Great Ideas For Using Fruit In Your Soup Recipes

Create Soup From The Sweet Side Of The Harvest Basket

If visions of big bowls of hearty vegetable soup have you headed to the farmers market soon, don't forget to take a moment to admire the produce on the other side of the aisle - the fruit and berries.

Soup in all forms has been a staple food for as long as we've been trying to feed ourselves. It only makes sense that during ancient times we used whatever harvest we could find - sweet, savory, or anywhere in between. Since fruits and berries form a large part of our planet's produce, let's consider some of the options when it comes time to harvest this plentiful crop.

Strawberries

When picked at the height of ripeness, this berry is extremely sweet and juicy. With just a few whirls of the blender or food processor, you will end up with a lot of 'soup' for your money. Mix blended strawberries with other fruit or berries to reduce the sweetness if you like. Lime, lemon, and even grapefruit will help build acidity to a level to make the balance between sweet and tangy perfect. Stir in icy cold white wine and top with a sprig of mint or even cilantro or dill for a very different soup that refreshes and intrigues the taste buds.

Blueberries

Even though blueberries can be blended and served as a soup without too many other ingredients, they are not truly juicy enough to stand alone. Mix blueberries with honeydew melon, for instance, for a delicate flavor and powerful color that will definitely please the palate. Mint is a very nice addition, but so is ginger. Since blueberries are not as sweet as other berries, drizzle in a little honey to bring out the natural flavor.

Pineapple

You can certainly throw pineapple in a blender to puree it, but I find it easier to buy natural pineapple juice, especially if you want soup in minutes. Pineapple juice actually makes a nice base for both chunky soup and pureed soup. Add lightly mashed berries to pineapple juice and crushed pineapple pieces and chill. You can give this a whirl in the blender if you want it less chunky. Either way, serve it very cold with a dollop of unsweetened whipped cream on top and a curl of lemon peel.

Cantaloupe

If you like intense flavor, ripe cantaloupe will give you that. You can even blend the cantaloupe with a little cucumber if you want your soup to have more layers of flavor. Ginger is a must in this soup, but another surprising addition is fresh basil. Just add a leaf, blend, then taste. You just want the basil to be a mystery in the background, not overpowering the sweetness but complementing it. You can even drop a tiny bit of very soft cheese on top before serving.

These are just a few ideas for adding fruit and berries into your soup recipe file. Mix and match a sweet harvest with a savory harvest and see what interesting cold soups you can come up with. I guarantee any of these soups will be a surprise and a delight on your family's dinner table.

Fruit And Vegetable Cooking Tips You Need To Know

Fresh And Frozen - How To Get The Most From Your Fruits And Veggies

With the new MyPlate food guidelines stating that we should be eating half of our plate in vegetables and fruit, a lot of families are struggling to find enough fresh produce to fill the bill. Perhaps it's the area, the hard winter, or just the lack of variety that is causing families to miss this important food group.

If your family is faced with limited fresh produce, what can you do? The answer may be in the freezer section of the grocery store. Yes, frozen fruits and vegetables could fill the gap.

It wasn't long ago that "fresh" was the word. We saw it in our healthy eating promotions which constantly stated "4 to 5 servings of fresh fruits and vegetables." This caused some confusion for families not able to find fresh produce. Do we just skip it or is frozen better than nothing? Let's take a look at some simple facts about fresh and frozen produce.

Harvest Time

When it's time to harvest and ship fresh vegetables and fruit to your grocery store, it would be unwise to pick the produce at the peak of their ripeness. Once the produce is loaded onto the trucks, there is travel time to consider. If you live some distance from an agricultural area, you may not see that produce for a week or longer.

If you have local farms, you may find fruit and vegetables that are harvested at peak ripeness. However, if you do not live in an agricultural area, your grocery store's shelves may be filled with produce that is weeks old.

During transportation, fresh produce is exposed to not only time, but some of the elements. Cold, heat, light, and air can all be detrimental to the nutrition and flavor of produce.

Processing Time

With frozen food, produce is picked during peak ripeness, then processed immediately. This locks in nutrients and flavor, to some degree. Of course, the simple fact is the processing alone can cause some nutrients to be lost, although every effort is made to flash freeze the produce to maintain the quality.

Buying frozen fruits and vegetables takes the guess work out of choosing quality produce. Food manufacturers pride themselves on taking produce fresh from the farm to flash freezing to air-tight packaging. You won't find spoilage or under-ripe produce in the freezer section, as a rule.

Frozen food may also suffer some of the drawbacks of transportation. If the frozen produce isn't kept at a very cold level, there could be some thawing, causing the product to lose quality. Or, once it gets to the grocery store, the frozen food section may not be cold enough. So, just because fruits and vegetables are frozen at peak levels, the transporting and storing may still have some hiccups that cause problems.

The Conclusion

Both fresh and frozen fruits and vegetables have nutritional value. If you are unable to get fresh, high quality produce from a nearby agricultural area, you may be better off with frozen. It's sort of a toss up. Fresh may be picked and shipped at less than optimum ripeness, and the freezing process may remove some of the nutrients. However, if I were going to choose, I would choose both. Sometimes fresh is best, when in season, and sometimes frozen works out well. The idea is to add nutrition to your plate, and either fresh or frozen does the job.

All About Apples

Putting The Polish On Washington State's Favorite Crop

No discussion of Washington State is complete without talking about her most recognizable crop - apples. We know that many of our apples in the stores come from Washington, but did you also know that apples are the largest agricultural produce grown in Washington State?

Over 10 BILLION apples are handpicked in Washington State every year.  Yes, I said "handpicked."  Harvesting apples is not done with machines. This is clearly an industry that has a lot of work cut out for it. But, all that work has wonderful rewards. Let's take a look at the variety of apples from Washington State and how best to enjoy them.

The most popular and recognizable apple is the Red Delicious, which makes up more than 30% of Washington's apple crop.  This is followed by some other favorites which are just as delicious, such as Gala, Fuji, Granny Smith, and Golden Delicious.

You'll find apples in the grocery store year round, but the peak seasons vary with each variety. Gala will be your earliest pick, in August, followed by Honeycrisp, Golden Delicious, Red Delicious, and Jonagold in September.

As the weather cools in October, you'll find several familiar varieties, such as Granny Smith and Fuji, but you'll also find a few names you may not be used to seeing in the stores if you're not in the Pacific Northwest. These would include Braeburn, Cameo, and Cripps Pink. If you have an opportunity to sample one of these lesser known varieties, be sure to take advantage. You will be in for a treat.

Even though the only apple native to America is the crab-apple, we haven't stopped finding and planting new varieties. And we really don't have much to do to create this splendid array of variety of apples. Part of the incredible diversity in apples is due to the fact that apple seeds never produce exactly the same type of apple. Each seed has unique characteristics making the fruit from each apple tree slightly different.

Even the most recognizable apple variety, the Red Delicious apple, is from a "chance seedling" - meaning this apple was not genetically altered; it just grew from a seed. So, when you go to your local farmers' market, fruit stand, or grocery store, you can thank providence for the variety of apples you see.

With all these varieties of apples to choose from, how do you know which to bring home? It all depends on the recipe or flavor you want. Here are a few suggestions when it comes to choosing the right apple.
The ever popular Red Delicious is meant for eating, not for cooking. Enjoy it just washed and sliced or in a salad. Don't use this apple to make a pie or sauce. It's sweet and crisp and perfect just as it is.

