Monthly Archives: December 2011

Jim’s Better-Than Traditional English Christmas Pudding

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A Child’s Christmas in England

By Jim Leahy

“One Christmas was so much like another in those years…”  A Child’s Christmas in Wales by Dylan Thomas has become a fond tradition for me in the 27 years I have lived in Concord, attempting for myself to recall the lost world of a receding childhood romanticized by selective memory and an ever-present love for the family that we once were. My father, grandparents, uncles, aunts, “alas no longer whinnying with us,” live on in remembrance of Christmases past. ...Read More

Holiday Delight Chocolate Truffles

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You have no idea how many different directions I went this month trying to come up with a recipe I loved using Linn’s whole sesame tahini.  I tried a winter salsa (many times, many variations with and without cranberries!), a sticky rice ball with dipping sauce, a new immune boosting soup with Linn’s tahini stirred in, and roasted veggies with a tahini sauce.  After having to eat way too many experiments, here’s a simple recipe that is divine. ...Read More

Debra’s Chocolate Dipped Figs with Almonds

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Figs have been here since 2900 BC when a Greek King claimed they were an antidote for all ailments.  Pliny, the Roman physician and writer said figs increased the strength of the young and preserved the health of the elderly.  According to a column in Food & Nutrition News, figs contain calcium and lots of potassium, which is crucial to the control of blood pressure, and are an excellent source of fiber. ...Read More

Seth Kirschner’s Umesho BanchaTea

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Seth Kirschner, who visits our store to represent many companies, among them one of our favorites, Eden Foods, said “When I was a child and had an upset stomach, my mother used to make me a hot drink that helped tremendously.  The drink was water with Eden umeboshi plum and/or plum paste to taste, Eden tamari and/or Eden shoyu to taste, Eden kuzu root and fresh grated ginger.  It’s the best and it really, truly works! ...Read More

The Sunshine Vitamin, Part 2

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We make vitamin D in our skin using a type of solar radiation called ultraviolet B (UVB).  Unfortunately, UVB is filtered out by the atmosphere.  As the Earth tilts on its axis in winter, the sun’s rays travel through more atmosphere to get to us, and more and more UVB is filtered out.  Some estimates have it that, in our part of the country, we simply do not make vitamin D during 4-5 months of every year.  Even in summer, morning and afternoon sun has to angle through more atmosphere, filtering out most if not all UVB.

Dark-skinned people have an especially difficult time using UVB.  Which isn’t surprising when you think about it: after all, dark skin is built-in sunblock!  In the Boston study, for example, black women averaged half the blood D levels white women did[1].  Obviously, supplements are especially important here. ...Read More