by Paula D.
on June 5, 2019 9:18 am in Food
Garlic has been a part of my life since I can recall smelling. It was “the aroma of the home”. When I was about 10 years old, my mother showed me how to chop and slice it THIN. I take garlic for granted I suppose. It’s like water, a necessity to life! Maybe that’s why I’ve never thought to write about this precious culinary ingredient, until now.
The thought came about when I heard that my friend Diane Cardwell, also a member of the Beach 91st Street Community Garden, planted garlic over winter and had a successful harvest this month! It’s easy to grow in our zone 7. You plant the cloves flat side down in autumn, a month before the frost. It’s harvested in late spring. Just take care to plant it deep – 6-8 inches. This is to prevent the cloves from freezing. When they thaw, it can cause mold or rot. I have to plant garlic this autumn – #gardengoals.
Garlic is the cousin to the onion, shallot, leek and chive. There are over 120 cultivars. It’s origins are not from the Garlic is everything. It’s been a part of my life since I can recall smelling. It was “the aroma of the home”. When I was about 10 years old, my mother showed me how to chop and slice it THIN. I take garlic for granted I suppose. It’s like water, a necessity to life! Maybe that’s why I’ve never thought to write about this precious culinary ingredient, until now.
The thought came about when I heard that my friend Diane Cardwell, also a member of the Beach 91st Street Community Garden, planted garlic over winter and had a successful harvest this month! It’s easy to grow in our zone 7. You plant the cloves flat side down in autumn, a month before the frost. It’s harvested in late spring. Just take care to plant it deep – 6-8 inches. This is to prevent the cloves from freezing. When they thaw, it can cause mold or rot. I have to plant garlic this autumn – #gardengoals.
Garlic is the cousin to the onion, shallot, leek and chive. There are over 120 cultivars. It’s origins are not from the Mediterranean as one would assume. It’s comes from Central Asia and Iran.
Besides the obvious culinary applications, there are many alternative uses for garlic. My friend Melissa Draugsvold swears by “garlic shots” when she gets sick. Mix shaved garlic with apple cider vinegar and a dash of cayenne pepper and honey. The shot will clear your congestion instantly! There is historical merit to her tincture.
Ancient Egypt, Greece, Rome, China and India each have recorded medicinal garlic remedies. It seemed to treat just about any ailment – bladder infections, leprosy, asthma, pneumonia and even animal bites. It was and still is considered to “stimulate the senses” which is why monks refrain. Garlic was used as a performance enhancing supplement in the classical Greek Olympics! What’s remarkable is that each of these distant cultures discovered the valuable properties of garlic independent of each other.
Then there’s garlic and voodoo. My great grandmother, Anna Sanfilippo who we called “little grandma” because she didn’t have legs (diabetes), gave my grandmother (her daughter-in-law) the evil eye when she moved right next door to the newlyweds. My grandmother swore the curse changed the dynamic of her marriage for the worse. Before the spell, it was all romantic bliss. My mom told me after little grandma died, they found a feather and garlic under her bed. What does it mean???
The concept of witchery followed my ancestors from Sicily to New York. Stregheria is what American Italians call it. Witchcraft that is Catholic-based folklore with little connection to authentic Sicilian spell-casting. I see the connection even in myself today, obsessing over “the bad things that could happen”. The Holy Water my mother blessed the house with when we bought it, to cleans the home of evil; the appearance of the soccer ball (that’s another column); the must-have Blessed Mother in the garden, spreading her light over the flowers; and the rosary beads that NEED to hang over the mirror in the car so I don’t get in an accident, (Incidentally, I’ve never gotten in a car accident).
Now that I’m thinking of it, I should hang some garlic above the doorway.
as one would assume. It’s comes from Central Asia and Iran.
Besides the obvious culinary applications, there are many alternative uses for garlic. My friend Melissa Draugsvold swears by “garlic shots” when she gets sick. Mix shaved garlic with apple cider vinegar and a dash of cayenne pepper and honey. The shot will clear your congestion instantly! There is historical merit to her tincture.
Ancient Egypt, Greece, Rome, China and India each have recorded medicinal garlic remedies. It seemed to treat just about any ailment – bladder infections, leprosy, asthma, pneumonia and even animal bites. It was and still is considered to “stimulate the senses” which is why monks refrain. Garlic was used as a performance enhancing supplement in the classical Greek Olympics! What’s remarkable is that each of these distant cultures discovered the valuable properties of garlic independent of each other.
