Category Archives: Toxic Fun

Nov11

Persimmon 411

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Hey Guys, here’s another article that I wrote for LolaBee’s a few weeks ago! Enjoy!

Extra, extra read all about it—persimmons are now in season!

PERSIMMONS

Although native to China, persimmons have since spread to Japan and California…and for a good reason too—persimmons are rich vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants! More specifically, persimmons contain the nutrient catechin, which is known to have anti-infective, anti-inflammatory, and anti-hemorrhagic properties. In addition, fresh persimmons contain antioxidants such as vitamin A, beta-carotene, vitamin-C, lycopene, lutein, zeaxanthin, and cryptoxanthin—together these fight oxidative stress, which plays a vital role in aging and disease. And lastly, persimmons are rich in B-complex vitamins, potassium, manganese, copper, and phosphorus.

Photo Credit: Flickr User Monica Arellano-Ongpin

Although this fruit resembles the beauty of a tomato and provides nutrients to compete with many other healthy fruits, most of you have probably never tried a persimmon, and some of you may have tried one and had a bad experience. But fear no more, you simply have to know the difference between the persimmon varieties to really enjoy this lovely fall fruit.

First, persimmons should only be eaten when ripe and soft. If eaten before its ripe stage, the fruit will be very bitter. When the fruit is ripe, the skin will appear transparent and should be smooth with an overall orange coloring; if not, let it ripen on the counter until it reaches a bright coloring overall. The two varieties in market are Fuyu and Hachiya. For those of you who have had a bad experience with persimmons it was probably because you bit into an unripe Hachiya persimmon…so, let’s get to know these varieties a little more closely.

Photo Credit: Flickr User Lars Plougmann

Fuyu Persimmons (Sharon fruit) are short and firm. They’re crisp and sweet with a pleasantly firm, mango-like flesh, and the skin can be eaten or peeled just like an apple. It’s a non-astringent variety, unlike other persimmon varieties. Fuyu tastes great in fruit salads, salsas, or baked in a coffee cake. These tomato-looking persimmons are the better variety to eat fresh.

Hachiya Persimmons are longer and more “peach-shaped.” They need to be eaten when very soft and very ripe—“smooshy” to the touch. They are best when eaten chilled or scooped with a spoon. However, this variety is an astringent variety and if eaten before it’s completely ripe, you will have one of the most mouth puckering experiences of your life—it’s bitter and chalky and tastes similar to industrial strength cleaner. It can actually numb your lips and tongue for a short moment. But, this can all be avoided by waiting for the fruit to become super ripe, by soaking the persimmon in salt water or by freezing it. Furthermore, this variety is most commonly used for cooking as opposed to eating fresh. They make great persimmon cookies, coffee cake, chutney, jams, and puddings.

Photo Credit: Flickr User Yasuo Kida 

Second, you need to know…

How to eat a persimmon

Step 1: Wash. Step 2: Cut off leaves, in the same way you would if you were cutting off the leaves of a tomato. Step 3: The skin can be eaten but if you want to peel, immerse in hot water briefly. Step 4: Cut the persimmon into any shape you desire for serving, or eat whole. Step 5: Persimmons can be consumed fresh or cooked. Persimmons can be cooked as a jam, marmalade, compote, and makes a delicious sorbet.

Photo Credit: Flickr User bgreenlee

Ways to serve persimmons:

  1. In a salad. Whip up this delicious and colorful fall salad: Romaine lettuce, pomegranates, persimmons, Asian pear, almonds, and Gorgonzola cheese.
  2. As a salsa. Persimmon salsa tastes great over grilled fish or chicken.
  3. Cooked into chutney with apples and raisins.
  4. Used in a drink. You can make a persimmon margarita, smoothie, or tea.
  5. In a dessert. Persimmon cookies, tart, pudding, coffee cake.
Related articles (Recipes and more!) …
Oct16

Too Ripe or Not Too Ripe

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Hey everyone… here’s another newsletter article I wrote for LolaBee’s a few weeks ago. Don’t forget to go to lolabees.com to read more!!!!

