Ode to the candied yam

When I was young, candied yams* were a Thanksgiving tradition. After the oldest generation was gone, my father was the only one who would eat the stuff, but it had to be on the table, glistening rust-brown with fungus-white marshmallows. It was reduced to a single yam then, in a 6-inch-square dish which would return to the fridge after dinner with a single corner missing. Jokes about the candied yam -- without an "s" at the end -- became as traditional as the dish itself. By the time I discovered that yams and sweet potatoes in other forms were actually edible, my father was a decade gone and I was in my forties. Funny how childhood impressions endure.

Ode to the candied yam

Oh singular yam, much reviled,
Vegetable more jest than food,
What ill-lived former life has brought you
To this ignominious doom?
Torn from sun-warmed, sleepy soil
To drown in sugar syruped gloom,
Sacrificed to one man's craving,
Set among marshmallow blooms.
When at last the baking's over,
Cut by glutinous silver spoon,
One corner only will be eaten
As noses turn up through the room.
Mashed or fried you're much admired,
Oh, most ancient, noble root,
But you know, because we tell you,
Sugar spoils a savory fruit.

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*Or rather, as I discovered recently, candied orange-fleshed sweet potatoes.

Sweet potatoes and yams

native to:
sweet potatoes: tropical regions of the Americas
yams: Asia

in season: fall

Although they serve the same purpose and are used interchangeably in recipes, sweet potatoes and yams are not, in fact, the same thing. However, just in case there was any threat of clarity on the matter, what the supermarkets describe as "Garnet" or "Jewel" yams are in fact orange-fleshed sweet potatoes. For actual yams, you'll probably have to go to an ethnic market. Both vegetables should be kept out of the fridge in a cool, dark, reasonably dry spot.

Sweet potatoes are slightly more nutritious, but both are good sources of fiber, potassium, copper, manganese, iron, vitamins C and B6, thiamine (B1), pantothenic acid and folates. They both have plenty of antioxidants and very low glycemic indices. Yams are somewhat lower in calories; they have more omega-3s and a unique blend of phytonutrients. Sweet potatoes are significantly higher in vitamin A and anti-inflammatories. Yams can actually worsen symptoms of inflammatory diseases such as IBS, arthritis, and gout, but are thought to help relieve PMS symptoms, while sweet potatoes have a less desirable ratio of omega-3 and omega-6 fats.

Yams are of the genus Dioscorea in the morning glory family and are larger and have a thicker skin. They are used in Chinese, Korean, and Japanese traditional medicine to speed healing of wounds. They may also help stabilize hormonal patterns and lower the risk of osteoporosis.

Sweet potatoes are Ipomoea batatas in the genus Convolvulaceae. Conventionally-grown ones can be treated with dyes or wax and should be peeled before eating, while the skins of organic sweet potatoes can be eaten. Boiling is actually a good way of preparing them, because it makes the beta-carotene and vitamin A more available and lowers their glycemic index (it ends up at about half that of a baked sweet potato). For the best beta-carotene absorption, eat your sweet potatoes with a bit of fat or oil (stir-frying is a good option here). People with oxalate concerns should be careful of sweet potatoes, although they're not as bad as leafy vegetables such as spinach.

Sweet potatoes can be eaten raw, but yams contain bitter, unhealthy proteins and must be peeled and cooked. One variety, Japanese yam (Dioscorea opposita) is traditionally soaked in a vinegar solution instead of cooking, which amounts to much the same thing.

Read more:
label-style nutrition information for cooked yam
label-style nutrition information for cooked sweet potato
yams at Nutrition and You
sweet potatoes at whfoods.com
sweet potatoes and yams at Fullcircle.com
sweet potatoes compared to white potatoes at Cleveland Clinic

and, just for fun, here's the classic modern epicLutefisk and yams
Check back tomorrow for my own bit of doggerel about this Thanksgiving favorite (or, if you're a poetry-lover, maybe not...).

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Beyond cranberry sauce

Tradition dictates that this is when I should post a recipe for cranberry sauce, but since the internet already has approximately two cranberry sauce recipes per sauce-eating adult on the entire planet, I'll just say that there's no reason to eat the canned stuff if you've got a source of good cranberries since it's about as difficult to make as chocolate milk, but start with no more than half the sugar or other sweetener in the recipe and work up.

