Tamarillo

Well... just please have a look before i begin to try and describe!!

 The skin is thin, and soft like a tomato...
but when you cut it open it looks like this!

 yummmmmmmmm.... sort of...

well.. I don't like seeds in my fruit.. I think this point was covered in my Grenadilla post! When food is this much work without huge reward (ie - artichoke hearts) I find little reason to keep eating it..

So I suppose you want to know what it tastes like..





Well... Fleshy.. like a tomato.... with that weird texture I usually don't mind... but this might have been a touch bruised or overripe..

And sort of sweet at the same time.... But for the seeds...






Perhaps I should stick to non-seedy fruits!

I really don't know how to explain... this is a sweet but slightly sour tomato with a lot of juice and tiny hard black seeds in it...

If i had the time or energy I might make ketchup out of it.... I shall keep my eyes peeled!!! 

I hope you try this one... it is probably the most difficult to describe I have eaten so far!

Kombucha: Traditional Sparkling Fermented Tea

That's a mouthful of a title.

I have read so many good things about this. And honestly, I was curious what fermented tea would taste like. I like fermented grape juice. I like fermented bread (sourdough). I LOVE beer. What could it hurt to try it?

Well first of all the pocketbook. All I could think was "... damnit this better be good for $2.79"

Well I cracked the top in the car on the way home, and it hissed and smoked at me.

Oh boy..

Truth? It had a weird aftertaste. I now understand why there are so many flavored options! It wasn't bad at all... It actually reminded me of that metallic licoricey taste of the British sherbert candies we used to eat as young girls.

Not terrible, not something I can imagine drinking often enough for it to grow on me at that price..

Also, It sort of gave me the burps... big time... I prefer club soda and lime :(

Thai Green Eggplant

I love Thai food.

I also love Curry.

I ADORE Thai Green Curry!

So, This little cutie pie at the market was one I needed to try!

The biggest different between this eggplant and a regular one, is that the "meat" stays really firm when you cook it. This was appealing to me at first, so i bought it.

However, the insides stay firm while the outer layer -and subsequently the skin - still cook. Then you were left with the spongy seedy part in the middle still firm, and the skins falling off. uh oh.

So I would recommend this for a stirfry! But I still like my eggplant melt in your mouth in my Thai food :) SO maybe I'm best staying with the regular purple and Asian eggplants.

Agave Syrup!

This is one of the awesome things I started using over Christmas break that I forgot to write about!

It is basically the same plant that is used to make tequila. ( liking this already aren't you?)

It is also two times sweeter than sugar, and slightly lower in calories. Yes folks, my mathmetician  brain has sorted out that when the quantity and calories are both halved.. its 1/4 as bad for you as sugar! RIGHT?!

(please, please, please don't correct this if I am wrong, I'll eventually realize this when I fail Economics at University)

All that you REALLY need to know is that is much lower on the Glycemic Index than regular sugar.


Okay, so not the sort of thing you would just "eat" straight up. But I like it in my coffee. And I like it when I bake whole wheat bread, but don't want the overwhelming honey taste. I still prefer to put chai tea mix or brown sugar in my oatmeal to sweeten, as agave doesn't have a very distinct flavor. I know cooks who use it in sauces, and it's getting more and more popular on Food Network channels!

Jokes aside, it is an awesome option, here is what you will find when you google it:

• it's not refined, like sugar
•  it's becoming a huge Mexican export, and so the Americans have began investigating everything that could possibly be wrong with it
•  In the future when the vegans prove us all wrong , we will also be using it instead of honey
• you can get "raw" agave nectar produced at "raw food" acceptable temperatures
• it is still fructose, so it's not healthy if you eat a lot of it

So basically, this is one of the new foods i tried which has weaseled it's way into my morning routine!

I hope you enjoy

Kale

BITTER GREENS!

One of my favourites growing up in an Italian household, was steamed rapini, that was sauteed in olive oil with garlic and chilli flakes.

Unfortunately, one day while shopping for "high iron" foods, the produce boys informed me that the broccolini, rapini, and other assorted bitter greens, actually began to loose their nutrient value the minute they were steamed.

 

http://www.google.ca/images/

So, the first time I tried Kale this year was slathered in salty peanut satay sauce.

Don't get me wrong, it tasted great. However, this wasn't healthy; the reason I was eating it!

Recently, kale is plentiful as a winter season organic and locally grown vegetable (hurray temperate coastal climate!) In my attempts at supporting global stewardship and the local food movement, I bought myself several bunches.

The my second first time "trying" the kale ( I say this because I could actually taste it this time) I was dissapointed. No amount of lemon juice or soy sauce masked that unmistakable bitter taste.

One day not too long after, I miraculously stumbled on Kath eating kale in her daily blog She sauteed it with... MAPLE SYRUP!?

Okay, there was two bunches to go!

It was amazing. my new rule: add a TOUCH of something sweet to the water when you are steaming the kale. DONE.

Or, as I did today with my lunch, I used steamed kale and added a touch of sweet to my salad dressing

 Check out the recipe:

One bunch kale, stemmed, cut, steamed and drained
Three fingers of roasted yam, cold, and cut into chunks
Half a bosch pear
half an avocado (hurray sales! what a treat!)
sprinkle of red onion

Dressing, shaken in a jam jar:
grainy dijon
olive oil
white balsamic
salt
pepper
splash of maple syrup

mmmmmmmmm, you should try it!

Chayote Squash

Well I wasn't sure what to think.

I acquired this baby in a clearance tray for $1.99 at the produce market, along with a chunk of Taro root and another unidentified squash item.



It looks like a pear that was dropped on it's face as a baby.
It was described to taste like a zucchini.
And is said to be crunchy even after cooking in liquid.

But.. if it's good enough for Bobby Flay...

I chopped this into bite sized pieces, sauteed it in olive oil, salt and pepper. After it had cooked I added white balsamic vinegar and let the stove do it's thing. and do you know what?

It looked like pear, tasted JUST like zuchinni, and had absolutely no spongey texture...

It wasn't bad at ALL. I don't think I would buy it to eat as a side, but I will absolutely adding this to a chilli or stew for some "heartiness"

NOTE: It also has a large flat seed on the inside, but this is edible and tastes very similar to the flesh. unfortunately my camera flash ruined the rest of my chayote photos

Citrus: Five Six and Seven!

Finally I have the conclusion for the citrus season! 

Trains, Planes and Automobiles!

...Or, Key Limes, Blood Oranges and Tangerines!

 

Blood Oranges are Really tasty! They aren't as acidic as other citruses, so this is why they are so often used in sauces and fancy cocktails. Sweet and colorful! YUM!

 Also Tangerines!

mmmm, these little guys are tough to get, the majority of little oranges are mandarins. These do have seeds, but taste just like that McDonalds Orange stuff you used to drink at track meets as a kid. *this was probably Tang*

Very Good!

 

Also seen in the first picture are key limes and tangellos. Key Limes are usually used in pies.... I tried to make jelly out of these as well. Unfortunately the skins are very bitter unlike the sweet juice, and i was not impressed. Tangellos are also delicious but very sour and acidic. A very "sharp" orange taste!

I hope that this wraps things up!