Wednesday, June 10, 2009

Barrie's Farm, Alzheimer's.

Went to get more asparagus yesterday and discovered that Tim Barrie is planning to stay open all summer and to sell all kinds of fresh local produce which, funnily enough, ties in with what I wrote on Monday. Part of the 100 mile rule, you shouldn't buy anything that isn't produced with 100 miles of where you live. Only problem with that is, coffee is not grown locally and I cannot afford locally grown lamb. I have to buy New Zealand lamb and have been doing so for many years, even in the UK. Local lamb is twice the price - I am not disputing its twice as delicious, I don't really know, but we find NZ lamb expensive enough here. Friends buy local beef which they share with members of their family, think they probably buy a quarter or something. We don't really eat enough beef to justify it nor would we have room to store it all. I digress - Tim is already selling a lot of new things such as locally grown grape tomatoes, I bought some, they are presumably hot house at this time of year. He also has jars of home made asparagus soup, pickled asparagus, honey, and some kind of leafy greens in a bag, I didn't investigate. He has a small freezer there - not sure what it contains. Then there is rhubarb jam coming up (if its not already available that is). At this rate he is going to have to extend his building. I see he is planning on strawberries in season too. I guess I am going to be in Roseville, Cambridge, more than I expected. There is apparently a new self test quiz which will be becoming available on the internet in the near future. It can be completed very quickly and it is the most recent tool for diagnosing Alzheimer's disease. There is an article click here which talks about the new test. Mind you, I'm not sure what early diagnoses of Alzheimer's does, they still don't have a way of curing the problem. I have mentioned before my concerns about Alzheimer's and senile dementia which is why I am using the tests daily on Lumosity.com which I find are excellent - and I am improving I'm pleased to report. An email yesterday from Robin Hood Flour gave me the following recipe. It is suggested for Father's Day. I don't have a father any more so will have to make them for Matt and I. In England these would be called pancakes, crêpe being the French word. In North America pancakes are more like griddle cakes but somewhat sweeter and likely to be eaten with Maple syrup, eggs and bacon, for breakfast. Last night we ate a delicious fish dish which I will pass on tomorrow. Spinach and Cheese Crêpes Preparation time: 30 minutes Baking time: Cooking Time: 30 minutes Makes: 8-10 crepes Freezing: Freezing: excellent (crêpes only) Crêpes are super thin pancakes that are usually made with wheat flour. For this delicious recipe, we’ve added spinach to the batter. Use your favourite cheese for the filling – these crêpes taste great with Swiss cheese but any cheese will do. Ingredients 8 nuggets Europe’s Best® Chef’s Spinach, frozen 8 nuggets 1 ½ cup ROBIN HOOD® Nutri™ Flour Blend 375 mL ¼ tsp salt 1 mL 1 ½ cup Carnation® Regular or 2% or Fat Free Evaporated Milk 375 mL ½ cup water 125 mL 4 eggs 4 2 tbsp butter, melted 30 mL 1-1 ½ cup shredded Swiss, cheddar or your favourite cheese 375 mL Preparation Crêpes: Cook spinach according to package directions. Rinse with cold water and dry well. Chop and reserve. Combine all ingredients for crêpes in a food processor, blender or bowl. Mix until you have a smooth thin batter. Cover and let rest 30 minutes. Add reserved spinach. Purée until blended. Heat a 10” (25cm) non-stick skillet or crêpe pan over medium heat. Brush pan lightly with butter. Add ½ cup (125mL) batter to pan. Swirl batter to cover pan. Cook until bottom browns, 2-3 minutes, and turn crêpe over to cook other side. Flip out onto clean tea towel. Repeat until all batter is used. You should have 8-10 crêpes. The first crêpe usually does not come out right, so do not worry. Crêpes can be frozen at this point. Layer them between waxed paper for easy removal, wrap well with plastic wrap and keep in freezer bag. Just remove as many as needed. Let defrost on counter, about 15 minutes, and follow directions for assembly. Assembly: Place crêpe on clean flat surface. Fold in half, sprinkle about 2-3 tbsp (30-45-mL) cheese over crêpe. Fold in half again. Continue with all crêpes being used. Melt 1 tbsp (15mL) butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add crêpes. Cook 2-3 minutes per side or until browned and cheese has melted. Serve immediately. Have a great day.

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