Local Strawberries, All Year

Eating locally necessarily entails eating seasonally, as well - for the most part.  In fact, one of the joys of being a locavore is learning what ripens when in your area, anticipating that time, and making the most of it while it lasts.  Asparagus arrives in the market in spring, and for six weeks we put it in crepes, soups, salads, and grill mixes.  Tomatoes show up in the spring here too, but don't pop with flavor until late June or July (right into September, some years). For months, we go tomato-wild, indulging in caprese, tomato sandwiches, and a multitude of pairings.

organic strawberries fresh from the freezer

For many types of produce, just having them fresh in season satisfies me.  But there are a few items, like strawberries, that I want to use all year long. In season, I put them into many dishes; but in the winter, only into my stand-by breakfast and healthy snack, the fruit smoothie.  For years I bought bagged frozen berries from the grocery, feeling sheepish. Then I realized what a bargain a half-flat of organic strawberries at the season's peak really is; and I started freezing my own.  With a little forethought, it's easy to put up an ample supply for the winter.

Tips:
1. Don't cut or wash them until you are ready to freeze them.  If you need to store them first, put them while they are cool and dry into an air-tight container in the refrigerator.
2. When ready, de-leaf and cut them up in batches, then wash but do not dry.
3. Lay them on a tray, not quite touching, and place that in the freezer.
4. Wait a half hour or so, then transfer them to a bag.  The little layer of frost on each one keeps them from clumping up too much in the bag.
5. Put the bag in the freezer right away, to avoid thawing and clumping on re-freezing.

Coconut Milk Ice Cream

"It's a dawn; it's a new day; it's a new life for me, and I'm feeling good!" - Newley & Bricusse

Nearly a year ago, I chatted with a friend about my experiences with wheat (and avoiding it) and she asked me about dairy. Apparently, lactose troubles many who either have celiac or (like me) simply find that avoiding wheat makes them feel much, much better. In addition, not all dairy is equal. At the high end of the scale is sweetened condensed milk, which I only ever drink in Thai iced tea. At the low end are butter and aged cheeses. In between are some mid-level items, like a glass of milk or a cup of yogurt  - but their digestibility does not mirror their lactose content (many people can't handle milk, but have no symptoms with yogurt, probably because of the live cultures that come with it).  In a family of dairy lovers, with one lactose-intolerant child, she had tried alternative products for every dairy category, looking especially for those that everyone in the family could enjoy together.  In the ice cream category, coconut milk-based treats rocked.  Not cheap, and not always easy to find, but fully worth it.

Bearing all this in mind, over the months I've tested a range of dairy products I used to consume without a second thought.  And sure enough, Thai iced tea sets off a ruckus in my insides.  Half and half in my tea? No problem.  A big latte or bowl of cereal? Not too bad, but better with almond milk substituted. Yogurt? Not a burble, and still great for my fruit smoothie. Cheeses? Really varied, but always best in small doses. And then there's ice cream.

What I love about ice cream is its richness, and the elegant mouth-feel of a high-quality, simple ingredient brand (or house-made batch). Sorbets, like popsicles, are wonderful for a clean, icy fruit experience; but they aren't ice cream. Versions made with soy or rice taste off to me; and their thickeners tend to feel funny on the tongue, like a cheap ice cream.  I left the coconut-milk version until last largely because I was afraid they might be as good as my friend claimed, and become an expensive habit.  On my sporadic visits to Whole Foods, a pint seemed exorbitant. But today I found a pint of chocolate at Trader Joe's, for less than a pint of Ben & Jerry's at a Safeway.

Where have I been? !  This lovely concoction is creamy and rich, deep chocolaty, with a strong back flavor of coconut.  Since I adore these two flavors together, that pleases me greatly.  While I am an enthusiastic convert, there are reasons not everyone will want to switch - 180 calories per half-cup serving, 8 grams saturated fat, 16 grams sugar. And the clearly discernable flavor of coconut, which, inexplicably, not everyone cares for.  For you all, try the other substitutes in the freezer section.  As for me - it's a new day!

Attack of the Giant Zucchini

It's zucchini season! That time of year when renegade squashes appear in mailboxes, on the seats of unlocked cars, and upon doorsteps in the dead of night. Those of you who have ever been blessed with a bumper crop of burgeoning blooms, and the overnight wonders that accompany them, will be shocked to hear that I actually paid money for a giant zucchini this week.  At a roadside stand in the San Joaquin Delta, no  less - where they sell peaches and other ripe fruit.

Cats and zucchini - natural enemies.

