Oompa Loompa, I am starting to feel like Violet Beauregarde

But there was no saving her now.  Her body was swelling up and changing shape at such a rate that within a minute it had turned into nothing less than an enormous round blue ball--a gigantic blueberry, in fact-- and all that remained of Violet Beauregarde herself was a tiny pair of legs and a tiny pair of arms sticking out of the great round fruit and a little head on top.  Excerpt from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl.  

How long has it been since you read that wonderful text?  I had to confess to my family that I could not help myself. The first blueberries appeared on our plant, and since I saw them first,well,  I just had to eat them.  If you have never ever tasted a blueberry right off the bush before, you are certainly missing out.  Blueberries are fairly easy to grow. You can grow them in  a sunny backyard or a container in a sunny location.  They like a very acidic soil, so important to combine the organic planting soil with peat moss. Different areas of the country require different types of blueberries. Here in Northern California, in my garden, "sunshine blue" perform the best.  Please check with your local Master Gardener Program, cooperative extension or local nursery.  I have about six blueberry plants and the blueberries we pick never make it to the kitchen because they taste so good. 

Blueberries on a plant

My favorite  receipe for blueberries is a blueberry poppy seed cake.  It is not too sweet  nor is it too cakey.  The last thing you want is a cake that takes away from the incredible taste of the blueberry.  

Violet Beauregarde's  Blueberry Poppy Seed Cake

 

Cake

2/3 cups sugar

½ cup butter, room temperature

2 teaspoons grated lemon peel

1 egg

1 ½ cups all-purpose unbleached flour

2 tablespoons poppy seeds

½ teaspoon baking soda

¼ teaspoon salt

½ cup sour cream

 

Filling

2 cups fresh blueberries, washed and drained

1/3 cups dark brown sugar

2 teaspoons all-purpose unbleached flour

½ teaspoon cinnamon

¼ teaspoon nutmeg

1 teaspoon grated lemon peel

 

Topping

Dusting of powdered sugar

 

1. Heat over to 350 degrees. 

2. Grease and flour bottom and sides of a 9-inch spring form pan.

3. In bowl with electric mixer use paddle attachment to beat 2/3 cups sugar and butter until light and fluffy.

4. Add lemon peel and egg; beat 2 minutes at medium speed.

5. In bowl, combine 1 ½ cups flour, poppy seed, baking soda and salt.  

6. Add flour mixture to butter mixture alternating in 3 parts with the sour cream until blended. Batter will be thick.  Spread batter over bottom and 1 inch up sides of pans, making sure batter is ¼ inch thick up sides. 

7. In another bowl, combine all ingredients for filling and spoon over the batter.

 Bake for 35-40 minutes  until crust is golden brown.  Cool slightly. Remove sides of pan. Use sifter and dust with powdered sugar.  Yields 8 servings.  

Food Inc., The Movie, Premieres June 12

You Say Potato, I Say "Patata"

I recently went shopping at one of those big membership "required" warehouses. They usually give out food samples. On this particular day, the sample was a mayonnaise potato macaroni salad. The tasting counter was mobbed and I was intrigued. I picked up a container to read the ingredients and I let out a loud shriek and dropped it to the floor. I shrieked because of the sodium content, something like 680 mg per serving. And, I thought OMG, this will kill you. Growing up with an Italian born mother, we had potato salad a lot but it never looked like the "American" version of mayonnaise with potatoes added. Mom had made it with olive oil. Yes, only olive oil.

So, as I walked down the aisle at our local farmers market I saw lovely Yukon gold potatoes. You need to try a blind test between a locally grown fresh potato and a supermarket potato. The difference in taste is huge.  And, you need to only try it to believe me. I bought the potatoes, spring onions and I picked the basil from my garden-I was all set.

Italian Potato Salad, the way it should be

• 6 Yukon gold potatoes (about 2 1/2 pounds) or other potatoes that are good for boiling, peel and cut into 2 inch cubes
  
•  1/2 cup of spring onion or scallions or white onions or shallots, chopped fine
  
•  2 tablespoons fresh basil, rough chop 
  
• 1/2-3/4 extra virgin olive oil, the better quality olive oil the better the salad will taste
  
•  salt and pepper to taste
  
•  2-4 strips of bacon, crumbled (optional)
  

Now, you can stop right here but because I have kids and kids love bacon, I like to add bacon. (Okay, I confess, it is not just the kids, its me...just an excuse because I LOVE bacon, too...still 3 strips of bacon for 4 servings is nowhere near the sodium content of the warehouse plastic potato salad--did I say plastic? Oops.)