Instead, here are a couple of intriguing recipes from Olympia's Bloom Creek Cranberries, who plan to be at the Olympia Farmer's Market at least through the next couple of weeks.
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Kathy's cranberry fudge

1 1/4 cup fresh or frozen cranberries (1 bag Bloom Creek cranberries)
1/2 cup light corn syrup
2 cups chocolate chips
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/4 cup evaporated milk
1 tsp. vanilla
1/3 cup chopped walnuts or pecans

Boil cranberries and corn syrup on high 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until reduced to 3 Tbsp. Remove from heat and stir in chocolate until melted. Add remaining ingredients and stir vigorously until thick and glossy. Pour into a plastic-lined 8x8-inch pan, cover, and chill until firm.
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Felix's cranberry pork chops

Mix equal parts cranberry sauce and barbecue sauce. Spoon over pork chops and bake at 350F until done.

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Cranberries

native to: Northern Europe, Asia, and the US, and Canada
in season here: late fall into winter

Contrary to the popular image, cranberries don't require an actual bog to grow in, although they do need plenty of water and acidic, sandy soil and will grow in one (and what else are you going to grow there?). They're a member of the Ericaceae or heather family, related to blueberries, bilberries, and lingonberries, and grow on low creeping shrubs with thin branches and small evergreen leaves. Cranberries are also called bounceberries because they bounce when ripe (a quality actually used commercially to sort them), and craneberries because their blossoms look a bit like the heads of cranes. The berries float, so flooding the field is the easiest way to harvest them. Most of the big commercial fields sell the biggest, juiciest berries to juice manufacturers, so once again a farmers' market is the best place to shop.

Cranberries were used by Native Americans as food, decorations, medicine, and dyes. The American cranberry, Vaccinium macrocarpon, is the most widely-grown variety, having the biggest berries, but other species such as the European cranberry (Vaccinium oxycoccos) can be found throughout the northern hemisphere and the smaller-berried Vaccinium microcarpum is common in northern Europe and Asia.

Cranberries are rich in phyto-nutrients that offer protection against cavities, urinary tract infections, cancer, neurological diseases, and inflammatory diseases, and may support the immune system in general. They also have a lot of antioxidants and are useful against cholesterol problems. They're a good source of all sorts of nutrients, providing lots of vitamins A, C, E, and K, beta-carotene, lutein, zea-xanthin, folate, potassium, and manganese. They'll turn urine acidic, which helps prevent the formation of alkaline stones in the urinary tract, although the oxalic acid can form its own stones, so be careful if that's a concern for you, and be sure you're getting plenty of water with your cranberries. You should also be careful of cranberries if you're taking warfarin or need to build up minerals such as calcium.

Cranberries are most commonly consumed as juice, but this is not the best way to get all those great phytonutrients. Also, many "juices" are mostly water and sugar, so be sure to check the fine print on those labels.

Read more:
label-style nutrition information for raw cranberries
label-style nutrition information for sweetened dried cranberries
www.whfoods.com
Nutrition and You
Medical News Today
Authority Nutrition

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Roots in cream

any combination of celeriac, potatoes, and/or kohlrabi*
whole milk, half-and-half, or cream
sprinkle of nutmeg, optional

Peel the roots and slice into 1/4-inch thick disks. Arrange in an oven-proof dish and add enough milk to just cover, then sprinkle with nutmeg if desired. Cover dish and place on a baking sheet (optional but highly recommended, because chances are it'll boil over and make a mess and possibly a smell; for easy clean-up dig out that old baking sheet you've been meaning to throw out anyway or spring for one of those disposable foil oven liners). Bake 45 min. at 375F, then uncover and bake another 10 min or until slices are tender.

*possibly beets would be good too.

From Dana Huffman.