But for now… let’s discuss how to make sure your fruit is enjoyed exactly the way you like it!

Ethylene

Everyone likes their fruit a different way, some like them ripe and sweet, while others like them not-so-ripe and crunchy… did you know that you can actually manipulate the ripening process of your fruit to make sure it’s the perfect taste and texture!

Let’s start with understanding the process of fruit ripening… it’s time for some toxic science!!

Fruit ripening is caused by a ripening signal, a burst of simple hydrocarbon gas known as ethylene gas (H­2C=CH2). Picking the fruit causes a rapid production of ethylene, which signals it to ripen.  Ethylene “turns on” processes that develop and alter the characteristics of fruit. Chlorophyll (the stuff that makes fruit green) is broken down and new pigments are made so that the fruit skin changes color; acids are broken down bringing the flavor from sour to neutral; the degradation of starch produces sugar; and the “glue” between fruit cells is broken down, resulting in a softer fruit. Other enzymes also break down large organic molecules into smaller ones, releasing a sweet fruity aroma. 

Long story short, ethylene induces enzymes to turn an acidic, starchy, green hard, non-aromatic, unripe fruit into a sweet, colorful, soft, aromatic, ripe fruit.

Now let’s go over how to store our fruit in order to keep it fresh…

There are two main types of fruits, climacteric (continues ripening) and non-climacteric (does not). When storing your fruit, you need to know which type it is. Climacteric fruits such as apples, apricots, avocados, bananas, cantaloupes, figs, guava, kiwis, mangoes, nectarines, peaches, pears, plums, and tomatoes, all continue to ripen after being picked, which is accelerated by ethylene gas. Non-climacteric fruits such as, cherries, grapes, citrus fruits, pineapples, and berries (all kinds) ripen only while still attached to the plant.

Non-climacteric fruits will not improve in flavor, so it’s best to keep them in the fridge in order to extend their life.  In other words, your berries will not get sweeter with age, but your nectarines might! Thus, climacteric fruits, like nectarines, can be stored at room temperature to continue ripening (for your liking). Some climacteric fruits produce a lot of ethylene, and others are very sensitive to exogenous ethylene, so don’t store different fruits together, especially not in a closed container.

So, the good news is, you can store your fruit depending on how you like it. Don’t keep your fruit in the produce bag if you don’t want the fruit to ripen too fast–keeping the fruit in the bag will increase the concentration of ethylene gas thus causing the fruit to ripen faster.  Refrigeration will also slow ripening, but if you take your fruit out of the fridge a few hours before you eat it will increase sweetness–letting the fruit get to room temperature on your counter will make it be sweeter, more aromatic, and better tasting or in my words, yummier.

You can also use heavy ethylene producers to your advantage. If you bought pears, apples, or avocados that are too unripe for your liking, you can put them in a closed paper bag with a banana to help them ripen faster. The paper bag helps stagnate and build up the ethylene concentration from the banana in order to induce ripening for the other fruit!

Enjoy!

 

Sep3

Your Very Own Organic Shopping Guide

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Hey all, here’s a quick, organic post that I hope you’ll enjoy! I recently wrote a newsletter for LolaBee’s that is very similar to this post, and I wanted to share. You can see the full version of the article on the LolaBee’s website on their Community Blog.

Here it goes …

The 411 on:

Organic Shopping

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) recognizes 4 different categories of organic labels, and it’s important to know which is which.

Below is your very own organic label guide!

(click on picture to print)

And there’s more …

Organic meat, poultry, eggs, and dairy products come from animals that are given no antibiotics or growth hormones.  Organic produce means that the produce was grown without synthetic pesticides, synthetic fertilizers, genetically modified seeds (GMOs), or use of sewage sludge.

And lastly, organic is not a nutritional or health claim. “Organic” refers to agricultural production methods that meet certain criteria.  In general, organic production methods are sustainable, practice ecological-based management that promotes biodiversity, reduce dependence from off-farm inputs, and emphasize soil and water conservation– however, these practices are much more likely when practiced by local, organic, small farms as opposed to conventional, organic, large farms.

