The Sweet Life

As I sang along to the classic tune of Brown Eyed Girl and Moondance las weekend, I came upon a song with less familiar lyrics:  “She’s as sweet as Tupelo honey…”   I had seen the honey on the shelf at Sickles Market, but had not tried it myself.  If one of my favorite rock legends was crooning about honey, I was definitely going to check it out.

As it turns out, this single flower, or monofloral honey comes from the White Tupelo Tree, which grows primarily in the swampy river basins of Georgia and Florida.  This light, greenish cast honey is produced from the nectar of sunburst shaped blooms which only appear for two weeks every spring.  The Savannah Bee Company considers Tupelo honey to be “the gold standard by which all other honeys are measured.”  I tried some pure raw Tupelo honey and was surprised by its mellow, buttery mouthfeel.  It does not granulate and is like eating liquid silk.  Tupelo honey is delightfully sweet, the perfect companion to Irish soda bread and a cup of tea.  I knew Van Morrison wouldn’t steer me wrong!

I decided to try out a few other specialty honeys now that my interest was piqued and my sweet tooth activated.  Honey is, in many ways, like fine wine.  The product takes on the characteristics of the blossom in the same way that the wine reflects the character of the grape:  the color, clarity, texture, and flavor are all dependent on the type of flower.  Over processing, heating, filtering or adding water also affect the quality of the honey.  The Savannah Bee Company offers a wide range of the finer single flower honeys which really highlight the character of the blossom, and they are all raw, pure honeys.  Acacia honey is a light yellow, elegant honey with floral and vanilla hints, excellent for cooking, drizzling or pairing with cheese as it does not crystallize.  The tall, slender 20 oz. bottle makes an attractive and creative gift as well.  Another rare California honey called Black Sage, comes from desert evergreens which bloom only four times each decade.  This delicate, slightly herbal pale green honey compliments herbal teas and is lovely as a topping for yogurt as well.  Sourwood honey, which hails from Georgia and the Appalachians, is a much bolder choice.  Tasting of caramel, molasses and mocha, this dark and delicious honey works well in marinades and glazes, with roasted and grilled meats, and even in pecan pie.  Try these succulent honey glazed baby back ribs with a darker honey like the Sourwood.

Honey contains vitamins and antioxidants, and has been hailed for curing everything from acne and allergies to sore throats and viral infections.  Local, raw honey is the recommended product for these claims and Herbertsville Honey from Point Pleasant, NJ certainly fits the bill. This family owned business with apiaries located on organic farms and private estates throughout Monmouth and Ocean County , won the New Jersey State Honey Show Award three years running, in 2008, 2009 and 2010.  Their 100% pure local wild flower honey is full-flavored and versatile.  I like to use it to glaze my salmon before baking or grilling.  Herbertsville Heat is a chili pepper infused honey that would spice up grilled chicken or ribs, or you can turn the heat down a little and use the Lemon Honey with long strips of lemon peel in the jar.

White truffle infused Acacia honey is a huge favorite of mine, especially as an accompaniment to cheese.  Keep a little jar of Miele Tartufo Bianco in your pantry, the finest Italian example that I’ve tasted, and a hefty wedge of Parmigiano Reggiano or a rustic sheep’s milk cheese like Bianco Sardo from Sardinia.  When company come calling, you’ll be ready with a simple, yet memorable appetizer.  If you are in a breakfast quandary, Well Dressed Food Co. from New York offers scrumptious chunky Walnuts in North County Buckwheat Honey that pair perfectly with buckwheat pancakes.

Honey is truly an amazing food.   It has healthful and healing properties and tastes delicious.  It has been around since the dawn of time and is the only food that does not spoil.  Honey is also the only food we eat that is produced by humble insects, the honey bees, and yet it has been called “the nectar of the gods.”  I think this sweet and remarkable liquid delight we call honey is worth singing about. And maybe even dancing an Irish jig!

Enjoy!

Cheri  The Cheesemonger

An update for those of you who read my last blog, “And The Winner Is...:”
I neglected to mention that Sickles Market is actually the proud recipient of a SOFI award, the 2007 Outstanding Specialty Food Retailer.  You can see the SOFI “Oscar” in the glass case by the main exit.   And congratulations to Colin Firth as well!

Going Bananas for Bananas and Nuts for Coconuts

Bocas del Toro, Panama

If you were to have an escapist fantasy about the beach, while digging your car out from yet another snow storm, no doubt a few slender, swaying coconut palms would enter your littoral scene, along with turquoise blue water. After all, what symbolizes a Caribbean shoreline more than these tropical trees?

