STRAWBERRIES:

"The strawberry you eat is not really a fruit or a berry but is the enlarged receptacle of the flower.  "Strawberries were cultivated in ancient Rome and were used as a medicinal herb in the 13th Century. They are a member of the Rose family. A museum dedicated to them [is] in Belgium. During the 1700s, a hybrid variety was developed in France by breeding wild strawberries brought from North America with others from Chile. The first important American variety, the   Hovey, was grown in 1834 in Massachusetts "The strawberry belongs to the genus Fragaria in the rose family,           Rosaceae. The scientific names for some common American species are F. chiloensis, F. vesca, and F. virginiana."

The above information on strawberries comes from the web address below. There is more information on strawberries and all kinds of fruit at this address as well.

http://www.bouquetoffruits.com/fruit-facts/strawberry-facts.html

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"Vegetarian Times" magazine. June 2005, "1Food5ways - Strawberries" by Joyce Goldstein    www.vegetariantimes.com

For strawberries, bigger is not necessarily better.  According to Ms. Goldstein, "Most jumbo strawberries have a central air pocket and taste bland.  Instead, look for smaller, plumper, full-red berries with pointy ends (avoid white, green or hard tips).  Then when you get them home, handle with care." Don't wash the berries until you are ready to use them and "store them in a container lined with paper towels; cover loosely", and refrigerate.  They will stay fresh for up to five days.

Nutritional profile:
1/2 cup of strawberry halves contains:
Calories 49    Vitamin C 89 mg    Folate 36 mcg    Potassium 23 mg  
Fiber 3 g    Cholesterol 0 mg

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To Preserve Strawberries Whole

To every 1 lb berries allow 1 1/2 lb sugar and 1 pt. red currant juice. Choose the strawberries not too ripe, of a fine large sort and of good colour.  Pick off the stalks, lay the strawberries in a dish, and sprinkle over them half the quantity of sugar, which must be finely pounded.  Shake the dish gently, that the sugar may be equally distributed and touch the under-side of the fruit, and let it remain for 1 day.  Then have ready the currant juice, boil it with the remainder of the sugar until it forms a thin syrup, and in this simmer the strawberries and sugar, until the whole is sufficiently jellied.  Great care must be taken not to stir the fruit roughly, as it should be preserved as whole as possible.  Strawberries prepared in this manner are very good served in glasses and mixed with thin cream. 
          

Isabella Beeton, 'The Book of Household Management', 1862

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Fresh Strawberry Pie

1 quart Jersey Fresh strawberries, divided
1 cup sugar, divided
1 cup water
1½ TBS cornstarch
1/8 tsp salt
1 baked pie shell

Combine 1 cup strawberries, hulled, with ¾ cup of the sugar and 1 cup of water. Cook for 5 minutes over medium-high heat. Remove from heat and mash. Mix cornstarch and remaining sugar and salt. Add to mashed strawberries and stir well. Cook until thickened, stirring all the while. Cool. Place remaining whole strawberries, with hulls removed, in pie shell, point side of berries up. Pour glaze over all, chill and serve with whipped cream or soft ice cream.

Contributed by: Thomas Begoss, Randolph, NJ

The above recipe is courtesy of the web site below, which has recipes for just about any food item grown in New Jersey.

http://www.state.nj.us/jerseyfresh/recipes/index.html

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Smoothies 

Silk Alive! Smoothie with live cultures such as L. acidophilus. This isn't an opinion about "good bacteria".  I'm passing along information about the product.  It's liquid nutrition. 

 www.silkissoy.com

BROCCOLI: 

"Broccoli is a plant of the Cabbage family, Brassicaceae (formerly Cruciferae). It is classified as the Italica Cultivar Group of the species Brassica oleracea.

"Common varieties are Calabrese and purple sprouting broccoli.

"Broccoli possesses abundant fleshy green flower heads arranged in a tree-like fashion on branches sprouting from a thick, edible stalk. The large mass of flower heads is surrounded by leaves. Broccoli most closely resembles its close relative cauliflower, but is green rather than white. 

