Pat Crocker, a long-time Cuisine Canada member, and cookbook author emailed with a question. “My friend, Dr. Arthur Tucker, a research professor at Delaware State University, specializing in the chemistry and identification of herbs and author of The Big Book of Herbs and others, recently asked me about Mignonette Pepper, of which I have no knowledge.” Pat is wondering if anyone in the Cuisine Canada community can help her out.

Here is the question (with permission from Art) :

For years our family has put mignonette pepper (whole coriander and black pepper) into our pepper mills. My heritage is almost entirely Pennsylfawnisch Deitsch (Pennsylvania German) except for my illiterate, drunken, syphilitic great-grandfather from Merton, Devonshire. (There’s a story…his real name was George Halls but he changed it to Tucker when naturalized in Wilkes-Barre, PA).

Anyway, I Googled mignonette pepper (not poivre mignonette, which is French coarsely ground black pepper), and ‘lo and behold, mignonette pepper is French Canadian. Now, my mother and father were voracious readers, and I remember that she used to buy the Toronto Star Weekly, later, 1968-1973, the Canadian Star Weekly at a little magazine store in Northampton, PA.  I think that this is where the mignonette pepper originated, as we have many fond recipes from that weekly, such as Chicken Maison (chicken, sausages, and vegetables in a clay cooker), and a lamb recipe studded with pine nuts and anchovies in a clay cooker (the anchovies dissolve to create a wonderful sauce). What do you know about the herbs and spices of the French Canadians?  Is there anything written about this?

Sodium.  It all depends on who you ask whether it is ranked among the most notorious of chemicals in our food, or one of the most essential.  Sodium has been implicated, study after study, in being one of the major causes of heart disease in Canada.  Reducing our sodium intake, on a whole, is a good thing.

But ask food processors to reduce sodium, and you are up for a challenge.  Sodium tastes good, and high sodium products sell well.  Whether in baked goods, canned soups, cereals, or snack foods, salt just makes everything taste good.  However, consumer awareness is increasing, and lower sodium products can receive approval for health claims on the package label.

It sounds like a simple answer, just reduce the amount of salt in the product, and everything will be fine.  For certain products, however, salt is key to food safety and quality. Manufacturers of cheese, cured meats, dried sausages, and charcuterie need sodium to prevent microbial spoilage, and to reduce pathogenic bacteria. It’s the artisanal producers who will be hardest hit.  Reformulating an artisanal or traditional product to accommodate new food regulations very well may take away from the traditional quality of the product itself, and undermine the markets that have been developed for the food.

Health Canada is currently running a food industry stakeholder consultation on reducing sodium levels in processed foods.  Whether you are for sodium reduction, or against sodium reduction, make your opinion heard.  The deadline is January 31, 2011.

Photo © larryjh1234. Published under a Creative Commons License.

-When foraging plants, remember the general etiquette: know your plants, and know about their life cycle.  Never take more than the plant can quickly regenerate within a year.  Some of my personal recommendations include not taking more than one or two fiddles per well established fern. I never taking more than 1/4 of the mushrooms I find (even if it breaks my heart), and I leave some fruits (1/10) on the wild raspberries, strawberries, and other fruit-bearing plants I find.

-Know your plants also takes a different perspective.  If you aren’t 100% certain that you have identified your plant correctly, then don’t eat it. There are plenty of toxic plants out there that could cause serious damage.  Learn from an experienced forager who is willing to share his or her craft.

-Don’t forage on private property or in protected parkland. That’s just common sense.

-If it’s generally considered a weed, then eat your heart out. Garlic mustard, dandelions, burdock, chrysanthemum greens, lambs quarters, purslane, amaranth, take as much as you want.  Someone might even thank you.

-Remember that some foraged plants are considered threatened, endangered or vulnerable species. Canadian laws in different jurisdictions may protect against harvesting certain species, including American ginseng, goldenseal, spotted wintergreen, prickly pear cactus, red mulberry, wild ginger, and wild leeks.  Before you harvest, make sure you check your regional conservation authority for local regulations for foraging plants.

Have fun, and enjoy the harvest!

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Posted by Amy Proulx, who harvested those wild leeks legally, sustainably, and with permission.