Rice and beans, with salad

Coconuts palms don't just make a tranquil beach setting; they also provide a fruit which typifies coastal cuisines. In Latin America, you know you've left the highlands for warmer shores, when you find coconut milk incorporated into the dishes that you are eating. In Esmeraldas, a northwestern province on the Pacific Coast of Ecuador, a typical dish is encocado de pescado/camarones, or fish/shrimp cooked in deliciously rich coconut milk. On the Caribbean side of Panama, especially in Bocas del Toro, the day usually starts with Johnny cakes, a flat, circular roll enriched with coconut milk. This bread, with a delicate coconut flavor, is also delicious for fish sandwiches at lunchtime. Another treat on coastal Panama is dulce pan con coco (not its official name, but that's what I called it), a sweet, unctuous focaccia-like rectangle of bread, topped with raw sugar and shredded dried coconut. Less than 100 km to

Dulce pan con coco

the north, in Costa Rica, is the lively surf town of Puerto Viejo. It's not just the Ja Love, Rasta vibe that distinguishes this area from the rest of the country, but also its staple dish of rice and beans, pronounced as

Sandwich on a Johnny cake

if one word, in English. The combo of rice and beans is ever present in Costa Rica,  but on the Caribbean coast, the beans (typically black) are mixed together with the rice, instead of served separately, and sweetened with coconut milk.

Coco loco

Coconuts make for delicious drinking, too. On a hot day, one of the most refreshing and restorative things to drink is the water from a green coconut. On beaches in Latin America, or even on the side of the road, you'll hear the repetitive call of coco helado, coco frio, or pipa from vendors who will hack off the top of a tender coconut with a machete and insert a straw through a small opening into the hollow cavity of the coconut. Then it is up to you to slurp and enjoy this natural and nutritious drink. For even more refreshment and relaxation, add a shot of rum to your coconut, find some shade, and enjoy a coco loco, or crazy coconut. If there's a bar on the beach and a sunset on the way, what better way to toast the end of the day than with a  piña colada, the quintessential tropical cocktail, made with rum, coconut cream, and pineapple juice?

Bananas in Costa Rica

It's likely that in your imagined beach scene, banana trees didn't make the cut. Their fruit is so ubiquitous in the U.S. (you can even buy them at gas stations; try finding a coconut at one!) that we tend to forget their tropical origins. These trees, with their long, fringed leaves, like the feathers of an over-sized green bird, certainly deserve a prime position in any vision of a warm coast. Not only do you find banana trees everywhere throughout Latin America, from the side of the road, to cultivated plantations, to a family's backyard, but you will also find the fruit regularly on your plate. When we eat bananas in the States (which we do frequently; they're our favorite fruit), we tend to eat them out of hand, without

Patacones with fried fish

any cooking or plates. South of the border, however, they are a staple starch, like the potato. A classic preparation is patacones, also known as tostones, which are thick slices of plantains (a firmer,

Grilled plantain

starchier version of a banana), flattened into disks with a press, and then deep-fried. They accompany fish and chicken as french fries would. In Guayaquil, Ecuador's largest city, I saw indigenous women heating whole sweet plantains on a makeshift grill at a market along the river. You can eat these plain, or for a more filling treat, they can be sliced lengthwise and stuffed with a young, salty cheese (that's what I opted for, of course). A tasty snack is chifles, not unlike potato chips made out of plantains. In Ecuador, they are crumbled atop ceviche, as well as sold on buses by enterprising, independent vendors, with packets of ketchup or hot sauce.

Before I return to the U.S. in a month's time, I am going to indulge in coconuts and banana/plantains, knowing

Chifles

that once home, coconuts will be making only rare appearances in my diet (usually in a Thai curry) and that my most complicated cooking preparation for bananas will be slicing them for toast with peanut butter. As soon as summer comes to the Jersey shore, however, I'll make a point of ordering pina coladas. They will serve as a reminder of this winter spent on warm beaches, where I also got to eat delicious, tropical food and fruits.

You can remind yourself of warmer days to come by buying some bananas or coconuts, as well as a fresh pineapple and mango. With them, you can have your own tropical feast in your kitchen.

Enjoy!

Diana Pittet, the roving cheesemonger

Cleanup!

I walked outside the other morning and it was 55 degrees. Anxious to plant, I wandered out in the yard with the dogs and whined over and over again,  “what a mess”! 

But, who cares? Cleanup can wait.   First I have to plant something.  You may say, “what the heck grows now?” But, stand back. Your itching thumb has lots of choices.

I push aside the leaves in the garden.  I find rich, dark wormy soil and I plunge right in.  Pea seedlings are a good start.  They love the cold,  don’t rot in the ground, and relish the warmer days and cooler nights. They get a good head start in late March, and once the warmer weather comes, you’ll be picking the pods and eating them right out of the garden.

