For the better part of 15 years, the wineries of the Walla Walla Valley have been building a reputation for Syrah, Washington’s third-most-planted red wine grape.

And build a reputation they have. Our blind judging in February of 147 Syrahs proved that, with 11 of the 17 top-ranked wines coming from the Walla Walla Valley.

In the past, one criticism of Walla Walla Valley wineries is that they use grapes from outside of the region, relying on fruit from the broad Columbia Valley instead. While that was true as recently as five years ago, it is not so today, as seven of those 11 top wines used Walla Walla Valley grapes.

“I love Syrah,” said Chad Johnson, co-owner of Dusted Valley Vintners. “It is definitely one of our focuses.”

Johnson and co-owner Corey Braunel have made as many as five different Syrahs under their Dusted Valley label (and another with their Boomtown brand). While they have backed off slightly from that, they did submit six wines, including multiple vintages of current releases. And three of their Syrahs earned our top “Outstanding” rating, proving their prowess with the grape most closely associated with France’s Rhône Valley. Saviah Cellars, another Walla Walla winery, won two top ratings for its Syrahs.

Why is the Walla Walla Valley so strong with Syrah? A couple of reasons are apparent. First, winemakers in the region are talented.

“For us, the bar was set pretty high when we got here to take winemaking seriously,” Johnson said.

In other words, there is pressure to perform so as to uphold the reputation of the region, not unlike Napa Valley.

Second, the Walla Walla Valley is more mild than other regions of the Columbia Valley. Syrah tends to be fascinating in somewhat cooler areas, and that seems to be true in this case.

This week, we will look at top Syrahs from Walla Walla Valley grapes, while next week, we will review Syrahs from wineries elsewhere in the Northwest.

Ask for these wines at your favorite merchant or contact the wineries directly.

Dumas Station Wines 2009 Estate Syrah, Walla Walla Valley, $30: This opens with aromas of cured meats, porcini mushrooms, blackberries and blueberries, followed by plush flavors of boysenberries and Marionberries. The ripe fruit is integrated with mild oak and approachable tannins.

Zerba Cellars 2007 Syrah, Walla Walla Valley, $30: This Syrah reveals a deft touch, opening with aromas of mincemeat, peppered jerky, purple fruit and hints of chocolate. It’s equally complex on the palate, with flavors of ripe Saskatoon berries, boysenberries and Marionberries. It’s beautifully textured and is showing a bit of maturity that adds to its depth.

Saviah Cellars 2009 Syrah, Walla Walla Valley, $32: Owner/winemaker Rich Funk’s big Syrah shows youthful exuberance from the first whiff, with aromas of ripe cherries and plump purple fruit. On the palate, it reveals aromas of Rainier cherries, black licorice and a rich mouth feel. It is so delicious now yet has a ton of potential ahead.

Dusted Valley Vintners 2009 Tall Tales Syrah, Walla Walla Valley, $53: This Syrah includes 9% co-fermented Viognier. The result is a big, fragrant wine with aromas of berries, chocolate, spices and smoked ham, followed by plush, delicious flavors of chocolate-covered blueberries and ripe plums. It’s a big, yummy wine with a long finish.

Adamant Cellars 2009 Syrah, Walla Walla Valley, $25: This gorgeous Syrah opens with aromas of blueberries, blackberries and dark chocolate, followed by plush flavors of black tea, ripe blackberries and exotic spices. This is a complete wine.

Otis Kenyon Wine 2008 Syrah, Walla Walla Valley, $30: This opens with aromas of wonderful blackberries, plums, sage and lavender, followed by delicious flavors of ripe black fruit, black licorice, dark chocolate and espresso. It provides nice weight on the palate that gives way to a memorable finish.

‘It’s a small town, but it has this momentum to it, meaning the wine industry, the culinary (scene), and now a legitimate night scene on weekends,’ said Andrew Holt, of Tourism Walla Walla.”

• 
• Source: Nwsource
• Via: Seattle Times

Originally published March 3, 2012 at 7:00 PM | Page modified March 4, 2012 at 7:33 AM A growing live-music scene in wine-tasting rooms is fueling a livelier nightlife in Walla Walla. WALLA WALLA – We could bop to the live blues music coming from Charles Smith Wines long before we got inside the door.