Photo: Amy Proulx

Do you know what these delicate, silver-plated utensils were used for?

First Clue: They were not dessert servers. Although they may have been used at the dining room table, they were never associated with cakes, pies or other fine delicacies.

Second Clue: While they may not have served food, these utensils were part of a social ritual that revolved around a particular use of the plant, Artemisia absinthium, a woody herb that had been employed by people from ancient times to treat, among other conditions, intestinal worms. Worms? In fact, the common name for Artemisia is wormwood and we in Canada grow several varieties, the western sagebrush (Artemisia tridentatum) being native to North America.

Third Clue: Worms notwithstanding, the popularity of this herb rose to a frenzy in Paris and by the late 19^th century artists and writers like Picasso, Oscar Wilde, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, Emile Zola and many others enjoyed this anise-flavoured herb in one of the city’s 30,000 bars and cafés.

Of course, these are Absinthe spoons, used to hold a cube of sugar over which water was slowly poured into the emerald-green alcoholic herbal drink. If you look closely at the photograph above, you will see that the spoons were designed with a lip to affix them to the rim of the glass. Water-soluble components in the clear liquor dissolve into the water and cloud the drink, turning it from translucent to a milky opalescence.

At its peak, two million gallons of absinthe were being imported annually to feed the growing obsession (some called it addiction) of thousands of French people across all social classes. But by 1915, the French National Assembly had banned its sale. By then, all but a few countries (Britain and Spain most notably) including the United States had prohibited the making and selling of absinthe.

Artemisia absinthium grows in the Jardin du Musee de l’Absinthe in Auvers-sur-Oise, France

It is the active constituent thujone found in the herb that was thought to bring on loss of intellect, impaired speech, amnesia, hallucinations, convulsions and death. Almost as dramatic as absinthe’s meteoric rise, popular consensus turned it into a frightening and lethal enemy of decent society and almost within one generation, its use was extinguished.

With no evidence to show that absinthe was psychoactive, the ‘Green Fairy’ or ‘Green Muse’ as it was once called, has been amazingly restored to popularity–especially with young people. Many countries in the European Union have reauthorized its manufacture and sale and commercial distillation of absinthe in the United States resumed in 2007.

Liquor laws in Canada are a provincial jurisdiction. Is absinthe banned where you live? Check here if you’re unsure or curious.

What are your views on this intriguing drink with a checkered past? If you’ve tried it, what did you think?

Restaurants and retailers are building new, direct relationships with farmers and food producers.

Today, many restaurants showcase local, Canadian products.  While sourcing these  products is becoming more of a main stream industry with typical wholesale marketing, building direct marketing chains between food producers and restaurants or other retail markets is a real boon for both the agricultural industry and retailers.  Producers retain value on their product, while restauranteurs or retailers have the direct link, and the real story behind the product. All this helps meet increasing consumer demand for fresh, unique and local products.

In the spirit of building successful relationships between farmers and retailers, I’ve spoken with some people who have already built successful partnerships in the sector.

To launch this series, I talked to Donald Bowyer, Assistant Farmer in charge of marketing and logistics, at Ignatius Farm Community Shared Agriculture (CSA) in Guelph, Ontario, for his first hand perspective on building successful working relationships between the farm and their restaurant partners.

AP: How do you build a strong working relationship as a farm supplying restaurants?  How did you get started with this initiative?

DB: I can’t speak too much myself to how the restaurant end was started, but it is a natural extension of a CSA. Most CSAs either have  a farmers market they go to, or a restaurant to channel surpluses, as well as broaden the CSA membership pool. We build in a buffer into our planning so the CSA doesn’t get overly affected by poor crop years so always need a place to sell this extra produce. Restaurants are easier in some ways because they take less time than being in a market stand for a day at a time.

Communication is the key. It is hard to state how critical it is to meet with those who are ordering, as well as those working with the food to get a sense of their capabilities. Each time an order goes out, ask how things are going.  Same at drop off or pickup points- those are great opportunities to check in. I find it rather fun to get to peek into the kitchens and store rooms in restaurants I will often eat at, to see the inner workings.