On the other hand, the Golden Delicious is good for everything. You can eat it as is, or put it in a pie, make sauce, or even freeze it with excellent results. Granny Smith is the other choice that works well for every application, including freezing, unlike other varieties.

The Fuji apple is very sweet and very crisp. Enjoy this apple fresh in a salad, but also in a pie or apple crisp. Honeycrisp apples are crisp, juicy, and sweet, and can be enjoyed in many ways.

As you can see, there are many options when it comes to buying Washington State apples. Your best bet is to ask the seller. Tell them if you are buying apples for a snack, to make sauce, to make a pie, to make fritters, or to freeze. The grower or seller will be your best source of information.

Once you get your apples home, wash them, dry them, and store them in a cool place so they'll be ready when you are. Follow the advice from the seller and you'll get the most out of your Washington State apples.

A Brief History Of The Jackfruit

Jackfruit – Odiferous Deliciousness

For a fruit that is the size of a small watermelon to grow like a bunch of bananas just seems impossible. Is this nature gone awry? It may be puzzling, but once you get past the appearance and the smell, you will find an amazing fruit that is perfectly suited for a number of culinary treats.  Let's learn more.

What is it?

Jackfruit is the largest of all fruits that grow on trees. You will find jackfruit anywhere from 8 inches to 3 feet long and can weigh as much as 100 pounds!  The rind encases large bulbs of yellow, banana-tasting flesh. It's lucky we even know about jackfruit because it's a miracle anyone ever opened one.  Unopened jackfruit has a strong odor similar to rotting onions.  But, once you get past that smell, the flesh of the fruit is very sweet and pleasant and smells like a combination of banana and pineapple.  I can only imagine the first person to open a jackfruit did it either by accident or on a dare.  There is no hint from the rather unattractive, smelly, and sticky outside that anything good would be lurking inside.

The jackfruit tree is a member of the mulberry family.  It is quite stately, growing as much as 70 feet tall with big glossy, evergreen leaves that are thick and leather-like. The entire tree contains a sticky, white latex and oozes out when you pick the fruit or break off a leaf.  Between the awful smell of the jackfruit and the sticky ooze, I can understand why this is a fruit that is prized in some areas of the world and allowed to go to waste in others.

History

The first known use of the word 'jackfruit' was in 1563 by the naturalist Dr. Garcia de Orta.  With archeological diggings finding evidence of jackfruit more than 3000 years ago in India, we know this plant has a rich and far reaching history. Beyond these findings in India, the tree has been cultivated in many tropical regions including Vietnam, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, and the Philippines. Jackfruit is also found in parts of East Africa, as well as throughout Brazil. 

Jackfruit became a part of the Jamaican landscape when in 1782 plants from a captured French ship destined for Martinique were taken to Jamaica.  Jackfruit is still rare in the Pacific islands, even though it was planted in Hawaii in the late 1800s.  Introduced into northern Brazil in the mid-1800s, jackfruit is more popular there now than anywhere else in the New World.  Florida was the recipient of jackfruit trees very late in the game and there are only a handful of jackfruit trees remaining in South Florida, making these mainly a curiosity and not for the fruit.

There are over 11,000 acres of jackfruit trees planted to Ceylon, mainly for timber, with the fruit being a nice bonus.  Away from the Far East, the jackfruit has never gained the same appreciation that its close relative, the breadfruit, enjoys.  Again, this could be due largely to the distinctive stench of the unopened jackfruit.  However, canned jackfruit has hit more and more markets, making the whole stinky issue obsolete.  With that in mind, the jackfruit may just increase in popularity as time goes on.

Health Benefits

Apart from its delightful taste, jackfruit is rich in important nutrients like vitamin A, vitamin C, calcium, potassium, iron, thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, magneisum and the list goes on. Because jackfruit is such an important part of the diet and commerce of so many large regions, it has been the subject of many studies.  This important food source not only provides inexpensive nutrients, but the studies show the fruit also helps protect against cancer, strengthen the immune system, aids in healthy digestion, and also helps to maintain healthy skin and eyes. 

Fun Fact

The jackfruit wood has been used to make musical instruments, such as drums, lutes, and string instruments. It is also used for ornate seating in religious Hindu ceremonies. Buddhist monks have used the wood as a dye, giving their robes a light brown shade that distinguishes their sect from others.

How to Eat

If you're looking for fresh jackfruit, you most likely will find it in an Asian food specialty store. Fresh jackfruit can be eaten fully grown, but still unripe, to avoid the nasty smell.  In this form, it would still have the sticky latex but you wouldn't get the stink. It would just be cut up and cooked, boiled and salted, and served as a vegetable. 

A fully ripened fruit can be eaten cooked or raw, but you just have to get past the smell when you open it.  Be sure if you get a ripe jackfruit to open it outside.  The smell will permeate the house quickly.  Once you reach the edible insides, you will find a wonderfully sweet taste that is perfect to turn into jam, jelly, chutney, or even ice cream.  Jackfruit can also be made into a paste, then spread over a airy surface and allowed to dry in the sun to create a naturally chewy candy.  Choose jackfruit that's somewhat firm and you will be able to can it in a simple syrup with some sort of citric acid added.

You can find jackfruit already canned or frozen. Dried jackfruit chips are available and make delicious snacks. There are plenty of ways to enjoy this fruit once you find it.  With so much of the world cultivating and enjoying jackfruit, wouldn't you like to give it a try, too?

Jaboticaba: The Tree Hugging Fruit From Brazil

This fruit bearing tree with the funny name is little known outside its natural range. Perhaps the most popular native tree of Brazil, other areas may not recognize this tree at all.  That is, unless you mention its family name – myrtle.  Then the tree with the thin bark that sheds becomes more familiar.  But, there's so much more to learn about. Let's take a look at this fun tree with the crazy name.

What is it?

A jaboticaba tree in full bloom is a beautiful example of 'cauliflory' which means the flowers of the tree appear on the main trunk or branches of the tree instead of in the leaves. The fruit matures from these flowers so they end up clinging to the trunk and branches rather than hanging. This gives the tree a unique appearance, at least to those outside of Brazil. These trees are grown in the interior of a region because they don't do well in salty soil and air conditions, such as by the ocean. The fruit's skin is tough and will prevent bruising if shipped carefully, but the fruit has a very limited shelf life and will start to ferment quickly once harvested. This is another reason we don't see jaboticaba fruit often outside of its native region.

The tree has salmon-colored leaves when young, then turning green as the tree gets older. These are very slow growing trees which prefer moist acidic soils. When the tree is tended and irrigated routinely, it will produce fruit year round. Even though jaboticaba species are subtropical, they can tolerate mild, brief frosts. Cultivation of the fruit in the Northern Hemisphere isn't so much hampered by temperature and climate as it is by the tree's very slow growth and the short shelf-life of the fruit, making it commercially undesirable.  Seed grown trees may take up to 20 years to bear fruit, making this tree not very popular as an orchard tree but very popular for bonsai and ornamental container planting.

History

One of the earliest mentions of the jaboticaba tree found in Brazil was in a publication in Amsterdam in 1658. It wasn't until 1904 that the United States received the first trees in California, but all disappeared by 1939.  Florida received one variety of the jaboticaba tree in 1911 which finally started bearing fruit in 1932. Seeds and seedlings were sent throughout the years to many other locations, including Cuba, Honduras, and the Philippines. In the 1940s an experimental garden was established once again in Florida and soon started producing trees for sale for home gardens as ornamental trees. This tree survived a hurricane in 1926 that wiped out a large nursery only because two of the seedlings had been taken out and planted in a private home garden. Trees from these two surviving seedlings flourished and were sent out to find root in Panama and Columbia. The struggles to get these trees established was certainly worth it. This is one unusual tree that will always be noticed and appreciated.

