Mountain of Cherries

I’ve been doing this farmers market thing for awhile now, and I have to say that cherries are without a doubt some of the most difficult fruit to photograph. They’re so bright red that it washes out nearly every detail on the fruit, and drowns every other color in the frame.

Consequently I rarely feature my cherry images, and today would have been no different if I didn’t think leaving them out would be a crime. Because anyone who went to the San Francisco farmers market this weekend knows that the cherries were the star of the show.

Tasty Strawberries

And that’s no small feat this time of year. Today I tasted a strawberry so good I thought it had been injected with sugar, because it reminded me more of the sweetened agua fresca drinks from the taquerias in the Mission district than it did any natural fruit.

But still the cherries were better. Not only that, they’re better than they were last year and possibly the year before that. Honestly it was difficult to not buy some from every farm I stopped at, and I do regret not coming home with more. Don’t miss the cherries this year folks.

Brooks Cherries

Of course there were other notable spring treats as well. Rhubarb is here, and before the season ends I’m determined to try to figure out how to use it. Most of the recipes I’ve seen for it are sweet, which I’m not so excited about. If you know of any good savory recipe, please let me know.

Rhubarb

Generally all the spring vegetables are still amazing. I’m especially loving the sweet spring onions, though I’m normally not a huge onion person. This year I’m adding green onions to everything from eggs to salad. The leeks are excellent too.

Spring Vegetables

Oddly even summer produce is starting to appear. I was stunned today to see watermelon and peppers this early in the season. The vendor told me it was from their farm in Southern California, which makes a bit more sense.

First Watermelons

But as much as I love summer, I’m not ready to skip ahead just yet. I still haven’t tried any of these beautiful blueberries on my morning muesli.

Blueberries

Nor have I found anything to do with green almonds yet this season.

Green Almonds

And the last of the citrus fruits shouldn’t be ignored either. This late in the season tangelos, navel oranges and kumquats are the best. Though we had some spectacular blood orange juice this weekend as well.

Kumquats

It’s truly an amazing time of year for the farmers market. Don’t miss it.

Big Tomatoes

Today’s purchases:

• Mindblowing strawberries (Dirty Girl Produce)
• Red Russian kale (Dirty Girl Produce)
• Heirloom black cherries (K & J Orchards)
• Baby carrots (Knoll Farms)
• Salad greens (Knoll Farms)
• More carrots (Star Route Farms)
• Cilantro (Star Route Farms)
• French breakfast radishes (Heirloom Organic Gardens)
• Red onion (Balakian Farms)

For The Love of Food

Welcome to Friday’s For The Love of Food, Summer Tomato’s weekly link roundup.

This week I found a surprisingly in depth and thoughtful piece on genetically modified foods, an even more impressive food commitment by Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, and a few good signs that the politics of food labels are headed in the right direction—truth.

Also, for you geeks my thesis work is finally published. Here’s the deets.

Want to see all my favorite links? Be sure to follow me on on Digg. I also share links at Twitter (@summertomato) and the Summer Tomato Facebook fan page. I’m very active on all these sites and would love to connect with you.

Links of the week

• With no labeling, few realize they are eating genetically modified foods <<Excellent analysis of the politics of GMO. Of course labeling is a good idea. (Los Angeles Times)
• Mark Zuckerberg’s new challenge: Eating only what he kills (and yes, we do mean literally…) <<I’m really impressed with Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg‘s commitment to own his food choices this year. As someone who has killed many animals (lab research), I think the experience is invaluable for appreciating our modern food chain. (CNN)
• Study Questions Treatment Used in Heart Disease <<Turns out drugs that raise HDL cholesterol aren’t as valuable as everyone hoped. But HDL is still an excellent predictor of heart disease. Seems like you’ll have to raise it the old fashioned way, with diet and exercise. (New York Times)
• Red Meat and Colon Cancer: Beyond the Headlines <<Insightful analysis of the latest news about red meat and colon cancer. Read before you eat. (Nutrition Over Easy)
• Groups Sue FDA Over Use of Certain Antibiotics in Animal Feed <<This is awesome, and I hope it forces some action from our government to fight the dangerous antibiotic resistant bacteria that are being bred in industrial farms. (Wall Street Journal)
• Is That “Organic” Egg A Good Egg? <<I always struggle to convey the degrees of “healthy” in different eggs. Now there’s a handy scorecard to help out. (Consumerist)
• POM Wonderful Health Claims for Juice Lack Scientific Support, U.S. Says <<And this is why I always take immediate action whenever a POM ad happens to slip onto this site pretending to be healthy. I’m not cool with that. (Bloomberg)
• Loading up on calcium won’t eliminate osteoporosis risk, study says <<It also raises risk of heart disease and prostate cancer. Please don’t go nuts with the supplements. (Los Angeles Times)
• Quinoa with Currants, Dill, and Zucchini Recipe <<I only recently discovered how well dill and grains go together. Very much looking forward to trying this recipe. (101 Cookbooks)
• Food Is Political Says Outspoken Chef Alice Waters <<Alice Waters sometimes biffs it for the food movement, but this time she nails it. Definitely worth a watch. (Wall Street Journal)

What inspired you this week?

For The Love of Food

Welcome to Friday’s For The Love of Food, Summer Tomato’s weekly link roundup.

I love Marion Nestle calling out the food industry on their ridiculous health claims, the emphasis on food culture in health and the launch of the new and awesome Gilt Taste.

