I’m a contributing journalist for an online publication call “Magnify You“. Check out the magazine & subscribe, it’s “free”. The June article I submitted is called, “Revitalize with the use of Healthy Healing Herbs and Essential oils”. I am posting it up here so you can read it and try out my fabulous potato salad.

Last Saturday when I was looking through the herb selection at the farmers market, I was considering what herbs I would plant this spring. I was thinking about their wonderful flavors and medicinal properties. The use of fresh herbs to revitalize and restore the human body has been a viable option for centuries. Therapeutic Grade essential oils are far more potent and highly regarded for their revitalizing and rejuvenating effect. I am including a list of some of my favorites.

Dill – Use in Greek dishes, pickling, fish dishes and cheddar dill scones. Dill can be used to treat sleeplessness; dill is also good for the spleen. It may help with stomach ache, indigestion, flatulence and colic. Dill is high in lutein, a carotenoid phytochemical shown to be essential for eye health and preventing macular degeneration. The dill plant is mentioned in the Papyrus of Ebers from Egypt (1550 BC). Roman gladiators rubbed their skin with dill before each match.

Basil – There are many types of basil, to name just a few; Sweet basil, Thai basil, Genovese basil, Cinnamon basil and Purple ruffles basil. It is prominently featured in Italian cuisine, and also plays a major role in the Southeast Asian cuisines of Thailand, Vietnam and Laos. The plant tastes somewhat like anise, with a strong, pungent, sweet smell. In the 16th century, the powdered leaves were inhaled to treat migraines and chest infections. Italian women wore basil to attract possible suitors. Research shows the Medical Properties to include: Powerful antispasmodic, antibacterial, muscle relaxant, migraines, lung infections, insect bite and to fight mental fatigue.

Marjoram – It is included in the herb blend Herbes de Provence, Italian and Greek recipes. Marjoram is tremendous as an antioxidant. Marjoram oil is also an effective anti-microbial agent, helping to prevent food spoilage. Marjoram was known as the “herb of happiness” to the Romans and “joy of the mountains” to the Greeks. It was believed to increase longevity. Research shows the Medical Properties to include: Antibacterial, antifungal, vasodilator, lowers blood pressure, promotes intestinal peristalsis.

Peppermint – Use this herb in tea, ice cream and dessert. It is said to be purifying and stimulating to the conscious mind. Dr. William N. Dember of the University of Cincinnati found that inhaling peppermint oil increased the mental accuracy by 28 percent. Alan Hirsch, M.D. researched peppermint’s stimulation of the brain’s satiety center to curb appetite. University of Kiel researchers found that peppermint blocked headache pain.

Oregano – Is often used in tomato sauces, with fried vegetables, and grilled meat. Together with basil, it contributes much to the distinctive character of many Italian dishes. Nature’s antibiotic. Oil from the oregano plant has been shown to kill unwanted viruses, bacteria, yeast, fungus and parasites. Oregano also has powerful antioxidant capabilities, is a natural antihistamine and helps to regenerate liver cells.

Parsley – is often used as a garnish. The fresh flavor of the green parsley goes extremely well with potato dishes, with rice dishes, with fish, fried chicken, lamb, steaks, meat or vegetable stews (like Beef Bourguignon, Goulash or Chicken paprikash). In Southern and Central Europe, parsley is part of bouquet garni, a bundle of fresh herbs used to flavor stocks, soups, and sauces. Freshly chopped green parsley is used as a topping for soups like chicken soup, green salads or salads, on open sandwiches with cold cuts. Parsley is a key ingredient in several West Asian salads, for example tabbouleh. Persillade is mixture of chopped garlic and chopped parsley in the French cuisine. Gremolata is a traditional accompaniment to the Italian veal stew, Ossobuco alla milanese, a mixture of parsley, garlic, and lemon zest. A potent cancer fighter, especially in its juiced form, parsley has been found in animal studies to inhibit tumor formation. It neutralizes carcinogens in cigarette smoke and is good for urinary tract infections and nerve stimulation. Parsley is also nutrient rich, containing beta-carotene, folic acid, vitamin C and vitamin A.

Rosemary – is used frequently in traditional Mediterranean cuisine such as barbecue or grilled meats. Rosemary has anti-microbial, antioxidant, antispasmodic, astringent and carminative properties. A cup of rosemary tea has been found to be as effective as aspirin for headaches and other inflammatory symptoms. Rosemary has also been found to be protective against free radical damage caused by radiation. Keeping a rosemary plant indoors acts as a natural air freshener.

Thyme – is often used to flavor meats, soups and stews. It has a particular affinity to and is often used as a primary flavor with lamb, tomatoes and eggs. Thyme is a natural antimicrobial, antioxidant, antiseptic, antispasmodic, astringent, carminative and expectorant. It has been found in in-vitro studies to effectively eliminate aflatoxin, carcinogenic mold that grows on grains and peanuts that have been improperly stored.

