This announcement ahs been plastered accross the US and in some cases the Southern Pacific, there is a documented alert for Salmonella poisining from some pistachios products. This alert should not stop you enjoying Pistachios as not all suppliers are under scrutiny for this alert. In fact many have been practicing good food processing and handeling so there products are safe. I have neeb in contact with April Shunn Williams from Paramount farms and have agreed to post this updated news. Please look at the list below for a safe supplier or producer, we must all remember in these hard financial times that to boycott all growers and producers could be detremental to their livelyhood and the industry. We all enjoy the texture and taste of good quality Pistachios in our recipies and should support the industry at this time.

A quick recipie: Lamb cutlets with pistachos and nectarine salsa

Ingredients

Marinade
12 lamb cutlets
1tbsp olive oil
juice 2 oranges
2 tbsp grated orange rind
1/4 cup spicy fruit chutney

Salsa
1/2 punnet Fresh Pistachios, peeled, split and roughly chopped
juice 2 oranges
1 tsp fresh ginger, grated
1 tsp honey
1/4 tsp cumin powder
1 small cinnamon stick
2 tbsp coriander, finely chopped
3-4 nectarines, cut into chunks

Method
Combine marinade ingredients, add cutlets and refrigerate overnight.
Prepare salsa by combining half the coriander and half the pistachios with all other ingredients. Bring to boil and boil for 2 minutes. Remove cinnamon stick and allow to cool.
Barbecue or char grill or even use the George Forman or simular grill cutlets 2-3 minutes each side.
Serve with fresh pistachio salsa and sprinkle with remaining pistachios and extra coriander if desired.

A list of safe providers and links:

A&P Growers
American Golden
Barons
Berkley & Jensen Pistachios
Braga Farms
Braga Organic Farms
Cal Delights
Cal Fruit and Nut
Country Best
Cowboy
CVS Brand Gold Emblem Natural
Pistachios
CVS Brand Gold Emblem
Pistachio Kernels
Divine Organics
Doug Braga
Eagle Ranch Pistachios
Eden Organic
Everybody’s Nuts Pistachios
Flannigans
Futters Nut Butter
Garvey Nut
Giant
Golden Orchards Pistachios
Gust Picoulas
Harris Ranch
Heart of the Desert
Horizon Growers
Keenan Farms
Kirkland Everybody’s Nuts
Kopali
La Montanita Food
Lattitude 1
Living Intentions
Maisie Jane’s
Mamco
Marra Bros.
Melace Family
Meridian Nut Growers
Mount Hope
Nuts and Spice
Paramount Farms
Rosetti Fine Foods
Royal Himalayan
Sam’s International
San Joaquin Valley Farms
Sherman Thomas Ranch
Snack Club
Snakerz
Southern Grove
Specialty Commodities
Sunkist Pistachios
Sunridge Farms
The Nutty Gourmet
Wonderful Pistachios
Yurosek Farms

http://pistachiorecall.org/
http://www.fda.gov/pistachios/

For more FOOD NEWS stories & interviews:
http://cookingupastory.com/category/food-news/

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Sweet relish made from green tomatoes and onions. When we were first introduced to it in New Glascow, Nova Scotia, we couldn’t believe we were allowed to eat this sweet good stuff right along side our meat and potatoes. Shouldn’t this be a desert?

This year, with the funny weather we’ve been having in farm and cottage country, Ontario, Canada… My organic heritage tomatoes are still mostly green. It’s September, I’m panicking… Until I remember Chow Chow. (yes, it gets capitals, every time. It’s THAT good.) The only catch is I’ve never canned anything in my life.

Now, I’ve got all the theory down, and the books and pots and jars and lids and on and on and on. Just no practical experience. I’m a lady who likes a challenge. I’m also a lady who doesn’t like wasting food, time, or effort. So, this has just got to work the first time.

The girls and I get out the old scale that is meant for food, but only ever used for weighing packages for shipping from our online store. We grab a couple of bowls, and then out to the picnic table and garden.

What does twelve pounds of green tomatoes look like, you might ask? Voila!

Green Tomatoes and Yellow Onions

Along side of 3 pounds of yellow onions. The base ingredients for this recipe.

The first step is to chop up the tomatoes. stick em in a great huge stock pot. I borrowed one from my mom, because my stock pot looked very very tiny next to all these tomatoes and onions. This was easy. The whole time I’m chopping, I’m white knuckled and demonstrating the worst knife techniques possible. You know, the kind that ends with a sore shoulder and wrist, and a housewife losing a finger tip, or at least a close call. My inner Gordon shouted every version of the “F” word that the two of us combined know.

For those of you who are curious, there was a pound of icky bits left over. (tops and leafy bits.) So, this reduced us to 11 pounds of tomatoes. Oh, and for those of you who are concerned, I only grazed my nails. Finger tips in tact this round!

Now, I thought I could outsmart the onions. I had a bowl of cold water set up on the cutting board. I would quickly cut the tops and bottoms of the onions, make a slice down the side, and plunk it in the water, the tops and bottoms into the compost next to me. I peeled the brown skin off while it was under water, and then the onion went into a bowl. I managed to peel the first layer off of twelve onions (3 lb) without a tear.

Then, the chopping started. In half, plunk them in the water. One half at a time, chop chop chop… I’m thinking I might just have this beat, when the gases permeate my eyeball membrane and I’m down for the count. (My inner comedian kept screaming “DON’T CHOP ONIONS WITH YOUR EYES CLOSED!” and I had to put the knife down in between the last 5 onions and walk away to let my vision clear and my giggles subside.

Have you ever tried to take good pictures with your eyes dripping and burning from onions? Hilarity.

Eventually, all of them ended up in the stock pot (whew!) and I spread 1 and 1/4 cups coarse salt over the mix, mixed it up a bit, and let it sit overnight.

First bit down, next bit tomorrow. (oh, it gets better and better….)

Lori Petroff

Our first stop when we arrive is ALWAYS the “Cheese Guy.” why? Cheese Curds. My beloved has a weakness for them. The Cheese Guy (who bears a strange resemblance to Stephen King and I always stare a little too long at his face.) makes the cheese himself. Cheese curds are a bit of a delicacy. They are the fresh young cheddar cheese before it’s put into blocks and age. They taste like a beautiful soft mozarella. If they are not eaten within a few days they lose their flavour and turn dry and salty. The Cheese Guy sells out of curds well before the day is over, so if you want them, it has to be the first stop on your list.

The last stop on our list, after browsing around the market, and maybe picking up some local potatoes, fruit or corn on the cob, is always the “Meat Guy.” Now, when I asked the Meat Guy and his beautiful assistant if I could take their pictures for my blog, they weren’t as shy as the Cheese Guy.

From this booth, we always get some kielbasa of some sort (lately it’s been the herbed ham.) and a handful of beef jerky. This couple work amazing deals, and will almost always “get you” with an add on. Their booth is amazing, they are very good at the sales part of what they do, and the meat is eye-rolling-mouth-watering-mmmmm-good.

Seriously, who can resist a pretty girl frying tasty meat samples????

This booth is always incredibly busy.

What I didn’t get a shot of was the fridges and freezers to the left and  hiding behind, because this booth was so busy.  Another thing I seemed to have misplaced in all the hustle-bustle and the excitement of nabbing a bag of cheese curds and meat, is the business cards I was given from these super friendly vendors. (soooo embarrassed. If I find them, I’ll be sure to update. )

It’s harvest time in our area, and there are a lot of farmers markets and stands that are selling their wares. Keep an eye on my blogs for more farm fresh news and adventures.

Lori Petroff