Want to see all my favorite links? Be sure to follow me on on Digg. I also share links at Twitter (@summertomato) and the Summer Tomato Facebook fan page. I’m very active on all these sites and would love to connect with you.

Links of the week

• Foods With Benefits? Oh please. <<Excellent, must read article about the BS the food industry is trying to pull on you. (Food Politics)
• The Mediterranean Diet: It’s Not Just About Food <<It’s about culture. (Huffington Post)
• Localizing Fruit, Vegetable Consumption Doesn’t Necessarily Solve Environmental, Health Issues, Study Suggests <Once again, if you read this carefully you’ll see it’s a problem with food culture, not a problem with the definition of “local.” (ScienceDaily)
• Fine Food and Fat: Are Chefs to Blame for Obesity? <<BS of the week. People are clearly confused about the causes and effects of obesity. If we have any chance of coming out of this health crisis, we’re going to have to embrace the food movement and reinstate a food culture based on quality over quantity. (Time)
• Sitting is Killing You <<We just talked about sedentary behavior last week, but here it is in visual form. (Obesity Panacea)
• Dairy Consumption Does Not Elevate Heart-Attack Risk, Study Suggests <<Not even with all that “evil” saturated fat. Skeptics: this was funded by the NIH, not the Dairy Council. (ScienceDaily)
• Exploding watermelons put spotlight on Chinese farming practices <<Still need reasons to avoid Chinese food imports? Eek. (Guardian)
• Eat a Protein-Rich Breakfast to Reduce Food Cravings, Prevent Overeating Later, Researcher Finds <<My two favorite scientific fields (nutrition and neuroscience) united at last. (ScienceDaily)
• People with diabetes more likely to get cancer <<In case you didn’t know, there are many reasons to avoid metabolic syndrome. (Medline)
• Skillet Chicken with Green Onions and Ramps <<I’m totally inspired by the new Gilt Taste site, and I’m going to try this recipe ASAP. Check out their anti-mission statement for a dose of inspiration. (Gilt Taste)

What inspired you this week?

Red Lentil Soup

Today’s guest recipe is by Boston Globe writer, Allison Boomer. A big lentil fan, she recommends using either Red Chief or Petite Crimson lentils from Zürun.

Her last recipe contribution to Summer Tomato was also a huge hit:

French Green Lentils Roasted With Carrots And Beets

Allison is an artisanal food expert, marketing professional, writer and nutritionist. She partners with people and businesses who share a passion for handcrafted food. She’d love to connect with you on Facebook.

Red Lentil Soup With Indian Spices

Serves 6-8

by Allison Boomer

Ingredients:

• 6 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 onions, finely chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• 1/4 teaspoon chili powder, or more to taste
• 2 quarts chicken stock
• 3 cups water
• 1 pound (2 cups) red lentils, rinsed with cool water and sorted to remove any small stones
• 2 large carrots, cut into 1/4-inch dice
• 1 can (about 14 ounces) diced tomatoes
• Juice of 1 lemon

1. In soup pot over medium heat, heat the olive oil. When it is hot, add the onions and cook, stirring often, for 8 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute more.

2. Stir in the cumin and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add the tomato paste, salt, pepper, and chili powder. Cook, stirring, for 1 minute more.

3. Add the stock, water, lentils, carrots, and tomatoes. Bring to a boil, partially cover the pan, and turn the heat to medium-low. Simmer the soup for 30 to 40 minutes or until the lentils are soft.

4. Add the lemon juice. Taste for seasoning and add more salt and chili powder, if you like.

Big thanks to Travis Saunders and all of you who participated in this episode Exercise & Weight Loss. Everyone really enjoyed the show, and we had some great discussions. Show notes are below.

My apologies that the audio quality is still not ideal, the technical stuff gets a lot more complicated when you add another host (working on it). We also lost about 2 minutes of recording at the end (for an entirely different reason I didn’t anticipate). But all the important points were captured, and you’re welcome to ask any remaining questions you have here in the comments.

The next episode is scheduled for Tuesday, May 24 at 6:30pm PST, and the topic is Weight Loss Tips & Tricks. I’ve extended the free trial and today is the last day to get the first month of Tomato Slice for free.

May 9, 20111 | Think your regular workouts are enough to keep you fit? Wondering if extra time on the treadmill will counter your weekend splurges? Find out why you might be putting your eggs in the wrong basket tonight here at 6:30pm PST on Summer Tomato Live.

Join me and Travis Saunders from the PLoS Obesity Panacea blog. Travis is a Ph.D student studying the effects of sedentary behavior. We’ll be discussing The Role of Exercise In Weight Loss, along with his work and more.

Live participation is only available to subscribers of the newsletter Tomato Slice. You can sign up at any time, even during the show, and the password for participation will be emailed to you immediately.

As a special thanks to Obesity Panacea readers, I’m offering a free trial membership for anyone who signs up by Friday, May 13. You can cancel at any time.

Click here to sign up and get the password

Read this for more information on the show and newsletter

To watch live and join the discussion click the red “Join event” button, login with Twitter or your Vokle account, and enter the password when prompted.

I encourage you to call in with video questions, particularly if your question is nuanced and may involve a back and forth discussion. Please use headphones to call in however, or the feedback from the show is unbearable.

Show notes:

• Obesity Panacea
• How To Start Working Out When You Don’t Like To Exercise
• Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis – It’s NEAT!
• Drive Medical Deluxe Folding Exercise Peddler