food museum blog

Mastering the Concord Grape

A North American native, the blue/purple Concord grape was developed by a transcendental fellow named Ephraim Wales Bull in Concord, Massachusetts.  Working with seeds from native wild grapes, Bull experimented, and after planting 20,000 cuttings, he finally claimed success in 1853 by winning a grape competition at the Boston Horticultural Society.

According to the history posted at The Concord Grape Association, Mr. Bull never harvested much financial success for his efforts. " He sowed--others reaped," is apparently carved on his tombstone.

That said, I bought some delicious C. grapes this morning at the growers market and recalled my mother explaining to me back in the day--I was 5?--how to eat them. Pop the grape in your mouth, squeeze it open with your teeth, swallow the juice and the gooey center containing the seeds, and spit out the skin.  Today I decided to research that notion--just checking, Mom!--and found that some people do that, some chew the gooey middle and spit out the seeds, some like the combo of juice and tangy skin, etc etc.  Methods to suit all tastes.

Chewing or not chewing the center is akin to the oyster dilemma. It was my Dad who taught  me about sliding the oyster off the shell and into the mouth, there to be chewed lightly if you were him, or swallowed whole in all its sea watery-chilled goodness, if you were me, and 11.

Now that I have come of age, I ,too, chew my oysters, lightly, and also chew my Concords, maybe every other time.

( Bull's first Concord grapevine, courtesy USDA.

Another Day, Another ( Same Old) Diet ?

 Eat more veggies, ginger, turmeric, blueberries, whole grains and fish, cut way back on red meat, dairy, and trans fats, and, presto, you will be entering the anti-inflammation zone. It's all in a book aptly called The Anti-Inflammation Zone, by Barry Sears.  Now this diet is not aimed at "weight loss," apparently, but people do lose weight on it.  And, by yes, reducing inflammatory-ness, one takes a firm step towards preventing all manner of disease, including heart ailments, cancer, even Alzheimer's.

The LA Times did a piece on the anti-inflammatory trend and the author noted that the Mediterranean diet really does closely resemble the a-i edibles approach, except possibly for the heavy use of ginger and turmeric.

 Is this yet another recycling/repackaging of common-sensical eating? And what about the Inuit?

Curiously, what was common and sensible eating for the northern-dwelling Inuit many years ago-- their traditional diet---hints at the positive role of fatty fish as described here in Discover magazine, in 2004.

"Today, when diet books top the best-seller list and nobody seems sure of what to eat to stay healthy, it’s surprising to learn how well the Eskimo did on a high-protein, high-fat diet. Shaped by glacial temperatures, stark landscapes, and protracted winters, the traditional Eskimo diet had little in the way of plant food, no agricultural or dairy products, and was unusually low in carbohydrates. Mostly people subsisted on what they hunted and fished. "

Here's the fishy kicker. "... like a “natural aspirin,” adds (Professor Eric) Dewailly, omega-3 polyunsaturated fats ( from fish and sea mammals) help put a damper on runaway inflammatory processes, which play a part in atherosclerosis, arthritis, diabetes, and other so-called diseases of civilization."

Martha's Vineyard, Cape Cod--Food Heritage

Named by British voyager Bartholomew Gosnold after his mother, Martha, in 1602 the island of Martha's Vineyard apparently was rich in luxuriant grapevines. As rich in grape, as the Cape nearby was rich in cod. Gosnold named Cape Cod, as well. Such an observer of food,  our little-remembered Gosnold, and food available in such abundance in the not-yet-even colony of Massachusetts.

Gosnold, an attorney with a bent for sea exploration, returned to England intent on recruiting stout souls to help found the Virginia Colony. Five years after his New England sojourn he died in or near Jamestown in 1607, a swampy site he thought rightly to be unsuitable for habitation. Most of the original Jamestown settlers died of famine, and its accompanying scurvy and dysentery.

The tale of why settlers in a land filled with vegetation, game and fish died of hunger even in the summertime is fodder for many books, including Jamestown, the Buried Truth, in which we learn that dogs and cats were eaten by the afflicted Jamestonians.

The Obamas ( and Bo) need not fear hunger during their stay on the Vineyard, however. 35 year-old West Tisbury Farmers Market is right down the lane from their lodgings.

Fat States, Non-Fish- Appropriate Companies.

Dubious Distinction Foodie Awards: The " fattest state" continues to be Mississippi, with ' Bama making a run at being number one. All that fried chicken? Colorado is the skinniest. ( Vermont??)  Fat, salt, and corn syrup over all.

Meanwhile, those who try to eat fish to keep the pounds off need to be wary of where they buy. The just released Greenpeace report titled Carting Away the Oceans wallops Trader Joe's and Costco bigtime, as having no seafood sustainability programs, a "willful disregard for our oceans," and no apparent desire to improve.  Whole Foods does well on this point, as do SuperTarget stores--even Walmart is not too shabby in this area. Read the report here.

Love Florida Farmed Oysters? Not So Much.

Oysters are not for everyone. Many the friend has wrinkled a nose when I suggested, '"How 'bout some oysters?,” though there are exceptions. Years ago we were with a bona fide oyster pal eating at his favorite joint in New Orleans—the spectacular bivalves were maybe 25 cents each, with an equally non pricey pitcher of beer.

Generally I do not accompany shellfish with beer— crisp white wine or champagne, lemons, black pepper, a good baguette and butter, yes. On our trip around France working on a book about food heritage---buy it—we sampled the best.

My first venture into mega oyster land was here in Florida, where they grow their own, 90% of the FL crop, in Apalachicola.  We had joined friends at a Chinese bigger-than-Tao's Buffet, and were tucking into the clams in broth, mussels, shrimp wrapped around scallops, lightly battered and fried, when we were urged to try the oysters.

