

Pumpkin & Crispy Pancetta Risotto

Pumpkin-Turkey “Ghoulash” With Caraway Noodles

Caramel Apples

Disclaimer: these recipes are so scrumptious, you might wind up attracting the vampires you were hoping to scare away. It’s a risk worth taking.

Happy Halloween, and happy eating!

Flavor is a well-orchestrated symphony of the senses.
Nothing beats the experience of sinking your teeth into a perfectly ripe strawberry or a nice juicy peach. However, sometimes the senses fail us–ever felt the disappointment of a piece of fruit that looks and smells exquisite, but just doesn’t taste as good as anticipated? So how can you select fruit that will deliver mouth watering flavor, bite after bite, every time? Fortunately, we have another resource to support our pursuit of flavor…BRIX!

Named for Adolf Ferdinand Wenceslaus Brix who developed the scale in the 1800s, Brix measures the concentration of dissolved solids (usually sucrose) in a solution. Brix has long been integral in the winemaking industry to measure sugar content of grapes and determine when they are ripe for harvest (There’s even a fantastic restaurant in the Napa Valley named BRIX in tribute ). Recently, BRIX measurements have become increasingly common throughout the produce industry as a means to quantify flavor using a handy device known as a refractometer. Refractometers measure the degree to which light is refracted when passed through a solution, thus indicating the density of solids.

Customers of Pocono Produce in Northeastern Pennsylvania enjoy the benefit of weekly “Brix blasts” issued by Executive Chef Doug Petruzzi. Petruzzi and his staff use portable refractometers several times a week to determine which fruits and vegetables are extraordinarily flavorful and then communicate that information to their customers.

In field operations across the country, inspectors for retail chains take BRIX measurements to determine whether everything from melons to peppers meet quality specs. If the product makes the grade, it ships. If not, the inspectors move on to another farm and the pursuit of flavor continues.

BRIX measurements have been integral at Christopher Ranch, where America’s leading supplier of fresh garlic works to differentiate its product from the glut of imports flooding domestic markets. While sweet may be the last word people would choose to describe garlic, BRIX is still instrumental in identifying the compounds that give garlic its distinct aroma and flavor. In tests conducted by a 3rd party food lab, Christopher Ranch Heirloom Garlic hammered its Chinese counterpart by a score of 38° to 29° . Every 100g of Christopher Ranch garlic contains 38g of solids including amino acids, essential oils, and other minerals, which is 23% higher than water-saturated imports. Chefs agree that this has a huge impact on the quality of their dishes, confirming that Christopher Ranch Heirloom garlic has a more pronounced and consistent flavor than Chinese…. It’s all about the BRIX!

The days of corn dogs and tater tots for lunch might soon be over.

Perhaps to the chagrin of K-12 students throughout the U.S. – what kid doesn’t consider tater tots one of the essential food groups? – much-needed nutritional reform is likely on the way, which will give school meals a makeover that looks more like salads, apples, carrots and sandwiches and less like fiesta pizza, chicken nuggets, hot dogs and sloppy Joes.

The health wave might take some getting used to for the 40-million kids eating school meals, accustomed to traditional pizza and cheeseburgers, but our kids – and population – are among the most unhealthy and obese in the world, and in real danger of serious health conditions linked to unhealthy eating habits, which, scaringly, have been reinforced at schools.

Our kids are the future, and they deserve to lead a long, healthy life.

The produce industry, through the advocacy of the United Fresh Produce Association, strongly supports such menu changes, which haven’t been revamped in 14 years.

Such moves for nutritional change include:

1.) The Child Nutrition Act expired in September, and there are hopes the program will be renewed and expanded to incorporate additional and more accessible fresh produce. United Fresh, according to a release, has several suggestions for the act, including:
- Enacting a national “Salad Bar In Every School” policy.
- Increasing the current reimbursement rate for all school meals to reflect rising food, labor and transportation costs and to meet current nutrition standards and the Dietary Guidelines.
- Urging USDA/AMS to significantly expand its commodity purchases of fresh and fresh-cut fruits and vegetables for schools.

