Download Menu
Episode 224
with Debra Stark & Robin Johnston
- Lentil bulgar with goat cheese
- Heirloom tomatoes pomegranate molasses, sumac
- Berries with hibiscus kanten
Episode 224
Episode 224
Chimpanzees Prefer Organic
I loved this when I read it in the Natural Foods Merchandiser back in 2003, and love it still today! It reminds me that we’re not as smart as we think we are… “Chimpanzees can tell the difference between organic and conventional fruits.” Zookeepers at the Copenhagen Zoo, Denmark, began putting both types of bananas in the animals’ cages last year as part of the program to earn a “green label” as an environmental zoo. Zookeepers said chimps consistently chose organic bananas first. What’s more the chimps ate the organic bananas, skin and all, but peeled the non-organic ones before eating!
October is Non-GMO Month
GMOs, or genetically modified organisms, are “organisms whose genetic material has been artificially manipulated in a laboratory through genetic engineering, or GE. This relatively new science creates unstable combinations of plant, animal, bacterial and viral genes that do not occur in nature or through traditional crossbreeding methods.” So says the Non-GMO Project. An example being the gene of a flounder inserted into the gene of a tomato – yes, this really happened. What worries me? That we are tinkering with things we don’t completely understand. Good things do not happen when we try and fool Mother Nature.
Thanksgiving Birds (yes, pies too!)
This year we’re proud to offer a choice or turkeys: a) the Koch’s certified organic turkeys from a PA Dutch-heritage family farm; and b) Stonewood natural turkeys from Vermont. Stonewood turkeys don’t do drugs and are wonderful birds! The difference between the two, besides the certified organic label on Koch, is that I’ve found the Stonewood birds to be leaner, with more white meat. Koch seems to have more dark meat and are fattier. All birds are grown by the children and great grandchildren of the founders. All birds are fed an all-vegetarian diet, and are given no growth hormones or antibiotics.
All size turkeys available today, but because we’ve already had to place our order, it’s best to call today or tomorrow so you get just the turkey and the size you want. Call Turkey Central at 978-371-7573. Koch organic turkeys: $3.99 per lb. Stonewood natural turkeys: $3.49 per lb. Quite a deal!
Get our holiday offerings from our incomparable kitchen right in the store too.
Rub shoulders with Hollywood
Well, we’re ready for you! Two (maybe three) of you get to be our studio audience during the filming of Eat Well Be Happy in my (Debra’s) home kitchen in Acton. Each month we film four shows, one right after the other, on Friday.
We turn 26!!!!
Debra’s Natural Gourmet is having a BIRTHDAY PARTY, Non-GMO FOOD FAIR and Discover West Concord Day – all in one! Saturday, October 17, 10:00-2:00. We’ll have birthday cake and ice cream, of course, but also a ton of our favorite companies sampling food. Come have a great time and help us celebrate! 5% of our sales the whole day will go to The Non-GMO Project.
Brown Wild Rice Pilaf, Broccoli & Nori
Another recipe from our cooking show, Eat Well Be Happy. Simple to make, flavor galore; we all loved this. The colors pop, too, as you can see from the photo. So go on, try this recipe! Should you use organic? We think so. More on the importance of organics inside in the update on herbicides being used with gay abandon….
Ayurvedic Breakfast Toast
For busy, back-to-school or work mornings…
This one appeared in our September 2004 newsletter and now in The Blue Ribbon Edition, our third cookbook.
Adam wrote back then that research shows cinnamon lowers blood sugar by making insulin work more efficiently, and that cinnamon may also lower cholesterol. He wrote that the noted naturopathic doctor, Bill Mitchell, saw impressive results with his patients’ cholesterol when they took ½ tsp of the powdered spice twice a day. According to Ayurvedic principles, cinnamon helps diminish wet conditions in the body such as a runny nose that accompanies a cold.
Thai Farro Salad
Farro is said to be the first grain ever domesticated by humans, and it was grown in what was called “The Fertile Crescent” of the Middle East. The Fertile Crescent, in case you didn’t know, is the location of the biblical “Garden of Eden!” And farro fed the Roman legions on their marches too.
As new varieties of wheat were created through hybridization, farro somehow lost its favorite status.Today, however, farro is one of several ancient whole grains that we are bringing back. Yeah!
What are Healthy Fats / What Fats are Healthy? Part 2: In the Kitchen
I’m not going to try and cover every oil, just the six I use in my kitchen.
Oil #1) A Decent Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO): I use a lot of this, and so does the rest of the world. Olive-growing regions are still the largest consumers (Greece is #1), but India, Western Europe, Scandinavia; South, North, and Central America all consume more than we do. EVOO is a versatile oil, it’s a tasty oil, and it’s a healthy oil.
EVOO’s health benefits are well-established. Suffice it to say, EVOO is healthy on its own, and it’s healthy because, for most of us, it tends to replace unhealthy oils in the diet. (It’s also healthy because for Americans shopping in mainstream markets, it’s the only oil that isn’t filtered or refined).
What are Healthy Fats / What Fats are Healthy? (Part 1 of 3)
I recently had the opportunity to cook for a small group of relatives. Like you, I’ve got all kinds of relatives. This night, some were strictly avoiding meat, dairy, and refined carbs; others, not so much. So I tried to make everyone happy with a sort of a hash – carrots, red bell pepper, chick peas, onions and garlic, fresh parsley and thyme, all browned and softened in a cast-iron skillet with plenty of olive oil.
As I brought it to the table, I could not imagine a possible objection.
“Wait – you cooked that in olive oil?” asked one young man, incredulously. “Didn’t you know it’s unhealthy? It’s okay to eat, but not to cook with.”
“Actually,” said his girlfriend, “all oil is bad for you. It doesn’t matter if you cook in it. Even nuts are unhealthy, because they contain oil. I read this in a book.”
And that is when my head exploded.