1. Boil potatoes in 2 ½ quarts of water. 

2. Cook until fork tender. About 35-40 minutes. Drain. Add onion. Add ½ cup of the olive oil and taste, if okay, stop here. Depending on how much water the potatoes absorb is how much olive oil you need, you may need to add a little bit more, but taste it--you don't want the potatoes to puddle or drown in olive oil. Add bacon and basil.  Mix with a wooden spoon, potatoes will crumble; that is okay, it is a rustic dish.

3. Season with salt and pepper and serve warm or room temperature.

Yields 4 servings. 

New York in June? Why not? The 2009 Food Film Festival

The NYC Food Film Festival, New  York City, June 13-19.  Bon Appetite! 

2009 NYC Food Film Festival Trailer from George Motz on Vimeo.

The Rose and Me

Would Jove appoint some flower to reign

in matchless beauty on the plain

The Rose (Mankind will all agree)

The Rose the Queen of Flowers should be--Sappho

My Peace Rose in My Garden

For me, it was love at first sight. I can still remember the exact moment of when I fell in love with "The Rose." I was 5 years old in Brooklyn, New York. I went to my best friend ("BFF") Diane Pappas' house. At the right of her front gate, was the smallest red rose with the most incredible fragrance. If I close my eyes, I still can recall the scent.  That was the moment. They are now a passion and an addiction. Once you are hooked you are hooked. If I have a choice between a pair of Manolo Blahnik shoes or a rose bush, I will always choose the rose bush! I can just hear my kids: "My mom dresses like a homeless person but you should see her rose garden!"  (Sorry, kids.)  I have several varieties in my garden.  I won't tell you how many I have because, well, I am embarrassed. I can't stop until I end up in a nursing home  and even then I hope for a little window box for miniature roses (Kids, you better bring me a window box!) 

Home grown roses are absolutely magnificent. They have a soul; so different from the commercially grown roses that you get from a florist. No two are the same, not even on the same bush. And, each has a story to tell. Whether in fragrance or in petal count or in shape or in color and hues. Young school children are especially fascinated by home grown roses. I think they have some sort of sixth sense--they are able to recognize the magic of the natural organic beauty of roses. It really is amazing to watch a child as he or she touches and sniffs a beautiful rose; they kind of get a euphoric look on their face. 

In my conversations, I am always amazed how afraid people are of growing roses. What you need is a minium of 6 hours of sunlight, air and water.  When I say air, I mean they need space, they need circulation. They like their vitamins once a month (if you can remember) during growing season. I swear, I think they grow more beautiful the more you admire  them.   They are a little narcisstic yet, they are very, very forgiving at the same time.  You cannot really over prune them.  And, if you do, they come back better and stronger than ever.

The most famous rose of all is the "Peace" rose and the story of its survival during WII.  The breeder, Francois Meilland in Lyon, France knew that the Germans were about to invade.  He was fearful that this rare and beautiful rose that he had created would be destroyed. He did all that he could to ensure its survival; he shipped off seedlings to friends around the world in hopes of securing its future. 

The American Rose Grower, Robert Pyle, a recipient of the seedling, not knowing if the Meilland family was alive had issued this statement: 

“We are persuaded that this greatest new rose of our time should be named for the world’s greatest desire: PEACE…. We believe that this rose is destined to live on as a classic in our grandchildren’s gardens and for generations to come. We would use the word Peace to preserve the knowledge that we have gained the hard way – that peace is increasingly essential to all mankind, to be treasured with greater wisdom, watchfulness, and foresight than the human race has so far been able to maintain…. Towards that end, with our hopes for the future, we dedicate this lovely new rose to PEACE.” For the complete fascinating story of the "Peace" rose please  click here.

All across the country there are local rose societies as well as the All American Rose Selection. Here in Northern California, our branch is the Marin Rose Society.  They are a wealth of  rose information. Most importantly, they can also tell you which roses will do well your particular growing zone. So start researching and start talking to some experts. Rosarians love to share their knowledge and encourage folks to grow roses. Talk to them so you can be ready to  plant at least one rose bush next winter. Perhaps, you too will fall in love at first sight.

In hope of Peace,