2.) The Institute of Medicine’s “School Meals: Building Blocks for Healthy Children” report has quantified the portions of healthy foods that need to be incorporated into school menus, according to a release, including:
- Increasing the amount of fruit offered in school breakfast to one cup per day for all students.
- Increasing the amount of fruit offered in school lunch to one cup per day for students in grades 9-12.
- Increasing the amount of vegetables offered in school lunch to 3/4 cup per day for grades K-8 and to one cup per day for grades 9-12 and others.

3.) Rep. Sam Far (D-CA) is expected to introduce the Children’s Fruit and Vegetable Act of 2009 in Congress, which supports and emphasizes several of the Institute of Medicine’s suggestions and endorses salad bars as a way to encourage fresh produce consumption in cafeterias, according to United Fresh.

Overhauling school cafeterias is a major undertaking. However, it will benefit the health of children and general population for years to come and can be accomplished with your help. We encourage you to support the move by contacting your representative in Congress.

Like they say, do it for the kids!

Got crabs?

Floridians do. Every fall, diners eagerly await the arrival of stone crab season off the coast of Southern Florida, and the wait is finally over.

Fishermen set their traps in early October, but were prohibited from pulling stone crabs – a pricey delicacy notorious in Florida – until sunrise last Thursday, Oct. 16.

By Friday, the crabs were boiled, chilled and back on the menu at some of Florida’s finest fish houses, with select locations across the U.S.

For some of the most scrumptious, freshest stone crab this side of the Mississip’, check out the iconic Joe’s Stone Crab in Miami Beach, The Breakers Seafood Bar in Palm Beach or one of Truluck’s various locations throughout the country.

Or, be your own crab cooker, and try one of these mouth-watering stone crab recipes at home (of course, with a touch of California heirloom garlic):
Marinated Stone-Crab Claws
Lobster, Shrimp & Stone-Crab Creole
Stone-Crab Claws With Garlic Butter Dipping Sauce

Publix, a major Florida-based retailer with locations throughout Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina and Tennessee, is one grocery store where you can purchase fresh stone-crab claws.

And, to ease today’s environmentally conscious mind, stone-crab claws are a sustainable food, as de-clawed crabs are returned to the ocean, where they usually regenerate their own claws, according to a Palm Beach Daily News article.

So, got crabs?

Get your delicious, yet sustainable, stone-crab claws while you can – until May 15, when season ends.

I have a newfound appreciation for parenting.

As an unattached 26-year-old, I’ve I had very little experience with motherhood (aside from my three fish and hamster, which, sadly, died on my watch) until last night, when I discovered the chaotic, exhausting, 24-hour, unexpected (although I’m sure very rewarding) balancing act that comes along with the title.

You see, I had the pleasure of babysitting for six hours, following a full day of work. Now, I’m not talking parents leave at 7, kids go to bed at 8, sit on the couch, watch bad TV and eat their ice cream babysitting. That’s my kind of babysitting.

No, I’m talking real-life, responsibility, actually doing something babysitting, which entailed:
1.) Picking kids up from school – this consisted of 120 screaming kids and 120 SUVs fighting for the curbside pick up – organized chaos.
2.) Transporting to afterschool activities – the one rainy day of the year in LA – land of terrible drivers – where the average speed is 10 mph. Needless to say, we were tardy for Fiddler on the Roof practice.
3.) “Stopping by” the store – a seemingly quick trip for three things, which turned into 45 minutes of – “Can we get these Cheetos Puffs?” “But, I need these chocolate chunk cookies.” So, $75 and several health risks later, we left the store.
4.) Making dinner – note to self: never try making a new recipe using 12-year-olds as helpers. Brief description – two hours of olive oil and flour flying through the air, small children with large knives trying to “help,” smoke alarms ringing, four-letter words, etc. Amazingly, no one suffered a casualty and the food was edible.
5.) Doing dishes – next time we’re eating out of the cooking pan. Enough said.
6.) Helping with homework – this is a humbling – or humiliating – experience. I don’t remember 7th-grade math being so difficult.

All of which needed to be done in time for the TV show, Glee, at 9, per the request of the 12 year old.

