What's New in Natural Foods

In This Issue:

Hi Everyone,

June is always exciting because once again we have access to some of the seasonal foods that always taste better when they're fresh. I'm referring mostly to one of my favorite spring arrivals—strawberries. A mighty little fruit packed with nutrients, as you'll read below. And if you have your garden underway, you're likely enjoying some fruits of your labor this month. If you didn't get the garden in, don't despair. Below, I've featured a place where you can get garden fresh farm products. Finally, I want to mention that June marks the second anniversary of the meal planning service I developed to inspire people in their commitment to be healthier: Dinner with Jennette. Wonderful subscriber feedback (which I'm sharing) keeps me creative in the kitchen, so you can be a star in yours! 

Berry Sweet Spring

They are as beautiful as they are delicious. I'm talking about strawberries. But these early summer delicacies are so much more than treats. Strawberries are packed with valuable nutrients and disease-preventing properties. Like most other berries, they are a rich source of antioxidant compounds called phenols.  One group of these, the anthocyanins, is responsible for strawberries' bright red color and is a powerful protector of cell structure, preventing oxidative damage that can lead to both heart disease and Alzheimer's. (Anthocyanins are found in other red and purple foods, too: beets, grapes, purple cabbage, the peels of apples, and eggplant. So spread the red!)

Strawberries are also a great source of ellagitannin, an antioxidant flavonoid that has been shown to help prevent cancer and inhibit the growth of human liver cancer cells. Packed with anti-inflammatory phytonutrients and vitamin C, strawberries boost the immune system and fight cellular aging. All this—and they taste delicious!

You'll get the most nutritional benefits by enjoying your strawberries fresh or frozen, rather than cooked, despite how yummy homemade strawberry jam is. Most flavorful at room temperature, you can eat strawberries plain, slice them for green salads, add them to fruit salads, use them as a topper on cereals or French toast, or as a dessert ingredient. We're all familiar with strawberry shortcake, but my favorite strawberry dessert is a "fool," an English whipped cream dessert that is rich and light (even nutritious) at the same time:

Recipe: Strawberry Fool

2 c. strawberries, chopped coarsely
1 tsp. vanilla
pinch of salt
2-4 T. honey (to taste)
1 1/4 c. heavy whipping cream
OPTION: 1-2 T. amaretto OR brandy

1. In a mixing bowl, whip the cream until it forms soft peaks.
2. Combine the strawberries, vanilla, a pinch of salt, honey and the optional liqueur, IF using, in a blender or food processor. Puree until smooth.
3. Fold the fruit puree into the whipped cream and stir until smooth. Pour into wine glasses or dessert bowls and chill before serving.
4. Garnish with a few berries, slices of other fruit or mint leaves. 

Local Farm Foods

It's becoming more convenient to go beyond lip service when talking about purchasing locally produced foods. In my area, there are plenty of farmer's markets to choose from, my co-op increasingly stocks local products, there are farmer-direct clubs (see my December '08 for details LINK to 12/08 newsletter), not to mention growing food in your own backyard (or on the deck, in my case). There are also CSA (community supported agriculture) programs, and there is Whole Farm Co-op (WFC) an online resource for people in Minnesota.

I order a lot of food from WFC, a farmer owned co-operative that sells a wide variety of products produced by 30 farm families in central Minnesota. All of the farmers are farming sustainably, and many of them are certified organic. These are people who care about their land and their animals, raising them in a humane, ethical way.

WFC sells its products directly to consumers through www.wholefarmcoop.com. It works like this: order as many products as you want and then pick them up at drop sites around the Twin Cities and surrounding areas. Most drop sites are at churches ("Congregationally Supported Agriculture"), though you do not have to be a member of the church to pick up your food there.

For example, each month I order chicken and chicken feet (for making chicken stock), eggs, beef stew chunks, pork chops, corn chips from Whole Grain Milling, and the raw honey from Don and Jaci Fiedler (amazing!). I also order brown rice, homemade soap, butter, and in the summer, fresh produce.

This is really good food. By far the best eggs I've ever eaten come from Fresh Air Farms, one of WFC's member farms. As a fun bonus, the farmer, Marty Primus, includes little notes from the farm inside the egg cartons. I love hearing what the chickens are up to!  And his "saladmade" chickens aren't your usual corn-fed fowl— they're raised on pasture and have a "flavor unsurpassed in the world of poultry."

Personally, it's satisfying to know that my food dollars are staying here in Minnesota, that I'm supporting the rural economy, and helping to prevent the spread of industrial agriculture.

Fresh June Meals

Dinner with Jennette always features seasonal ingredients and emphasizes seasonal cooking styles as well.  Some of June's mouthwatering meals include "Pot Roast with Rhubarb-Honey Compote" and "Pasta with Gouda Sauce, Ham and Asparagus."

Additional meals will have your palate traveling around the world: to China for "Spicy Sichuan Pork and Peppers," to Sweden for a special "Summer Smorgasbord," to Mexico for "Grilled Flank Steak Wraps with Pico de Gallo and Avocado" and to Kurdistan for an unusual and fantastically delicious soup called "Dowjic." How's that for variety in meal planning?!

If you want convenient and fun meals that you know are nourishing, subscribe to Dinner with Jennette and you'll be on your way.

It's always great to and learn what interests you, so contact me. (embed the email link). And please use the forwarding option to send this newsletter to anyone who might be interested in healthful food. 

Thank you,
Jennette