Also, something else to add to your organic shopping guide, the clean 15 and dirty dozen!!!!

Visit my old post, How to Shop Pesticide Smart to learn more.

(click picture to print)

So, I leave you with this, support your local farmers! Visit farmers markets and … 

Happy Organic Shopping!

Aug16

LolaBee’s Please

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So, as you may know, this summer, along with my many other jobs, I’ve been interning at LolaBee’s Harvest, a San Francisco based online farmers market and food delivery service. And I’ve been loving every minute of it! So, bear with me, here’s a short paragraph about my amazing job …

LolaBee’s Harvest

LolaBee’s Harvest is a San Francisco based online farmers market and food delivery service that sources local, organic produce and pastured meat, dairy, and eggs from farmers and artisans all over the Bay Area. LolaBee’s stands out from other produce delivery companies because they offer the freshness and quality of a San Francisco CSA while offering custom ordering and the ease of home delivery. LolaBee’s helps San Francisco residents get the farm fresh local, organic products they need to nourish their families … my boss’s motto is: “Eat Thoughtfully.”

And this is why I love my job!!!

The food we pack each week is delicious and nutritious … Oh and did I mention, no pesticides or GMO‘s!!! Perfect for us toxic freaks! ;)

Now the main reason for my short, yet sweet post is … I have some new blog posts for you … but they’re not exactly on my toxic foodie blog. For the past month and a half, I’ve been writing the weekly newsletter for LolaBee’s, which means, most of my articles go up on their fabulous blog. So, you have a lot of reading to do … click on the links below to catch up on your toxic knowledge.

Tofu to the Rescue

Why We Go Nuts Over Olive Oil

Hop on the Kale Train

Dry Farming with Two Dog Farm

New To The Market This Week

Photo Credit: Alyssa Singer (Co-Worker and Friend)

And remember, eat naturally colorfully!

Jul5

A “SHUCK”ingly Amazing Time Saver

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I hope everyone enjoyed a large portion of antioxidant-rich fruit salad with their 4th of July BBQ!!!

But, more importantly, how much time did you spend shucking your 4th of July corn????

Well, I have something amazing to share with you!!! I want to show how my mom magically cooked and shucked our delicious corn in just 4 minutes per ear!!

Watch and LEARN!!!

This really works!!! 

P.S. Due to my working schedule for the summer I’m having a hard time keeping up with my blog! But my goal is to post at least two a week! So stay tuned!!! And come back soon!

Jun29

Jasmine Lime Green Sun-Tea Cooler!

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Finally, it’s time to share the recipe you have all been waiting for.

The one and only …

Jasmine Lime Green Sun-Tea Cooler

It’s absolutely delicious!!! And was inspired by my all time favorite Peet’s tea— the Jasmine Lime Tea Cooler.

First, you’ll need a medium glass container. And depending on how much you LOVE tea will determine how many tea bags you use. I used four loose-leaf jasmine green tea bags from Trader Joe’s.

Fill your glass container with water and add your desired amount of tea bags. Cover the top with a paper towel and some string … making sure to tie the sting around the tea bag strings and around the paper towel.

Place outside directly in the sunlight. Make sure the tea bags are visible and directly in the sunlight for  the ideal brew. And then you wait.

Wait about 3 to 5 hours before taking the tea out of the sun. The longer the tea is in the sun the darker the tea color and the more tea flavor you will get.

Then pour your sun brewed tea into a different larger container and add the following ingredients: 1 limes, 1-2 lemons, and 1 orange. Cut, squeeze, and add the fruit.

Then add limeade. I used my favorite, pomegranate limeade from Trader Joe’s.

This part can be tricky. It’s up to you how much limeade you want to add, it depends on how much you like the taste of tea! Then pour your amazing, refreshing tea into an ice filled cup and enjoy!!

Green tea is amazing! It’s loaded with antioxidants and has little caffeine! So enjoy young grasshoppers!