Then there’s garlic and voodoo. My great grandmother, Anna Sanfilippo who we called “little grandma” because she didn’t have legs (diabetes), gave my grandmother (her daughter-in-law) the evil eye when she moved right next door to the newlyweds. My grandmother swore the curse changed the dynamic of her marriage for the worse. Before the spell, it was all romantic bliss. My mom told me after little grandma died, they found a feather and garlic under her bed. What does it mean???
The concept of witchery followed my ancestors from Sicily to New York. Stregheria is what American Italians call it. Witchcraft that is Catholic-based folklore with little connection to authentic Sicilian spell-casting. I see the connection even in myself today, obsessing over “the bad things that could happen”. The Holy Water my mother blessed the house with when we bought it, to cleans the home of evil; the appearance of the soccer ball (that’s another column); the must-have Blessed Mother in the garden, spreading her light over the flowers; and the rosary beads that NEED to hang over the mirror in the car so I don’t get in an accident, (Incidentally, I’ve never gotten in a car accident).
Now that I’m thinking of it, I should hang some garlic above my front doorway.
by Paula D.
on May 13, 2019 9:03 am in Gardening
I first learned of sedum sarmentosum last year. It crept into my garden from my neighbor’s yard. It didn’t seem like a weed, so I looked it up and learned it’s a perennial flowering succulent that is used as a ground cover. It reaches six inches in height and tiny yellow flowers emerge in July, changing the color to a lime hue. It’s drought tolerant, can handle full sun, and will grow just about anywhere, from a crack in the sidewalk to a a bit of sand. Because it spreads quickly, it was often used in cemeteries on the freshly overturned earth after a burial, which is why it is sometimes called graveyard moss! Other names include stringy stonecrop and gold moss stonecrop.
While some gardeners consider sedum sarmentosum a “garden thug” due to its encroaching tendency, I love it and I’ll tell you why. If you’re on a budget, this is the perfect plant to cover large outdoor areas with poor soil quality. It’s a wonderful alternative to grass. It looks nicer (to me) and requires less maintenance. It’s durable and can handle some foot traffic. It can also be trimmed. I used it around my garden path. It grew over the slate but I gave it a haircut with scissors. After the makeover it looked defined and sophisticated. It works well in hanging baskets too, cascading down and creating an organic feel to your arrangement.
I go out on guerrilla gardening missions from time to time and I’ve used sedum sarmentosum for brightening up unkempt tree pits or a median that’s filled with sand and broken glass as it grows anywhere.
Have I sold you on it yet? If not here’s the clincher. Sedum sarmentosum is edible! In China and Japan it’s used medicinally as a general gastric and renal regulator. It’s also known as an herbal estrogen supplement. In Korea, the plant is called dol namul and is used in kimchi. It is also eaten fresh, dressed with a spicy, sweet, and tangy sauce. Mix chili paste, lemon juice, sugar, minced garlic, sesame oil, and toasted sesame seeds together, for your sedum salad dressing.
You know what comes next… I gave it a taste. The plant itself is mildly sweet and earthy. It’s juicy. Since its flavor is light, it would go well in any greens mix. And with a strong dressing such as the one I mentioned. I made a homemade Korean spicy sauce and tried the sedum again. The greens tasted delicious, light and fresh! It had a great punch and zest to it. I’m going to make this throughout the summer for sure.
If your interested in using this plant in your garden or trying out its culinary appeal, email me at pdigioia[at]rockawave.com. I have so much to spare!
by Paula D.
on May 10, 2019 9:17 am in Family / Food
The week before last was non-stop. It started on Friday night. It was my friend Rob Bryn’s Birthday and the Surf Club opened just for his party. Headlining was the Ye Mighty Wave with special guests from Rob’s main band — Wild Yaks. Speaking of, they have a new album coming out on June 21st entitled Great Admirer! I’ve heard it and it’s amazing!
Opening the show was Tiffany Lyons. Did you catch The Wave article about her a few weeks ago? She sang a few songs and got everyone loose. The Club was decorated with West Indian flower garlands, it was the perfect night. Everyone was out and we danced and celebrated. My initial plan though, was to “take it easy”. I was hosting Easter Sunday and had a ton of cooking that weekend. One vodka club led to four, maybe five? Little hazy on that…
Suffice to say that on Saturday I wasn’t at my best. But I downed some coffee and powered through cook-prep. Sunday I woke up and felt a little off. I had that weird taste you get in your mouth before you get sick. I knew something was brewing but despite feeling under the weather, Easter Sunday was a great time. My penne alla vodka came out rich and creamy and my pan-seared salmon with dill cream sauce was delicious and perfectly cooked.
