Spa Water

Like many good ideas, the 'new' way to encourage people to drink tap water is a culinary innovation dating back centuries. At a work training recently, attendees were pleasantly surprised to find pitchers of water with cucumber slices, in lieu of bottled water (complying with the ever-more-common bans on spending local government money on uneeded single-serving beverage containers). Just that small touch somehow made the plain drink seem more refreshing, a treat rather than an austerity measure.

Trader Joe's coffee samples are the first stop for many shoppers at their groceries; and typically there is also a spigoted jug of one of the many juice varieties for sale. Over the summer, our local store also experimented with a range of spa waters, in place of the juice option. They added cucumber, strawberries, citrus slices - more or less any one fruit or combination the staff wanted to try. Most worked beautifully (my favorite being strawberry).

At the Atlantis Resort Hotel in Reno, the spa provides elegant jugs of water with therapeutically-oriented enhancements. The appealing flavors help make sure that guests stay well hydrated while moving between steam rooms, hot tubs, and other amenities. But they also advertise (on menu cards by each pitcher) specific health benefits, including:
Citrus - high in vitamin C, to strengthen the immune system, retain healthy levels of calcium, and lower bad cholestrol
Pineapple and mint - helps recovery of muscles and acts as an anti-inflammatory
Kiwi with cinammon and honey - all three for respiratory healing

Whatever you put in them, spa waters offer an elegant alternative to the plastic bottles of plain or flavored water that American culture has come to think of as necessary for health and convenience. And they can change throughout the year, incorporating the fruits, vegetables and herbs in season locally.

Casino Food

Reno may not be as over-the-top as Las Vegas; but its casinos take the same approach to dining.
Each gaming resort must offer at least one 24-hour cafe, several high-end restaurants, a coffee bar or two, and at least one giant buffet center.

Staying at the Atlantis this weekend (drawn here for the Alliance for Community Media Western Region conference and award ceremony), one of my first tasks was food reconnaissance. And while the food service here will never be rated green, there are some healthy choices among the offerings.

As we arrived hungry and tired, the buffet provided a quick and easy way to sample whatever looked good, without having to deal with menu limitations. Wheat was certainly available, but easy to avoid; and with many good alternatives, I did not miss it. I enjoyed the roasted veggies, Chinese stir-fry, cold salads, and mashed potatoes with barbecued beef especially.

Today we chose to eat light, and opted for the cafe with the best entree salads. The southwest chicken salad was quite good; but the Thai crunch salad really rocked. Lots of shredded cabbage, blanched bean sprouts, nuts, shredded carrot, and a light peanut sauce formed the core, with hints of cilantro and other incidentals in the mix. Lime wedges and two sesame-encrusted crackers added more than just a decorative touch.

Even in a place where indulging oneself and acting impulsively are encouraged in every aspect of design, it is possible to have a delicious adventure without suffering a hangover of regret.
Tonight? Some fresh, house-made gelato!

Thai Salad Rolls

For the Google's Green Gourmets episode, Angelina made Thai Salad Rolls. Preparing for the shoot, I was pleased to find a packaged kit with both rice paper rounds and rice vermicelli. For the filling, we used the vermicelli, fresh herbs (mint, basil, and cilantro) from the garden, strips of both cucumber and carrots, lettuce, and pre-cooked shrimp.

The peanut sauce for dipping was based on several recipes, including an old favorite from the lid of a Laura Scudder's peanut butter jar. The final rendition arrived through experimentation with key ingredients and a variety of bottled sauces from the fridge.

During the taping, Angelina made the assembly process look really easy. Although we shot two takes for safety, she made a gorgeous, snugly-tucked roll on the first try. For the on-screen bite, she rolled one without shrimp, which turns out to be one of a very few ingredients she can't eat.

Dry-farmed tomatoes

On the very last day of the San Carlos farmers' market (Hot Harvest nights are a sadly limited season), I found the one item that will haunt me over the winter. My favorite organic farm stand (which has the loveliest strawberries in late spring and early summer, and gorgeous sunflowers for months) discreetly displayed a small table of brilliantly red tomatoes (next to the assortment of typically mottled-looking heirlooms). Labelled "dry-farmed Early Girls," they made me pause and think twice. Picking one up, it felt dense and a little tough-skinned, compared to the delicate heirloom tomatoes.

Handing my selection of modest-sized reds to the vendor, I asked about the dry-farming aspect. She said the fruit is super-flavorful, because no extra water suffuses the flesh in the way we are accustomed to seeing in irrigated varieties. Which is why, she added, "They have a cult following."

In a land of foodies and culinary fashion trends, the popularity of one varietal does not impress me much. But one bite converted me to a follower. As Basha described the experience, "This is the tomato of my childhood." They have the intense, sweet tomato-ness of her uncle's kitchen garden at his farm near Joliet, Illinois (before the new Federal highway system bisected the property). Not satisfied to wait til next summer, we are searching for them at several year-round markets nearby. A worthy quest.

Grapes of Autumn

Who needs grapes from Chile?
As a side benefit of the popularity of American regional wines, more varieties of table grapes are being grown in many parts of the country.

California is particularly blessed; but surprisingly diverse climates are yielding a pleasing array of snackable grapes. Many hues and flavors appear in local farmers markets, beyond the generic red and green seedless standards carried by grocery stores. What types grow where you live?

Petit Aubergine

The Belmont (CA) farmers' market is not as large as many in the Bay Area; but it has its loyal followers and some delightful finds for them.

One of my favorite things about farmers' markets is the discovery of new varieties of produce, from ingredients I never knew existed to unusual types of common ingredients (such as Armenian striped cucumbers). In the supermarket, one is lucky to find eggplant at all, and then usually only the giant dark purple (aubergine) variety. If the store considers itself gourmet, a few of the long, slender Japanese variety may be offered. But never, ever, have I seen the reddish, petit type we found in Belmont. Not quite too cute to eat (what is?), they inspire me to think in new ways about how to prepare eggplant, beyond the usual stir-fry, baked parmesan, and roasting for baba janoush options. From diversity comes inspiration.

Corn off the Cob

As the days start to grow shorter, and kids go back to school, the squirrel in me yearns to put up the summer's bounty to hold me through the winter. But my idea of 'putting up' food stretches as far as the freezer. The strawberry vendor at the farmer's market told me how to both keep the berries fresh longer in the fridge and how to properly freeze them. So I have a fruit smoothie with local fruit any time of year, which is a grand luxury.

But tonight found me with 3 ears of local sweet corn, a sharp knife in hand, and the Wailin' Jennys on the stereo. I placed each ear on top of a small bowl (inverted, to act as a base), set inside a wide bowl. When I scraped down the ear close to the cob, the kernels fell neatly in the big bowl. Then I scooped them into a quart-sized bag and popped it in the fridge.

And now I feel more down-home, self-sufficient and ready to the long nights, with provisions laid in. A little organic produce and the right soundtrack go a long way.