Health Benefits

In Brazil, the skins of the fruit are traditionally dried and steeped to use as a treatment for upper respiratory ailments, as well as diarrhea and dysentery. This liquid is also used as a gargle to sooth inflammation of the throat and tonsils. Several potent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory compounds are found in the fruit, including a compound called jaboticabin. These compounds have been shown to have both colon cancer and lung cancer fighting elements. The fruit is also a good source of Vitamin C.  One negative about the fruit is the skin has a high tannin content and should not be eaten frequently or in large quantities because tannin is a known carcinogenic.

Fun Fact

One of the most interesting facts about the Jaboticaba is the way the flowers and fruit grow.  As we mentioned, instead of the flowers and fruit blossoming and growing in the leaves, they actually sprout and cling to the tree's trunk and larger branches. This gives the tree a funny look when it has fruit; sort of like someone stuck big grapes all over it. The name itself is also fun. It is pronounced either JA-bo-ti-ca-ba or ja-BO-ti-ca-ba. 

How to Eat

The fruit is small in size, about 1 inch, more or less, and has usually about 3 or 4 seeds.  The skin is rather thick and purplish in color, and not typically recommended for eating. The insides are sweet, and either white in color or light pink, with a rather gel-like flesh. Jaboticabas are typically eaten fresh and in Brazil have a popularity that is similar to the popularity of grapes in the US and similar regions. When eaten fresh, the method is to squeeze the fruit until the skin splits, then pop the inside of the fruit out of the skin and into your mouth, spitting out the seeds.

Jaboticaba fruit has a very short shelf life, making it pretty much unknown in parts of the world which this plant is not grown. The fruit starts to ferment within days after harvested, which actually makes the production of wines and liqueurs a favorite use.  If you are lucky enough to have a jaboticaba tree in your backyard, you can use the fresh fruit to make jelly or marmalade, again removing at least some of the skin before you do to avoid the tannins. The skins should also be removed if you make any sort of beverage with the fruit. Other than these uses, if you have fresh jaboticaba fruit available, go ahead and peel it, take out the seeds and mix up a fruit salad, make sherbet, or bake a cobbler. 

This funny looking fruit tree with the crazy name is definitely something you won't forget once you see it.  If you're ever in a region that grows these trees, it's well worth the trip to pick a handful of jaboticaba fruit from the trunk and enjoy its juicy goodness.

The Indian Apple Is It The Root Of Evil Or Elixir

If you have ever watched or read the Harry Potter series, you have actually heard of this fruit. Sort of. Do you recall the Mandrakes from the first book? Yes, their scream was insufferable, but the Indian Apple will not begin screaming if up-rooted. The Indian Apple, also known as Mandrake or Duck's Foot, is an interesting plant that is both beneficial to your health and potentially poisonous. Want to find out more?

What is it?

Indian Apple can be found growing in wooded areas of eastern North America. A herbaceous perennial, the stems can grow up to 40 cm high with umbrella-like leaves. If you could imagine a plant that looked like something Dr. Seuss would dream up, then you have a good idea about what the Indian Apple looks like. A single white flower with 6 to 9 petals blooms in May and matures into a greenish-yellow fruit about the size of a plum tomato. You may know this plant by one of its other names, such as Duck’s Foot, Ground Lemon, Hog Apple, Love Apples, Mandragora, May Flower, Raccoon Berry, and Wild Lemon.

History

The history of the Indian Apple is filled with mystery and wonder. It has been part of occult practice and other witchcraft. There have been myths and legends created that run the gamut from a deadly scream when uprooted to the sacred ingredient in creating a poisonous apple.

Health Benefits

The ripened fruit is edible in moderate amounts. The witchcraft practice associated with the Indian Apple may come from the fact that when consumed in large amounts, the fruit is in fact highly toxic. The rhizome, foliage and roots are also poisonous, so it is important to know what you are cooking with before you start. Interestingly, the Indian Apple contains podophyllotoxin, which is used as a highly effective topical ointment to treat viral warts.  Again, you can see where the mystery and witchcraft stories comes from.

Indian Apple has been used by Native Americans to treat constipation, rheumatism, and liver disorders. In old times, the root was boiled in water to make a thin broth which was used to cure stomach aches.

Fun Fact

In the legend about the screaming roots, the way farmers would pull the human-shaped roots was to tie their dog to the plant and place a piece of meat just out of the dog's reach. When the farmer was a safe distance away from the plant, he would give the command to the dog to retrieve the meat which would uproot the plant. Per the myth, the human-shaped root would be pulled from the ground screaming, but the awful noise didn't seem to bother the dog. Once the plant was finished screaming, the farmer would come over and retrieve the plant because it was then safe to pick up. Fun fact or scary fact?  Either way, it's crazy.

How to Eat

The root can be soaked in whiskey, making a tincture, and taken for rheumatism and as a purgative for a digestive system cleanse. Powdered root can be used on ulcers and sores and can also be mixed into drinks to relieve constipation. It is important to know exactly what you are doing with the Indian Apple plant and is generally advised to have it professionally prepared;  think puffer fish in sushi applications. Because of the highly toxic nature of this plant, pregnant women and young children should always consult a doctor before consuming Indian Apple. In other words, leave this root to the experts.

Eat Well And Healthy With Honetdew Melons

Honeydew – Juicy Fruit Wins Sweetness Award

The aroma of a ripe honeydew melon is unmistakable. One of the sweetest treats you'll find, this juicy melon is light, fresh, and about 99% water.  What makes this pale green fruit one of our favorites?  Let's take a look.

What is it?

The honeydew has a smooth, firm pale yellow rind that encases the sweet, juicy, pale green flesh. Most are round and somewhat larger than a cantaloupe, ranging in weight from four to eight pounds.   The rind turns from green to white to yellow as it matures. As the honeydew ripens, its skin transforms from very hard and smooth to a velvety texture and often develops a slight stickiness as if the juice was beginning to escape.

Harvesting the melon at peak ripeness determines how sweet the melon is. Vine-ripened melons picked at the right time have the best flavor and highest sugar content. Once a melon is picked, it no longer gets any sweeter.  A honeydew melon is perfectly ripe if the blossom end yields to gentle pressure when pressed with a finger.

History

The honeydew melon is the American name for the White Antibes cultivar that was primarily cultivated in southern France and Algeria as early as the late fifteenth century. Honeydew plants thrive in a hot dry climate and have been around America since the early nineteenth century.

The honeydew melon, also known as Balian or Wallace melon, is hardy, which contributes highly to its commercial value and success. The melons grow on long stems that emerge from a main stem. Producing both male and female yellow flowers on the same vine, it is the female flower that produces the melon, but the vine can self-pollinate which means it will fruit without any help from bees or humans; another reason for its success.

Health Benefits

Honeydew melons are an excellent source of potassium. You'll also be treated to almost half of the RDA of Vitamin C in just one small serving of honeydew melon. Also rich in pantothenic acid, and Vitamin B6, honeydew melon is believed to help lower blood pressure, relieve skin disorders, and provide other healthy benefits to the circulatory system.