Monday I spent all day in bed with a fever and a terrible cough … yup, bronchitis. The next day I pulled myself out of bed, to the computer. I had two freelance projects that had to get out the door because on Tuesday, I was headed to the Great Wolf Lodge in the Poconos, a family trip planned for my mom’s 70th birthday.
Sick as a dog, Matt and I drove to Pennsylvania not knowing what to expect. The first thing we saw beside about 50 kids running wild with bubble sticks, was a gigantic plastic forest with animated animals. The focal point was a large bear with a scary smile and moving eyes. Uptown Funk was playing. Bruno Mars. “KILL ME NOW.” I said under my breath, as I smiled at Matt and said. “It will be fun, don’t worry!” He shook his head, “You owe me big.”
After checking in, receiving our plastic wristbands and settling into our “wolf cabin”, we got the lay of the land. There were plastic moving creatures everywhere. There was an ice cream shop, pizza place, a candy shop, two very overpriced stores, glow in the dark mini-golf, a fake bowling alley, and a mining for gems activity thing. The game room was lasering out lights and CHING!! CHING!! sounds echoed the windowless halls all day long. It was like Atlantic City for kids. You saw these rugrats draining their parents wallets. They threw tantrums when they were denied MORE. Tickets were flying out of machines and what did the children buy with their winnings… lots of Fun Dip.
The main attraction at the Great Wolf lodge is an indoor water park with five different tub slides, a plastic jungle gym with buckets that the kids fill and dump on the adults passing by, a lazy river and a wave pool. There was so much chlorine in the air, your eyes burned after an hour. We gathered the water was over-chlorinated to kill the bacteria from all the kids peeing in the pools.
The only logical conclusion for surviving the madhouse was to find the bar. So, while ill with bronchitis, I proceeded to drink for three days straight. I actually ended up having a lot of fun and it was great to spend time with my nieces and nephews but I really ran myself into the ground.
I took the following weekend to rehydrate my body and recover from the bronchitis. I can’t tell you how nice it was to be home after the week long escapade. I’m learning as I get older, I need to take better care of myself. With Rockaway summer around the corner, can someone remind me to take it easy?
Recently, I’ve learned a few interesting facts about bananas. As I was enjoying a banana at my desk a few weeks ago, my co-worker Mark Hogan mentioned that apes and monkeys peel bananas the opposite way we do, from the bottom not the top. They pinch the softer bottom and it splits clean. The top stem then becomes a sturdy handle. These mammals are intelligent beings. Maybe humans have been doing it wrong all along? Give it a try next time and see what you think.
In my quest to learn about how monkeys eat bananas, I came across a Business Insider article that said in the wild monkeys don’t eat bananas?? The primates don’t live in areas where bananas naturally grow. Monkeys eat leaves, other fruits, nuts, flowers and insects in the wild. It is suspected that the book Curious George by H. A. Rey and Margret Rey published in 1941 created the “monkeys eat bananas” myth. So, while our primate cousins haven’t been peeling bananas since the dawn of time, I still bet there way is more efficient. Monkeys will do what exerts the least amount of energy and effort, so it makes sense that their way of peeling a banana is easier than ours.
The second banana revelation comes from my mother-in-law Maureen Walsh. She posted on facebook, “If you separate each individual banana from the bushel, it slows the ripening process.” Like many fruits, bananas emit ethylene gas and this gas naturally is produced by the stem. Breaking the cluster slows the gas production which is the cause of ripening. So cool, right!
Don’t’ worry though, if your too lazy or forget to break apart your bushel of bananas and they all turn brown, make banana bread. Bananas can never be too ripe for bread.
Mauren swears by this recipe and her trick for a moist bread is wrapping it in plastic wrap for three days before serving.
Banana Bread
Makes one, 9 inch bread
Ingredients:
2 large eggs
1 cup sugar
½ cup vegetable oil
1 cup mashed banana (2-3 very ripe large banana)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon nutmeg
2 ½ cups unbleached all purpose flour
1 cup yogurt
1 cup chopped walnuts
Directions: Preheat the oven to 350 F. In a medium sized bowl, beat together the eggs, sugar, and oil. Blend in the mashed bananas and vanilla. Then whisk the ingredients together and sift. It’s important that the mixture is thoroughly combined. Add the baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and flour to the banana batter. Lastly, stir in the yogurt until all is combined.
Pour the batter into a greased and floured 9×5 inch loaf pan. Bake the bread for about one hour, until a knife in the center comes out clean. If the bread begins to brown too quickly, tent it with aluminum foil after 30- 40 minutes in the oven.
Let it cool and store for three days covered tightly in plastic wrap for a very moist bread.
Recipe adapted from King Arthur’s Cookbook.