Read more at: seattletimes.nwsource.com

In November, we conducted our 12th annual Platinum Judging, what we have dubbed “the best of the best in the Great Northwest.”

Last week, we shared some of the top wines from British Columbia’s Gehringer Brothers Estate Winery, which won six Platinums in the 12th competition. This week, we will look at some of the best wines from Washington, Oregon and Idaho, along with brief descriptions.

Wines are eligible to enter the Platinum if they from the Northwest and have won gold medals in any of about 35 professionally judged competitions around the world. We bring in top judges from as far away as Georgia and California (as well as the Northwest) to evaluate the wines under blind conditions, meaning the do not know the producer or the price.

Many of these wines are still available. To purchase, check with your favorite wine merchant or contact the winery directly.

Washington

Kiona Vineyards Winery 2008 Lemberger, Red Mountain, $12. A rich red wine with notes of cherries, mint and berries.

Jones of Washington 2010 Estate Viognier, Wahluke Slope, $17. A gorgeous white with aromas and flavors of citrus and tropical fruits.

Chateau Ste. Michelle 2010 Harvest Select Riesling, Columbia Valley, $9. Off-dry with ripe fruit aromas and flavors with great complexity.

L’Ecole No. 41 2010 Chenin Blanc, Columbia Valley, $14. Crisp flavors of green apples, quinces and Jolly Rancher candy.

Otis Kenyon Wine 2008 Syrah, Walla Walla Valley, $30. A classic Syrah with aromas and flavors of black pepper, blackberries and plums.

Steppe Cellars 2008 StoneTree Vineyard Malbec, Wahluke Slope, $25. A wonderfully earthy red with notes of plums, boysenberries and black licorice.

Mount Baker Vineyards & Winery 2008 Proprietor’s Limited Release Malbec, Yakima Valley, $20. Dar berries, cola, black pepper and tannin make this a winner.

Covington Cellars 2008 Cabernet Franc, Columbia Valley, $35. Delicious aromas and flavors of black cherries, boysenberries, chocolate and even oregano.

Tsillan Cellars 2008 Lakeside Vineyard Bellisima Rossa, Lake Chelan, $28. This shows off notes of black licorice, fresh dates and ripe boysenberries.

Thurston Wolfe 2008 Reserve Petite Sirah, Horse Heaven Hills, $25. Aromas of cocoa powder, boysenberries, mint and graphite lead to flavors of massive dark fruit.

Dusted Valley Vintners 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon, Walla Walla Valley, $28. Red plums, tobacco leaf and toasty oak aromas give way to dark, ripe flavors.

Hard Row to Hoe Vineyards 2010 Sauvignon Blanc, Yakima Valley, $22. This mouthwatering wine offers notes of ripe pears and herbs.

Westport Winery 2009 Going Coastal Sparkling Gewürztraminer, Washington, $35. This delicious sparkling wine offers aromas of pears, starfruit and pear butter and flavors of yellow grapefruits.

Barnard Griffin 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon, Columbia Valley, $17. This opens with aromas of black currants, blackberries and ripe dark plums, followed by flavors of ripe dark berries

Oregon

Quady North 2010 Pistoleta, Rogue Valley, $19. This white blend opens with succulent aromas of citrus and tropical fruit, including pineapples, limes and orange zest.

Sokol Blosser 2008 Pinot Noir, Dundee Hills, $38. Fascinating aromas of sweet herbs, rich earth, wet gravel and black truffles lead to flavors of ripe raspberries, violets and mushrooms.

Willamette Valley Vineyards 2008 Hannah Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley, $45. Layered aromas of spices, violets, cola and cherries lead to flavors of Dr Pepper and red fruit.

Kramer Vineyards NV Celebrate Muller-Thurgau, Yamhill-Carlton District, $15. This sparkler offers notes of minerals, Spanish almonds and pineapples.

Idaho

Sawtooth Estate Winery 2009 Riesling, Snake River Valley, $9. Aromas of apricots, limes and apples, followed by balanced flavors of grapefruits, oranges and crisp apples.

Koenig Vineyards 2009 Riesling Ice Wine, Snake River Valley, $20. On the nose, it reminded us of a pineapple upside-down cake, and on the palate, it was resplendent with flavors of caramel and peach crumble.