Yikes. People choose to do this? All I can say is thank you, mom and dad, a thousand times over.

Upon reflection, the most daunting task of the night turned out to be the meal preparation – even more so than the homework and scary school parking lot.

When I become a parent, I’m not looking to devote ¼ of my day to cooking, so I was inspired to compile several time-friendly recipes that are quick, simple and quite delicious. And, of course, boast fresh California heirloom garlic.

Pizza Margherita

Quick Spaghetti

Lamb Burgers

Garden Vegetable Soup

Stuffed Green Peppers

Grilled Shrimp Tacos

Quick Roasted Chicken With Mustard & Garlic Recipe

Cedar Planked Salmon

And, jokes aside, these kids are great. Who else can you play Clue and Rock Band with, while discussing which food on a stick is better – corn dogs or fried snickers?

I hate being sick.

I rarely come down with anything – knock on wood – but am recovering from a recent case of bronchitis. Apparently, my body does not appreciate it when I don’t sleep, sacrifice food, talk too much and indulge in one too many glasses of wine.

Therefore, I have been trying to ingest as many healthful products as possible, in addition to my 10 bottles of cough syrup and Z-Pak.

Now, numerous studies have indicated fresh garlic’s substantial medicinal value, equipped with antioxidant, antibacterial and antiviral properties, but a recent study reaffirmed garlic’s positive health benefits, as a result of its high selenium content.

Selenium is a prominent nutrient found in fresh garlic, and, according to the European Food Safety Authority’s Panel on Dietetic Products, Nutrition and Allergies, selenium could provide “protection of DNA, proteins and lipids from oxidative damage, normal function of the immune system, normal thyroid function and normal spermatogenesis.” (See article – “Positive Selenium Health Claim Opinion Welcomed)

Huh? I was wondering the same thing. So, I did some research.

In layman’s terms, selenium is stimulates the production of antibodies, which the immune system uses to locate and battle bacteria and viruses, and is believed to activate T cells that trigger white blood cells to combat infection. Therefore, the nutrient is believed to help boost the immune system and fight harmful cells and tumors.

With that being said, you better believe I accelerated my intake of fresh garlic in recent weeks.

I’m obviously no doctor, and it’s hard to identify whether it’s my meds, my nightly scotch (soothes the throat) or aggressive doses of fresh garlic (maybe all three?!), but I feel much better.

If you’re looking for a holistic approach to remedy the plethora of sicknesses going around – be it bronchitis, flu, swine flu, allergies, etc. – popping a daily clove of California heirloom garlic definitely couldn’t hurt.

Now, I don’t typically use this blog as a blatant promotional tool for Christopher Ranch. Or, at least, I try not to.

While, yes, the majority of posts do relate to fresh garlic in some manner, and consequently, Christopher Ranch, I do my best to avoid screaming – “use Christopher Ranch products – they’re the best products EVER!” I try to utilize a little tact, which isn’t always an easy thing for me to do.

Well, today is different. I’m going to be egocentric and talk about Christopher Ranch, as it became apparent at the Produce Marketing Association’s annual Fresh Summit Convention that, perhaps, people don’t know Christopher Ranch as well as I assumed.

In other words, through my conversations at PMA, it became evident that many are unaware of the additional products Christopher Ranch grows and carries – beyond fresh garlic.

Don’t get me wrong – fresh garlic is our focus, as we’ve been growing California heirloom garlic since 1956.

Nonetheless, Christopher Ranch also offers numerous other items, which are great flavoring components and widely used in cooking – whether it’s in a chef’s kitchen or your own home.

I bet you didn’t know that, for starters, Christopher Ranch also grows specialty onions and offers a full line of pearls (red, gold and white), cipollines, boilers and shallots?

Then, there’s our line of jarred herbs and spices – we’ve got basil, oregano, pesto, jalapenos and garlic/ginger stir fry. We also offer chopped ginger, chopped shallots, sun-dried tomatoes and sun-dried tomato pesto.

Not only that, but Christopher Ranch carries fresh ginger, a variety of dried chiles and grows seasonal bell peppers and cherries. (Check out Christopher Ranch’s product page for the complete line.)

