Marshmallow and Fluff

We had some great family time today that included building a fire in the fireplace.  After dinner we decided to make even more use of the open flames and got some marshmallows and chocolate and our graham crackers for some old-fashioned smores.

Standing in the grocery store, I was torn.  I stood reading the labels of the only two options for large marshamllows -- the store brand and Kraft.  The ingredients were in slightly different order, but otherwise exactly the same.  And I wasn't happy with either.  Now, I know that a marshmallow would never be considered a health food, but what was blue #1 dye doing in a white marshmallow?

I knew I should just pass, but I also had the weight of kids waiting for a smore back home.  Our son, with food allergies to the junk in processed foods, had never had a marshmallow before.

Ingredients being the same, I chose the cheaper store brand and headed for home to much fanfare when I opened the door.  They were ready for roasting marshmallows!

Our son was nearing the completion of his smore when he bolted as fast as he could to the kitchen sink just in time to vomit up his smore and dinner.  My better judgement told me I shouldn't have given him the marshmallow.  Mistakes happen.  The bag of marshmallows now sits in our trash.

We talked about options for future smores and decided to stick with Fluff.  If you aren't familiar with Fluff, it is a small Massachusetts company that was the original producer of marshmallow cream.  But the better news is that they have stuck to the original recipe which only includes three ingredients:  corn syrup, sugar and vanilla.  Next time, we will swipe a bit of Fluff across the graham cracker to make our smores -- and just skip the roasting part.

There may be some organic options at the health foods store.  Organic marshmallows, if there is such a thing, would at least have limited (necessary) ingredients and almost assuredly no artificial colors.

Can anybody recommend a better marshmallow option?

Tomatoland

I love reading to learn.  Lately, I've begun reading a variety of food related books to educate myself on choosing foods more wisely.

I just finished an informative and highly disturbing book, Tomatoland, by author Barry Estabrook.  The subtitle sums up the book, "How Modern Industrial Agricultural Destroyed Our Most Alluring Fruit".

I figured the details of commercial tomato growing would be disgusting, environmentally destructive, and produce flavorless fruit.  In fact, those thoughts were confirmed with a series of detailed descriptions of the types of chemicals that are applied.

About 1/3 of the tomatoes in America are produced in Southern Florida, an area naturally devoid of nutritional soil because of the year-round humidity, ripe for bacterial growth.  To provide "nutrition" for the plant and stave off insects and disease, Florida growers use a "category I acute toxin", methyl  bromide.

Methyl bromide can damage the lungs, throat, eyes, skin, kidneys, central nervous system and has been linked to birth defects and cancer.

The tomatoes are picked green and sprayed with ethylene to ripen them on their way to the discount grocery store shelves or fast food restaurants (McDonald's, Burger King, Wendy's and Taco Bell are all buyers of Florida tomatoes).

The ethylene, methyl bromide and host of other chemical applications are all produced by the petrochemical industry.  Therefore, as gas supplies are depleted, food costs naturally increase.  Our food is literally grown on unnatural and harmful fuel derivatives.

Perhaps more disturbing than the extreme chemical applications, was my ignorance to the modern slaves who pick these tomatoes.  These workers, most of whom live in Imokalee, Florida, are paid little for their daily back-breaking work.  Many are illegals from Mexico smuggled by coyotes into work they had hoped would provide them a better life only to be trapped by a life of low pay, severely inadequate housing and ridiculous fees that keep them enslaved to contracted tomato picking agencies.

The Museum of Modern Slavery highlights these human atrocities and has been working for better conditions for the tomato pickers.

The stories from field workers and the suffering of their families, the birth defects on their children, and the low wages they receive makes me think twice about where I buy tomatoes.

As if toxic tasteless tomatoes weren't enough reason to choose differently, here is one more tragic reason to buy from known sources and avoid the restaurants and grocers who support them.  Or even better, consider growing your own tomatoes from organic heirloom varieties and preserve your harvest through canning or drying for winter use.  We just bought our seeds from Annie's Heirloom Seeds, but there are many providers.

I checked out this book from the library.  It is an easy read, informative, with the history of the tomato and its fall from taste.  It is a book that will forever change the way you look at a tomato.

Uncommon Grounds in Saugatuck

I was in Saugatuck, Michigan, the other day and ventured into a local coffee shop -- Uncommon Grounds.

I'm a bit of a coffee snob, so I was delighted to find their coffee selection fulfilling my requirements.

But it is perhaps their perspective on coffee that I most appreciated.  They partner with coffee farmers around the world, buying direct to ensure fair treatment and compensation, and then roast their own beans.

The coffee enhancements are from ethical sources too.  This is the first coffee shop I have visited that intentionally uses dairy products from pastured cows.

If you've ever sought out nutritional information on dairy products, you know that pastured cows produce a nutritionally superior product.   As a bonus, the cows themselves get to live the life of a cow rather than merely a commodity producer.

Uncommon Grounds also serves a variety of teas, fresh juices and smoothies.  They offer delicious pastries from their bakery that include vegetarian and gluten-free options and a daily soup.

If you're near Saugatuck, a resort town on the shore of Lake Michigan, you deserve a trip to a great coffee spot located in the heart of the small town.

No Organic Candy Hearts?

I know Valentine's Day is done, but if anyone is looking for a business opportunity for next Valentines Day, it could be organic candy hearts that have natural color and flavors.

There are 363 more days to get that business idea launched.  Maybe I'll do it myself?

I couldn't find organic Valentine oriented candy anywhere.  The candy shelves at the health food store were a barren dessert of just the typical -- but typical doesn't work at Valentine's, especially with kids.

In a world of so many food allergies, wouldn't you think that somebody would have created those little candy hearts that kids like to give at school?  Or any organic Valentine candy for that matter.

Have you seen any?  Do they exist?  Chime in!

Instant vs. Dry Active Yeast

When I started making bread for our family on a regular basis, I came across bread recipes that called for "instant yeast".  I had only used active dry yeast -- of which Red Star and Fleischmann's are the most common brands.  Was it the same thing I wondered?  I made a return trip to our grocery store and couldn't find "instant yeast" anywhere.

Some time went by and I saw it again.  This time I did some research and discovered that instant yeast is available at King Arthur Flour, health stores and some grocery stores and is generally sold under the SAF brand name -- an affiliate of Red Star brand.

So what's the difference?  It's in the processing.

Active dry yeast is less active from the start, though it doesn't require proofing as it did in the past.  Instant yeast is, well, instant.  And it can be used straight from the freezer where it should be stored once opened.

The difference between the two is most noticed in the opening rise time where one can visibly see the instant yeast performing quicker from the start with a rapid dough rise.  However, the active dry yeast eventually catches up over an extended period of rise time.

Yeast makes some nervous.  It shouldn't.  A tremendous resource to learn more about everything yeast (and the instant vs. active dried) can be found at King Arthur's web site.

We personally prefer (as do most professional chefs and King Arthur bakers) the SAF instant yeast and have always achieved good results with it.

What do you use and why?  What is your yeast experience in bread baking?