Area wineries will crack open barrels of their newest and future reds and whites Friday-Sunday for the annual Holiday Barrel Tasting. More than 70 of the Valley’s wineries will be decked-out for the holiday season.

Whether it is a locally catered spread, the “Battle of the Soups,” or local hand-crafted chocolates, each winery will offer something special for its guests. Winemakers will be on hand to introduce their new wines as well as future wines still in the barrel. Visitors can be the first to enjoy the new vintage and take home a selection of wines. A downloadable event guide is available at wallawallawine.com/submit-event/holiday-barrel-tasting.

So, Thanksgiving has come and gone and now you are left with the aftermath.

The pounds of turkey and mashed potatoes, the cranberry sauce, the stuffing and the tighter feeling around your middle when you put on your pants.

While you know how to solve the latter issues, the real trick is what to do with all of those leftovers: Time for a pantry raid!

If you have been following Walla Walla Table since the beginning of the year and taking good notes you should have a well-stocked larder. One of the first things I reach for after the holidays is some serious comfort food, and for me that means Mexican.

Enchiladas are a favorite in my family. We love them, the kids love them and they are a fantastic way to use up leftovers. If you are not into making your own tortillas, good ones can be found in stores. You should have your ranchero sauce ready to go in your freezer, so this is a no brainer. Heat your sauce, dip the tortillas in for 20 to 30 seconds, add your turkey – cheese is optional – roll them up and place into a baking dish, cover with remaining sauce and cheese if desired, and bake for 20 minutes at 350. Voila! Dinner.

If you are feeling a bit adventurous, you can always add some of your stuffing into the center with the turkey. Feel free to add some ranchero sauce to your potatoes as well.

Turkey omelets are a bit passé for me, but if that is your thing, why not. What I REALLY like is Eggs Franklin (named for Ben Franklin, who wanted the national bird to be the turkey instead of the bald eagle). Basically it’s Eggs Benedict with turkey instead of Canadian bacon.

As for those leftover mashers, use them to make simple potato pancakes with a sour cream cranberry sauce instead of the traditional apple sauce (see recipe). For the sauce whole or mostly whole berry cranberry sauce or relish works best. I make mine with orange so there is already a good sour note to it. Add 2 to 3 tablespoons of sour cream and stir. I like to add a little fresh ground pepper to mine.

Stuffing seems to be the one single item at my house that is never in short supply. Usually there is more left than we know what to do with.

Stuffing is basically a savory bread pudding, if you can look at it objectively. So make it so. To your stuffing you can add a savory custard and bake the whole shebang and serve with a sauce such as demi glace or a good reduction. You can even thin out your gravy and make a nice sauce as well. Consider adding some of the cranberry into this to add a nice sweet/acidic component.

Another option – and I realize it is nothing too adventurous – is to make Shepherd’s pie. Instead of lamb or the Americanized version using beef, just use up your turkey instead. You already have the mashers and probably some stock and gravy as well, so go for it. The kids love it and it keeps well and is easy to microwave the next day.

One of my other favorites is Hot Browns, made famous in the 1920s and most notably in Kentucky, where it originates. It started as late- night bar food meant to fill the belly and induce the “food coma” and help soak up the alcohol (ever wondered how Prohibition got started?) Basically it’s toast, turkey, Mornay sauce and bacon and tomato all served hot from the broiler (see recipe).

Cheers!

Mornay sauce

• 1 stick butter, melted
• 3 tablespoons flour
• 2 cups milk, heated
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Nutmeg, freshly grated (optional)
• About 1 cup of cheese, Gruyere, Parmesan Reggiano or something tasty.

Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium flame. Add the flour and cook about 1 minute, stirring constantly until pale yellow and frothy, Do not allow the roux to brown. Slowly whisk in milk and continue to whisk until the sauce thickens and comes to a boil, about 2 to 3 minutes. Reduce the heat to a simmer and season with the salt, pepper and nutmeg. Allow to simmer for 2 to 3 minutes. This is now called a béchamel sauce, and is one of the most basic and versatile of the mother sauces. Stir in the cheese and whisk until melted. If the sauce seems too thick, thin with a little milk. You now have a Mornay sauce. Taste and adjust seasoning accordingly. You may want to experiment with cheeses – a sharp cheddar can be fun, and so can adding a few different cheeses to make a more complex flavor.

