vegetable jams

I got collards collards collards and someone showed up yesterday with a big bundle of rainbow chard...not too mention the dino kale. I combined them in a roasting pan with a couple of tomatoes, 1/3 cup olive oil, the remaining carrots from last week and three small apple (picked while standing on my deck) covered the pan and roasted them for about an hour. Let it cook and then either a good processor or blender works best --add seasonings to taste I added preserved lemon but whatever you like will do. Heat again to meld the flavors -either micro wave or stove top and you have a savory jam that can be used for all kinds of things.

while you are jammin' please sign the petition for better food tracing.

collards collards and more collards week 10

The box this week collards (big and little) basil, summer squash, gypsy peppers, head lettuce, plums, garlic, cucumbers, parsley, dino kale and green onions...(but no Booker T and the MG's) and no tomatoes!..looks like I have going to have to make a trip to tomato heaven out on Westside Road.

Please sign my petition for better food safety --so you can really know where your produce has been

Please sign my petition

I created a petition in support of Rep Diana DeGette's legislation . Please sign it and let others know about it.

The Bush administration's general hostility to government regulation of industry makes the FDA claims of helplessness ring hollow. If, though, it lacks authority to require full trace-back capabilities, Congress should grant it -- indeed, mandate it -- forthwith. Rep. Diana DeGette, D-Colo., has proposed such legislation.

H.R.3484 Title: To amend the Federal Meat Inspection Act, the Poultry Products Inspection Act, and the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to provide for improved public health and food safety through enhanced enforcement, and for other purposes. Sponsor: Rep DeGette, Diana [CO-1] (introduced 9/6/2007) Cosponsors (6) Latest Major Action: 9/6/2007 Referred to House subcommittee. Status: Referred to the Subcommittee on Health.

Rep Diana DeGette working for a safer food system

That finding gave particular weight to the testimony that Representative Diana DeGette, vice-chair of the Committee on Energy and Commerce, gave today before the House Agriculture Subcommittee on Horticulture and Organic Agriculture at a hearing to discuss traceability in fresh produce, which DeGette has been pushing since 2002 read her testimoney posted thanks to Cafe Society.

DeGette has been trying to help the FDA do its job. Prior to the most recent salmonella scare, the chances for passing the legislation were small but now there is a chance. Let your member of Congress know you want H.R.3485 : To amend the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, the Federal Meat Inspection Act, the Poultry Products Inspection Act, and the Egg Products Inspection Act to improve the safety of food, meat, and poultry products through enhanced traceability, and for other purposes.Sponsor: Rep DeGette, Diana [CO-1] (introduced 9/6/2007) passed this sesson.


online petition

Very Quick Vegetable Stew

I don't use my microwave oven very often but it terms of quick cooking vegetables -it is hard to beat. My stew is collards,green beans, squash and potatoes in a garlic vegetable broth. First, I cooked the vegetables for about three minutes in the microwave and then I sauteed them in some olive oil to round out the flavor for about two minutes. I put them in the broth and returned it to the microwave for another three minutes and viola! a stew that tastes like it simmered for a while but the vegetables aren't limp and lifeless. As for seasonings - I added chili paste because I like spicy food but it could be anything.

thinking outside the box Food Safety Regulation

Report on this week's food safety hearings in Congress..from the SF Chronicle

"One thing is clear: The sprawling U.S. food chain, now delivering a billion meals a day every day, is no stronger than its weakest link. And there are plenty of weak links.
"The one great certainty," said Michael Osterholm, director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research at the University of Minnesota, "is that there will be a next time, and it could be as soon as tomorrow."
The exact source of the outbreak is still unclear. The rare Saintpaul strain of salmonella has sickened 1,304 people, although many more probably were affected. More than 250 were hospitalized, and two, an elderly man and a cancer patient, died. The outbreak has slowed, but the investigation continues, focusing now on serrano and jalapeno peppers from two widely separated farms in Mexico.

Collards....better for you cooked

Nutrition Collards are a dieter's delight with their low calorie, low fat, and low sodium content. Across the nutrition scale, cooked collard greens offer more vitamins and minerals than raw. Though raw collards are still considered nutritious, cooking them breaks down their cell walls and releases higher levels of vitamins and minerals.
One cup of freshly cooked collards contains 49 calories; raw they contain 11 calories. The protein content of one cup of cooked collards offers 4 grams while the raw provides 1 gram. read more from Vegetarians in Paradise