"Broccoli is a cool-weather crop that does poorly in hot summer weather. It is usually boiled or steamed, but may be eaten raw and has become popular as a raw vegetable in hors-d'oeuvre trays. Broccoli is high in vitamin C and soluble fiber. Broccoli also contains the compound glucoraphanin, leading to an anticancer compound sulforaphane.The word broccoli comes from the Latin brachium and Italian brocco meaning "arm", or "branch". Broccoli is often referred to as a "cruciferous" vegetable. The Brassicaceae family (also known as the mustard or cabbage family) was formerly called the Cruciferae family, due to the fact that these plants often have four petals which can look like crosses."

The above information about broccoli comes from the web address below.    

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Broccoli

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A tasty dish made with broccoli can be as simple as broccoli sautéed with pasta, oil and garlic and seasoned only with salt and pepper.  Or the recipe may take more time, like the one below, but be worth the effort. 

PASTA SALAD WITH BROCCOLI & SUN DRIED TOMATOES     Serves 8

6 tablespoons of olive oil
1/2 cup of sun dried tomatoes
1/4 cup of red wine vinegar
1 garlic clove, minced
1 pound of pasta spirals
12 ounces of tomatoes
8 ounces of fresh mozzarella cheese, cut into pieces
1 cup of fresh basil leaves, thinly sliced
1 cup of freshly grated broccoli florets
Pepper to taste

Blend the first 4 ingredients in a blender until the tomatoes are coarsely chopped. Set aside. Cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling water. The pasta should be tender but firm. Drain. Place in a bowl. Add dressing to the hot pasta, toss to coat. Stir once a minute. Add the chopped fresh tomatoes, mozzarella, basil, parmesan, and broccoli, toss. Add pepper.

This recipe is courtesy of

http://www.basic-recipes.com/veget/bro/

PECANS:

"Genus: Carya
Species: illinoensis
Parts used: the nuts

"The pecan tree can grow to enormous heights, sometimes to heights of 180 feet, and has an upright growing pattern...The bark on the pecan tree is rough and scaly, and is pale grey or brown. The heartwood is solid brown and black.

"The leaves grow in groups of 11-17. Each leaf is slightly pointed at the tip. The width of the leaves are approximately 3 inches. Each full grown leaf is about 5 inches top to bottom. This tree is a perennial. The Pecan tree has a shallow root system. The flowers are tiny and hang down in tassels. The pecan uses wind to pollinate. The pecan nut is long and pointed with a thin shell.

"The pecan tree grows in North America. The tree is found in deciduous forests. Most pecan trees like humid climates. The tree is a member of the walnut family. The Pecan tree is the State tree of Texas. Pecan nuts were a major food source to the Native Americans. They would eat these nuts, and store them to survive through the winter. The tree is used for its wood to make furniture like cabinets, benches, stools, chairs, and other useful supplies."

This information about pecans is courtesy of Davey C. 2001 at the web address below.  I am also including the bibliography he provided.

http://www.blueplanetbiomes.org/pecan.htm

Bibliography:
   
Tait, Nicola, "The Pecan Tree by Nichola Tait ", http://ortech-engr.com/pecans/tree.html ( January 2001)

"Carya illinoensis (Wangenh)", http://www.na.fs.fed.us/spfo/pubs/silvics_manual/Volume_2/carya/illinoesis.htm. (January 1st 2001)

"The Pecan Tree", http://www.google.com   (January 2001)

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This recipe is a product of using aging produce while it was still good.  I tossed in the pecans on a whim.  They made the stew brown and the flavor was very good. I use a slow cooker approach when I want to saute' something.  Onions  and such can sauté' on low for a long time without burning.

PECAN STEW

1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
2 carrots, sliced
2 large zucchini, sliced
3 roma tomatoes, chopped
1 cup frozen peas
1/2 cup pecans
water or broth enough for stew
1 Tablespoon vegetable flakes
1 teaspoon basil
salt and pepper to taste
uncooked pasta

Put oil and onion in a large pot on low and cover.  Add other vegetables as they are ready.  Add enough water or broth for stew, pecans and seasonings.  Stir.  Add uncooked pasta if using it.  Leave the pasta on top of the vegetables but press it to make sure there is enough moisture for cooking.  I used tricolor spirals.  Cover and leave on low.  Add cooked pasta later in the cooking time if using it  In all I cooked the stew about an hour.