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Celeriac

native to: Europe
in season here: winter

Celeriac, celery root, knob celery, soup celery, or turnip-rooted celery is a member of the Apiaceae or carrot family and is closely related to the more familiar leaf celery. While the stalks and leaves can be eaten -- they're rather tough and strong-flavored -- it's the root we're after here. It can keep for months in the fridge as long as you don't let it dry out, but freezing is not recommended. To use, pare it down to the smooth white flesh and pretend it's a celery-flavored potato. It's most commonly mashed with potatoes, but I like it scalloped.

Celeriac is very low in calories and carbohydrates, and high in anti-oxidants and cancer-fighting compounds. It's good against osteoporosis because of the vitamin K it provides, and studies suggest it limits neuronal damage in Alzheimer's. It has some valuable B-complex vitamins and provides lots of minerals: phosphorus, potassium, magnesium, iron, calcium, copper, and manganese.

It's high in water-soluble fiber, making it a good choice if you have cholesterol concerns. It's also good for the heart and nerves, and can be helpful against urinary problems. Like celery, however, it should only be eaten in moderation by pregnant women and sparingly by people on diuretics or anti-coagulants. If you're allergic to birch or mugwort pollens, (or celery, of course) you may also react to celeriac.

Read more:
label-style nutrition information for raw celeriac
label-style nutrition information for cooked celeriac
Natural Health Solutions has nutrition information and lots of serving suggestions

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Pumpkin soup with cheese croutons

2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 rib celery, chopped
4 cloves garlic, crushed or minced
1 lb. (about 4 cups) pumpkin*, cubed
1 medium potato, peeled and diced
1 tsp. dried sage
salt to taste
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
8 cups chicken stock

for croutons:
12 slices French bread**
olive oil
1 clove garlic, peeled
grated cheese of your choice -- Parmesan, Gouda, or Cheddar would be good

Saute onion, celery, and garlic in oil over medium heat until softened and lightly browned. Add remaining ingredients, bring to a boil, and simmer 30 minutes or until pumpkin and potato are tender. Puree soup with an immersion blender if available, or in batches in a regular blender. Adjust seasonings and keep warm.

Toast bread under the broiler and brush with oil. Rub with garlic on one side and sprinkle heavily with cheese. Return to broiler and toast until cheese is melted. Fill bowls with soup and top with croutons.

Makes about 6 servings, but I bet it'd freeze.

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*Make sure you're using a pie or sugar pumpkin; jack-o-lantern pumpkins are not particularly palatable. You can also substitute butternut squash if you prefer.

**The original recipe doesn't specify, but I suspect you want small slices, as from a baguette. This would probably also look great done like French onion soup, with bowl-sized slices of bread toasted, oiled, and garliced like the croutons, but then floated on the soup, topped with slices of cheese, and the bowls put under the broiler on a tray to melt the cheese.

Adapted from: Ghoulish goodies / Sharon Bowers. Storey, 2009. ISBN: 9781603421461

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Maggot stew

This is a great dish for Halloween dinners, but it's also a very good small-batch stew for all winter. If the orzo "maggots" bother you, substitute something less white and worm-shaped, such as wide whole-wheat noodles or fiori.

2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
1/4 cup flour
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 tsp. garlic powder (or to taste)
1 lb. stew beef in 1-inch chunks
small onion, halved and thinly sliced
2 cans (14.5 oz.) plain or Italian-style crushed tomatoes
1 can (10.5 oz.) beef broth
1 tsp. thyme (optional)
1 tsp. oregano
3-4 medium carrots, peeled if desired and sliced
1 cup fresh or frozen green beans
3/4 cup orzo pasta

Heat oil in stewpot over medium-low. Measure flour, salt, pepper and garlic powder into a plastic bag, drop in stew meat, close bag and shake until meat is well coated. Dump bag into stew pot, add onion, and turn heat to up to medium. Brown meat, turning frequently, until it begins to look crusty. Add tomatoes, broth, thyme, and oregano. Bring to a boil, then simmer on low for an hour. Add carrots and beans to the pot and simmer another 45 minutes or until carrots are tender. For best effect, cook the orzo according to package directions, drain in a colander and add to the stew pot. Do not stir in too much. It also works to add dry pasta directly to stew about 5-10 minutes before stew is done, as long as there is enough liquid, and let it cook that way but you won't get the abundant shining white "maggots" on the surface when you serve it.

