2008

Fruit Pulps Guests are invited to eat the grape-sized berries and then sample aselection of food and drink, from chilli sauce to Irish stout, andrevel in the distorted flavours. Franz Aliquo, one party organiser, hands his customers a berry eachthen ushers them toward a table laden with citrus wedges, cheeses,Brussels sprouts, mustard, vinegars, pickles, dark beers,strawberries and cheap tequila. The 32-year-old, who holds the events in Long Island City, Queens,said: "You pop it in your mouth and scrape the pulp off the seed,swirl it around and hold it in your mouth for about a minute, thenyou're ready to go." One guest, Yuka Yoneda, claimed the fruit made Tabasco sauce tastelike "hot doughnut glaze", while another, Carrie Dashow, said aglass of Guinness became like a "chocolate shake". In Britain the demand has also begun to take off and the country'stwo main suppliers have warned customers that they will have towait weeks before getting any. Chris Barr, a former IT specialist from London, has been sellingthe berries from his website miraclefruit.co.uk for just a few months. He said: "I was lucky to make ￡5 a day at first, but in thepast couple of weeks it has gone nuts. I am selling thousands ofpounds worth in a week, literally kilos every day." The berries may also have significant health benefits. It ispossible they could be used as a natural sweetener in foods fordiabetics or as a supplement to help people lose weight withoutbeing tempted by sugary treats. Some fruit growers even claim the berries are popular with cancerpatients who undergo chemotherapy, because they can help diminishthe unpleasant aftertaste. However, these effects are yet to be backed up by scientificevidence.

TAIPEI, Taiwan -- The average iqf vegetable wholesale price in Taipei yesterday shot up 30 percent to NT$22.86 per kilogram due mainly to the supply shortfall caused by torrential rains in central and southern Taiwan, according to the Taipei Agricultural Products Marketing Co. (TAPM) TAPM statistics indicated that the daily vegetable supply at the Taipei wholesale market shrank by some 30 percent to 1,192 metric tons yesterday from 1,568 metric tons registered on Tuesday, as a result of the torrential rains in the central and southern counties of Changhua and Yunlin damaging some low-lying vegetable growing areas there. Such short-term leafy vegetables as spoon cabbage and water convolvulus saw their wholesale prices double to NT$34 and NT$35 per kilogram yesterday from Tuesday's NT$16 and NT$17, respectively. The wholesale prices of such leafy vegetables as cabbage, celery, amaranth surged by NT$6 to NT$14 per kilogram. Meanwhile, average fruit wholesale price rose by NT$10 per kilogram to NT$42.2 yesterday from NT$32.32 on Tuesday, due to a sharp decline in the daily supply to 695 metric tons from 1,063 metric tons at the Taipei wholesale market. TAPM officials forecast the prices both fruit and vegetables to rise further by 10 to 20 percent before the Dragon Boat Festival falling on Sunday. In related news, the Agriculture & Food Agency of the Council of Agriculture said yesterday that the agency will not release frozen vegetable products into the markets temporarily, so as not to undermine the interests of farmers. Officials with the agency said that the damage of torrential-caused floods on vegetable production in central and southern Taiwan was not so serious, and therefore there is no need for the agency to release frozen vegetable products. On another front, the average chicken wholesale price shot up 70 percent from a year earlier to NT$85 per kilogram in May from NT$49.42, and the pork price also surged 30 percent to NT$75.5 per kilogram.

vegetable bun As the summer grilling season gets under way, scores of hosts across the Capital Region are asking themselves the age-old question, “What the heck am I going to serve the vegetarians at my backyard barbecue?” Until recently, this increasingly prevalent problem has often been solved with a green salad, vegetarian baked beans and maybe a dried-out frozen veggie burger. But now, there are a variety of new cookbooks that can help home chefs serve up tasty and healthy fare that even nonvegetarians will find appealing. Andrea Chesman, author of “The New Vegetarian Grill,” said she noticed that “people were at a loss when it came to putting together vegetarian meals, especially when one person was a vegetarian and the rest were meat eaters. It seemed they would focus on the meat, with maybe one veggie and a salad, and that was really boring.” Chesman, who grew up in Troy but now lives in Vermont, says vegetables are easy to prepare outdoors, as long as you have one essential piece of equipment. “If you buy a vegetable grill rack, it gives you an enormous amount of versatility, and it’s inexpensive .?.?. $15, $20,” she said. “Look for an enamel-coated one.”In simple terms, a vegetable grill rack is a metal sheet with holes cut out that sits on top of the regular grill. It allows you to cut vegetables into smaller pieces, so that smoke and flavor can penetrate the food, but it keeps the pieces from falling into the flames. It’s also helpful for foods that tend to stick, such as pizza, tofu and veggie burgers. For the cook just starting to experiment with vegetarian cuisine, Chesman recommends Portobello mushrooms, lightly oiled, grilled and served on a bun with onions and barbecue sauce. Homemade lentil burgers can be prepared in advance and cooked on the grill along with traditional burgers and hot dogs. But she also advises beginners to think outside the bun.“I really love all the sandwiches in my grill book,” Chesman said. “Mushroom steak sandwiches with blue cheese dressing. That’s a really great sandwich. Grilled peppers, big slabs of bell peppers, are also delicious on sandwiches. Eggplant is very easy and delicious and rewarding. And they’re really easy to make.” The host of the Food Network’s “Semi-Homemade Cooking with Sandra Lee” agrees that vegetarian dishes can be both easy to prepare and tasty enough to be served to everyone.“Just because it’s a vegetable doesn’t mean that it has to be bland,” Lee said. “Grilled asparagus is fantastic with a spicy mustard dipping sauce. Instead of marinating meats, try substituting a hearty vegetable like a Portobello mushroom.”Lee’s new book, “Sandra Lee Semi-Homemade Grilling 2,” contains a whole chapter on “Veggies and Sides.” And her Food Network show recently featured “Drive-In Walnut Burgers,” a treat she remembers from her childhood visits to Rudy’s Drive-In in La Crosse, Wis. But she said the vegetarian lifestyle is one she’s long been familiar with. “My Grandma Lorraine was a vegetarian. While other mothers were cooking pot roast, she’d roast a medley of vegetables and toss them with yogurt, dill, Italian seasonings, experimenting with all kinds of different flavors,” she said. “Whether or not someone is a full-time vegetarian, it’s certainly a great way to add lots of essential vitamins and fiber to your diet, and there are so many creative options now — more than ever!”