Tom Alexander, Kimberley Owner and Vinegar Artisan

I get a lot of emails from people pitching various food and weight loss products. It’s annoying to say the least, and if I even bother to respond to the inquiries my answer is almost always “no.” Summer Tomato is supposed to be an information resource, not a shopping mall.

That’s why my first reaction to getting some samples from a local vinegar company was negative. I liked my vinegar just fine and I didn’t want to get roped into doing a promotion or sales pitch. But my friend Allison Boomer (who actually has introduced me to awesome products in the past) was so insistent that Kimberley Wine Vinegars were amazing that I broke down and let them send me some. Turns out Allison was right.

Once I got a taste of the three amazing wine-based vinegars from Kimberley I became curious about why they were so much more complex and less harsh than most of vinegars I’ve tried. After she answered a few of my questions I realized that Allison is a huge vinegar geek, and I asked her if she’d be willing to enlighten us all on the differences between artisan and industrial vinegars so that we can be more informed shoppers and better cooks.

Allison Boomer, Founder of Eco-Conscious Food Marketing, specializes in promoting the artisanal food business community. She partners with people who share her passion for handcrafted food and is committed to educating consumers about the value of authentic, traditional edibles.

Orleans-Process Vinegar: Why Turning Great Wine Into Vinegar Isn’t A Bad Idea

by Allison Boomer

Having owned a specialty food store for ten years, I’ve tasted dozens of vinegars from around the world. I also developed new vinegar blends for a venerable French vinegar company, and currently work for Kimberley Wine Vinegars in California. With abundant fresh salad greens and garden vegetables appearing at markets, it’s an ideal time to discover why handcrafted vinegar is light years better than the newer industrially produced kinds.

In ancient times vinegar occurred naturally, especially in mild climates, when sugar-laden fluids like wine began to ferment. Yeast transforms the sugars in the liquid into alcohol and as it sits, acetates in the air start to work. Ultimately, bacteria consume the alcohol and leave acetic acid (vinegar) behind.

In its early days vinegar was used to not only season food, but also to quench thirst (diluted with water), preserve meat, vegetables and fruit, treat wounds and inflammation, and for chest and stomach complaints. In the Middle Ages vinegar was an important trading commodity.

Vinegar making during this time, however, wasn’t exactly predictable or foolproof, and was quite difficult to make. Often times unpleasant smells were produced or the liquid would become moldy.

What saved the day for the vinegar “industry” was the discovery that vinegar could be made in wooden barrels. This led to the development of the Orleans process of vinegar making, named after the French town of Orleans. It was at Orleans on the Loire River, an important inland shipping route, that wines becoming “piques” (beginning to bite or sour) were unloaded from boats to be delivered to local vinegar producers.

In the Orleans process wine is slowly and naturally aged in oak barrels for one to three months without heat, until a mass of bacteria known as the “mother” forms on the surface. The fermentation process is then allowed to continue (six months to one year) until all the alcohol has been converted to acetic acid. Old-fashioned wood barrels contain natural oxidants that improve the bouquet and flavor of the vinegar. The Orleans process preserves the vinegar’s distinct wine aroma and flavor because it involves no heat, which destroys the delicate perfumes and minerals of the wine.

In contrast, industrially processed vinegar is heat pasteurized and made in large-capacity stainless-steel tanks in which a giant spindle agitates the liquid, aerating it for a speedy fermentation period of around 24 hours. The resulting vinegar may be aged for an additional few months, but in tanks holding several thousand gallons, rather than in wood barrels holding fifty gallons in the traditional way.

Orleans vinegar artisans received official recognition for the quality of their work through royal patents. These patents clearly defined the production conditions required to use the name “Orleans process,” thereby suppressing poor quality vinegars from using the designation.

The Orleans process requires the following three criteria:

1. Selection of excellent wines based on grapes that have a delicate and subtle bouquet. The quality of the vinegar depends on the quality of the wine—the best tasting vinegars come from great wines.

2. A natural transformation of the wine into vinegar. Barrels are partially filled with wine and their appropriate bacteria, kept at a constant temperature in complete darkness, and provided with proper air flow for fermentation to take place (thus avoiding the bitterness found in some vinegar).

3. Traditional aging. Vinegar is left to mature or age for a minimum of six months to one year in cellars before it is put on the market.

Kimberley Wine Vinegars was the first American company to handcraft Orleans process vinegar using California wines. Established in San Francisco in 1975, Kimberley does not add preservatives to the vinegar, nor is it pasteurized—a common practice that increases shelf life but degrades subtle taste characteristics.