The nutritional value of honeydew melon makes it an excellent choice for both weight control and general health. Honeydew melon provides many essential vitamins and minerals, phytochemicals, plus dietary fiber for better health, digestion, and blood glucose control. So, even if you’re counting carbs to lose weight, honeydew melon may be one fruit to consider eating.  Along with the nutritional value, honeydew melon is filled with juice, which, along with the fiber, makes you feel full.

Fun Fact

These melons are at their nutritive best when vine ripened. But there is one risk associated with ripe honeydew melons - they are highly perishable. After much research, scientists have come up with a solution to keep honeydew melons at their ‘sweetest best' after harvest. The solution is to drown the melons right after harvest in a water-bath containing a special calcium-amino acid solution. The calcium in the solution penetrates the rind to make it firmer and increases its shelf life. Thus the aging process of the honeydew melon is arrested at its peak.

How to Eat

Honeydew melon are most often used in fresh preparations such as fruit salads or cold soups. Honeydew pairs well with lime, mint, and fresh berries. Finely diced honeydew melon can be mixed with a variety of ingredients, both sweet and savory, to create beautiful salsas.  Because of the water content of the honeydew melon, they make wonderful smoothies and other beverages, too.  Once cut, refrigerate any uneaten honeydew melon in food containers for up to two to three days.  But, I suspect once you cut into a ripe honeydew melon, you won't be left with any to put away.

Fun Facts About Hackberries

Hackberry – Sturdy Shade Plus Some Surprises

Maybe you have heard of the Hackberry tree, but never thought of it as a food source. The Hackberry tree is one of the 100 most common trees in the United States. It can survive in a multitude of climates and weather conditions. Curious about how this amazing shade tree can be used for food? Keep reading to find out.

What is it?

The rugged Hackberry tree is tall, with a large spreading crown and nice arching branches that provide welcome relief from the summer heat. The Hackberry tree resembles an elm tree from a distance, which makes sense since it is part of the elm family. The branches tend to droop, giving mature trees a cylindrical shape along with evenly spread branches.

The mature bark is light gray, rough, and cork-like. Its fresh-looking light green foliage turns a lemon yellow in the fall season. The tree's small fruit turns from orange-red to purple when it ripens, but you won't get to enjoy their color too long because they are quickly devoured by birds looking for a sweet treat. The Hackberry tree is a good choice for new home construction that needs shade quickly and is a very forgiving tree in urban conditions.

History

Celtis is a genus of about 60 to 70 species of deciduous trees widespread in warm temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere, in southern Europe, southern and eastern Asia, and southern and central North America, south to central Africa, and northern and central South America. The genus is present in the fossil record at least since the Miocene of Europe.

Hackberries are native to the flood plains of the eastern United States. As such, the Hackberry is one of the toughest and most adaptable trees around. It grows fast and tolerates a wide range of soil conditions, though it prefers moist, well-drained soil. It's a good choice for beginning gardeners since it requires little care outside of what Mother Nature provides.

Health Benefits

Native Americans valued common Hackberry for medicinal, food, and ceremonial purposes. Medicinally, the bark was used as a gynecological aid that could induce spontaneous miscarriage, regulate menstrual cycles, and treat venereal diseases. Bark decoctions were also taken for sore throats.

Fun Fact

The common Hackberry was used as the fuel source for the altar fire at peyote ceremonies, prayer ceremonies that utilized the hallucinogenic peyote cactus. At the beginning of each of the four stages of the ceremony, the altar fire was replenished with common Hackberry wood.  In situations that we may encounter more often, Hackberry has been used as an ornamental tree and in windbreaks. Hackberry is also planted to line streets especially in the mid-west states. It's tolerance to a wide range of soil and moisture conditions makes it perfect for this and to help prevent erosion during heavy weather.

How to Eat

Native Americans used the fruits to flavor meat in a similar manner as black pepper. The drupes of common Hackberry were mixed with fat and corn to form porridge or crushed to add flavor to foods. They were also pounded into a paste, molded onto a stick and baked over an open fire. Most uses today for the fruit of the Hackberry tree is centered on jelly or wine making. If you're lucky enough to be able to forage for this fruit, and have time and patience to pick out the rather large seeds, you will produce a delightful product.

A Sample Tour Of Your Local Farmers Market

Walk through your local farmers market and you're walking into a world of wonder.  You'll immediately be intrigued with the amazing scents and sights.  Let's just take a tour through a sample farmers market.  We'll choose a scenario in the South as an example just to get you thinking.  Here we go.

The Entry

Farmers markets are mostly outdoors in the South, or possibly in several tents or shelters, but with sides wide open. There may or may not be a single entry point. Either way, the masses of people arrive usually pretty early in the morning to avoid the heat of the day. Shoppers descent on the booths and the farmers just after daybreak. You're right there with the swarm, making the chicory coffee tent your first destination. 

As you make your way into the line of tents, you see people bartering over the prices, learning techniques on how to skillfully pick the ripest produce off the vine. You see the samples of honey, salsa of all types, and fruit preserves being tasted and swooned over. The sun is up now and shining bright, but a cool breeze is blowing, thankfully. “Turned out to be a pretty nice day,” is commonly exclaimed by the farmers. The fall season offers a break from the heat, and any break from the heat is a “pretty nice day.” At this point, you have to decide which way to go, so you look and decide to follow the crowd.

The Senses

You don't get far before you notice the aromas. You take a deep breath and enjoy.  Depending on the season, you're treated to the smells of fresh fruit like cantaloupes, peaches, strawberries, and watermelon.  Suddenly you feel extremely hungry.  You begin to check out the offerings, hoping for samples now. You aren't disappointed.  There's a display of cut up cantaloupe.  And there's a peach with a knife stuck in it, meant for you to help yourself.  It looks like there are little spoons next to the honey and salsa display.  Bingo!

You realize you've been sampling a bit too much and decide to buy some honey before you move on.  There are other tables that draw your attention now with an array of gorgeous colors and aromas. You begin to move through the market.  You now spot the deep eggplant purples, the Swiss chard red and greens, and the pale mix of creamy white and yellow of the corn on the cob.  Then you see the beautiful colors of the bins and bins of pumpkins, squash, fall beans, potatoes, beets, and onions.  And then there are the greens; collards, kale, mustard, beet greens.  You turn the corner and the air is thick with a blend of aromas from the rows and rows of fresh herbs.  Now your arms are loaded with an array of colors and aromas, promising flavors beyond compare. You could linger longer just to let your senses enjoy, but, it's time to continue exploring, and sampling.

The Surprises

On your trip around the tents, you come across some rather unique stations. One farmer is selling everything dairy you could possibly think of including homemade butter, raw milk, and soft cheeses.  He offers you a taste of the chocolate milk he is selling and amazingly it tastes like liquid pudding in a cup.  Now you notice another merchant who is making fresh kettle corn.  He picks up his little paddle and begins to make circular movements in a large black kettle. Suddenly, kernels come popping out as he stirs faster and faster.  This may be the perfect snack right now.

You find more of a variety of products than you could ever imagine, from homemade soaps, natural cosmetics, garden decorations, and handmade jewelry and accessories. There is one tent that has  handmade organic cotton baby clothes. There is a woman at another tent selling rag rugs she made using her grandmother's patterns.  If you can imagine it, you'll probably find it.  You wander into another section and you are met with a wall of canned goods.  Now you're exhausted.  You're only halfway through the market.  Do you leave or continue your journey?  One more tent.  Just one more.  Then you hear popping in the background and make your way towards the noise and find a farmer freshly grinding grits and cornmeal.  These are the things you didn't really plan to see.  What's next?  Will your pocketbook be able to handle the surprises?