AP: Do you have recommendations for restaurant owners who are interested in buying direct, perhaps a short list of “dos and don’ts” that make a farm-restaurant relationship smooth?

DB: Do talk to the farmer. Are they set up to clean, and package how you normally expect  your produce. Be very clear about what your own storage, cleaning and processing capacity when talking to the farmer, because not every farm will be a match. Often the farmer has a lot of produce coming in a small window, and you may not be able to take everything right when its ready. It’s good to have the farmer visit your place, see the storage and kitchens so they can get an understanding of your limitations and strengths to streamline ordering processes. If you are not really set up to do a final wash of potatoes, it may be better to order from a farmer who can do that final wash for you.

Be prepared to spend more time communicating if you are dealing with multiple small farm enterprises. They are often not set up to have someone to manage wholesale orders and so will take a bit more work than a dedicated salesperson might.

Farmers need some predictability. It has been very helpful for us to negotiate a base amount of produce the restaurant will buy. This makes crop planning much easier for the farmer, and makes the week to week ordering simpler when you have set amounts of produce coming in per week, with the flexibility on both sides to change amounts as needed.

Try to find time to do some evaluation in the down-season  to tune what had happened over the growing season. Usually the growing seasons are a bit too hectic for more involved conversations

AP: Can you tell me a success story, how your direct relationship with restaurants has enhanced the success of your farm operation?

DB: I would say our work with Bob’s restaurants (author’s note – Bob Desautels – The Neighbourhood Group) have been  a great success. They are very flexible about working with what we have in season, as well as always willing to try out some of our more obscure vegetables. As well they help us out by signing wholesale agreements, allowing us to crop plan for them, and for them to have a steady supply of vegetables without having to negotiate each week with each supplier. Predictability is a huge aid for everyone in weekly planning. We are also exploring some more fun possibilities like perhaps harvesting some ‘weeds’ for a true local flair in food.

Are you a farmer with a direct marketing relationship with a restaurant or retailer?  If so, tell us about your success stories. You can leave a comment below or click here to send  us an email.

Photo © Ignatius Farm CSA

Seasoned Pork - a moist dinner at the expense of your health?

As a Home Economist and a Registered  Dietitian,  I am at times torn between loving food (and I mean ALL food – including the delicious crispy fat on a BBQ’d pork chop;  full fat Brie cheese with white crusty bread;  that yummy icing made out of sugar and lard on bakery cakes) and, well… being a Dietitian!

One  food that conflicts me is “seasoned” pork and chicken, which is not “seasoned” in the sense of having added spices or flavourings, as the name might suggest.  Instead, these products have been injected with a solution of water, sodium phosphate, and salt in an effort to preserve a tender texture, even if over-cooked or held warm for long periods.  Because pork and chicken are so lean, they can tend to become dry when cooked – not so with seasoned products.  The sodium phosphate bonds the water molecules to the protein, and the salt acts as an enabler in that process.  The intent, from the perspective of the food processor, is to enhance the eating experience.

The Home Economist sees seasoned pork and chicken as the perfect solution for those who are not overly skilled in the kitchen (no more shoe-leather pork chops) and for food service/restaurants needing to meet the demands of hungry customers who want their food “right now”.  Seasoned pork chops will be fork-tender, even if you’ve overcooked them. Catering managers love seasoned products, because seasoned chicken and pork can be held warm in a chafing dish for many hours at a banquet without becoming dry.  A conversation with Monda Rosenberg , food editor of Chatelaine and cookbook author, revealed that she prefers seasoned pork and recommends it over non-seasoned.

So what’s the downside?  The Dietitian in me cringes at the nutritional consequences of adding sodium phosphate and salt to an otherwise naturally low-in-sodium food. There is more than five times the amount of sodium in a seasoned product over a non-seasoned product.  A 100 g (3 oz) pork chop has about 55 mg of sodium (2% of your Daily Value), but the average seasoned pork chop contains about 300 mg of sodium per 100 g (3 oz) serving (13% Daily Value).  Considering all the attention given to lowering sodium in the food supply, and the astounding number of Canadians with high blood pressure, this is concerning.  Particularly if consumers are not given the choice between seasoned and not seasoned at their local grocery store, or if consumers are oblivious to the meaning of the word “seasoned” on their meat purchases.