Hot browns

While there are many different variations, this is pretty standard and includes some of my embellishments.

Toast. I like thick Texas style toast or good crusty baguette or batard for mine

Mornay sauce (see separate recipe).

Tomatoes, sliced or wedges. I like mine sliced thick, broiled and served alongside.

Bacon, several slices, thick and crispy. 2 slices per serving (or more if you are feeling particularly crazy, it is the holidays)

Turkey, sliced thin or shredded and a good amount.

Arrange bread on a baking sheet, brush with butter and toast in oven until lightly brown and slightly crisp. Add turkey and warm for a few minutes in the oven just to heat the turkey. Remove from sheet pan to plate, two pieces per. Add sauce garnish with bacon slice and tomatoes.

Potato pancakes

• Mashed potatoes
• 2 to 6 tablespoons of flour
• Cream
• Butter

Add about 1 tablespoon of flour to every two cups of mashed potatoes. In a saucepan heat cream to just warm and add ½ cup at a time to potatoes until you have a thick batter. If batter is too thin, add more flour or more potatoes. Heat butter to bubbling in a large non-stick skillet over medium flame. Add batter about 4 to 6 ounces at a time, just like pancake batter. Let brown on one side before turning. Cook through on opposite side and plate. Serve with apple sauce or cranberry sauce.

Earlier this month I attended a talk on food awareness by Chantal Valentine, a Whitman College graduate who authored “The Baby Cuisine Cookbook” and has launched a “preschool food revolution” in the San Francisco Bay Area in response to the food served in her child’s school.

Seeing a need for a healthy change in their community, she and husband Shane, were speaking at Whitman to share their knowledge and bring about awareness and change to the processed food trend aimed at children. With the extreme rise of obesity and Type-2 diabetes, and the realization that our poor food habits are the cause, people in increasing numbers in the United States are starting to take action. The Valentines are among those on the frontline of a growing movement.

For the first time in history, children born in the year 2000 and after are forecast to have a shorter life span then their parents. These kids have a 1-in-3 chance of contracting Type-2 diabetes, something that is avoidable with healthy food choices.

In Berkeley, Calif., chef Alice Waters started an “Edible Schoolyard” to teach kids about growing, harvesting, and preparing nutritious, seasonal produce. For over 16 years, the project has inspired students to try new foods, exposed them to a wide variety of fruits and vegetables, and giving them life skills, including the ability to make healthy food choices and work cooperatively.

Michelle Obama joined the movement by planting an organic garden at he White House and starting the “Let’s Move!” campaign to combat childhood obesity. Believing manufacturers should be held accountable for the food they produce, she was quoted as telling the Grocery Manufacturers Association, “We need you to entirely rethink the products you’re offering, the information you provide about these products, and how you market those products to our children.”

Jamie Oliver overhauled the school lunch system in his native England and brought his passion to America to try to do the same with our nation’s school lunch program. Finding it a little more complicated that he first imagined, he is still making strides, bringing attention to the problems of processed junk foods, organizing a ban on sugar-filled flavored milk and a starting a mobile teaching kitchen for students across the Los Angeles School District. He encourages families to prepare and eat more meals at home together, starting with just once more a week.

In the Seattle-area, Cynthia Lair has begun training school cooks on ways to incorporate more fresh vegetables and whole grains in their meal plans with a program called “Discover. Cook. Nourish.” As a first step, it attempts to affect the beliefs of the individual school food service worker. With topics such as whole grain cookery, how to balance meals, how to shop for best quality and hands-on cooking lessons, the program works to get these cooks excited about better health through good food. Developing a passion for feeding themselves and their families better, they will in turn make healthy choices for their schools when given the opportunity.

Why use grant money to change a school cook’s family dinner plate?

“Starting with the individual is exactly where change begins,” Lair responded in a media report when asked that question. “Each parent, each child, each school food service worker has to desire similar changes if school lunch food is going to improve. If we don’t shift the consciousness of the school food service worker, then who would you start with?”

