Readers… I’m moving my reports from the teaching cooking classroom over to my new site, www.allergictosalad.com. Head there to read all about my adventures in the classroom. In the meantime, things will be delayed as I work on design, move some of the stories below there and get this year’s antidotes going.

Enjoy and don’t forget to sign up to the newsletter on the new site. You’ll find the feature in the top right corner. If you’re already a member to the Just Braise feed I will be adding you into the Allergic to Salad feed. Stick it out with me in our adventures together!

I found this interesting and thought I’d pass it along:

An associate I work with passed on some info about a raw milk. Apparently there is an outbreak of campylobacteriosis in Michigan. This outbreak is being linked with raw milk sold in Indiana. Campylobacteriosis, is a bacteria found in cattle, swine, birds and CATS AND DOGS.

NO ONE in Indiana has reported illness as far as my search can find, nor in surrounding states.

A segment reads:
(http://www.wtaq.com/news/articles/2010/mar/30/fda-warns-raw-milk-risks-hundreds-support-bill/)

FDA Warns of Raw Milk Risks, Hundreds Support Bill
Posted Tuesday March 30, 2010

WASHINGTON D.C. (WTAQ) - The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has alerted consumers to a disease from raw milk, as a Wisconsin legislative committee was about to consider legalizing its sale. Michigan’s Department of Community Health reports at least 12 confirmed cases of campylobacterosis from those drinking raw milk from a dairy in Middlebury Indiana.According to the Brownfield Ag News Service, the symptoms include vomiting, diarrhea, fever, abdominal pains, headaches, and body aches. The Wisconsin Medical Society cited the Michigan case in urging the Assembly’s Rural Economic Development Committee to reject a bill Tuesday morning allowing raw milk sales. 3 other statewide health groups and four farm organizations signed the same memo, which also told legislators about e-coli and other infections from drinking raw milk.

Supporters of raw milk say it has other redeeming health benefits that pasteurized milk does not. And hundreds of supporters recently urged lawmakers to pass the measure at a hearing in Eau Claire.

I did find that black pepper, sold only in the state of Michigan, is currently on a “rolling recall” basis:

http://www.foodpoisonjournal.com/2010/04/articles/foodborne-illness-outbreaks/black-pepper-rolling-recall-continues/

Some questions to consider:

Do you think that perhaps people that drink raw milk also might use black pepper?
How many people got sick that do not report drinking raw milk?
Better yet: How many people that got sick also own a cat or dog?
How many of those pet owners do not drink raw milk?

What is fascinating, is that at the same time, Wisconsin lawmakers were discussing passing a bill to make raw milk sales legal in Wisconsin. As debate opened, the outbreak in MI was reported. The bill did not pass.

The new Edible Queens has finally hit the stands. I’m so excited my borough has its very own Edible Community! Pick up your copy around the NYC area. I was also recently told that Edible Queens has “the best online presence of all NYC Edible communities hands down.” Awesome! I’m proud to contribute to that presence.

Have a great weekend and if you’re in NYC, don’t forget to pick up your free hard copy of the magazine this weekend.

My CSA share week #1 (last week, June 4) Photo from the Golden Earthworm Organic Farm (my CSA provider!)

I’m blogging for the newest Edible community– Edible Queens, set to launch its first paper issue September 2009. I have to admit I was feeling a little neglected. It’s about time there was an Edible community in my very own ‘hood, so I’m happy to be a part of it! I think the first issue is going to be fabulous and until then, you can read more online.

I have a weekly post about what I receive in my Community-Supported Agriculture (CSA) box. I also include all the recipe ideas my heart can throw out for whatever the box contents are. So instead of just one recipe with one or two of the ingredients, I’ll list a few different ideas (with no promises I’m actually making any of them!).

The blog is called Astoria Feed.

One, because it’s about the food from the Astoria CSA, two, because it’s the feed I’ll be eating all week, and three, because it’s also a news feed of all of the above and more. You can follow the link: www.ediblecommunities.com/queens/view-by-tag/66/ to see more.

If you’re in a CSA, or ever thought of what the experience might be like, the blog will be a fun place to follow my adventures. If you’re in a CSA on the northeast (or even midwest) the blog will be fun to follow along with because you’ll probably receive many of the same items around the same time. If you’re in a CSA in the south or west coast I despise you for your extended growing seasons while you sit there practically eating watermelons this time of year because and you’ve seen this produce come through long ago (I know because I was in California two weeks ago eating local cherries like a banchy (re Urban Dictionary: A wild creature with snarly brown hair that is excessive in all its activities.). (As an aside, I’m not really sure why a banchy has to have snarly brown hair, but I suppose it fits.) Please note I have to wait another month for local cherries! If you’re not in a CSA, have been there/done that, can’t join, or won’t be joining, it’s still a fun place to follow along and if nothing else, maybe you’ll be inspired by some recipe ideas!

