's motd Saturday April 17, 2010

[Guest guest]

FROM THE EARTH

Saturday, 17 April 2010

My mother, Shirley, was a true vegetable and fruit lover. At a younger age, she was even a vegetarian for a while. (And that was long before being a vegetarian was considered cool!)

Every Saturday, my parents would take my brother and I to this grocery store in the French Quarter that was such a treat to visit. It was called Salarie's and oh, you should have seen that store! It was such a fabulous place to shop!The floor was covered with this artificial grass that gave you the feeling of walking on a lawn. (I guess that was early Astroturf!) From the ceiling hung these elegant chandeliers. Are you getting the picture? I'm telling you, it was really some special kind of grocery store. I'll never forget the displays of produce created for their customers. Oh, they breathtaking.Salarie's produce bins were always filled with crushed ice and on top of the ice rested the freshest and prettiest produce you'd ever seen! There were fresh radishes, Creole tomatoes, eggplant and every other vegetable imaginable. And when you reached the fruit section, they had these big wooden bins filled with selections of pink grapefruit, green & red grapes, pears and juicy apricots. My mother loved telling us about the fruits and vegetables as we passed many of them.

We had at least two vegetables for dinner each night. And I loved watching my mother enjoy each of them. Oh, she ate those vegetables like she was eating a box of chocolates. After finishing a bite, she might turn to me and say, "Dicky, you've just got to taste these carrots with fresh dill. Honey, they are so good!"I'd take a bite, to make my mother happy and appeared to enjoy them like I was eating chocolates, too. But you know what? I don't have to pretend anymore. Today, I just love my fresh fruit and veggies!It's spring! And in this season of the new, the earth has been busy giving us some of the most beautiful fruits and veggies of the year. There are local Farmers Markets sprouting up all over the country. In fact, I went to one here in Los Angeles last week. I bought myself some heirloom tomatoes. I love them! (They're the pretty ones that come in different colors and have a find & dandy, very unique flavor.) I also picked up some Vadalia Sweet Onions, grown in Georgia, some artichokes and mangos. (I love those mangos!)

If you don't have a Farmer's Market near your home, this time of year, you can still find some wonderful produce in your local supermarket to buy and bring home with you. Fruits and vegetables are very versatile and you can do so much with them. Eating them raw is the most beneficial for your body. And the best way to cook your vegetables is by steaming them. But be sure not to over-steam now. When you cook them too long, your veggies will lose some of those wonderful nutrients nature has put in them for you. Hey, I've got an idea. How's about having for dinner tonight, a fresh fruit or vegetable plate? With your plate of steamed vegetables, you can add some brown rice, tofu or baked chicken. And if you're having a cold fruit plate, how's about some cottage cheese or a small scoop of sorbet on the side! Mmmm, I'm getting hungry with these suggestions! I think I'm gonna have myself a colorful springtime fruit plate tonight.How about you?Love,