The Purchases

You've exhausted yourself and your supply of cash.  You finally head back out to the car with your bags of goods and examine the spoils you came away with.  A half gallon of that delicious chocolate milk, a small bag of kettle corn, a couple cantaloupes, a jar of honey, some peaches, collard greens, potatoes, carrots, okra, and even a bar of homemade soap.

Oh yes, you will definitely be back. Maybe you should measure that spot you've been thinking of putting a rug.  You never know what you'll find at the farmers market.

Fresh Farmers Market Pumpkin Cooking Tips

Unusual Pumpkin Recipes - Sweet And Savory Surprises

If there was ever a vegetable that evokes the feeling of Autumn, it's the pumpkin. They are everywhere the minute summer starts to fade and fall approaches. No matter where you turn, there is a pumpkin with a candle inside of it, fields of pumpkins to be chosen, piles of pumpkins, people dressed as pumpkins, and even trash bags for your leaves that mimic pumpkins. But of all the pumpkin-related things out there during the fall, my favorite pumpkin is the one on the dinner table.

Unfortunately, when pumpkin is delivered to the table in the same way over and over again, it can result in what I like to call 'pumpkin burnout.'  Just like with any food fatigue or burnout, it isn't the fault of the food, but the way the food is delivered.  When was the last time your pumpkin pie brought exclamations of delight to the family dinner table?  Have your pumpkin muffins and pumpkin bread been met with a less than enthusiastic welcome?

It's time to get creative and avoid 'pumpkin burnout' this fall.  Let's switch things up a bit and create some sweet and savory surprises.

Dessert

A plate of pumpkin cookies is a surprising sweet treat after dinner.  Just looking at them, your guests may not be able to tell what exactly is on the plate.  But, they will soon find out when they bite into this scrumptious flavor favorite.  Pumpkin pie won't even be missed when you serve up a variety of desserts like pumpkin dip with ginger cookies, pumpkin mousse, pumpkin torte, pumpkin ice cream, pumpkin cheesecake, or even a pumpkin souffle. 

You can make pumpkin chips by roasting thin pieces of a sugar pumpkin, sprinkle them with cinnamon, and serve with a cream cheese dip flavored with nutmeg and allspice and other pumpkin pie flavors.  And don't forget pumpkin fudge.  With all these surprising options to pumpkin pie, you can't possibly suffer from pumpkin burnout!

Casseroles

When you think about serving pumpkin in something other than a dessert, a casserole comes to mind almost immediately.  And when you're thinking about casseroles, you should think about Kürbisauflauf. Yes, I know it is a mouth full, but this German pumpkin casserole is something that will definitely not contribute to any kind of pumpkin burnout.  This casserole is made with potatoes, apples, breadcrumbs, and pumpkin as the main ingredients and usually served with fruit compote.

Even though this is a sweetened casserole, it is not overly sweet. You add sugar if you want, but much of the sweetness comes naturally from the apples and raisins, if added.  Also, you are using pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie filling, so the spices are not there.  Pumpkin does not taste like pumpkin pie until you add the spices.  In this German casserole favorite, you'll be tasting more of the apple and enjoying the moistness of the pumpkin.

Breakfast

You are probably familiar with pumpkin muffins. But, because we're trying to avoid pumpkin burnout here, we're going to skip the familiar and go with something you may not have tried yet.  Pumpkin is a wonderful ingredient to add to pancakes or waffles. Pumpkin offers moisture as well as lots of fiber for a nutritious and delicious breakfast.  You may want to add pumpkin to your favorite yogurt and granola parfait for breakfast.

If doughnuts are your favorite breakfast treat, why not add pumpkin?  It is a simple matter of combining your doughnut ingredients with pumpkin pie filling and cooking them up as you normally would. That plate of doughnuts all of a sudden is very seasonal and festive.  Is a hot bowl of oatmeal your go-to breakfast?  Why not perk it up with pumpkin!  Add your favorite spices, some raisins, and you have a hot breakfast that kicks the nutrition level up a notch or two.

Savory

If sweet isn't your thing, you may want to turn your sights on savory flavors.  Remember, pumpkin puree has very little flavor of its own.  For that reason, pumpkin is the perfect vehicle for other flavors.  And, because pumpkin is packed with nutritional fiber, it's a great choice for healthy diets, as well.  Pumpkin puree, either homemade or canned, can be mixed with other pureed root crops like rutabaga, turnips, carrots, potatoes, or parsnips, to make hearty soups.  For the savory twist, fry up smokey bacon with onion, leeks, garlic, and herbs like rosemary, thyme, and marjoram. 

Roast diced pumpkin with other fall vegetables, season with cumin, cayenne pepper, and other savory seasonings to create a side dish suitable for beef, pork, or chicken.  Layer sliced pumpkin, onions, potatoes, eggplant, and tomatoes with spicy Italian sausage to make a baked dish that's sure to please your hungry family, and without a bit of pumpkin burnout.  Once you get beyond thinking of pumpkin as only a sweet dessert, you will easily move your pumpkin from the sweet side of the pantry to the savory side.

Drinks

Pumpkin drinks are an instantaneous hit anywhere they are served. Some pumpkin beverages are simply pumpkin desserts cleverly disguised as a drink.  Pumpkin pie smoothies and pumpkin cheesecake shakes are two that come to mind.  Whipping up these drinks is as simple as getting out your blender and making your favorite dessert with a little added milk or ice cream.  Of course, pumpkin pie hot chocolate is another favorite. 

You can even go the adult beverage route with many recipes that combine pumpkin puree or pumpkin liqueurs.  Some drinks simply play on the flavors we associate with pumpkin pie; the spices, that is.  But others do actually call for combining pumpkin pie filling with ingredients like Kaluha or rum, and whipping it all up into a frothy drink topped with whipped cream.  This would be a sort of dessert drink with a pumpkin twist.  Certainly, these drinks won't lead to pumpkin burnout!

Whether you're looking for new recipes to serve pumpkin in sweet ways, or you're trying to steer your pumpkin away from sweet and into savory, all it takes is a bit of creativity.  Experiment with a variety of flavors, both savory and sweet, to bring out the very best of everything pumpkin has to offer.  Remember, pumpkin does not taste like pumpkin pie on its own.  That means, you can start fresh!  Surprise your family and your guests with something new this fall – serve dishes that will never contribute to pumpkin burnout.

Perfect Pumkin Pie

The Goodness And Glory Can Be Yours

You know it when you taste it.  It's probably ingrained in your DNA.  We're talking about pumpkin pie perfection. That warm spiced creamy goodness with the flaky crust that falls apart, except for that little bit of chewy edge that soaked up some sugary butter from somewhere deep inside the pie.  Buttery, sugary, warm and spicy, and with a tiny crunch... it all works together to coax those yummy sounds from you just like when you took your first bite way back when.

So, what happened?  For some reason, you got the passive gene for destroying every pumpkin pie you attempt.  When you pull your pie out of the oven, your family looks on in dismay.  It's time you showed them you can overcome this pumpkin pie failure.  After today, you will be well on your way to creating the perfect pumpkin pie you dream about.

