Seeds

Only 13 days until the first day of spring! This morning, the air is chilly, but the sun is shining bright. I uncovered my little square foot garden to see how it fared during the winter. It will need some soil added, but otherwise, it is in great shape. I ordered some seeds from Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds. It may still be a while before I can plant them, but I'm already planning that garden!

Before science intervened in food production, there was a time when people could collect seeds from the foods that they ate. It was common to harvest seeds and save them for the next planting season. Hybrids and GMOs have made that very difficult today. As well as irradiation and vacuum-drying of shipped foods. I just read an interesting online article about an experiment to plant seeds from the kitchen. The author had some successes and some failures, and provides some facts about the foods we buy. The link to the article is below:
NY Times article - Seeds Straight From Your Fridge

Heirloom Seed Catalog

I've found a fantastic source for heirloom seeds. Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds is dedicated to preserving heirloom vegetables and flowers. They have a beautiful catalog, with full-color photos and descriptions of their many varieties of vegetables and flowers.

To view their website, use this link:
Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds

They are out of the print version of their catalog, but you can download the catalog for free. It requires Adobe Acrobat to view:
Baker Creek Catalog - .pdf version

The Chocoholic's Cake

The flourless chocolate souffle' cake is the chocolate lover's dream. Unlike the "death by chocolate" cake, this dessert isn't sickenly sweet, and the emphasis is on intense dark chocolate flavor. I've seen several different versions of the flourless chocolate cake, but the recipe that follows is my favorite. It was given to me by my niece, Ashley, who is a pastry chef, and shares my love of dark, dark chocolate. This is a perfect dessert for Valentine's Day!

Flourless Chocolate Cake

8 oz. bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
8 tbsp. unsalted butter, sliced
2 tbsp. vanilla
6 large eggs, divided
1/2 cup + 2 tbsp. granulated sugar

Glaze:
4 oz. bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
1/3 cup heavy cream
2 tbsp. honey

1. In a double boiler, melt 8 oz. chocolate. Add butter and stir until completely melted. Cool. Stir in vanilla.

2. In a separate bowl, whisk together egg yolks and 1/2 cup sugar.

3. In a third bowl, beat egg whites until soft peaks form. Add 2 tbsp. of sugar, and continue to beat until stiff peaks form.

4. Add chocolate mixture to egg yolk mixture. Stir well.

5. Fold in egg whites to chocolate and egg yolk mixture, 1/3 at a time. Be careful not to overmix or deflate egg whites.

6. Pour batter into a greased springform pan. Bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes. Cool in pan for about 30 minutes before removing it.

7. To make the glaze, heat the heavy cream in a large saucepan until bubbles form around the edges. Add honey. Remove from heat. Add 4 oz. of chocolate and stir until completely melted. Pour over cooled cake.

Interesting article

This year's cold snap has definitely left me with the winter blues. My only ray of hope came in the form of a seed catalog! I love looking through it, dreaming of warm summer days in my garden.

The following link is to an op/ed article from The New York Times. The author has some interesting proposals. I agree with a lot of what he suggests, but I'm not sure I'd be comfortable with his proposal to give the FDA even more power over our food. The recent passage of the new food safety bill may actually prove more harmful to small farmers than many realize. While the large corporations, who tend to be the source of most food-borne illnesses,  find ways to get around safety laws, the small and less powerful farmers get the squeeze. Anyway, the article is definitely worth taking the time to read.

A Food Manifesto for the Future

New Design

As you can see, I've been making some changes to the appearance of my blog. I just felt like a change! I also found a handy gadget that you will see on the right side of the page - a seasonal foods tool. Using the drop down menus, you can see what foods are in season in different parts of the country. Let me know what you think!

Exporting the Western Diet

The link below will take you to a news video about an island now called the fattest place on Earth. Why did this small nation's inhabitants, who were once healthy, become overweight? Why are so many now suffering from Type 2 diabetes? They imported our foods!

ABC News Video about the Fattest Nation on Earth

Processed Foods and Weight Gain

As we approach the new year, losing weight will be on the minds of many Americans. Here is an interesting article about some of the foods you may think are good for you, but aren't. And you'll notice that they are all processed foods!

The Truth About Your Weight Gain - 6 Foods To Avoid