“Two Angry Moms” is a movie filmmaker Amy Kalafa and Susan Rubin made after experiencing the poor state of school lunches in their children’s schools. Kalafa has also written “Lunch Wars,” a book to arm readers with tools to help bring change within their own school systems.

Today the average American spends about 27 minutes a day on food preparation and another four minutes cleaning up. That’s less than half the time spent 30 years ago – and less than half the time it takes to watch a single episode of “Top Chef.” This indicates that many Americans are spending considerably more time watching cooking on television than they are actually cooking themselves.

The food revolution can start with each and every one of us.

Shane Valentine suggests starting with the “non-negotiables,” the food rules you set up in your home -such as no soda or high-fructose corn syrup, and sitting down for a family meal at least once a week.

Start where you are and build slowly. Pack a lunch one more day each week. Start a garden or cooking class. Eat lunch with your child at school and encourage other children to take a serving of fruit and vegetables from the salad bar. Share a meal with a friend or co-worker. Involve others, model healthy eating habits, and have fun!

As food issues author Michael Pollan writes: “Food is invisible no longer and, in light of the mounting costs we’ve incurred by ignoring it, it is likely to demand much more of our attention in the future, as eaters, parents, and citizens.”

The best part about Thanksgiving is the turkey.

The worst part of Thanksgiving? The turkey.

It’s either dry and overcooked, or it’s spot on. The unfortunate thing is you never know what you are going to get, unless you have some know-how.

When I was a kid my mother did all of the major holidays, and she was really good at it. She would wake up at the crack of dawn and start cooking by 7 or 8 am. No joke. The turkey would cook all day. Most years it was really good, a few times we needed extra gravy … if you know what I mean.

When the time came for me to cook the turkey one year, I could not imagine myself standing in the kitchen all day long. So, like everything else I have ever done, I figured out a better way with this week’s recipe.

Cheers.

No-fuss perfect holiday bird

Here is what you are going to need, in no particular order:

• 2 half sheet pans, commonly called baking sheets.
• Roasting pan, about 2 inches deep, preferably with a rack.
• Paper towels
• Salt (kosher)
• Pepper (fresh ground — do this in an old coffee grinder and set aside in a pinch bowl)
• Ground sage, thyme, bay leaves, garlic powder
• Extra virgin olive oil
• Trifecta (onion, carrots, celery — rough chop on all, about 1 cup of each)
• Chicken stock
• Dry white wine (semillon or chardonnay)
• Flour
• Foil, whisk, wooden spoon, immersion blender, and most importantly a probe thermometer, preferably with a digital read out. Trust me this is THE most useful splurge you will ever make on things for your kitchen.

Rinse your bird in cold water inside and out. Remove giblets and “things” (yucky bits that are actually quite useful) and set aside in fridge to use later in stock for gravy. Set bird on one sheet pan and dry thoroughly, inside and out, with paper towels, changing frequently. Transfer to sheet the second sheet pan 2. Set your oven to 400-degrees F. Rub your bird down with olive oil on the outside. Season with salt and pepper liberally (see it’s not a bad word), inside and out, making sure to season the cavity. Once your oven is hot, transfer your turkey to the roasting pan rack; this will make it easier to remove later on. Insert your thermometer probe into the thickest part of the breast, being sure NOT to touch the bone. Set the temperature alarm for 161 degrees F. Make sure the probe wire is easily accessible so that you can plug it into the base. After about 15 to 20 minutes cover the entire breast only with foil to prevent it becoming overdone. Your turkey should reach optimal temperature in 2 to 3 hours, depending on the size of your bird. Don’t try to baste it; don’t try to fuss with it. Don’t even open the oven door to check on it, unless you smell burning. If you feel that it is cooking too fast and you want more time, reduce your oven temp to 350 degrees F. It’s that easy. Really. Just set the alarm and sit back and catch up on your beauty rest.

In a stock pot over medium flame heat some olive oil add your giblets and “things.” Brown evenly. Add your trifecta and brown, developing a nice color by not stirring too much. Add one clove of crushed garlic and two bay leaves. Add stock and bring to a simmer. Let simmer for 30 minutes, at which point you may discard all of your solid matter leaving only a good rich stock. Remove from heat and let sit covered.