There’s also a tremendous selection out there of late winter greens and vegetables that stand up to the cold--  Romaine lettuce, Red Sails lettuce, Spinach,  Mesclun greens, and Broccoli are ready to roll.   Cauliflower, Brussel Sprouts, bunching onions, and Arugula can all be planted right out in the garden now. Don’t be afraid. These edible greens love the cold and with a late winter planting, will provide you with salad greens  every night. You don’t have to pull the whole plant for dinner.  A little leaf here and there will keep the crop coming.  Just pick often.   

Still putting off the inevitable cleanup, I know I have to plant some pansies.  Just a few.  Nothing speaks spring like the bright smile of a pansy face.  The ones that wintered over from the fall  come back from the dead like Lazarus-- flowers popping even before they are fully leafed out.  Planting pansies in the early spring just loosens a gardener’s soul—they bloom and bloom for months.    

Now that I have planted, I feel better about cleaning up.  It’s been a long winter. The snow has melted, and the sticks, limbs and debris litter the ground.  Broken rose bushes, toppled fir branches, and big sinkholes define my once summer-beautiful garden.

For a minute I fret, then take hold of myself as usual thinking on how it’s the same way every year—the dreaded spring cleanup.

I’ve been doing it here for more than 30 years. This is my first and only house.  I should know better than to complain.  But, I go to it, and it’s always easier than I think.

First I tackle the sticks and branches. There are lots of them from the wind and heavy snow.  I’ll use some of them for natural bird perches in my bird cage, and some I’ll let dry and use them in the winter for kindling. Some even go in the garden for natural pea plant fencing. Sticks are the crop of winter-  good for many things. The heavy work comes with the massive amounts of leaves. 

I rake the leaves into small piles, setting aside a pile for mowing into future mulch for the summer vegetable garden where they will cook into a nice planting sauce.  It’s not garbage and trash-  it’s garden gold.

I use the biggest tool I  have in my garage—the lawnmower.   It comes in very handy in the spring-   not for lawn mowing, but for “leaf mowing”.  I’ve been doing this for years, and the finely crumbled leaf debris goes right back where it should- in the lawn and the garden.  The early garden and landscape takes on a manicured look from the mowing and it's more encouraging than raking for hours.  I may look like the typical “nutty” neighbor out there in late winter behind my mower, but the work I avoid leaves me more time to plant!

After a little raking and mowing, the Right Dress mulch goes down in the perennial beds.  The dark mulch creates a beautiful contrast in the late winter, and it will save you hours of summer weeding while keeping your plants evenly hydrated..

I’m not saying you won’t have to break a sweat cleaning your yard.  Just take a relaxing planting break here and there.  You don’t have to wait for deep summer to enjoy the fruits (or veggies)  of your labor.

A few tips on my mind:

• Look for new growth in the perennial beds. Carefully remove leaves while raking, there may be little seedlings from fall seed drop. 

• Create a morning glory extravaganza this summer. Remove the seeds from the dried pods of last years’growth and plant wherever you want these trailing beauties to vine.  You never know what colors you will get!            

• Plant edible pea seeds and flowering sweet pea seeds right in the ground.. 

• Clean your bird feeders and put out the bird houses.  Birds are on the move and looking for summer rentals! You can still feed the birds, and spring arrivals will tempt you to get out the binoculars.

Pat Dumas

March 2011

Do we have to feed these things? Yes, Weekly and Weakly.

Ok, so it’s an orchid.  Let’s not get scared. Although it’s not your run of the mill plant, the beauty you will cultivate is extraordinary, and a little care goes a long way.

Orchids are different from your ordinary potted plant.  Most of the orchids we sell here are not terrestrial— meaning they don’t grow rooted in the soil, but cling on and around trees in their natural habitat high in the tree canopy. They are called epiphytes—attaching to the bark of trees with aerial roots in the tropics and sub-tropics.

The plant medium—or orchid “soil” is not really soil at all, but spaghnum moss or fir chips in which the roots grow while getting  good air circulation.  In fact, you don’t even need a pot to grow an orchid—many growers affix them to planks of bark where they are very happy—gaining their humidity and nourishment through

their roots and leaves.

So, you ask, how do I water, and how do I feed these odd little miracles?  Easy.  Miracle Gro orchid fertilizer or any “acidic” fertilizer like Miracid will do.   And easy does it—these guys love a little neglect.  If you water them excessively and try to watch them grow like a tomato plant, you’ll be sorely disappointed. These are worth waiting for.