***************************************************************************************************

Ingredients:

4 loose-leaf jasmine green tea bags

pomegranate limeade

1 lime

1-2 lemons

1 orange

Directions:

1. Fill medium glass container with water. Add tea bags. Cover top with paper towel and string.

2. Place directly in sun and wait until the water is your desired tea color.

3. Pour sun-tea into another larger container. Cut, squeeze, and add the lime, lemons, and orange.

4. Lastly add your desired amount of pomegranate limeade and ENJOY with ice of course!

Jun24

Kentucky Fried Nitrosamines

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Hey guys … sorry for the long delay … but I’m back again! And ready to blog!!!

Here’s your toxic tip of the day!!!

N-Nitrosamines

Now, if there’s one thing I’ve learned about science, it’s that reading it can be somewhat of a bore. But I wanted to expand on my last post, more specifically about the toxicity of nitrosamines.

Here it goes.

N-Nitrosamines are produced from nitrites and secondary amines (or proteins). There are over 400 different nitrosamines, 90% are carcinogenic. More specifically, cancerous forms of nitrosamines form under acidic conditions similar to those found in the human stomach–meaning human stomach cancer!

Nitrosamines can be found in beer, fish, meat, cheese, and in food preserved with sodium nitrite, like nitrile-cured bacon. In other words, nitrosamines are commonly found in our food!

On a more personal note …

I went to Kentucky this past week to meet my boyfriend’s grandparents for the first time. It was a very interesting experience … especially because I’m terrified of big bugs–more specifically wasps/bees/big flying scary things!!! And let me just tell you … Kentucky wasps are humongous!!!! But besides the bugs, I loved his family and their beautiful farm! His grandparents were amazingly nice and sweet and made me feel right at home! We indulged in tons of fruits and veggies–my fave!!!  And we even made homemade ice cream–which I enjoyed after quite a few lactase pills!  I took a ton of photos, specifically for my blog, and wanted to share a few!

The B-E-A-U-TI-FUL Farm

Tea Of Course!!!

Super Cute Baby Peacock!!

Even Cuter Baby Peacock!

I Wanted To Take Them Home With Me!

Phil Making The Ice Cream!

The Oh-So-Delicious Ice Cream Maker/Freezer!

The Spontaneous Dish I Made For The Fam!

Which Ended Up Being Super Yummy!!!

And last but not least …

The Baby Picture I Found of Phil

What A Lovely Trip!!!

Related articles

Jun19

Toxic Tip of the Day!

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So, I know I said I would be posting my green tea cooler recipe on this fine Tuesday, but I’ll be traveling all day today and probably won’t have time! However, I love you all so much and didn’t want to keep you hanging. So, I’m giving you a quick toxic foodie tip while I wait to board my plane!

Here it is lovely people!

I know you have probably heard about the nitrate, nitrite, and nitrosamines carcinogenic scare with cured meats, more specifically with hot dogs. Now, this is true, they are toxic. Nitrates are not toxic but are converted into nitrites, which are toxic, by intestinal bacteria. In addition, nitrites can also be further converted to nitrosamines which are even more toxic and carcinogenic (more on this later!).

But …

There is a lot of talk about hot dogs and their nitrates and nitrites… but I bet you didn’t know about these statistics… take a look!!!

Human Exposure to nitrite/nitrate:

80% from vegetables (spinach, beets, radishes, celery, and cabbages)

10-15% from the one and only … water (tap)

and about 5% or less from cured meats

WHAT???

Have a happy Tuesday!!!

Handbook of Food Toxicology, S. S. Deshpande

Jun15

I’m Back!

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I’m back!

My finals are finally over!

Which means …

It’s SUMMER time and WATERMELON season!!

And more importantly, BLOGGING time!!!

Heterocyclic Aromatic Amines (HAs)

HAs are toxins (potent mutagens) generated in muscle meats when cooked at normal “home-cooking” temperatures. But I’ll tell you more about that later!

So, for now, here’s a quick toxic tip:

If you microwave your meat for 2 minutes, prior to cooking, you can remove HA precursors and sequentially get rid of 90% of HA content.