Once your temperature probe alarm in the bird reaches 161 degrees F., remove turkey from oven, then from the roasting pan and onto a platter or one of your cleaned sheet pans. Cover the entire thing with foil, being sure not to remove the probe thermometer. Let it rest for 20 to 30 minutes. In the roasting pan is all that great juice, fat and fond, which we are going to use right now to make gravy.

Remove the drippings from the roasting pan, especially the fat, into a 2- to 5-quart sauce pan, leaving any stuck on bits and solid matter. Begin heating stock over medium flame and, once simmering, lower to lowest setting and put a lid on it. Over a medium flame heat fat and juices and add about 2 tablespoons of flour, stirring with a wooden spoon to incorporate. Switch to your whisk and continue to stir flour with fat until all the lumps are gone, to make a roux. If there are still browned bits, not black, stuck on the roasting pan, deglaze with about 1 cup of wine and a wooden spoon. Reduce this by about a third to half and set aside. Once the roux is blonde and devoid of lumps (it should look like wet sand at first, then liquid and glossy) begin adding your deglaze from the roasting pan. Do this slowly so it won’t bubble up on you and possibly burn your skin. Once incorporated into roux, whisk to remove any lumps and lower flame to low/medium low. Begin adding stock. Once your gravy is at the correct consistency add sage, thyme, salt and pepper to taste. If it is too salty add stock and or wine or even a pinch of sugar. If it needs some acidity add wine. If gravy still is lumpy, use your immersion blender carefully to remove the lumps. If that fails run the whole thing through a fine chinoise (conical strainer) to remove the lumps.

At this point you are ready to go. Remove the probe and carve your bird carefully. By the way, it will not need the gravy — that’s for your mashed potatoes.

A special tasting today at 19 N. Second Ave. kicks off a series of events that signal the start of the holiday season.

From 5 to 7 p.m., the wines of Forgeron Cellars will be poured and paired with cheeses from Cheese Louise.

Today’s wine and cheese event will be followed Thursday by “Le Beaujolais nouveau est arrivé,” a special tasting of a traditional French Gamay. According to Catie McIntyre Walker, who owns the downtown retail shop, France is known to erupt in massive celebration at the stroke of midnight on the third Thursday of each November. The celebration is for the unveiling of the Beaujolais Nouveau wine, which is a young — six weeks old — Gamay that comes from south of Burgundy. The light-bodied and fruity wine goes well with Thanksgiving turkey. The French government has adopted regulations delaying the wine’s release until the third week of November. It is tradition that the wine must be finished by Christmas. McIntyre Walker doesn’t plan to open at midnight. But she does plan to offer samples of the wine produced by Jean Foillard all day Thursday from 11 a.m.-6 p.m.

McIntyre Walker plans to follow that up Friday with an Early Black Friday tasting of port and chocolate. Quinta do Noval and La Maison du Chocolat will be served together from 4 to 6 p.m. Friday, a week ahead of the actual Black Friday. Mark Rowan from Noble Distributing will pour and be available for questions. For more information, call 529-0503.

Three Rivers Winery is getting into the spirit of the season with a Holiday Open House this week.

The Walla Walla winery, at 5641 Old Highway 12, will host an after-hours shopping event Thursday. From 5 to 8 p.m., the tasting room will be open and stocked with holiday gift items for Thanksgiving and Christmas. Linens and dinnerware for the holiday table, cookbooks, aprons, candles, cork jewelry, ornaments, confections, stocking stuffers, hostess gifts and more will be available for purchase. Brands include VIETRI, Michael Aram, Garnier Thiebaut, Couleur Nature, The Thymes, Roost, Stonewall Kitchen and Jan Barboglio.

Complimentary wine tasting will be available, as will gingerbread cupcakes from Frosted — The Cupcake Shop and charcuterie from Salumiere Cesario.

Those who attend will also receive a gift and have the chance to enter a drawing for a $50 gift certificate. A free gift will also be available to those who spend $100 or more on VIETRI holiday dishes. Guests will “draw for a discount” and receive 5 to 30 percent off purchases during the event. For more details, call 526-9463.

