FOOD • WINE & DINE With Executive Chef Ron Skaar of CLOVERDALE, CA. ~ ~ ronskaar@comcast.net


ing the first two cold months, maybe the ancients thought they might go away. September is the perfect time to sow all kinds of greens in a sunny loca- tion for har- vest through- out the fall and winter. The follow-


S


ing seven varietals are highly recommended for planting now. Asian greens grow extremely


fast and take 10 minutes to pre- pare once harvested. The variet- ies include mizuna, one of the sweetest greens and bok choy with its reliable, sturdy growth producing very juicy and tender leaves. Chinese mustard greens can be ready for the table 35 to 50 days after planting. Plant the seeds densely, harvest using kitchen scissors when 3-5 inch- es tall, leaving 1 inch crowns


eptember was the seventh month of the ancient Roman calen- dar, which began with March. By


ignor-


for growing a second harvest. Mustard greens texture is more delicate than cabbage. They are also attractive foliage plants, being handsome enough for the border. Several vegetables in the


cabbage family, kale, collards and cauliflower have names that derive from the Latin word caulis, meaning stem or stalk. In general, open leaved plants with a fairly short main stalk accumulate more vitamin C and antioxidants then do the head- ing varieties. With no exposure to the elements the cabbage core tends to be more sugary which helps it last longer in storage, but limits its micronu- trients.


Kale and collard greens are cabbage relatives originally from the western Mediterranean coast. Both are high in vitamin A and C plus full of calci- um. One cup of kale provides seven times your daily need of vitamin K along with cal- cium, potassium, copper, iron and magnesium. No wonder it is considered a super food. Collards planted in the late


summer will yield edible leaves thru fall, winter and into spring. The kale and collard leaves can be steamed, stir-fried, sautéed or added to soups. Baby


kale is


great in sal- ads.


and Swiss chard


members of the beet family which were domes- ticated long ago in


Central Asia.


Spinach, which grows


rapidly,


is now the most important


green


next to lettuce. mild flavor pro- excellent source of


The


vides an vitamin


A, antioxidants and the richest amount of folic acid available. Chard is the name given


Spinach are


to varieties of beets that have been selected for their thick meaty stalks rather than their roots. One of


the easiest


than the leaves. Sautéed with some shallots and herbs, this green makes a great stuffing for rolled beef or pork dishes. Chard battles inflammation with vitamins A, C and K. The revived colored chard assortments are heirloom varieties which go back to the 16th Century. Their stalks come in various shades of yellow, orange, pink, purple, red and green making them another distinctive foli- age plant.


vegetables to grow, use chard like spinach but, cook the stalks lon- ger


There are actually


more than seven things to plant in your September


garden. You can also add leaf lettuce, peas, snow peas and broccoli rabe, literally “little sprouts of turnip” to the list. I’ll be sowing some Oregon sugar pod peas along with the Pechay pak choi. The salubrious Leann Chin recipe listed below is full of the highly nutritious bok choy and the protein packed snow pea.


STIR-FRIED SHRIMP WITH


VEGETABLES 1 lb. cleaned medium shrimp


1 tablespoon cornstarch mixed with


1 teaspoon cornstarch 1 tablespoon cold water ½ teaspoon sesame oil 3 tablespoons vegetable oil 2-3 baby bok choy 1 teaspoon finely chopped ginger


6 ounces snow peas 1 teaspoon finely chopped garlic


4 ounces mushrooms ½ cup chicken broth 3 scallions Salt and pepper to taste 2 tablespoons oyster sauce or 1 tablespoon soy sauce


4 • September 2013 • UPBEAT TIMES


UPBEAT TIMES • September 2013 • 4 Eat Well & Prosper Fun Facts & Trivia #1


According to Oscar, famed chef of the Waldorf Hotel, while he was in charge of the private rooms at Delmonico's the American actress Lillian Russell ate more food than Diamond Jim Brady (famous for his enormous appetite).


During his creative periods, French author Honore de Balzac (1799-1850), the author of La Comédie Humaine, shut himself away, drinking too much coffee and eating only eggs and fruit. When he re-emerged however, be displayed a gargantuan appetite. At the Véry restau- rant, he was seen to devour "a hundred Ostend oysters, twelve cutlets of salt-meadow mutton, a duck with


turnips, two partridges and a Normandy sole",


followed by desserts, fruit, coffee, and liqueurs.


Toss shrimp with 1 tsp. cornstarch, sesame oil, salt and pepper. Refrigerate for 20 minutes. Remove leaves from bok choy. Cut leaves into 2-inch pieces; cut


Directions: stalks diagonally into


½-inch slices, keeping separate. Remove strings from snow peas and blanch in boiling water for I min- ute, drain and rinse in cold water. Cut mushrooms into ½-inch slices. Cut scallions into 1-inch pieces. Mix oyster sauce, with 1 table- spoon of cornstarch and water.


Heat the wok until hot. Add 2 tbls. vegetable oil; tilt to coat side. Add shrimp, gingerroot and garlic; stir- fry until shrimp are pink and remove from wok. Reheat wok and add the rest of the vegetable oil. Add bok choy stalks and mushroom, stir- fry one minute. Add leaves, broth until boiling, stir in cornstarch mixture until thickened. Add shrimp, snow peas and scallions, cook until shrimp are hot. Makes 4 servings.


Pretty is the queen that rules our land. ~Carrie Latet


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