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growing goji berryOkonoimiyummy

As I�ve mentioned in my bio on our About Page, I spent several months studying abroad in Japan. I saw many a sight there, of course, but one memory in particular sticks out. Towards the end of my time in Tokyo, my English students came together to introduce me to a dish I still miss to this day. In my time there I�d come to recognize many iconic Japanese restaurants�the huge, round tables for Hibachi cooking, the long sushi bars staffed with busy men shouting �Irashaemase!� to anyone who entered, the endless drinks and bar food of nomi- and tabehodai�but this place was different. There were griddles, yes, but they were on long, low tables, and only one chef stood behind the bar (which had its own griddle). Where the heck was I?

�What kind of batter would you like?� One of my students asked.
�Batter?�
�For your okonomiyaki.�

I let them choose for me and watched, entranced, as the waiter brought a dark bowl of batter. Shrimp, shredded bacon, and strips of cabbage were mixed in; the whole mess was poured on the griddle and the smell set off the �must eat� signal in my brain. Sipping plum wine, we shaped and flipped the cooking mess with little spatulas, then cut and served it. Love at first bite. �Oishii,� I said, mouth full of goodness. Delicious.

Pizza or Pancake?
Often erroneously described as �Japanese pizza,� okonomiyaki are batter-based griddlecakes, more akin to a pancake than a pizza pie. They use a flour-base batter, often with grated yam, and always with strips of cabbage. What goes in past that point? It�s entirely up to you. �Okonomi� means �favorites� or �as you like,� after all. You can cook virtually any kind of okonomiyaki, but that night I ate a deluxe�shrimp, pork, and vegetables. The servings were ridiculous; the okonomiyaki, dense with ingredients and flavors, is a meal in itself, a rarity in a country where everything is a side dish to the almighty bowl of rice. I left full, happy, and with enough leftovers for two meals the next day!

In addition to the ingredients in the batter, okonomiyaki is served covered in dried fish flakes, strips of seaweed, and smothered in the sauce (helpfully called �okonomiyaki sauce�), which is akin to Worcestershire sauce, only sweeter and thicker. Other popular toppings include Japanese mayo, fruit and vegetable sauce, or chili powder, but you�re free to put just about anything on your serving. Careful with that experimentation, though, because this is often a social dish, meant to be eaten with a large group of people.

Oko-what?
You may be able to find sushi in any city from sea to shining sea these days, but the humbler okonomiyaki has never really caught on here in the States. Maybe it�s the appearance�the big, messy griddlecakes taste delicious, but look like a culinary car wreck�or maybe it�s just �too Japanese,� but whatever the reason, few Americans have even heard the term.

Fortunately, there�s no need to wait for the okonomiyaki trend to hit your town�the dish isn�t hard to make, provided you�re near an Asian market. All you need for the batter is some cabbage, flour, eggs, and water; the rest is up to you. This recipe is a good starting point. It even recommends a lot of possible ingredients!

So next time you�re considering sushi or hibachi or some other American-Japanese staple for the umpteenth time, consider bucking routine and watching okonomiyaki sizzle on your griddle instead. It may seem a little unusual at first, but hey, wasn't sushi?

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What's the Future of Organic Certification?

Some organic produce enthusiasts are cheering about its increasingly widespread availability. They say it's about time that huge retailers like Safeway, Costco, and even Wal-Mart have begun to add organic products to their shelves. With the market beginning to boom, some of the world's largest food manufacturers are beginning to jump on the bandwagon, as well, such as Kellogg�s, Kraft, and General Foods. Isn't that good news for advocates of healthier food?

The answer is a qualified maybe. It's a simple case of the time-proven law of supply-and-demand. The organic market has been growing steadily for decades, and once the numbers were there, it was inevitable that the big companies would step in to grab a share of the market. Some less enthusiastic organic foods advocates have expressed concern that having the giant retailers move into the market will ultimately weaken certification standards and hurt small farmers who have been able to capitalize on serving the organic niche market in order to survive.

The market share for organic produce is still miniscule, accounting for less than 3 percent of U.S. retail food sales in 2005, but the numbers are still impressive: $14 billion in sales and increases of 16 percent for organic produce, 24 percent for organic milk, and a whopping 55 percent rise in organic beef sales over the past year. Certified organic products typically sell at a 20-30 percent premium over similar non-organic ones. Given numbers like those, it�s not surprising that the nation�s mega-retailers are beginning to get excited by the possibilities for future growth.