The rule of thumb many orchid experts go by is to feed “weekly, weakly”.  This just means a weak solution of fertilizer every week with the regular watering.   Orchids are light feeders, so, when the plant is in active growth with new leaves peeking through and buds forming, you can go ahead and feed every week with the diluted fertilizer solution. Instead of going by the fertilizer recommendations of a tablespoon per gallon of water, you’ll do a ¼ of a tablespoon per gallon and soak the plant until the water drips out of the bottom of the pot. Save the rest of the gallon mix for future waterings.  That’s it.  No need for a soggy pot. Remember, the orchid likes an airy environment.  In the wintertime, or during the orchid’s resting period, you can ignore them a bit more and feed every 2 or 3 weeks along with a weekly watering.

Since orchids can capture their dinner on the fly, you can also mist the leaves with a diluted mix of fertilizer, and water the plant medium as you usually do. 

If you don’t want to look at your orchids during their boring time—no flowers, no nothing—then you can hide them under bigger plants and let them live the life in your mini jungle.  You’ll be rewarded soon enough by your patience.

A few garden tips on my mind:

It’s unconventional, but it works: To clean up leaves and other light debris around the yard, try using your lawnmower to mulch things up on the lawn. It’s a nice spring feed, and you’re mixing things back in the ground where they belong.

Uncover the fall-planted pansies.  You’ll be amazed at how they will grow and bloom in the slightest warmth of the day. It’s a great time also to plant new pansies that will bloom in the garden until the end of June.

Now is the time to rake in some Holly Tone around your evergreen shrubs. They’ll have a good feed that will last all summer.  Apply again in the fall.

If the winter storms haven’t done it already, get in the rose garden and thin out the branches to create good air circulation.  Cutting the tops off rose bushes will encourage more blooms and a healthier plant that resists disease and insects.

Watch for the first growth to pop out on fruit trees.  A regular spraying of a good all-purpose fruit spray will prevent disease and insects in your harvest.

          

To Market, To Market in Ecuador

Shopping isn't for me, neither when I'm at home nor when I am traveling. On a rainy day you won't see me jumping into the car to buy something new for myself, and you won't see me at gift shops in foreign lands, purchasing souvenirs for friends and family back home (sorry!). But you will see me at food markets.

Wherever I am in the world, even if it's on the Jersey shore, I can't resist a farmer's market. I'll even make a special trip to a nearby town, when I´m traveling, to check out its market. That's what I did last Sunday in Ecuador, when I left the cultural elegance of Cuenca, Ecuador's third largest city and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, for the small town of Gualaceo. Located in the southern sierra, over an hour away from Cuenca on small, twisting roads, Gualaceo has incredibly rich agricultural land and a wealth of fruit.

This fruit, and so much more, was on colorful display at Gualaceo's weekly Sunday-morning market, which was located in the town´s main square, bound on all sides by high, green mountains, which have been impossibly cultivated. Stone fruit, tropical fruits, strawberries, fresh cheese, big and mini cauliflower, stacks of greens and herbs, and a wide variety of potatoes in separate buckets were being sold, by cholas, indigenous women with long, black braids, colorful skirts, and Panama hats. (Even though I don't like buying things, I was tempted to buy a Panama hat, which are from Ecuador, by the way, not Panama).

Far away from important historic monuments, I couldn't have been happier making my way up and down the rows of stalls at the outdoor market. What is it about markets that captivate me?

Touring a market gives me quick insight into the values and customs of a region. I may not be able to communicate with the cholas with my inadequate Spanish, but they can express themselves to me and others--both insiders and outsiders--through the foods they cultivate, sell, cook, and eat.  Food is a common language to all of us. I may not understand everything, but I can learn how local people shop, who sells food, and what foods are important and in season. A market gives me more insight than a guidebook can.

Markets are not only instructive but they are highly enjoyable. They are a pleasure to the senses (as long as they aren't overly crowded).  All those colors--not just of the produce but of the people, too. It's a delight to see food at its prime, full of flavor and the sun. This is an experience we don´t always enjoy at the local supermarket, where we are removed from a food's place of origin, its ideal season, and its producers. At the market I am motivated to cook up a storm, inspired by the abundance of eye-catching produce and the incredible variety. At supermarkets we are held captive by monoculture.

The only downside of visiting markets in foreign countries is that I can't buy much. I usually don´t have cooking facilities when I'm on the road and I typically travel alone. Everything tempts me, but I  have to settle for a small bag of fruit or a small disk of fresh cheese. Nevertheless, the sights of the market are a feast enough.

Wherever you are in the world, go listen to what the market has to say and buy some deliciously seasonal produce.

Cheers!
Diana Pittet, the roving cheesemonger