Optional ingredients: potatoes, canned garbanzos.

Adapted from: Gross grub / Cheryl Porter.

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Beef and greens soup

1/4-1/3 lb. stew beef, in small cubes (if purchased cut for stew, cut each cube in half)
about 1/2 small onion, diced
drizzle olive oil
plenty of garlic powder or 1-2 cloves garlic, crushed; or to taste
pepper to taste
dash ground ginger (optional)
about 2 cups beef broth
greens from 2-3 beets,* washed, picked over, and larger stems removed; boiled until just wilted and drained, if desired**
generous handful of spinach leaves,* washed and picked over
small handful pasta, rice, or barley, uncooked (optional)

Brown stew meat and onions in just enough oil to keep them from sticking; season with garlic, pepper, and ginger while cooking. When beef is mostly cooked through and aswim in its own drippings, add broth and adjust seasonings if needed. Bring to a boil and simmer until beef is tender, half an hour to an hour in most cases. Add beet greens, spinach, and rice or barley if using, return to a boil, and simmer 5 minutes or so, until greens are mostly cooked. Add pasta if using and continue cooking until all ingredients are done. Serves one hearty appetite as an unaccompanied main meal or two with a side salad and toast.

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*The amounts are not critical; use whatever suits your taste and feel free to include other greens such as kale in the mix. You may need to adjust cooking time for tougher greens.

**If you find beet greens to be unpleasantly bitter, try pre-cooking them like this to draw off most of the bitterness.

From: Dana Huffman.

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Garlic

native to: central Asia
in season here: late summer-fall

One of the best-known benefits of garlic is prevention of high blood pressure. It does this by providing alliin, which keeps blood vessels from contracting, and (according to more recent research) because red blood cells use the polysulfides in garlic to make hydrogen sulfide gas that helps blood vessels expand. Not all garlic extracts have the sulfur compounds for this second effect, so you're better off eating garlic in your food and putting up with garlic breath. To help mitigate the problem, encourage all your friends and family to eat garlic, too; if they smell of it, they're less likely to smell it. Some less-known effects of garlic include improving iron metabolism, lowering cholesterol, preventing blood clots, and just possibly reducing the number of fat cells the body produces, a side effect of its anti-inflammatory properties (apparently researchers have decided that obesity is characterized by chronic low-grade inflammation; who knew?).

There are lots of flavonoids in there too, along with selenium, manganese, copper, phosphorus, germanium, and vitamins B1, B6 and C, and it's an anti-oxidant and anti-arthritic. It can even help reduce airway inflammation during allergic reactions (but you should still keep your medication on hand...). Its anti-cancer properties include inhibiting carcenogen formation during high-temperature cooking of meat. There's also some interesting research being done on the antimicrobial properties of garlic.

Garlic is a member of the Allium family, related to lilies, onions, chives, shallots, and leeks. There are two basic types, hardneck and softneck. Hardneck garlic has a tough central stalk while softneck has a softer leaflike stalk that allows for braiding. Softneck garlic keeps longer, nine months or more, has a larger bulb with more cloves, and is generally milder in flavor. Hardneck garlic is closer to wild garlic and tends to larger cloves, if fewer per bulb, and richer flavor, but will only keep about half a year, if that.

Folklore claims it will bring good luck and ward off evil (including vampires), and that eating raw garlic will prevent colds; and it does in fact boost the immune system. Ancient Egyptians were the first (that we know about) to cultivate garlic, and it was used in the ancient and classical worlds to enhance strength. There was even a Roman dish, called moretum or garlic cheese, that is described in a poem (possibly by Virgil and giving us the national motto "E pluribus unum") as using four bulbs of garlic -- some fifty cloves -- in one mortar-full. It was used for millennia for ear infections, cholera, and typhus. In both world wars it was used as a disinfectant, and even now is being used against MRSA.

The longest string of garlic in the world was 123 feet long and contained 1600 garlic bulbs.

