use real butter

It is fascinating that you can get raspberries from the southern hemisphere in the dead of winter here, or that you can find apples and oranges throughout the summer months. That’s the beauty of a global market. I noticed in graduate school that for being in the middle of nowhere (Ithaca, NY) our grocer was able to provide gorgeous produce year-round. What a treat. But anyone with a single functioning taste bud can tell you there is a striking difference between a winter strawberry and one that is in season. Flavor, texture, color, juice – it is all superior in the summer. Same goes for tomatoes and other produce. Buying foods that are in season not only gives you a superior food specimen, but is more ecologically friendly when considering the energy required to deliver said import to your hot little hands. What do I think of when summer approaches? Berries, melons, squash, tomatoes – tons and tons of fresh produce to be eaten raw or grilled. How about winter? Brassicas like brussels sprouts, cabbage, kale, broccoli are so delicious roasted. Root vegetables are terrific in soups and slow-cooked stews. Pumpkin in fall ushers in my favorite of all holidays – Halloween! Apples and other citrus are usually associated with summer, but they are fall and winter’s bounty. Hot apple cider mulled with cloves, cinnamon, and slices of orange keep guests coming back for more through the New Year. Yum!

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Swung by the Chronicle to pick up a nice bottle of Sancerre for our realtor, but they didn’t have any in stock. Instead we got a lovely Chablis:

Looked so good, we got one for ourselves. We’ll drink it to celebrate the closing.

Food Trivia
Spinach was cultivated as early as 400 AD in what is now modern day Iran. It was imported into China a few hundred years later, and eventually introduced into Europe when the Moors invaded Spain. It has been called the “prince of greens”. The leafy green is touted for it’s iron content and was made famous by Popeye and his can o’ spinach. However, the calcium and iron contents in spinach, although high, are only partially absorbed by our bodies because another component – oxalic acid – binds to both, rendering them unusable. Spinach is an excellent source of vitamin A. I love spinach stir fried, raw, and cooked in a dozen wonderful dishes. The downside is that the yield of cooked spinach is 1/10 the initial raw state.

fry baby, fry

At last the weekend. I felt tired when I left work today, but productivity is up. I even brought the manual home for more “leisure” reading. Jeremy has a symposium all day tomorrow, so I think I’ll try to get a lot done during the day. Maybe take Kaweah for a hike in the rain. Run errands in town like getting some clothes, toys, and games for Ben and Emily. Marla said to bring wine to dinner. What do you pair with a middle eastern/subcontinental veggie dish? Okay, I’ve looked up Reisling and Pinot Noir… My general (and limited) experience with Pinot is that the good stuff costs an arm and a leg. So Reisling it is. I think I should consider investing in a wine and food pairing book. I tend to do more “pairing” than drinking wine for the sake of drinking wine. It’s all about the food for me anyway.

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