Herb Red Potato and Green Bean Salad

8 ounces green beans, trimmed, cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces
3 pounds small red-skinned potatoes, unpeeled, halved
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1 large shallot, chopped
2 tablespoon coarse-grained Dijon mustard
3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
3 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
3 tablespoon chopped fresh dill
1 teaspoon chopped fresh marjoram
3 tablespoon chopped fresh chives
2 teaspoon lemon zest

Cook beans in large saucepan of boiling salted water until crisp-tender, 4 minutes. Drain. Transfer to bowl of ice water. Drain; pat dry with paper towels.

Cook potatoes in large pot of boiling salted water until just tender, about 12 minutes. Drain; transfer to large bowl. Sprinkle white wine vinegar over hot potatoes; toss gently and let stand 5 minutes. Whisk vinegar, shallot, and mustard in small bowl. Gradually whisk in oil. Pour over potatoes and toss to coat. Cool completely. Mix in green beans and herb mixture. Season to taste with salt and pepper. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate.) Serve cold or at room temperature.

P.S. Note: this information is only provided as a general reference and is not a replacement for professional health advice. As such, this information should only be used under the direct supervision of a qualified health practitioner.

P.S.S. If you would like a list of the sources for the medicinal information included in this article please email & I will forward them on. I can also share a fabulous source for where to purchase therapeutic grade essential oils.

Potato Salad photo

Doing this search lead me to a current list of the famers markets in Southern California! I have looked and looked for this and I finally found it on the L.A. Times food blog. I want to share with you, because I feel it is so important to support our local farmers.

The following is a list of some of the reasons I feel it is important to shop the farmers market, besides the fact the produce quality is amazing. (Some of the stands look picture perfect)

1) The farmers tend to make more money when they sell their produce at the farmers markets.
2) It is much better to drive the local economy, which is really needed these days.
3) There is less fuel emissions because the produce is not trucked in from who knows where. Why buy vegetable brought in from Mexico if you can buy produce raised locally?
4) I feel that it is more cost effective to shop at the farmers market. You can also look around and find out who has the best veggies of the day and when they were picked, this is usually the day before.
5) Some famers do not grow their veggies in dirt. Can you imagine that? There are less vitamins in these veggies. 
6) Some vendors do not grow their own veggies, they buy veggies from different farms and then haul it all to market as their “OWN”.
7) Some farms are organic and others are sustainable. The farmers have to be able to produce papers proving that they are organic and most have them posted. The farmers that are sustainable are usually pretty close to being organic. They are either in the process (this takes years) or do not feel that it is cost effective to go the certification route. I have been told that it is costly to be certified and there is a yearly fee to maintain it.
7 1/2) Every day of the week, long-running and brand-new farmers markets bring just-picked produce to a neighborhood near you. 

It is amazing what you find out by listening and asking.  Once you figure out what farmers have the best produce, make an effort to develop a rapport. (Mind you, most of the “farmers” are the actual people that grow the produce.) Doing this helps in many ways; they save you the best fruit, they always greet you, they have you taste at least half of what is on their tables and share cooking tips or recipes, save you special fruit that is not plentiful, which means you get things that the general customer never sees and you are buying direct; no in between man. Support your local farmers markets at each and every turn. They will thank you each and every time.

Mondays

My oldest son came home on Friday and told me he needed a pumpkin for an art project at school. It also happened to be the weekend of the Calabasas Pumpkin Festival. 

Saturday morning started our busy day. Our first stop was at the farmers market. We saw many orange vegtables; cauliflower, carrots, beets and pumpkins. There were white, orange, lumpy and majorly distorted pumpkins. It was so much fun to look at them all. We finally settled on a “sugar” pumpkin. We then head for the Calabasas Pumpkin Festival. There was a craft show, a business expo, rides for the kids and pumpkin this, pumpkin that and of course pumpkin flavored everything. My significant other announced the kid’s games: mummy wrap, seed spitting and pumpkin pie eating contest. It was a very fun weekend.

This morning my son took his pumpkin to school where it will be turned in to a work of art. On Friday he will bring it home. We will admire it for the Halloween weekend and then for the best part, I will cut it in half and bake it. Peel off the skin and puree it. Fresh pumpkin pie filling! Yum!

