Brussels Sprouts Are In!

I used to live in Santa Cruz, California and being on the coast was a way of life. I realize that now that I live landlocked in the Central Valley. When we go to the coast, I breathe in every bit of it and long for more time in the salt air. Part of my Santa Cruz coastal way of life was hanging out with my friend, Larry, noodling around on farmland north of town. I remember one stormy afternoon, we got into my car and drove a few miles up the coast. When we passed a particular field off of a dirt road, Larry asked me to pull over...he had a favorite spot to show me. I was a little nervous, because the good girl I was, was afraid to trespass. Larry wasn't nervous. He was and still is a risk taker. We parked the car and walked in the pressing wind towards the water. The waves were tremendous walls of white foam crashing hard into the cliffs below and the sky was silver grey. My face and hair were salty as I wrapped myself in a scarf. We sat on the tip of that landform, wind howling, waves crashing, the whole world in front of us. We ran around and when we tired,  Lar took some photos. Then came the brussels sprouts. As we ran down the length of the cliff along the sea and farmland, they appeared like a miniature forest on proud stalks. They were perfect and tough and ready for the pickin'. I had no idea that they grew like that. How could I? I grew up in New Jersey and there were no brussels sprout fields there in the 1970's or ever for that matter. Here in front of me were so many of these tall stalks that I wondered how the farmer would miss a couple of them.  Larry already had his pocket knife out and was sawing through the bottom of  green fibrous stalk.  He handed it to me and I was amazed at how heavy it was. We ran towards the car, stalks over our shoulders like batons. Back and cozy in the car, we drove to Santa Cruz and picked our prize off the stalks. I was giddy with excitement because for one thing, brussels sprouts were (and still are) one of my favorite vegetables and because we had just had an amazingly fortuitous day. Back at the big house, we made a simple meal of sautéed sprouts with olive oil and sea salt. Life at that moment was pure perfection.

Brussels sprouts are mini cabbages, packed with flavor and goodness. They are in the genus of mustards and are actually edible lateral buds. Brassica oleracea is their species name and they share this with broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, kohlrabi, kale and have long been popular in Belgium, hence their namesake. They are They were  grown there as early as the 13th century. The first plantings on the Central Coast of California were in the 1920's with significant plantings by the early 1940's. You can find them growing in quantity in San Mateo, Santa Cruz and Monterey Counties where the climate is ideal for them. They are harvested from June to January. California has the most farm space devoted for the sprout, with some grown in Washington State, Mexico and Ontario.

 Brussels sprouts are very healthy mini cabbages with lots of vitamin A, C, folic acid and fiber. They also have purported anti-cancer properties due to the chemicals, sulforaphane (also found in broccoli),  indol-3-carbinol and glucosinolates. These chemicals block the growth of cancer cells. If that weren't enough, these sexy sprouts help bind cholesterol and pull it out of the body. All and all, they are a healthy and delicious addition to your vegetable repertoire. I eat them for breakfast sautéed with a little almond butter. Here is a recipe that can be eaten anytime of day and is simply wonderful.

This is not an exact recipe, so you can play with the amounts of all the ingredients.

Brussels sprouts
Olive oil
Sea salt
Roasted almonds or pecans or walnuts
Balsamic vinegar
Dried cherries

Thoroughly wash the sprouts, cut off the tough bottoms and cut into quarters.
Steam lightly...just for a couple of minutes
Heat a pan and add olive oil (not too hot)
Add sprouts and sauté until somewhat soft, but not mushy
Drizzle in a few drops of vinegar
Add freshly ground salt
Add roasted chopped almonds or other nuts
Add dried cherries
Stir around gently and serve hot

A wonderful recipe for brussels sprout lentil salad can be found on one of my favorite blogs, Happy Yolks http://www.happyolks.com/lets-be-warriors/

Catnip is Jupiter's Vice

My cat, Jupiter, loves catnip. He rolls around in it when he is upset, when he is happy, when it is sunny, cold, or raining. In other words, he needs no excuse to rub his nose in the stuff. I think he is intoxicated a lot of the time. We are sure not to approach him just after he gets his share, because he is a nasty drunk. He will whip around and scratch us if we get too close. We have both catnip, Nepeta cataria and catmint, Nepeta faasenii in our yard and both species arouse him.  So why do Jupiter and other cats like catnip so much? The plant exudes the chemical, Nepetalactone, which apparently (although it is not known for sure) mimics a cat pheromone. The chemical binds to the olfactory receptors in some cats bringing them into a state of temporary euphoria. Kittens are not affected by Nepetalactone and actually 25% of cats (sadly for them), don't respond to the chemical.

Catnip is a genus of flowering plants in the mint family, Lamiaceae. The genus Nepeta is apparently named for Nepete, an ancient Etruscan city. There are about 250 species and it is a native of Europe, Asia and Africa and has become naturalized in North America. The delicate bluish green leaves have a wonderful minty smell when you crush them between your fingers and the catmint blooms its delicate purple flowers from early spring through fall. They enjoy partial shade and tolerate quite a bit of dryness, but do enjoy a good weekly watering. Some species of Nepeta are insect repellents, while others are used as food plants by butterflies, honeybees and moths.

Cats are not the only animals who enjoy a little Nepeta from time to time. Humans also use catnip as a tea. It has a mild mint flavor and is a useful sedative when taken occasionally. It can be mixed with other calming herbs like lemon balm, oat straw and passion flower. The dried herb or fresh leaves are used for tea. If you suffer from occasional anxiety or insomnia, the tea might be a soothing and delicious option.

A nice tea mixture is: 1 tsp. dried catnip, 1 tsp. peppermint, 1 tsp. lemon balm, 1 tsp. oat straw. Place in a tea ball or screen and let steep for 3-5 minutes. Add honey and enjoy!