In our ongoing discussion of where your food is coming from, I hope to provide some insight and “education,” as much as I hate to call it that. The goal is to dispel myths and rumors about the food you buy, in hopes of create better informed consumers who can make smart decisions about what foods are best for themselves and their families.

Myth 1: You should only buy organic

While organic is good, it is not the end all, be all. Some foods labeled “organic” as opposed to 100 percent organic, can contain up to 5 percent non-organic ingredients, such as fish oils, sausage casings from conventionally raised animals, saccharides and even colorings. So is it really “organic”? No

Foods grown organically can also be raised with pesticides, even though that is completely against what “organic” is all about. There are three levels of pest management that are allowable and the first two must be unsuccessful in order to be able to use the third level of pesticides (even synthetic ones). But it still raises the question: Is it actually free from pesticides? No.

There is no conclusive proof organic foods are “better” for you than non organics. If they are not free of pesticides, additives and biological hazards that we have seen recently with “conventional” foods, it is difficult to say that they are “better.”

However, if those foods are raised in the spirit of the “organic” ideal and truly free from pesticides, additives and other issues, then, yes, they would be.

The issue is whether you trust government to regulate this with your best interests in mind. If you cannot trust them with health care, I think you have your answer.

For more information about what “organic” means, visit bit.ly/sxag3k.

Myth 2: You should only buy local food

In a perfect world this would be a great way to go, but in reality it does not make good sense for you or your family. The nutritional diversity of the foods available is one of the best things that has happened to the human race.

Ask yourself this: Are you prepared to give up any of the following foods — bananas, pineapples, mangos, citrus, chocolate?

If you answered no to any, you will see might point quickly. Since we do not and cannot effectively grow any of those items here, it makes sense to be able to import them without serious guilt.

On the other hand, if you are buying potatoes, blueberries and onions from Texas, Chile, or elsewhere then you should be wearing your hair shirt for the next year. We grow all of those things here and we do it really well, too.

When in season you should always buy close to home as possible — forget, for the moment, the serious issues of carbon footprints and global — because what you get will have a more nutritional wallop.

Think about this way: A fruit, after it is picked, will continue to ripen up to a certain point. A vegetable will begin to rot as soon as it is picked. So while fruits will increase their sugar content they will not gain any more nutrients and a vegetable will begin to lose its nutritional value, albeit slowly, once picked. So, if you want to maximize the nutritional content of your food and get more “bang for your buck,” eating closer to home makes more sense whenever possible.

But remember to not sacrifice good nutritional variety just for the sake of “reducing your carbon footprint.” A banana shipped from Central America is a great source of potassium, one of the single most important minerals your body needs for so many things, including, your heart, lungs, brain and bowels.

While a potato is a great source of potassium as well, and grown in abundance in the Pacific Northwest, you cannot and should not live on potatoes. The body needs a very high level of activity to process that amount of carbohydrates efficiently.

It is much better to vary your diet with a wide variety of foods. Michael Pollan, who authored “The Omnivore’s Dilemma,” said it best: “Eat food. Mostly plants. Not too much.”

As we head deeper into fall and then to winter the amount of locally grown foods will diminish. But there is a wide variety of great foods available to you now.

If you have access to locally grown fruits and berries consider doing some freezing and or canning. Whole berries are easy to freeze. Apples and pears can be canned sliced or whole and even pureed and frozen.

Citrus from California is coming in now and one of my favorite things to do is make fresh squeezed juice and freeze it in quart sized containers.

Great for breakfast and great for having around the kitchen in spring or summer when it is being trucked in from South America and Australia. You can buy whole flats of citrus from your supermarket or local grocer, just ask.

For some creative recipes this week, check thegrocersbag.blogspot.com. We’ll even have tips on how to select the best vegetables and how to check fruit ripeness.

Cheers.

The closing of October marks the end of the Walla Walla Farmers’ Market for the year, so I made sure to attend the last Saturday market. It was a picture perfect autumn morning — brightly colored leaves, azure-blue sky and everyone dressed in warm hats and puffy jackets.

Off in the corner of the market, an old white truck had its tailgate down. Inside were beautiful giant green cabbages, larger than I had ever seen before. Alongside them lay gorgeous purple cauliflower, just as big and stunning.

“Better get some before they’re all gone!” Amiee, the market manager, told me.