But I spotted this humongous squash, as big as my forearm and twice as heavy, and all the other produce faded into the background. That's a lot of loaves of gluten-free chocolate zucchini bread, I thought to myself. Self, I said, how much could it possibly cost? One dollar.  I thought about buying two or three, but there's only so much room in my freezer. And besides, you never know when one might show up on my doorstep.

The Dreaded Food Log

Every once in a while, I write down what I eat with annoying precision, for a few days.  Then I look over the log and get a feel for habits and patterns I may not have noticed developing. This time I have added notes on how I feel during the day, and factors like being out in the wind that may be affecting how I feel as well. The main point to the exercise this time is to figure out why my energy crashes at certain times of day and peaks at others.  The sine wave seems to connected to meal times, though not exclusively.

So far, the paper journal holds my handwritten scribbles.  Although I can scan back through and pick out trends regarding protein, carbs, fat, caffeine, etc, it would be nice to have a program that automatically generates data without my having to parse it all out by hand.  Ideally, this app would be non-commercial (I hate signing up for services just to test a device) and very simple on the input side.  If I have to get down to measuring cups of veggies and ounces of meat, I will start modifying my behavior as I go.  While I hope the exercise leads me to do just that, I really need to know what my un-modified habits are first.

Any recommendations for free, simple tools with useful data outputs?

Vegan Latte

Almond milk iced latte

A vegan latte *? Surely an oxymoron. But with the proliferation of "milk" from plant sources - rice milk, soy milk, almond milk, coconut milk, and more - there are indeed many choices for making a vegan version of this iconic Italian drink.

My personal favorite uses unflavored almond milk ('regular' or 'orginal') which has just a bare hint of sweetness and a nice creaminess.  A whole cup is only 60 calories, and like all the vegan options, it is naturally cholesterol free.

*Caffelatte is Italian for milky coffee; order a latte and you'll get just milk.

Beauty and the Beets

beets in solar cooker pan

The beets at the farmer's market this weekend looked gorgeous, inspiring me to take them home and roast them in the solar oven.  Washed and plunked into the black enameled pot, with their lush greens chopped off, their only sensual appeal remaining was the earthy, mineral-y smell that red beets exude.

Sliced beets with goat cheese and orange-balsamic glaze

After the knife attested to perfect doneness, I put one in the fridge to chill, then peeled and sliced it.  With a sprinkle of salt on each bite-size morsel, and an orange juice-balsamic vinegar reduction to glaze them, the bites became dazzling jewel-toned eye-catchers.  A little dollop of goat cheese for each rounded out the flavors to create a true amuse bouche.

Moveable Feast for the Eyes

The first First Friday (7/1) at the San Mateo Expo Center, organized by Moveable Feast, provided a cornucopia for the senses. In addition to the tastes and aromas of the food for sale, there was live music.  And the visual panorama was surprisingly varied - food truck range from nearly spartan to downright flashy in their exterior decor. As they grow in popularity with mobile foodies, catching the attention of hungry pedestrians is growing in importance, also.

Armadillo Willy's food truck - Texas BBQ on wheels

Treatbot Karaoke Ice Cream Truck from the Future

Wow Silog truck - traditional Filipino silog style meals

Thai food on the go - House of Siam's food truck

Back of Babaloo food truck - cuban cuisine and art, too

El Ranchito's more traditional food truck look

The infamously-named Naked Chorizo truck

Kara's Cupcakes, with pink boxes from the truck window

Tikka Bytes contemporary Indian cuisine for Silicon Valley and beyond

Off the Grid in San Mateo

There have been a few gourmet food trucks operating on the Peninsula these past few years; but until this summer, all the big events were confined to San Jose, San Francisco, and the East Bay.

Babaloo Cuban Cuisine Food Truck's mobile art

This summer, Sunset Magazine led the charge, adding a handful of the mobile eateries to their usual vendor offerings at its Celebration Weekend.  Then Moveable Feast, which organizes large festival-like gatherings, held its first monthly food truck extravaganza at the San Mateo County Expo Center, on July 1st. The event drew a few thousand people, most of whom paid to park in the giant Expo lot, and featured live music and local clothing and jewelry vendors in addition to over a dozen food trucks.  Lengthy lines pleased organizers and vendors, but frustrated some hungry attendees. The great turnout ensured its continuation through the summer months.

Next Monday evening, Off the Grid, which organizes much smaller round-ups on a daily basis in San Francisco, will conduct a soft launch of its new site, the San Mateo downtown train station. Six to eight trucks are expected to participate.  Street parking downtown gets tight; but attendees can easily walk from the surrounding neighborhood or arrive from farther afield via Caltrain. For those who love sampling food truck fare but don't like being closed into an area with crowds, this smaller gathering should be ideal.