Archive for June, 2007
Preparing to Cook for the Cleanse
It is 4:49 PM. I just got home and wheeled the dolly piled with three boxes and a cooler, a huge suitcase filled with knives, cutting boards, platters, pots, pans, an immersion blender, citrus juicer, my arsenal of spices, and countless other kitchen necessities, and a small carry-on sized suitcase filled with my personal belongings into my little Manhattan apartment. I guess this would not be called traveling light, but I just got home from an intense five day experience cooking for the Hazon nourishment cleanse retreat.
2 Comments »Update from Tuv Ha’Aretz in Israel
(Posted on behalf of Yigal Deustcher -the farmer at Chava V’Adam Farm in Israel, one of Tuv Ha’Aretz’s partner communities. He is also the founder of the Shorashim:Roots program. Photos taken by Tuv Ha’Aretz member, Naomi Marcus.)
I awoke at 5:30 AM and headed to the kitchen where I found Eitan, one of our Shorashim apprentices, dicing the root of Ashwaganda (aka Middle Eastern Ginseng) to make a medicinal tincture.
Eitan has just finished the pilot season of Shorashim:Roots - 5 month intensive housed by Chava v’Adam, an ecological education center outside Modi’in. Our apprentices live and work in a rustic setting, secluded by the rocky, sparsely forested hills hugging our little valley. Much of the work is agriculturally-based, cultivating 5 bio-diverse plots for the needs of our CSA community. All of the buildings are built with stone or mud. The water from our showers & sinks are cleansed by our greywater wetland system. The sounds from the farm can be hectic at times, with busloads of schoolchildren coming to learn about the wonders of plants, animals & mud.
Shabbat Shalom from the Cleanse
Shabbat Shalom to Marco, Phyllis, Talia, Mia, and Laila
Love, Everyone at Hazon
(Nigel, Cheryl, Daniella, Leah, Ariela, Nancy, Sabrina, David, Ben, Josh, Linda, and Hale)
We kashered their kitchen
I’m reporting from the Hazon staff “cleanse” on a comfortable couch on Fire Island. A ten minute walk in one direction leads to the Atlantic Ocean. A ten minute walk in the other direction leads to the Long Island Sound. The garden outside boasts beans, tomatoes, kale, and strawberries so red they almost look cartoonish.
Yesterday, our “advance crew” (5 hearty Hazon staff members) met on the Upper West Side with 20 boxes of mostly organic vegetables and sundry supplies from Fresh Direct, the farmers’ market, and Trader Joes. We loaded the food onto the freight ferry and followed along on a passenger ferry where we picked it up and - if you can believe it - hauled it by wagon (no cars allowed on the Island) to Phyllis and Marco’s wonderful home. The next several hours were consumed by organizing the explosion of vegetables (a veritable living room shuk) and kashering the kitchen for the weekend. After all the questions and researching and debating from the last few weeks about kashering, I thought the actual process would be a nightmare. But aside from the toxic Easy-Off sprayed into the oven to remove any essence of food from the metal walls, it was fairly straight forward. Keep your eyes peeled for pictures next week of our adventures in boiling siverware and dipping the blade of our juicer in the Long Island Sound, which ritually kashers it. For those of you into food porn, we’ll also post an amazingly sexy shot of our fridge, filled to overflowing with miso and green, leafy vegetables.
Kosher! Food Also Available
(posted on behalf of Rabbi Ruth Abusch-Magder PhD)
My husband recently returned from a trip to Warsaw. After nearly 9 months living in Israel it was quite a culture shock. There were many meaningful moments but also some funny ones. He took this photo with an ad for the Warsaw-Jerusalem restaurant. According to the ad this is the world’s only Israeli-Jewish-Polish eatery and I don’t doubt it. This unlikely mixing of cuisines has resulted in serving gefilte fish and shwarma side by side with a slice of klezmer on the side. The English script makes it clear that the potential customers are tourists not locals. While I’m guessing they are hoping for Jewish traffic the main drawing is of the Muslim not the Jewish view of Jerusalem. Apparently this restaurant is Kosher and Food is also available. As odd as all this seems, perhaps the most unbelievable piece of the ad is the chef in the white cloak serving falafel. Anyone who has ever had falafel at an authentic Israeli dive knows it is impossible to fill a pita with hot sauce, onions, salad, hummus, techina, garlic paste, pickles and falafel without getting at least a bit down your front!
Bye to Bens
Along with 2nd Avenue Deli in New York and Rascal House in Miami Beach, Ben’s Deli of Montreal has sadly been added to the list of dying delis in North America. Ben’s opened nearly 100 years ago on the famous Montreal stretch, “the Main,” (aka Blvd. St. Laurent/St. Lawrence), and was one of the first restaurants to offer the city’s now famous smoked meat sandwiches. Most agree quality declined in the past decade, but Ben’s was a favorite among locals, tourists, and celebrities alike. Famous politicians were known to frequent the deli, including our charismatic Prime Minister, Pierre Elliot Trudeau, and current Quebec Premier, Jean Charest, who, I am told, enjoyed Ben’s matzoh ball soup on at least one occasion. Although I’ve always preferred Schwartz’s or Snowdon Deli (and Lester’s might soon be added to my list), it is sad to see Ben’s go.
A word from the Bay Area’s Tuv Ha’Aretz
Tokyo turnips.
Those are the two words that come to mind when asked how I am enjoying my new CSA membership as part of Tuv Ha’Aretz here in the Bay Area.