Here’s last week’s post as a sample of what you get if you read:

WHAT’S IN THE BOX:
1 bunch baby bok choi
1 bunch beets
1 bunch French breakfast radishes
1 bunch rhubarb
1 bunch Japanese white salad turnips
1 bag arugula -or- spinach
2 heads of lettuce  or 1 head of lettuce and 1 bag salad mix

I love the freshness of spring greens! Our shares this time of year are so plush. Part of the fun of a CSA is that you receive whatever is in season. It’s like Iron Chef– you don’t get to pick what you want. It’s sometimes a challenge to come up with interesting recipe ideas, but it’s worth it to try new items and vary your diet. One thing to remember is that while the above list of vegetables is what is posted as what we’ll receive at the beginning of the week, the list often changes depending on what comes in from the fields (sometimes creating a bigger challenge!). For example, in addition to the above, we also received strawberries in our share.

Here are my recipe thoughts for this week:

Rhubarb- We received strawberries too so strawberry rhubarb pie is a given. But I love making a simple syrup with the rhubarb and whipping up mixed drinks (with alcohol or not). Bourbon goes well with rhubarb, as does tequila, but rhubarb lemonade, or rhubarb-mint with seltzer is equally refreshing.

Lettuce, Turnips, Radish- We get large glorious heads of lettuce. Really, some of our members wait all year for the lettuce! My box contained 2 billowing heads of butter lettuce– one red, one green. Golden Earthworm’s Butter Lettuce is my favorite. The white salad turnips are also spectacular. So sweet raw! I’m thinking some fish wraps in lettuce with a chipotle mayonaise (mix some mayo with chipotle in adobo sauce) and top with slice turnips and radish. You can even add shredded beets on top. Other proteins like shrimp, beef or shredded chicken would be good too.

Beets- It’s still cool enough to wrap beets in foil and roast them until tender(about 45 minutes). Or… peel and shred raw beets. Toss with some lemon juice, goat cheese, pine nuts (walnuts, pistachio work too), salt/pepper and fresh herbs– mint, cilantro, parsley. Whatever is around, just pile it on.

Bok Choi- My favorite for the bok choi is a quick stir fry. I like to add beef or chicken marinated in OJ and soy sauce and cook it up. Once done, boil down the marinade, add some fresh orange zest and toss it as a sauce for an orange beef in bok choi. Serve over brown rice.

This totally slipped my mind until D reminded me tonight! I alluded to it before, but I’ve been so busy and now proof is in the pudding. If you live in the New York City area, join me for a culinary walking tour of my fair neighborhood, Astoria, Queens!

More details and sign up can be found on the Institute for Culinary Education’s website (see walking tours: Astoria).

2 dates are available (more if they fill up- so ehem, fill them up!): June 20 and August 29. Both are 11:00 AM to 3:00 PM.

Here’s the teaser (from ICE’s site):

Culinary treats reach beyond Grecian shores in Astoria, as you will sample during a flavor-packed stroll through the Queens neighborhood. Each stop of the tour features a demonstration, shopping opportunity, or nibbles, such as honeyed baklava, nutmeg-laced bureks, fried haloumi, house-cured salumi, apple sheesha, and cardamom coffee. You will start the morning with Greek pastries and coffee, before sampling Bosnian bureks. You will continue to a Mediterranean grocery, where you will be able to fill you bags with assorted feta, olives, nuts, oils, and other culinary delights. You will walk by “old world” fish mongers and butchers whom locals favor, and enter an Italian market for a demonstration in sausage stuffing. A turn into the heart of Egyptian, Moroccan, and Lebanese cultures will set you among hookah bars and Middle Eastern specialty shops. You will rest our feet at a favorite funky Egyptian restaurant, to sample small plates. Join food writer and recipe developer Stacey Ornstein through the neighborhood she calls home. Bring your appetite and walking shoes…

Adventures in Fermentation is my new blog series over at Sustainable Table. Apparently it was Twittered too (I’m not familiar) and placed on their RSS feed. I’ll be posting a fermentation adventure about once a month. Goal #1: Set Goals. Goal #2: Stick to Goals.

Throughout the Adventure I hope to cover:
Wild Fermented Pickles, Ginger Beer, Sauerkraut, Beer, Kombucha, Kefir, Kimchi, Bread, Olives, Miso and more! The next installment will speak more about fermentation in general, and perhaps provide a report back of an upcoming fermentation party I’ll be attending (I received the invite 3 months ago so I could ferment on my attendance).

I realize most of my readers are the quiet lurking type, but I would love to get some comments going about things you like to ferment, recipes you have, or funny fermenting stories.

The post is below, or head over to Sustainable Table to read it, and other great stories!

Welcome to the first installment of Adventures in Fermentation. In these postings we’ll explore the universe of fermented foods, happenings in the fermentation world, and delve into some recipes to try.

Fermented food and drink are not just wine, beer, and pickles! There is a whole universe of fermented foods to explore. In the next issue, I’ll talk more about what fermentation is exactly and its many positives, but until then, let’s jump right into something soft and cloudy: yogurt.

