food

By Becky LeFevre

 There are many unknowns about flu season, but the Center for Disease Control estimates that flu season takes place between October and April and often peaks in January.  The bad news it, it’s October and it seems like it’s starting to “go around”. Whether it’s the flu already or just a common cold, we all need to take the necessary steps to stay well.  One of the best ways to stay healthy this season is to strengthen your immune system through a healthy diet. 

I spoke with Dr. Duane Scarborough (who has a Chiropractic and Wellness practice on Batavia-Elba Town Line Rd) about what we should be eating to help our bodies fight off sickness, or to help us recover more quickly from the colds we get.  The good new is, the foods our bodies need most are available locally and are in season.  Dr. Scarborough recommends cruciferous vegetables: broccoli, cabbage, kale, and brussels sprouts.  These veggies are high in vitamin C, contain soluble fiber, and are proven to have anti-cancer properties.  Garlic also tops the list; it fights off bacteria, viruses, and fungus.  Dr. Scarborough also mentioned that tomatoes are high in Vitamin C. A few minutes online at www.mealographer.com informed me that by eating a cup of chopped tomatoes or a whole, average sized fresh tomato I would consume approximately 30-40 percent of the recommended daily value of Vitamin C. 

For some people, eating a bowl of brussels sprouts might seems as painful as a few days in bed with the flu.  For those of you who historically hate the sprouts, please try some fresh brussels sprouts from a local farm. They are poles removed from the frozen, mushy little cabbages you were forced to eat as a kid. Sauté them up with some butter and salt and they taste great.  You can also add chopped cabbage or kale to your favorite soup or salad. Try these recipes using some of the foods Dr. Scarborough recommends, all the veggies are available at the Genesee Country Farmers Market.

Cherry Tomato Crisp
Ingredients:
· 1 1/2 pounds (about 5 cups) cherry tomatoes
· 2 slices french bread
· 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
· 2 tablespoons fresh parsley leaves
· 1 tablespoon olive oil
· 1 chopped garlic clove
· Coarse salt and ground pepper
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a food processor, combine bread, Parmesan cheese, parsley leaves, olive oil, and garlic; season with coarse salt and ground pepper. Pulse until bread is very coarsely chopped, 4 to 6 times.
2. In an 8-inch square baking dish, arrange cherry tomatoes in a single layer; sprinkle with crumb mixture. Bake until crust is browned and tomatoes are tender, 20 to 25 minutes.

Roasted Garlic  (from epicurious.com)
Ingredients:
1 lg. Head of garlic
¼ c olive oil
Preheat oven to 350°F. Cut top 1/4 inch off heads of garlic to expose cloves. Place garlic in small baking dish. Add oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper; toss to coat. Turn garlic cut side up. Cover tightly with aluminum foil. Bake until garlic skins are golden brown and cloves are tender, about 55 minutes. Cool. Squeeze garlic cloves from skins.
Eat roasted garlic spread on crackers, or mix it into some homemade mashed potatoes.

By Becky LeFevre

As a child, I spent most of my days at home with my grandma and grandpa while my mom was at work.  My grandma practically lived in the kitchen.  She was a great cook and made absolutely delicious pies.  I watched her diligently and over time learned how to add just the right amount of water to make the dough flaky but not tough, how to flute the edges of apple pie or make a lattice top for a cherry pie.  I learned that sometimes you have to adjust the amount of sugar depending on the sweetness of the fruit.  I can bake a great pie.  But, I also learned that great pie takes a lot of time, and time is in short supply. I’ll bake a pie for Thanksgiving and Christmas, maybe a birthday or once when the sour cherries are in season, but for the rest of the year I settle for creative alternatives. 

The following recipes are the absolute simplest pie-alternatives you can find.  Not only are they thrown together in less than 5 minutes, they look and taste fabulous and are nutritious.  If you want a pie but don’t have time, try this:

First, get some of your favorite fruits. I have peaches from Partyka farm and 20oz apples from Chryst farm, both from the Genesee Country Farmers Market.
Then, turn on your oven to 350
For Peaches, cut peaches in half and remove pit. Place facing up (skin down) on a baking sheet (you can cut a thin slice off the back of the fruit so it sits up straight on the baking sheet).  Top with either:
· a pad of butter and teaspoon of light brown sugar  OR
· drizzle on some honey with a few sprigs of fresh lavender, or lemon zest
· for extra excitement, add a some fresh berries or plums to the peaches when they are halfway done. Don’t add berries in the beginning or they will get mushy.
Bake for a half hour (while you are eating dinner). Serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or fresh whipped cream.
For Apples, remove the core from apple (try to keep the bottom of the apple intact).  If your apple is quite large or you don’t have patience with the core removal, cut it in half and remove the core that way.
 Fill the apple with a pad of butter and approximately a teaspoon of light brown sugar, depending on the size of apple.  Sprinkle on some cinnamon or insert a stick of cinnamon. You can also add some raisins and pecans. Bake on 350 for a half hour or till tender. Serve will a scoop of vanilla ice cream. 