Read more:
label-style nutrition information for raw garlic
whfoods.com
Really Garlicky has some home remedies using garlic
The Mother Earth News Organic Gardening blog discusses hardneck vs. softneck garlic

Versión en español: this post is also available in Spanish.
Esperanta traduko: this post is also available in Esperanto, because Dana is a language geek.

Tuscan white bean and roasted garlic soup

1 lb dry Cannellini beans, rinsed
1 bulb garlic, peeled
8 cups water
4 fresh sage leaves, plus more for garnish
2 tsp olive oil
1 Tbsp chicken or vegetable bouillon powder
salt and pepper to taste

Place beans, 3 cloves garlic, water, and a few sage leaves in slow cooker; cover and cook on high 4 hours, or until beans are soft.

Place remaining garlic cloves in the center of a 7x7 inch square of aluminum foil and drizzle with oil; salt lightly. Seal foil and bake at 400F 25-30 minutes, until garlic is soft and golden. Remove from oven and let cool.

Add bouillon to the cooked beans and mix to dissolve. Transfer some of the beans and liquid to a blender; add roasted garlic (reserve a few cloves for garnish if desired). Blend until smooth and return to slow cooker. Repeat until desired texture is reached. Adjust seasonings.

Garnish with fresh sage leaves, white pepper, whole roasted garlic cloves, if desired.

Makes about 7 3/4 cups, or 7 servings.

Adapted from Skinnytaste.com

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Winter squash

native to: Mexico and Central America
in season here: fall

Winter squash come in many varieties, but they all have a fairly hard outer shell and a hollow inner cavity full of seeds. Modern squashes developed from the wild squash of an area between Guatemala and Mexico, and were first cultivated for their seeds, the flesh being meager and very bitter. While roasted pumpkin seeds are the best known these days, the seeds of all winter squashes can be toasted to make a healthy snack, full of linoleic and oleic acids. Place them on a baking sheet and roast them at 160-170F for 15-20 minutes to minimize damage to these fatty acids.

Winter squash has been known to be an important source of carotenoids, especially alpha-carotene and beta-carotene. 90% of their total calories come from carbohydrates, and about half of that has a starchy composition, so they're one of the starchier vegetables, but not all starch is created equal: there are a number of animal studies showing that the pectins in winter squash have antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-diabetic, and insulin-regulating properties. Other antioxidants in winter squash include good ol' vitamin C and manganese. Cucurbitacins, named after the squash family, Cucurbitaceae, are also found in brassicas, some mushrooms, and some molluscs, but were first discovered in winter squash. They have anti-viral, anti-bacterial, and anti-inflammatory properties. Winter squash also have valuable amounts of omega-3s, especially when you consider that less than 15% of their calories come from fats. They also provide plenty of B-complex vitamins: B1, B3, B6, pantothenic acid, folate, and the B-vitamin-like compound d-chiro-inositol, which are all important to blood sugar regulation.

Winter squash can be used to help clean up contaminated soil, absorbing polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and other contaminants; which is great if you're doing environmental work, but not so great if you're planning to eat the squash. This is a good time to insist on that "organic" label, even though conventionally-grown squash is not known for containing pesticide residues. It keeps best out of the light in a steady 50-60F.

Read more:
label-style nutrition information for cooked butternut squash
label-style nutrition information for cooked acorn squash
label-style nutrition information for cooked spaghetti squash
label-style nutrition information for cooked pumpkin
a guide to 10 common types of winter squash
and apparently you can also eat pumpkin blossoms

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Esperanta traduko: this post is also available in Esperanto, because Dana is a language geek.

Zucchini coleslaw

2 cups shredded zucchini, drained about 15 minutes
1 cup shredded carrots
1/2 bell pepper, thinly sliced
1/4 cup onion, thinly sliced
1 apple, shredded

dressing:
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1/4 tsp. celery seed
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1/4 cup vinegar
2 tsp. olive oil
1/2 tsp. sesame oil
1 Tbsp. honey or sugar

Toss vegetables. In a separate bowl, whisk together the dressing ingredients and toss with vegetable mixture.

Yield: 4 servings

From the Thurston County Food Bank

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Esperanta traduko: this post is also available in Esperanto, because Dana is a language geek.