I don’t know if you’ve ever actually cut up a cabbage and realized how a little bit goes a long way, but a standard grocery store cabbage in our house can last us a few weeks worth of soup, coleslaw and sauteing. And this guy, at least three times the size of a normal cabbage?! Well, I’d better have a plan for it before buying.

Then it came to me: I’ll make a batch of kimchi! Maybe some sauerkraut too!

Sure, a person can go out an buy jars of kimchi or sauerkraut, but a little lesson about the benefits of fermented vegetables will make you understand the difference between homemade and store-bought.

Before traditional canning methods, people in earlier times would preserve vegetables through the process of lacto-fermentation. Lacto-fermentation happens when the starches and sugars in vegetables and fruit convert to lactic acid with the help of a friendly bacteria called lactobacilli. They are found on the surface of all living things but they are especially prolific on the leaves and roots of plants growing in or near the ground.

The lactic acid they produce not only preserves vegetables and fruit perfectly, but also promotes the growth of healthy flora in the intestines. Kind of like yogurt. The proliferation of lactobacilli in fermented vegetables enhances their digestibility and increases vitamin levels, as well as producing helpful enzymes and antibiotic substances.

Lacto-fermentation is a craft that does not work well in industrialized manufacturing. Results are not always uniform or predictable. So mass manufacturing uses vinegar rather than a natural brining process, making a more acidic product that is not good in large quantities. Then they pasteurize it, killing off all the lactic-acid producing bacteria and robbing consumers of the beneficial effect on digestion and health.

Cultures around the world understand the importance of lacto-fermented fruits and vegetables and have made it a staple in their traditional diets. In Europe, the principle lacto-fermentated food is sauerkraut. In Russia and Poland one finds pickled green tomatoes, peppers and lettuces. In Korea, clay pots full of kimchi line kitchen terraces, as it the most common side dish of the country. In Japan, no meal is complete without a portion of pickled vegetable, be it radish, cucumber, turnip or carrot.

People in India traditionally ferment fruit with spices to make chutneys. Indonesians eat tempeh, a soy product, and in Africa people enjoy a porridge of fermented millet.

Even here in America, we have many types of relish — corn relish, cucumber relish, watermelon rind —all of which were no doubt originally lacto-fermentated products.

Scientists are mystified by the proliferation of new viruses and pathogens today. Even with today’s extreme sanitary practices, we have increase in intestinal parasites and maladies. Could it be that abandoning the ancient practice of lacto-fermentation and insistence in pasteurizing everything has compromised the health of our intestinal flora and made us vulnerable to a variety of pathogenic microorganisms?

Maybe. If so, a return to traditional ways of lacto-fermentation cannot hurt and might even be an answer. Give it a go and reap the benefits of a happy tummy.

If you aren’t as adventurous or just don’t have time or interest in making your own lacto-fermentated foods, there is hope. A local gentleman, Vince Booth is making lacto-fermented pickles, sauerkraut, and kimchi. His Booth’s Brine Co. products are available at Blue Valley Meats.

Or you can try including more active cultured dairy products into your diet. Yogurts, kefir, and raw milk all have active cultures and include similar benefits as those found in lacto-fermentated foods. Just make sure to read your labels to verify it says “active cultures”.

Lacto-fermented kimchi

• 1 roughly chopped head of napa cabbage
• 1 thinly sliced daikon
• 6 thinly sliced carrots

Add them to a large pot of salty water (brine). Let them sit, covered for a day.

After a day, removed the vegetables from the brine. Taste to test saltiness. If it’s too salty, rinse.

Then, puree together:

• 1 good size chunk of ginger
• 6 garlic cloves
• 1 bunch of green onion
• 1/4 cup red chili flakes
• 3 tablespoons whey (optional)
• A few squirts of fish sauce

Add this paste to the drained veggies and incorporate fully. Pack into sterilized mason jars and press down until the juices came to the top. Try to keep all vegetables under the brine. Cover with a plastic locking bag, press down, and place a smaller jar on top of the plastic inside the vegetable container. Fill the smaller jar with water to weigh down the vegetables. Let sit for a week, checking on them occasionally to change the water and pack the vegetables down a little more. At the end of the week, lid them and put in fridge. It will keep for many months.