However, there is growing concern that as factory-style farms move into the organic area to fill the demand from giant retail chains, the certification process may be lessened to allow those huge farms to meet the specifications. Those fears were given some credence when a recent report by the Cornucopia Institute discovered that two of the largest organic dairies in the nation keep their cows primarily in huge feedlots with little or no chance to graze on pasture.

At the moment, the demand for organic milk outstrips supply, but if the trend continues (and there's no reason to believe it won't), it could cause genuine problems for small farmers, who have been all but squeezed out of nearly every other phase of agriculture, but managed to find a market niche that allowed them to stay in business.

One of the biggest effects on the market will be retail giant Wal-Mart's demand for considerably lower prices. That means smaller profit margins for suppliers, but it could also mean a further loosening of certification standards in order to meet the demand and the low prices Wal-Mart would expect.

Where will it all lead? It's too early to tell, but if the current trend continues, it would appear that the consumer cost of organic produce and meat is going to become more affordable. However, it's yet to be determined how much loosening of the certification guidelines will take place in order for that to take place.

Copyright � 2006 Jeanette J. Fisher

Jeanette Fisher teaches environmental interior design. For more information about Environmental Psychology and 5 ways you can change your home environment, visit http://environmentpsychology.com.

Garlic: the Ins and Outs of Buying, Slicing, and Dicing

Buying Garlic

� Buy firm, dry bulbs with papery skin.
� Avoid wet, soft bulbs.
� Avoid bulbs with green shoots coming out.

Storing Garlic

� Store in a cool dry location.
� Store in a paper bag.
� Keep away from foods that may pick up the strong flavor.

Peeling Guide

� Peel away the outer papery skin with your fingers before separating the cloves from the bulb.
� Use the flat side of a butcher knife to remove the skin from the individual cloves. Press firmly with the flat side of a butcher knife on a clove to loosen the skin.

Slicing and Dicing

� Diced garlic is in easily accomplished after the skin is peeled away from the individual cloves. Simply lay the peeled clove on a cutting surface and using a rocking motion with a sharp chef�s knife cut the clove into pieces. Then turn the clove and cut it into smaller pieces.
� Minced garlic is best accomplished using a garlic press. When using a garlic press do not peel the skin from the garlic. Place several garlic cloves in the press and press down squeezing the minced garlic out the other side of the press.
� Sliced garlic is thin slices of garlic. A garlic mandoline is the easiest way to make garlic slices. Place the peeled garlic cloves in the mandoline holder and push from the top to the bottom.

Uses for Diced, Minced and Sliced Garlic

� Diced: this version is heartier than the other two. It is best used in soups, stews and in saut�s.
� Minced: this version is more delicate than diced and burns easily. It is best used in light sauces, vinaigrettes and salad dressings.
� Sliced: this version is light and delicate and gives a wonderful flavor. It is best used in sauces and with meat.

Shauna Hanus is a gourmet cook who specializes in creating gourmet meal plans. She has extensive experience cooking with easy to find grocery items to create delightful gourmet meals. She is also the publisher of a no cost bi-monthly gourmet newsletter. Her newsletter is always fun and informational packed with tips and trivia you can use everyday. http://www.gourmayeats.com

MRK Naturals - All Natural Skin Care Products

Sat, 29 Nov 2008 09:25:56 EDT
... o go all natural, so I began investigating new ways of being healthy that would work within our budget, such as growing vegetables in my green house, planting berry b ... ushes, fruit trees, goji berries, vegetable and flower gardens, and most recently creating my own skin care products,” explains Mandy....

The Amazing Benefits of Goji Berries

Tue, 16 Jan 2007 15:52:00 EST
A native of Asia, the goji berry has been prized for centuries for aiding in general health and well-being.

The highest quality goji berry is Himalayan, but many other varieties, including those gro...

Scientific Invalidity of the FreeLife GoChi Juice Study: A Model ... - NPIcenter (press release)

Mon, 10 Nov 2008 17:04:19 GMT

Scientific Invalidity of the FreeLife GoChi Juice Study: A Model ... NPIcenter (press release), Canada - Nov 10, 2008 ... PhD, ignored these guidelines and exaggerated importance both of the undeveloped science on goji berries and interpretation of the study results. ...

Grocer - Superfood cereal

Sat, 18 Nov 2006 08:00:00 GMT
November 18, 2006 -- Growing interest in superfoods has prompted Alara to add muesli with goji berries and yacon--a south American crop--to its organic breakfast cereals....


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