As I tend to avoid these huge places, having once experienced a bizarre post-buffet reaction, I hesitated re the oyster array. ( I never try the sushi, however fresh and delectable looking.) To my surprise, the oysters appeared to have been opened moments before, and a huge bowl of lemon wedges perched beside the their tray. They looked fine.

Alas, these easily renewable, sensibly processed oysters had no taste. Zero. And not a hint of the sea. No fresh ocean-breeze scent, no salt water hint. Zip. I tried two, just to be fair. Nada.

The clams, on the other hand, most likely also farmed, were delicious.

The Grouper Thing

A huge billboard near Bradenton, FL, on the Gulf Coast of Florida, reads www.groupersandwich.com.
Tap that in and you will be looking at ads for 3 not so memorable restaurants. Everybody wants grouper sandwiches here but few get them---Florida grouper, that is. Pricey per pound retail, true FL grouper is caught on hooks and is acclaimed broiled or blackened on a toasted roll, with cole slaw on the side.  Other grouper can be bought from South American waters.

But it's the faux fish that still anger Florida fish mongers, restaurants owners, and diners. Asian catfish, tilapia, and other lesser known swimmers attempt to masquerade as the firm, thick and tasty white fish. Apparently half of the food misrepresentation suits filed with the state government concern grouper.

The other day, lunching outside and watching the swoop of pelicans, I ate a delicious g. sandwich.
I think.

Latkes and Lox for Christmas

Maybe I'm channeling my inner Jew, but I just decided it would be fun to make latkes and zucchini cakes  for a casual Christmas supper--served along with the smoked salmon I'm still awaiting from my sister-in-law. Full fat yogurt will stand in for sour cream, and the Empire apples I found somewhere will be coaxed into apple sauce. Along with a bottle of bubbly I picked  up at Trader Joe's, this sounds perfect to me. No lengthy hot oven activity, just loads of grating by hand. Simple food, fibrous and satisfying. (Chile powder will play a role!)

Fashionably Thin and Homeless in Posh America

Parking before starting a morning stroll along one of America's more pricey strips of waterfront at Coffee Pot Bayou in St. Petersburg, FL, I noticed a woman and two cute dogs in the next vehicle. It appeared they were living there.

She got out and I got out, we exchanged "Good morning" greetings, and I walked over to peer into the shallows at  silver schools of fish hanging like clouds over the heads of the much bigger sheepshead or convict fish, dressed in their usual snappy black and white stripes. Then I turned back to the reed-thin woman and asked, lamely, "Is there anything I can do for you?"

"Why do you ask?"

"Well, apparently, you are living in your car."

"You got that right!"

So....her life was in confusing flux, one of her children might come down from Michigan to help her, her dogs' toenails needed clipping, she wanted to air out her bedding, and, thank God, she made coffee every morning here at Coffee Pot Bayou, cleverly and illegally, by setting up her own Mister Coffee machine on a picnic table and using electricity from a plug presumably  readied for Christmas lighting.

I noticed good rings on her left hand, and traces of a decent dye job on her hair, and officially met her dogs, Suzy and Banjo. We'll call the woman Barb.

I suggested that the Quakers, among others, distributed food on Friday afternoons, but couldn't recall the exact location.

"I would have to drive there, wherever, most likely, and I'm way low on gas."  We laughed together, at the irony of having a movable home that was a liability if it could not move, since Barb could be in trouble with authorities if she tried to spend the entire night on C.P. Bayou.

So I gave her some $$$, and she and the doggies sputtered swiftly out of the parking lot. After the gas purchase, Barb said she would head to McD's for a cheeseburger. She said she could get it for a buck.

Earlier I had read on-line about economists predicting a 7% rise in food prices in 2009--food from cows, poultry and hogs--because of higher feed costs. So much for the cheap burger.

Maybe by 2009 Barb will have found her way. It's only two months away.

( Thanks to arichny.blogspot.com/.../coffee-pot-bayou.html for the pic. My camera was elsewhere...)

While We Await Primary Results, Pelicans Hang Around Fish Dispensing Guy's Box

  Pelicans, those long jawed feathered diving machines, are a particular delight to observe here in Florida, whether gobbling their food, perching on docks or skimming low over the waters of the Gulf.  "A wonderful bird is the pelican, his bill can hold more than his belican...," as the Dixon Merritt limerick begins. Pelicans eat fish, of course, but also shellfish, amphibians, and as they are described as "opportunist feeders," teacup dogs on waterfront walkies should beware...

We suppose someone somewhere must have eaten a roast pelican--one would surely overflow even a hefty turky roasting pan, but have found no actual evidence of same. Shipwrecked sailors? And a birding blog reference suggests that elephant seals might well dine on pelicans.

But, in any case, the usual pelican thing is fish eating. Here's a look at some of the tamer p'cans, rallying round the feeding guy's box on The Pier, a magnificent construct that stretches a quarter of a mile from the palm-lined promenade of St. Petersburg out into Tampa Bay.

Which Fish?

Having finally found two reputable fish markets near my rental in St. Pete, FL, now I stand paralyzed in front of their numerous offerings. We all knew about mercury in fish, right, but largely ignored it? Recent articles on mercury, by Marian Burros in the NYTimes, among others, have poked us into researching what fish we can eat, either on an eco-friendly basis or a health basis.

Char, bass, trout, croaker? Wild Pacific halibut? Striped bass? None of my personal faves in that list, save pink trout.  Then there's klip, a delicious firm, white fish we had last week. A rockfish from S. Africa, Google tells me. OY. NG.  Croaker? One website tells me this fish is "full-flavored." This could be an iffy choice, then. Char, too, is apparently "strong."

Clearly I need to find a local fisherperson and grill her/him as to what's coming out of FL waters. With a tad of butter and Meyer lemon from our own small tree.