Made from Scratch

The first step to making pumpkin pie perfection is to start by using simple ingredients.  And do not think for a moment that a pre-made pumpkin pie will pass as homemade. None of the things you love about pumpkin pie translates to a packaged pumpkin pie you buy in the frozen food section or even in the bakery section.  If you want to serve pumpkin pie perfection, take your time, do your research and begin at the beginning.

The pumpkin filling can be a little tricky if you're going to use a fresh pumpkin.  Be sure when you buy your pumpkin, that you get an actual 'pie' or 'sugar' pumpkin and not a jack-o-lantern.  Yes, there are actually pumpkins that are grown specifically for cooking with and making pumpkin pie. They are smaller in size, normally very round, and have a smoother skin than the carving pumpkin variety.

You can roast your sugar pumpkin or even steam it.  Either way, you just want to get it nice and soft.   Once you have you pumpkin soft, which means it's cooked, you'll be scooping out the good parts and putting it in your food processor to puree.  All pumpkin pie recipes start with a good pureed pumpkin.  The rest of the recipe is up to you and your family's preferences.  Experiment with the recipes you find to reach just the right combination of spices.  Using your own pumpkin puree allows for this tweaking of recipes, so have fun.

A homemade pie crust is easier to make than you might think.  With just a few ingredients, and the right technique, a pie crust can be made and rolled out in the time it takes to roast and puree the pumpkin.  Most pie bakers agree that once the crust is laid in the pie pan, stick it in the oven to pre-bake for a few minutes to prevent the crust from getting soggy on the bottom.  Your pumpkin pie filling will have a lot of moisture in it, so this little step can help make your crust as perfect as your pumpkin filling.

Help from the Store

If, for some reason or another, you are simply not able to make the pumpkin pie filling from scratch, then by all means, choose canned pumpkin puree.  However, be absolutely sure you are NOT using the pre-flavored stuff;  the pumpkin pie filling.  You want to use only the pure pumpkin puree without any flavoring.  To this canned pumpkin puree you will be adding eggs, cream, and a heaping helping of warm spices.  Just plopping the contents of the can into a crust won't make a pumpkin pie worthy of any table.  Even if you were to use pumpkin pie filling, the stuff with the spices, if you dump it into a crust, it will have the texture and taste of something you just dumped into a crust.  In other words, canned pumpkin puree does not a pie make.

With regard to the crust, you have to decide whether you want to take a few minutes to throw around some flour and a few other ingredients and roll out a crust.  It really is that easy to make a pie crust.  However, if for some reason you find yourself unable or unwilling to put together a pie crust, then the store can help you out again.  Look for refrigerated or frozen crusts that require rolling out.  They tend to be a bit flakier than the ready-to-use crusts.  Of course, if you choose a frozen crust you will have to thaw it out, which takes about as long as it does to make a crust from scratch.  You'll have to see which works best for your situation.

The Trick to Perfection

You might have heard there is no way to make a consistently perfect pumpkin pie. This is simply not true. Pumpkin pie perfection is more of an art than it is a science. Part of perfection in baking is in knowing your equipment. Some pans are a little thicker than others or don't hold heat well.  Glass pie pans bake differently than metal pie pans or ceramic pie pans. Ovens run at a slightly higher or lower temperature than what is shown on the dial or display. You have to know where your equipment stands before you can begin making consistent pies.  This means you will have to take the time to make a few test pies to see what works best. Use different pie pans and different oven settings, take notes, and decide what method turned out the best pies.  I don't think you'll have any trouble finding something to do with the 'rejects!'

One of the tricks many pie bakers swear by is to shut the oven off about two minutes before the end of the cooking time and let the pie sit in the oven for an additional ten minutes. This allows the internals of the pie to reach that critical temperature where they can solidify without the filling over-cooking or the crust burning.  An easy trick to avoid burnt crusts is to make an aluminum foil ring to fit over the crust edges on the pie pan and placing it on top of the pie once the crust has reached a nice golden brown color. This will slow down the browning process and eliminate that frustration when you know the filling isn't cooked but the crust can't take any more color.  Also, some say a small bowl of water placed in the oven beside a pumpkin pie helps to keep the surface from cracking, although I think the cracks look homey and quaint.

Perfection is not out of reach when it comes to making a pumpkin pie. Take your time, follow these simple instructions, and don't try to rush it along. Keep these things in mind and you will begin to develop the knack for pumpkin pie perfection just like you remember from long, long ago.

Your Guide To Becoming A Locavore

From Your Local Farm To  Your Table

The 'buy local, eat local' craze is sweeping the nation. Eating local is a great idea, but where do you start? How do you become a locavore?  And what benefits does it give to you and your surrounding environment? These are all great questions and, surprisingly, the answers are fairly straight forward. Let's get things straight and get on with eating local and becoming an honest to goodness locavore.

Locavore

You probably remember from history, biology, or perhaps one of those other 'ologies' about words ending in 'vore'. Think herbivore (plant eating animals), carnivore (meat eating animals) or even omnivore (animals who don't really care as long as it is edible.)  So it only follows that locavore means those people who consume locally grown food and use locally produced products, or at least try to remain within a certain radius from home. Basically, if it's on a truck for hours or days to get from the farm to your table, it doesn't qualify as local.

Health

So what exactly are the benefits to your health when you are a locavore? One of the most commonly stated health benefits is that food that is grown near you is believed to help your body fight off allergens. For instance, eating locally made honey will help you during allergy season because the same pollen that your body is trying to ward off is what the bees used to make the honey. Therefore, by eating the honey, you are helping your body develop antibodies that will help fight off the allergens.

Economy

Not only will your body thank you for eating local, but you also have the power to help sustain small businesses that count on you to keep going. You get the chance to see exactly what goes into your food and the local businesses are responsible to you, not some corporate entity. By voting with your dollars, you are telling these local businesses that you love what they do or you believe they could be better stewards of what they have. Either way, your dollar is working to influence your community.

Freshness

If you have never tasted a ripe cantaloupe that was picked off the vine just a few hours earlier, you don't know what you are missing. How about that big juicy tomato fresh off the plant in the garden? When a fruit or vegetable is picked when it is ripe rather than hoping that it ripens on the truck, you get a superior taste. Produce was designed to ripen a certain way, usually on the vine or tree or in the ground.  When we prematurely pluck it to get it shipped across country, we seriously defeat the ways of nature. The result? Food that doesn't taste the way nature intended.

Nutrition

It is amazing how much of a fruit or vegetable's nutrients develop during the ripening stage while still attached to the plant. During that stage, the soil pours in vitamins and minerals that are essential in order to ripen the produce; the very same nutrients essential to your health. By pulling your food from the ground or off the vine before it is ripe, you are losing out on nutrients your body counts on to maintain its health – your health!

Eating local is more than just a fad... it is a way of life. There is nothing more delicious, nutritious, healthy, and economy-boosting than being a locavore in your very own hometown.

Farmers Market Feast

 Serve Fresh Food From Appetizer To Dessert

The farmers market is a place where great ideas meet great fresh food and explode into incredible feasts. You can make one trip to the farmers market and gather enough ingredients to make a full five-course meal that will rival any fancy restaurant. Allow me to get your creative juices flowing as well as your taste buds jumping as we walk through a sample of what you might find to create your very own farmers market feast.

