Joan Herzog-Kessler is a registered, licensed dietitian and owner of Nutrition Solutions in Yarmouth.
The past few generations have grown up with an unwieldy glut of improved food wonders. New food advertisements flood television. Grocery shelves are stocked with new products. Kids beg and whine for the latest wonder. Exhausted moms see no harm in "just trying it." Manufacturers keep their greedy fingers crossed -- "maybe they'll like it!"
New and improved junk foods reproduce themselves this way. It appears consumers' minds are clogged along with their circulatory systems. Did that latest wonder food actually cost more and taste worse than the last one? Did the ginseng enhancement, subtraction of fat or addition of Olestra really help me? The brighter the label and the louder the advertising, the more pathetic the chemical mix of flavors in the packaging.
Luckily, a different type of taste sensation is happening across the nation. This food revolution is in the produce section.
The quantities of different produce colors, flavors and smells is the real wonder. Exotic topical fruits, sweet fresh herbs and an incredible assortment of new-to-us vegetables from all corners of the globe have magically appeared. Choosing produce has been getting much harder -- because it is so much better.
Not that many years back, one could barely find fresh garlic bulbs, let alone three different types. Off-season produce-shopping at the local grocery meant potatoes, turnips, onions and carrots. Now, you find a dozen or more species of fresh potatoes -- every color, size and flavor imaginable.
Maybe you have seen new bumpy, weird produce. Don't be afraid to try it. Look up a new recipe and ask produce staff for help while shopping for it.
Here are a few suggestions:
FRESH GINGER. This knobby tan root is firm, like a carrot. Peel off the skin and chop into tiny pieces or use a small grater, made just for ginger. It has a zesty, sweet but peppery flavorr foound in many oriental dishes. Candied ginger is my favorite sweet-- honestly -- better than chocolate.
FRESH BASIL. Available year-round, this spicy green leafed herb is a terrific addition to a vegetarian stew or homemade, lower-fat pesto.
FENNEL. The light green, thickened plant base tastes like licorice-flavored celery. Try it in a salad or Italian soup. It's crunchy, sweet and delicious. I like chewing on the seeds, found in the spice aisle.
SWISS CHARD. Succulent red stalks sure look pretty against the dark green leaves. This full-flavored vegetable can be steamed quickly, just like spinach. Lots of fiber and vitamin A.
BOK CHOI. This crisp, nutty flavored Chinese cabbage is pale green is indispensable for practically all Oriental dishes. Lots of chew per calorie.
FRESH MINT. The "menthe" group contains hundreds of varieties such as spearmint and peppermint. The fresh herb section of your grocery may carry just one. Buy two bunches along with extra parsley to make a vitamin-packed, extra-green Tabouli salad. Cut the olive oil in half. Double the green stuff. That's how I do it.
SUN-DRIED TOMATOES. They are very flat and obviously all dried out. But the lowly sun-dried tomato adds an intense, rich tomato flavor to pastas and salads. I like to eat them plain. They have much more flavor, vitamins and chew than fruit leather.
"GRAPE" TOMATOES. These are tiny, super-sweet cherry tomatoes that kids love. Also, have the kids pick out a papaya, mango, ugli fruit, Asian pear or persimmon. This is a fun yet tricky way to get vitamins A and C into young ones.
Maybe you have not yet tried the fruits and vegetables that will end up being your favorites. It doesn't count if you have hated the food since you were 6 years old.
Let us not forget it is the season for fresh local rhubarb, sweet pea pods and asparagus. The homegrown is always better than foods from away.
- SOURCE : Portland Press Herald1999.06.09
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