Not too shabby for a company who's mainly reputed to be the largest grower and shipper of fresh domestic garlic.

The next logical question would be – where can I find Christopher Ranch products?

Well, sticking with the self-promotional theme of this post, I decided to provide you with a list of retailers that carry Christopher Ranch products. Now, each location is not going to stock all aforementioned products, but if you don’t see an item that you’d like, put in a request with your produce manager. They typically like keeping their customers happy.

Albertsons
Bristol Farms
Cash & Carry
City Markets
Costco
Dominick’s
Food 4 Less
Food Lion
Food City
Fresh Market
Harris Teeter
Hen House Markets
Ingles
Jon’s Marketplace
King Soopers
Kroger
Lucky’s
Meijer
New Seasons Markets
Pavilions
Piggly Wiggly
Price Chopper
PW Markets
QFC
Raley’s/Nob Hill
Ralph’s
Red Apple Markets
Rouses Supermarkets
Safeway
SaveMart
Smart & Final
Smith’s
Sobeys
Thrifty Foods
Vons

Fall is my favorite time of year.

The reasons for this are plenty – the leaves begin changing (in Los Angeles, the palm trees turn a darker hue), the air turns cooler, Saturdays – and Sundays – are centered around football (and drinking beers), I ditch the sandals and don the boots and – arguably most exciting – it’s chili season.

I love me some chili, but the air’s got to be cool, and football has got to be on TV. Therefore, the time has come.

There is an art to chili, however. One cannot just slosh some beef, chili spice, beans and tomato sauce in a pot and call it “chili.” This is not goulash we’re talking about it. Being from Kansas – we take our chili seriously.

Good chili has requirements. You need fresh ingredients – fresh bell pepper, fresh chili pepper, fresh onion, fresh garlic, fresh tomato. You need serious heat – tobasco, hot chilies, cayenne pepper, red chili flakes, etc. You need lean meat – like fresh ground chuck meat, turkey meat or bison – none of that highly processed, low-grade mystery meat. You need red kidney beans, black beans, etc. – not the chil-doused beans.

Like I said, there’s an art to chili.

So, I compiled some delectable chili recipes – of all shapes and sizes – that pay heed to the caliber of dish chili is:

Building A Better Chili – Garlic Style

Turkey Chili

Bison & Bean Chili Recipe

Vegetable & Bean Chili

My Husband’s Homemade Chili

White Bean Chicken Chili

Vegetarian Pumpkin Chili…in honor of Halloween

Three Bean Chili With Garlic

So, cozy up in a blanket, get the fireplace burning, turn on College Gameday and grab a bowl of chili. It’s the season.

A growing percentage of diners are seeking out restaurants that they perceive as “green,” but many have a difficult time locating those restaurants and defining what “green” is. As a result, the Green Restaurant Association (GRA) and Green Seal have been formed to assist diners in connecting with restaurants that share their values and establish guidelines by which restaurants can achieve “green” certification.

For over two decades, GRA has been involved in the greening of the restaurant industry. The organization has identified standards in seven environmental categories including water efficiency, waste reduction and recycling, sustainable furnishings and building materials, sustainable food, energy, disposables, and chemical and pollution reduction. Points for food procurement are assigned on the basis of whether ingredients are certified organic, humane (free range/cage free, hormone and antibiotic free), and regional (300 miles) or local (100 miles). Association consultants are available to help restaurant operators quantify their impact on the environment and take definitive steps to reduce their footprint. There is also a search function on the website for customers to locate “certified green restaurants” by zip code.

Green Seal was founded in 1989 to establish guidelines for various products and services including construction materials, facility operations, hospitality services, and utilities. Suppliers can use this resource to get their products certified, and restaurant operators can use it to design procurement programs that favor “green” products and “services.”

These programs encourage environmental responsibility and provide the support necessary to achieve it. At Christopher Ranch, we embrace our responsibility as stewards of the environment, and we strive to provide products that support our foodservice partners’ efforts to become green certified. We are proud to be featured on the menus of many certified restaurants, and encourage you to look for the Green Seal or the GRA certification when you dine out to support these sustainable operations.