If you haven’t noticed the tiny printed word “seasoned” on your meat and poultry purchases, look for it next time you shop.  Some grocery stores stock only seasoned chicken and pork, particularly in Ontario and now in Western Canada.  Other retailers have a variety of seasoned and “regular” chicken and pork, for lack of a better term.  Often seasoned products are less expensive, with the unseasoned products being marketed as “organic” or “hormone/antibiotic-free” at a higher price.

So what do you think of seasoned chicken and pork?  Is health always the priority when it comes to food?  Or is some sacrifice for ‘health’ acceptable when it means more convenient or tastier food?  Is it OK to charge more for food that has not been processed versus foods that have ingredients added?  Is it “buyer beware” or do food processors have some sort of responsibility for providing the healthiest foods possible, even when consumers are demanding convenience and taste as well?

Pumpkins for eating. From left to right, Rouge Vif d'Etampes (red), Winter Delight (orange), and Bliss (green)

The shops are bursting with them.  Take a country drive, and you will see road side stand after road side stand.  Jack-o’-lantern pumpkins everywhere, and not a bite to eat.

Well, yes, you can eat them.  But why would you, when there are better choices for getting a really decent, and memorable eating pumpkin.

I was talking with Heather Lekx and Donald Bowyer, farmers at Ignatius Farm CSA in Guelph Ontario, and purveyors of pumpkins galore.  Their impression is that interest in pumpkins is split.  People either want a jack-o’-lantern, which usually gets composted, or they want something for cooking and baking.  And if you want something wonderful for cooking, it’s a completely different creature than a jack-o’-lantern.

Pumpkins and winter squash are a vast genetic family, all of them Curcurbits, but from different offshoots of the family tree.  Because of their generous yield, and excellent storage characteristics, pumpkins were quickly adopted by many global cuisines, and bred to adapt to taste preference.  From ravioli to pie, and from tagine to curry, the mellow flavour matches a variety of intense spices, but good pumpkin has the robust nuttiness which can let it stand on its own, adorned simply with butter and salt.

Tricks for getting the best pumpkin treats:

When selecting a pumpkin for eating, consider the following:

-Look for heavy weight for size.  A jack-o’-lantern pumpkin was bred to be thin fleshed, smooth skinned, and spongy, for easy carving.  This also means pale and stringy.  For  quality eating, find a pumpkin that is very dense.  Pumpkins bred for best culinary quality are usually vivid orange in flesh, with minimal sponginess and stringiness.

-Don’t expect a bright, round orange-skinned pumpkin. Many of the heirloom varieties have deep ridged, “Cinderella’s Coach” appearances, short and squat.  Others have vibrant skin colours, green, red, grey, white, tan.  Some have russeted or netted skin, or even peanut-like warts.  Halloween scary without carving.  But never fear!  Buy from a reputable farmer or retailer, check to make sure the flesh is sound and firm, no soft spots, and you are in for a treat.  If there is a variety you liked, or want to try next year, let your supplier know.  It’s field planning time for the 2010 season.

-Consider using other winter squash, hubbards, kabocha, long necks, even butternuts, for pumpkin recipes.  Odds are very few people would notice the difference.  You’re not the only one doing this sleight of hand.  Virtually all canned pumpkin in North America comes from the Dickinson squash, which looks like a big butternut squash.  Genetically, it is more related to the butternut squash than the typical jack-o’-lantern (Curcurbita moschata and Curcurbita pepo var. pepo respectively).

-Want your pumpkin, and want to eat it too? The thicker fleshed eating pumpkins can be trouble to carve.  Consider just putting them out for a spectacular display, or carve a face into the flesh without hitting the centre. Paint is good as long as it’s non-toxic and can be removed prior to eating.  Skip the candles to avoid the paraffin smoked flavour, and opt for a flashlight or LED. Uncarved, they can last several months in a cool (but not cold) and dry location. Carved, keep in the fridge up to 3 days.  The opportunities are endless for decorating, and then endless again for good eating.

So, are you going to eat your pumpkin? Do you have a favorite eating variety?

Photo – Amy Proulx, pumpkins courtesy of Ignatius Farm CSA