For those of you that want to bake a pumpkin, the recipe:

Use 4 “sugar” pumpkins or whatever happens to be your favorite. Wash them, cut in half and scrap out the seeds. Place them cut side down on a jelly roll pan. Bake about 45 minutes at 400 degrees or until you can put a fork through the skin. Cool them or until you can touch them. Scrap out the flesh and place in food processor. Process the flesh until smooth. Place the pumpkin puree in a colander lined with cheese cloth. Pull the cheese cloth over the pumpkin puree. Place in the refrigerator and drain over night. In the morning the filling should be the consistence of canned pumpkin. This is a little time consuming, but the flavor is amazing. I will do a few batches and put the puree in 1 cup containers and freeze. Good for about 6 months. Defrost in refrigerator overnight and use in your favorite recipe.

Last Saturday I did. I got lemon verbena and made wonderful caramel, thyme, spicy arugula, and a bunch of different salad mixes. But I did one rather silly thing; I ended up with a bunch of cilantro. Like “what was I thinking” amount of cilantro.

I of course, did not realize this until I got home and unloaded all of my treasures. I used up everything I got in a dessert, salads and tea. But I still had all this cilantro and one bunch of Italian parsley sitting there. The boys and I were not really craving Mexican food and I just so dislike throwing out food.Dry it? Yuck, why bother?

I then remembered all the basil pesto I made a few weeks before and thought, “Why not make pesto?” I went to the kitchen and with a grind of this and a handful of that I ended up with the most amazing earthy, full bodied, make your tongue shiver with excitement cilantro pesto. Oh my! After my excitement waned a bit, I thought I must write this recipe down and share it with my readers.

Cilantro Pesto

3 ounces cilantro
2 ounces Italian parsley
A lean ½ cup of pecans, toasted
½ cup grated parmesan cheese
zest of 1 lime
2 cloves garlic, peeled
¼ teaspoon salt
½ cup of olive oil

Place all of the ingredients except the oil in the food processor and puree until smooth. Pour the oil in and process again until you get a loose consistence. You may need more oil depending on how thick you like your pesto. Taste and add additional salt if needed. This freezes nicely.

Now on to the next step, “What do I do with it?” I was thinking the same thing. I made tacos and stirred it in to the meat. I made enchiladas and add it to the filling for the tortillas and to the red sauce. I added more oil to it and made dressing for my taco salad. I stirred it in to steamed green beans and top it with toasted pecans. Any way the list could go on. As you add it to your cooking, I would love to hear back some more suggestions for this fabulous pesto.

I always go to the same farmers and make an effort to develop a rapport. (Mind you, most of the “farmers” are the actual people that grow the produce.) Doing this helps in many ways; they save you the best fruit, they always greet you, they have you taste at least half of what is on their tables and share cooking tips or recipes, save you special fruit that is not plentiful, which means you get things that the general customer never sees and you are buying direct; no in between man.

Let me share with you my typical trip:

I always start with the bread lady. She has French styled breads and croissants of every flavor. Her bread is light, airy and just the perfect crunch. The croissants are layers and layers of butter and sheer bliss. Each item was baked fresh that morning.

Then I head for Gene’s stone fruits. I am greeted with a warm hug and a fruit that he thinks I just have to try. He then starts pulling little stashes of odds and end from the back of his truck. He packs me a bit of “juice running down your chin and trying to admire the color of the sun kissed fruit.” It is peaches that are red, orange, yellow and smell like a ray of sunshine. There will be an array of plums ranging from yellow, red, purple, green and a mixture of all the colors. They are sun dappled and each a master piece. There may be also some French prunes and apples in my bag that he so lovingly packs. When I walk away, there is always juice running down my chin and a big smile on my face.

My next stop is for heirloom tomatoes. Tomatoes of every color and shape and rarely a round red one in sight. Brandywine is a large fruit and typically different shades of red. Cherokee Purple is a large fruit and is purple on the top and different shades of green on the bottom. Green Zebra is a small tomato with a light green skin and has dark green stripes that run vertically down the sides. Jubilee is yellow, but not just one shade; again it has many different hues. This is just a few of my favorites, there are 100’s of different types. They are juicy, and the flavor has so much depth and character depending on which one you pick.

Then I check out all the organic stands and look for inspiration for dinners. This might be corn, leeks, broccoli, green onions, lemons and limes, peppers, lettuces and the list goes on depending on what is in season.

My final stop is the herb man. I wander in to his little area and inhale many exotic flavors. My senses go wild and I start imagining the different herb I want to go with my basket of treasures. Is it basil, thyme, dill, sage or lemongrass, lemon verbena, mint of many flavors, tarragon, spicy arugula, cilantro… It is so difficult to pick just a few, I just want to buy one of everything. Last week the basil was calling my name and so I purchased a huge bunch to make pesto.

The farmer very gently wrapped it up like an arrangement of flowers and handed to me. He said” Go ahead and smell and give me one word to describe it.”

The word that came to mind not only described the basil but my whole experience, “Heaven”.

My little corner of Heaven!