I have to admit, turnips have never been high on my list of favorite vegetables. While I certainly don’t harbor any negative feelings toward them, they just don’t usually find their way into my grocery cart, even though I kinda like their dirty white peel, with that lovely purple splotch at the bottom.
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The Real Dirt on Farmer John
Community Agri., D'var Torah, Farmer's Markets, Farming, Film, Jewish Learning, Politics, Seasonality, Sustainability, Tuv Ha'Aretz
These days, you can’t toss an organic pomegrante drink in New York City without hitting someone gushing about “farming.” People are joining CSAs, flocking to the farmer’s markets, and insisting that their restaurants and supermarkets carry free range eggs and meat. Heck, even Farm Aid is coming to NYC this year! (As someone who coordinates CSAs for a living, this makes me swoon a little.)
But even with our newfound city-folk expertise on all things sustainable agriculture, most New Yorkers would be surprised to meet a farmer like Farmer John.
You Are What You Eat
Art, D'var Torah, Eco-Kashrut, Featured, Food Writing, Health, Jewish Learning, On The Web, Opinion, Rant!, Shabbos Meals, Spirituality
I recently heard an interview with Native artist Lawrence Paul Yuxweluptun during which he made a comment about the nature of food. He asked “When a Haida is eating a hotdog When does the hotdog become Haida (referring to the first nations band)? When it’s in his hand? When it’s in his mouth? or after he’s had a bowel movement.” Yuxweluptun was using this image as a metaphor for many cultural dilemmas. I ended up stuck on the Koan-like statement for a while trying to grapple with what about the metaphor hit me. I think it stems from the possibility of thinking about it from a literal perspective and then approach food and culture differently. When does what we eat become who we are, if it even ever does.
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On the Road again — macrobiotics as an ideal cycling diet
Books, Cookbooks, Cooking, Hazon, Health, New York, Opinion, Personal Story, Region, Seasonality, Sustainability
I’m sitting at a small local café, Kafe Kerouac, named after the Jack Kerouac renowned for his wandering around America in his book On the Road, and I’ve stumbled upon a book on macrobiotic cooking. The book, Aveline Kushi’s Complete Guide to Macrobiotic Cooking, was published in my birth year, 1985. From a quick comparative glance with a more recent book on the subject, macrobiotics does not appear to have changed in the past two decades.
According to the Kushi Institute, macrobiotics is “the art and science of health and longevity.” It is based on eating seasonally, locally, and whole foods, and has been known is both Eastern and Western cultures for a very long time. Kushi’s book discusses the fundamentals of macrobiotics, macrobiotic foods, and ways to prepare them. Central to the diet are whole grains, soups, vegetables, beans, sea vegetables, and water. Seafood may be eaten very occasionally, but no other animal foods are part of the diet.
Ever since Jay, a homely owner of a local natural foods store, introduced me to macrobiotics, I have been struck by both it’s incredible nutritional compatibility for a cyclist and by the (seemingly) few people that actually eat macrobiotically.
Montreal’s Jean-Talon Market
It was Grand Prix weekend here in Montreal and to show my appreciation for motorized vehicles, I bought a bike. It has a basket expressly designed for carrying fresh Montreal bagels–at least it looks that way to me. One of my first destinations aboard my vintage gem had to be the Jean-Talon Market. According to some, the Jean-Talon Market holds the title for largest outdoor market in North America. Besides that, it’s where Montreal’s foodies and farmers (there are plenty of each) meet daily. Right now the only local fresh produce at the market is Quebec asparagus, though the strawberries have just begun to poke their heads too. This is Canada, after all, and Spring arrives a bit later here than south of the border. But the Jean-Talon Market also boasts an amazing variety of Quebecois prepared foods and specialties–everything from maple syrup and sugar pies to Ukrainian meatballs, Indian samosas, and North African pastries. Together it’s a testament to the special multiculturalism of this city. I for one had a hard time deciding between the many locally-produced chèvres (aged and fresh) at Fromagerie Qui lait cru!?!. Cheese curds are also a big local draw–great as a snack or melting ever so slightly over a plate of fries smothered in gravy, a favorite known here as poutine (more on that another time).
Jungle Fusion
As a child, I used to play a computer game called Amazon Trail (essentially a copy of Oregon Trail, but instead of hunting bison and fording rivers in a covered wagon, players speared fish and searched the jungle for medicinal plants). Even as an apathetic 13 year old, I remember being awed by the incredible diversity of plants displayed in bright, graphic wonder on my screen.
The writers of The Essential Jungle Fusion Cookbook, Drennan Flahive and Merrick Schoenfeld, get to play Amazon Trail every day - live and in color.
No Caffeine…no carbs…and no sugar…
As Leah, one of my colleagues, posted last week, our staff is getting ready for our Food Cleanse which will be this weekend. Not only do we have to prepare the logistics of getting all of us and our food out to Fire Island, we have to adjust our eating habits and wean ourselves off of certain foods this week so as not to shock our systems when we start eating “Cleanse” meals. The main items that pose as a personal challenge include caffeine… carbs… and sugar. When our staff was informed of this information, some of us were afraid to react vocally and were a tad surprised. While it makes sense to engage in these changes, no one said the process will be easy!
A Shabbos Mulch
It’s hard to get excited about mulching. In fact, most aspects of farming are tedious and not too exciting. Sitting in the library researching various food commodities over the years has meant that I have spent many an hour day dreaming about becoming a farmer and how beautiful and fulfilling my life would be.
I am a farmer now. A Jewish farmer to boot. I’m currently a participant of Adamah, the Isabella Freedman’s Jewish organic farming program that Anna has written about. My name is Jeff and this is my first post on The Jew and The Carrot.
