Flavors, Foods and Fertilizers

                I shop regularly at a Vietnamese hole in the wall grocery store.  It started because of their assortment of mushrooms.  Gradually over time I pick up other vegetables and have expanded my basic list when I stop there.  My frustration is that they have twenty or so vegetables/green/herbs that I can not Identify.  A gingo like me needs a sign written with the English word ID ing the item.  The other day, I started telling this young man working in produce my suggestion and he is politely listening.  That is when I pick up a package and said, " Now, how would you cook this?  What would your family make of this?"  His reply, you will love, "I don't eat that stuff, I am Mexican!"  I guess you ask why do I want to expand my food choices to a Vietnamese greens--- well, I have found that some of them do kick my taste buds up a bit making dishes more interesting, they are fresh, and everyplace I read about health the wider the food base the healthier we become.

                Two books to read from the library, if you town still have one!  THE GOURMET GARDENER, written by a English man.  This is the first book I read that explores how to make vegetable and fruits more flavorful.  What organic methods to use to spray and fertilize.  If the soil is lacking minerals and life, the plants will also and the consumer of this food gets little nutritional value.

           Think of the fields in the center part of this country-- top soil blowing away, pesticides and herbicides dumped on it, GMO seeds used and the U.S. consumer has 12 aisles of selections in the grocery store of this chemical mix to buy.  I understand that 80% of the corn in this country are from GMO seeds.  Corn syrup anyone? Add the grains like soy and wheat and those 12 aisles in that building are loaded for profit and illnesses.  When Idaho potato farmers will not eat what they sell to the restaurants and grocery stores, one has to ask what do they know that we all should know.  

               It is not enough anymore for me to grow my blueberries, peaches or strawberries, I want them to be the most flavorful possible.  It is rather simple, really.  The guide lines for good stewardship of the earth, do it the ways of mother nature does it, let the leaves decay in place, feed the worms, don't place plastic on the soil, add animal composted manures, natural minerals like rock dust.  The use of fish oils, molasses, teas made of comfry, nettle and worm casings are easy and available.  The interesting thing about this book is he hints at what is best for different plants.  I got my copy from amazon!  Healthy plants resist diseases easier and produce sweetness and flavor. 

              The second gardening book, I recently purchased after reading from the library is WILD FLAVORS.   It is written by a Boston chef who wanted to know more about the organic farm that she had been using for her resource of vegetables and herbs.  This is a tale a couple strong women, one is a gardener and the other the chef. It is the adventure of seasons and a love story of a community of sharing and like minded people using their skills and the harvest.  It is about how no part of the vegetable is wasted, how animals are raised, wine and apple cider are created and poured at potlucks that are feasts. It changed me in little ways in the kitchen along with using her new recipes, I found this book delightful.