That’s right, yogurt is a fermented food (remember the term probiotic for the next posting). It is one of the simpler fermented foods to make, requires few supplies, and is something most of us are familiar enough with that you might be willing to try it.

Here’s a kicker that might get you making your own yogurt:
Yogurt on the market most of us are accustomed to has added thickeners (tapioca, citrus pulp, cornstarch, or other synthetic agents) added to make the end product a thick and even consistency (there are also a lot of sugars added). We sometimes also see “with probiotics” stamped on the container. Yogurt naturally is a probiotic food, so forget that claim. The real question is: Why eat all those extras if all you want is yogurt?

Yogurt that does not use thickeners, is much thinner, sometimes even lumpy. To make the consistency weightier, without thickeners, producers often drain the product losing a lot of whey in the process (which can be used to bake bread with). I have heard if you heat the milk to a higher temperature before adding culture you can thicken your yogurt further, but if you are using raw milk products, you run the risk of killing heat sensitive bacteria that makes milk digestible.

I enjoy homemade goat yogurt (made with goat milk) topped with granola, a scoop of homemade preserves, or simply as a yogurt beverage similar to kefir (another fermented food) full of all those great probiotics.

If you are interested in making your own yogurt, it is fairly simple. (read on for the details!)

You will need:
• raw milk or high quality organic milk
• yogurt cultures
• a large pot to heat the milk
• a cooking thermometer
• a glass jar to store your yogurt
• cheesecloth

If you have a friend with a batch of yogurt going, you can grab about 2 tablespoons of their finished yogurt per gallon of fresh milk to make your own yogurt. If not, I recommend purchasing cultures (both a thicker European culture or “tangy” culture) from New England Cheese Making Supplies.

The final yogurt recipe is dependent on the culture you use.

If you don’t want to bother with cultures, you can try using store-bought yogurt as your starter:

1/2 gallon organic (or raw) whole milk
1 cup organic yogurt

Heat the milk on medium-low heat in a saucepot to 165 F, do not bring to a boil. Remove from heat and allow milk to cool to 110 F. Add yogurt, stir to incorporate, cover with a clean kitchen towel and secure with a rubber band or tie. Place in a warm location, undisturbed, overnight (inside a turned off oven works great). The next day, transfer to storage container and refrigerate. To thicken the yogurt, strain it through multiple layers of cheesecloth or a coffee filter. Reserve whey that drains for baking.

More ideas:
Use goat or sheep milk for other tangy yogurt creations
Sprinkle with cinnamon and a drizzle of honey

Yogurt is not just for breakfast or a snack! Try some of these ideas:
Blitz your yogurt with chickpeas or white beans for a delicious spread
Serve a dollop over grilled lamb
Use on your sandwich instead of mayo
Mix with garlic and a chipotle pepper and top a quesadilla
Add a dollop to soup
Use it in baked goods, or whip it with powdered sugar as icing
Make a fruit smoothie

If you are looking for some light (milky) reading, head over to Sustainable Table. I revamped the Dairy Page (http://www.sustainabletable.org/issues/dairy/) a while back and its finally posted. (Sadly, the last line was altered– raw milk and raw milk products are illegal in most states.)

I also edited their page on RBGH, you can find by following this link: http://www.sustainabletable.org/issues/rbgh/ 

The other night D and I were at Cooper Union’s Great Hall to hear a group of activists discuss today’s food crisis. Sponsored by World Hunger Year, Step up to the Plate: Ending the Food Crisis, brought together a panel of speakers to discuss, what else, our world food crisis. The forum could have been a day-long event, packed into 3 short hours, provided speakers roughly 15 short minutes of talk time. It’s worth a listen to the sound bites below.

The first video is Gerardo Reyes Chavez, leader of the Immokalee worker movement, fighting for rights of tomato pickers in Florida. A very powerful speaker who has already done so much and is sure to keep strong. The second link is to author Raj Patel, who recently published a great book, Stuffed and Starved. Others follow, including Alice Waters.

The event was video taped by Philanthromedia and clips of the evening can be viewed on their blog – www.philanthromedia.org, or on You Tube here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KT-CIr16G-8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H2Mldx3r2rQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yu_c5jJ0P6M
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yu_c5jJ0P6M

Stay hydrated this summer with my summer drinks! Check out my latest article for some cool and spicy non-alcoholic drinks to liven up your summertime fun.

Recipes include:
Blueberry-Jalepeno Spritzer
Berry-Herb Lemonade
Fruit Ice
Rose Spritzer

Get Wet With These Summertime Drinks. July 24, 2008.

It’s a tad late, but better late than never. I wanted to post my berry madness before I got this up. Head over to my Queens Chronicle piece about Food for the 4th. Really, it’s good food all summer long, so it’s still worth a glance. Cheese filled burgers, cucumber coolers and easy fruit ices await you…

Queens Chronicle, Food for the 4th. Published July 3, 2008.