Tonight I’m roasting a chicken for dinner, with potatoes, onions and beans from the market. I’m going to slip 2 huge sugar-butter stuffed apples into the oven when the chicken is done, and voilà…dessert!

Every once in a while an occasion comes up when you want to make something just a little different.

I played around with a chocolate cake mix (from Aldi's no less) and ended up with this moist, rich, cake.  At the end of the evening, the piece in the picture was all that was left of the cake.

Pre-heat oven to 350F   Prepare baking pans according to directions on box.  I use cocoa instead of flour in my pans when I make a chocolate cake.

1 box chocolate cake mix

1 pkg. instant chocolate pudding

1 cup brown sugar

Mix dry ingredients

Add:

1 cup sour cream

1 cup oil

1 1/3 cups water

3 eggs (one at a time)

Mix batter, on medium, for 3 minutes.  Pour into prepared pans.  Baking time will vary according to oven.  I did a sheet cake and it took just about 50 minutes.

I frosted with a butter cream frosting, but the last time I made this, I just sprinkled confectioners sugar on it. 

By Becky LeFevre

Summer is almost over! Labor day is approaching, school is about to start, and the cherries are in season. Cherries in season? Thanks to creative cultivating and new storage technologies, local farms really do have fresh cherries in season RIGHT NOW! Schwab Farm, located in Gasport NY, has been working with Cornell researchers this season on testing the effects of Modified Atmosphere Packaging on different varieties of sweet cherries. Modified Atmosphere Packaging, or MAP, is the technical term for plastic storage bags that extend the life of fresh produce by controlling the atmosphere (specifically the CO2 and O2 levels) inside the bag. Given a more controlled climate, produce stays fresher longer.   But, its not as easy at it sounds. Each type of produce, and each variety within each type, reacts differently to the MAP. At Schwab Farm, different varieties of sweet cherries are placed in MAP and the effects of the MAP are carefully studied to see which varieties of sweet cherries perform best in the new packaging. This current testing will help fruit growers in the future know which varieties to grow for use in MAP, so that the freshest sweet cherries can make it to market much later into the season.

Sharon Brent from Schwab Farms sells produce at the Genesee Country Farmers Market (located in the Batavia Downs parking lot on Park Rd.) every Tuesday and Friday, and hopes to have sweet cherries for sale until Labor Day. That is remarkable, considering the typical sweet cherry season in western New York ends around the first of August. In addition to the use of MAP, cherries are available from Schwab Farm because the farm grows a wide variety of cherries that mature at different times. While some varieties are done around Aug. 1^st, many other varieties continue to mature throughout the month of August. 

Cornell chose to specifically study the effects of MAP on sweet cherries for a few reasons. Cherries are becoming more popular due to recent discoveries of their health benefits. Cherries have powerful antioxidants, anti-inflammatory properties, and even the ability to reduce the risk of some types of cancer and Alzheimer’s. Unfortunately, sweet cherries have a very short shelf life, and here in the northeast we have a relatively short growing season. MAP can greatly help farmers meet the local demands for cherries. Instead of purchasing an alternative at the grocery store, local consumers can buy fresh produce from local farms much later into the season. This means our dollars stay in the local economy, and fruit we eat is as fresh and nutritious as possible.

With fresh cherries available later in the season, there may be a need for some fresh ideas on how to use them. Pick up some sweet cherries this week at the Genesee Country Farmers Market and try one of the quick recipes below.

Scott and Lynn Garlock and Rachel Bradt opened their new deli, Kravings, in the Valu Plaza on West Main Street in Batavia this week.  The Garlock's previously owned and operated Grugnale's Italian Market & Deli on Jackson Street.

On Wednesday we ran this same poll question, but it was clear from all of the "Other" answers that I left out quite a few places that should have been included.  So I thought for a weekend bonus poll, I would re-do it with those places added into the answer options.

Memorial Day in Byron, Monday May 25th.

9:00 AM - Plant Sale at the Byron Presbyterian Church on Rt. 262. 

All Day - Food concession

All Day - Vendor tables with crafts and rummage

11:00 AM - Town Parade (begins on Terry Street and proceeds east on Rt. 262, concluding with a ceremony at the Byron Cemetery).

Noon - Free games for children in the park next to the Presbyterian Church on Rt. 262, also featuring "Mr. Squiggles" (Mr. Squiggles is sponsored by the Byron-Bergen Library through a grant from the NYS Council on the Arts Decentralization Program).

1:00 PM - Big Auction on the lawn of the Presbyterian Church, Rt. 262.  Antiques and furniture are included. 

3:00 PM - Duck Race, sponsored by the Byron Town park Committtee - purchase your chances throughout the day at the park next to the church.  Watch the thrilling finish on the Trestle park Bridge, a short walk from the Presbyterian Church.

For more information, please call the Presbyterian Church, 548-2800.  For vendor table space, please call Laura at 548-2245.