Appetizer

You want to give your guests something to snack on while they are waiting to see what's coming next. Look for a loaf of homemade french bread, some fresh dill, goat cheese or other soft cheese, and red bell peppers for roasting. With these simple ingredients, you can have an amazing appetizer that will keep your guests well fed and eager for more. Simply cut the bread into thin slices and toast them over the grill while you are roasting your red peppers.

Combine the dill and goat cheese, spread on the toasted bread and top with thin slices of the roasted pepper. You can substitute prosciutto for the red bell pepper for another possibility. The idea is to look around the farmers market for inspiration as well as ingredients for the first course as well as for the main event.

Salad

Your salad options are as long and varied as the rows upon rows of displays at the market. Pick up  fresh lettuce, of course, but be sure to choose an interesting variety.  Look for complimentary produce such as pomegranates, pears, and apples, to match up with bitter greens such as chicory, arugula, watercress, and frisee.  Fresh baby bitter greens are a classic match up with sweet fruit.  And don't forget the berries.  When it comes to salads, fresh is the word, no matter how you build it.

Kale is another great farmers market find.  This remarkable green can be eaten raw or cooked.  One fun way to serve kale in a salad is as a crunchy topping.  Kale, when cut up into small pieces, can be roasted to create a delicate papery thin treat with a very fun crunch to it.  Sprinkle these nutritious  crispy bites on top of your salad instead of croutons.  And don't forget to look for fresh herbs to create a savory dressing to go on your salad.  If you have citrus in your market, let that be your inspiration for your homemade vinaigrette.

Soup

Piles and piles of potatoes mean just one thing; inspiration!  No, the potato is not a lowly vegetable, not when you have the varieties available to choose from at a farmers market.  For the soup course you can't do much better than starting with potatoes.  One soup that should come to mind is potato leek soup. Simple, yet elegant, this filling soup should be served in small bowls with a pretty swirl of yogurt and a sprinkle of green onion on top. Other vegetables that work well for pureed soups are squash, pumpkin, rutabaga, parsnips, and turnips.  Mix and match for a splendidly soothing soup to relax your guests just long enough to get ready for the main course.

Look also to the bins of greens for inspiration for a soup course.  A small bowl of beet soup, hot or cold, is a wonderful start to a meal.  Hearty mustard greens and collard greens also make a splendid, bright, soup that gets the taste buds begging for more. Depending on your main course, you'll want to serve a soup that is either hearty and satisfying or light and refreshing.  Don't forget to include the fruit you find at your market and the herbs for soup inspiration.  Apple juice and cider make excellent soup bases.

Main Course

After a start like this, it may seem as if you've exhausted all your farmers market has to offer, but this is where the simplicity of the market takes over.  A main course can feature something as simple as a perfectly executed sandwich. Pile seasonal cheeses on top of homemade multi-grain bread that has been slathered with herbed butter, then topped with a mix of ingredients for crunch. This can include sliced apples, greens, or a thin slice of sweet onion, or everything.  Something as simple as a grilled cheese sandwich becomes inspired when you layer market fresh specialty cheeses with fresh herbs, greens, vegetables, and fruit, and then grill between slices of hearty homemade bread.

And don't forget to look for fresh and smoked meats at your market.  Many farmers raise meat for the table as well as produce.  Big pots of peppery greens with lots of smoked sausage makes a bright and flavor-packed entree. During the fall, the farmers market is also a great place to find a variety of fresh beans.  You will notice a big difference when you cook with fresh beans as opposed to dried beans.  The fresh beans are easier to cook and are very tender.  You can easily build a main course around the offerings at your local market.  All it takes is filling your basket and using your creativity and your good taste, and you'll fill your table with a main course that is very satisfying.

Dessert

Now comes the moment we have all been waiting for. Dessert. Nothing says farmers market dessert like fresh peach cobbler served in a pretty bowl and topped off with a scoop of rich vanilla ice cream.  Of course, apples are a big hit at many farmers markets during the fall season.  Apple pie or Apple crisp are the obvious desserts, but don't forget to think about applesauce, apple dumplings, or apple turnovers.

But, you don't have to bake fruit to have a dessert worthy of this five course meal.  Sometimes less is more.  Sliced apples, pears, or other fruit combined with a wonderful variety of cheeses is often the perfect ending to a hearty meal such as this.  Perhaps a steamy hot mug of apple cider will satisfy the sweet tooth at the end of the evening.  If oranges are in season in your region, try making orange sugar cookies. Not quite dessert-worthy in your book?  Melt some chocolate and dip the cookies about half way in to make treats that looks like, and tastes like, they came right out of a fancy mail-order catalogue.

Can you really find enough at your local farmers market to produce a five course meal?  You sure can!  And not only five courses, but five star courses!  Fresh means fabulous when it comes to cooking.  Create each course to compliment the next and you can't go wrong. The only problem is you'll have trouble sending your guests home after they've been treated so well. You might as well start making up the guest room before you even serve dessert. Enjoy!

Fall Time Is Soup Time

 Warm Up With These Unusual Chill Chasers

The start of the fall season is usually marked by that first hint of chill in the air.  That chill outside can often translate into a chill inside. This makes fall the perfect time to curl up with a steaming bowl of soup.  But, do you want to have yet another bowl of plain chicken noodle soup?  Why not warm up your body and soul at the same time with some unusual soups?  Here are a few soups that you should try this fall to warm up yourself and your family.

Harvest Soup With a Basil Bump

If you want a great soup that you can throw together with one trip to the farmers market, this is the soup for you. Get your big pot going with fresh diced tomatoes, zucchini, onion, bell pepper, celery, and carrots. When all those wonderful ingredients have simmered together and gotten all softened, it's time for the surprise ingredient - basil pesto.  Make a classic basil pesto from fresh basil, garlic, pine nuts, and olive oil, blended smooth in a food processor.  Stir the basil pesto into the finished soup, reheat and serve hot. This is great before the basil, but after the basil pesto is added, this soup goes from great to unbelievable!  No more chill.  No more dry scratchy throat, or runny nose after you've settled in with this spicy, satisfying soup.

Pozole Chases the Blues Away
Known as a special occasion dish in Mexico, this is a soup that is often served at large parties where the wine, beer, and other adult beverages flow freely.  As such, this soup is a well known cure for hangovers and is often eaten in the wee hours of the morning.  Typically, this soup is a combination of pork, beans, and hominy grits in a hearty stock.  But, its curative properties come from an abundance of several other ingredients like garlic, cumin, onion, fresh oregano, and lots and lots of red chiles. Whether you want to sweat out a headache or ward off a chill, having a pozole recipe to turn to is a very good idea.

Turkey Wonton Warms You Up

We love our leftover turkey, don't we.  We especially love it when we're looking around for some inspiration to make a warming soup.  This soup starts simply enough with some stock, turkey, noodles,  pork dumplings, and greens.  Use baby bok choy for authenticity, or choose a more bitter or peppery green if you want to impart more of a warming feel to your soup.  Most recipes for wonton soup will have added sesame oil which is tasty and also helps to soothe the throat.  For whatever reason, the more intense the flavor, the more warming a soup is.  Of course, adding red pepper flakes bumps the warming factor up a notch or two, so be sure to spice this soup up to send the chills packing.

Apple Pumpkin Soup Strategies
If there are two ingredients to put in your soup that scream Autumn farmers market, they would be apples and pumpkins. There are quite a few variations on soup recipes using these two fall favorites.  You may be looking for a soup that closely resembles pumpkin pie.  Or, maybe, you want the tart apple flavor to come through first.  You can make a country style soup with big chunks of pumpkin and apple swimming in a sweet and sour broth to warm you inside and out.  You can make a smooth pureed soup with a surprising kick of curry to help clear a stuffy head and chase away the chills.  This is a combination of two powerhouse ingredients that can go from one end of the flavor wheel to the other with no problem at all.  Pick your favorite flavors and create a soup that fits your needs.

When it comes to chasing chills away, nothing beats a big steamy bowl of soup.  But, choose the right ingredients and you can do more than make a warming bowl of soup – you can create a big soup hug.

Fall Produce Guide

 Food In Season In Your Region

There's certain times of the year that seem to bring out the inner-gardener in all of us, even when we don't have a plot of land to dig around in.  If you are lucky enough to live close to a farmers market, you don't have to plant your own garden to enjoy the bounty of the land. Let's take a look at what foods you will find in the different areas of the United States during the Autumn season.

Midwest

When you think of wide-open spaces, rolling hills, fall colors, woods, rivers, lakes, and streams, you are probably thinking of the Midwest. The climate in this region is perfect for the fall produce that you see most often featured in pictures depicting a bountiful Autumn. During the fall season in the Midwest, depending on which area you find yourself in, you can buy fruits and veggies like apples, celery, cauliflower, broccoli, leeks, pumpkins, beets, and turnips at the local markets.

You may not be as familiar with some of the other produce harvested during the cool fall season, such as parsnips, kale, rutabaga, and eggplant. Some of your favorite hearty staples are also found in the Midwest regions during the fall; bountiful crops such as potatoes, squash, onions, and carrots. Probably the oddest piece of produce that you will see come out of the Midwest during the fall months is the persimmon, which is a tart little bite that will have you craving more. And don't forget the cranberry.  Where would we be without our cranberry on the Autumn table!  Look for all of these fall favorites anytime before the first hard frost in the coldest regions of the Midwest.

Northeast

The Northeast areas are generally surrounded by masses of water so they are typically known for their seafood and other types of game.  However, this region also has farms that are busy producing some of the best produce to ever hit your table. These regions give us beets, Brussles sprouts, cranberries, grapes, onions, nectarines, and even rutabaga.

Looking to try something different, but still fresh in the Northeast region? Perhaps you can give chicory, escarole, pluots or some radicchio a try this fall. Pluots are amazing hybrids between a plum and an apricot, and they should definitely be on your list of foods to try this year.  So, when you think of the northeast, don't just think about lobster; think about all the wonderful produce that region has to offer, as well.

Southeast

Known for its 'down home' style of cooking, many of the ingredients you find in the recipes have their roots right in the area. For instance, during the cooler months, you can find sweet potatoes, tomatillos, collard greens, figs, okra, pecans, mustard greens, kale greens, and green beans.  And we mustn't forget the fruit.  Citrus is a welcome addition to any table as the fall months move into winter.

The crops in the South during the fall often dictate the menu for many a meal during holidays and family get-togethers.  Pecan pie just screams Southern comfort food.  Sweet potato casserole and a pot of collard greens is on every southern table during the fall season.  Fall may come a little later in this region, but the produce is perfectly timed to make Southerners giddy over big piles of greens and baskets of brightly colored sweet citrus at their local farmers markets.

Northwest

The Northwest region of the United States tends to have a more consistent climate throughout the year which makes it a prime growing region for some of the more delicate fruits and veggies. With a temperate climate that has a considerable amount of rainfall, you can expect produce that likes to stay cool and shaded to grow in this region. Not much sun loving produce here.

During the fall months you will find boysenberries, huckleberries, artichokes, kiwi, mint, sage, basil,  watercress, and rosemary in fresh abundance. Other produce you will find in this region includes chard, beets, Brussels sprouts, celery, and arugula. If it doesn't like direct sun, and loves lots of moisture, you'll find it in the Northeast.  But, wait.  I almost forgot one of the biggest crops you'll find in the northwest; apples.  Along with pears, apples are a very abundant crop in the northwest.  If you want to buy a variety of apples and learn a million ways to eat them, go to a farmers market in the northwest.  You will not be disappointed.

No matter what your appetite during the fall months, there is some region of the United States that is bound to have the fresh produce you are looking for. Now the trick is trying to figure out how to get there and back in time for dinner!

Start Your Day Right With Breakfast From The Farmers Market

If you are looking for fresh, creative breakfast ideas, you can't do better than the local farmers market.  Who knows better about how best to use what's fresh and available than the people who grow it?  You need a day's worth of energy in your breakfast, just like the farmers do.  So, why not start your day by making a great breakfast with the ingredients you picked up at the local farmers market? Here are a few ideas to get you started making a nutritious and delicious morning meal.

Maxed Out Pancakes

A farmers market breakfast can start with anything.  To make it simple, let's look at a breakfast favorite, the pancake.  But, if you're thinking plain, think again.  How about a plate of pancakes with chives, goat cheese, and fresh peas? If that idea doesn't get your mouth watering, you might want to try other herbs, vegetables, fresh greens, and specialty cheeses. You can even mix some pureed pumpkin or other squash into the batter.

If you're looking for sweet instead of savory, or a combination of the two, try a selection of seasonal berries or fruit, then mix in fresh herbs to compliment.  Peaches and rosemary are a good combination that surprises and delights the taste buds.  You can add soft cheeses to fruit filled pancakes just as successfully as you can to savory pancakes.  No matter what's in season at your farmers market, you can find a way to include it in a pancake in the morning.

Market Medley

Some people call it hash, others call it a skillet meal, but no matter what you call it, you know it's downright delicious. Start by taking seasonal potatoes, scrub them or peel them, and cook them in a big pot of salted water just until knife tender.  Drain the pot and let them cool, then dice them.  You have the beginning to a hash skillet medley.  Grab any fresh produce you brought home from the market;  onions, peppers, zucchini, radishes, bush beans, rutabaga, turnips, carrots, kale, collards... well, you get the idea.

Get your big skillet out, throw in some oil or butter or bacon and start frying.  Get your potatoes in there, then start adding whatever you want and cook until potatoes are browned and the rest of the veggies are tender. You can top the skillet meal with some cheese, chili beans, shredded cooked meat, or even an egg or two.  Whatever you add to the skillet, you've got a base built on farm freshness that is bound to please.

Clever Crepes

Don't panic - crepes are actually incredibly easy. The problem people have with crepes is that the batter is not the right consistency.  Make sure the batter is thin enough to easily swirl around in the pan.  If your batter looks like pancake batter in the bowl, it's too thick.  Find a good recipe for crepe batter or buy a pre-boxed mix.  You can always switch to homemade once you get an idea of how crepe batter should look.  But, enough of that.  Let's get to the fun stuff.

Crepes can actually be flavored themselves.  If you are making a savory crepe dish, filled with herbs and veggies, throw a few herbs right into the crepes.  If you are making sweet crepes, filled with warm spices and fruit, throw a few of those spices in the crepes.  This isn't necessary, but it is pretty and tasty.  Once you have made your crepes, you're ready for the filling.  Lightly fried or grilled strips of zucchini with a soft herbed cheese makes a nice savory crepe.  Seasonal fruit combined with a simple custard is a beautiful start to the day.  Whether sweet or savory, crepes make breakfast just seem more special.

A trip through the local farmers market should give you plenty of inspiration for these three simple breakfast choices.  Fresh is best, whether it's dinner, lunch, or the nicest meal of the day – breakfast.