Like old-world olive oil artisans, today’s artisanal vinegar makers know the best vinegar depends on the quality of the raw ingredients and the processing methods. Achieving the ideal balance of fruit taste, oak flavor and pleasant acidity is the craft of fine vinegar making.

You can learn more about Kimberley Wine Vinegars on their website.

Photo by » Zitona «

It’s a little known fact that before I became interested in neuroscience (which was well before I became interested in food) I spent three years as a literature major at Berkeley. The power of language to whisk us away to other worlds, times and even into other people’s minds never ceases to astound me.

Fiction can often give me a better glimpse into a culture than even visiting, since the amount of time and exploration required to really get a sense for the mindset and lifestyle of the people who live there is substantial.

Excellent works of fiction transform me as a person as I internalize the vibe of a book, and what I read has the power to influence what music I listen to, how I dress, and even how I eat. When a book really pulls me in its hold can last for weeks or even months at a time.

For instance, it’s impossible for me to read Hemingway’s The Sun Also Rises, which I’ve done several times, without craving Spanish tapas and red wine for the better part of a month (this is also why Spanish food is one of my absolute favorite cuisines). The Last Chinese Chef had me exploring obscure alleyways in Chinatown in search of the best dumplings and peking duck, and before reading it I would have said Chinese food wasn’t really my jam.

Midnight’s Children, the meta-award winning book by Salman Rushdie, forever changed the way I think and feel about Indian food. Spices and heat permeate the characters and events in Midnight’s Children, which is one of the literary tools Rushdie uses to portray his native culture. My obsession with Indian food lasted for months as I read this and other works by Rushdie, since I couldn’t stop reading him after finishing the first.

Initially this manifested as more trips to my favorite Indian restaurants, but eventually it led me to spend more time in the spice aisles at the grocery store and cook more Indian food at home. As I got into it I bought myself some Indian cookbooks and found an Indian grocery where I could get specialty ingredients. It was certainly one of the more delicious times in my life.

Though I don’t cook as much Indian food now as I did during that phase, the time I spent experimenting with Indian food at home gave me a decent sense of how flavors work together in Indian cuisine. I can now improvise with these tastes in the kitchen and often hint at them in various dishes that I cook without going all in. For example, instead of making a full curry dish I might make a yogurt and curry marinade for lamb, or add cumin, coriander and chilies to spice up my lentil salad.

One of the best ways to become a better cook is to care about what you’re making. Trying to recreate flavors you’ve had in restaurants or even just read about in books can help you dive deeper into a cuisine and get a better understanding of how tastes and textures interplay to make those characteristic flavor profiles that we associate with different cultures.

How has reading spiced up your kitchen?

For The Love of Food

Welcome to Friday’s For The Love of Food, Summer Tomato’s weekly link roundup.

This week superweeds threaten the US food supply, McDonald’s says soda is a fruit and vitamins that cause cancer.

Want to see all my favorite links? Be sure to follow me on on Delicious. I also share links on Twitter @summertomato, Google+ and the Summer Tomato Facebook page. I’m very active on all these sites and would love to connect with you. (And yes, I took that pepper heart pic myself).

Links of the week

• GM crops in crisis: Roundup-resistant “superweeds” <<Just in case you were wondering if high-tech Monsanto farms work better than real farms, the answer is no. And we may all suffer for it. (Food Politics)
• Nuts and Phytic Acid: Should You Be Concerned? <<I’ve always thought the Paleo crowd takes their hating on phytic acid a little too far, but this is a fairly balanced article with lots of good info (read to the bottom). (Mark’s Daily Apple)
• McDonald’s Helping Kids Get Their “5 A Day” With Fruit Soda? <<This is almost too ridiculous to print. Thanks Yoni for calling BS of the week on McDonald’s for claiming fruit soda counts as a serving of fruit and vegetables. (Weighty Matters)
• Infographic: The later it gets, the more crap we eat <<This is interesting, and possibly gives us another reason to make sure we eat a healthy breakfast. (Grist)
• High Doses of Certain Dietary Supplements Increase Cancer Risk <<This isn’t really a study so much as a commentary, but it’s definitely food for thought (and another good reason to not take mega doses of vitamins or anything else). (ScienceDaily)
• Remedy for Sedentary Desk Jobs <<Sitting all day is one of the least healthy things you can do. Here’s a simple solution. (Dr. Weil)
• Cows cause as much smog in L.A. as cars do <<If you’ve ever driven down the 5 freeway with your windows down north of LA, this will  not surprise you. It also makes you never want to eat industrial meat again. (Grist)
• New Study: Sugar Sabotages Learning and Memory <<So sugar is bad for everything except your brain, right? Oh wait… (Treehugger)
• Fish tied to lower colon cancer risk: study <<More evidence of the benefits of eating fish. This time it’s fighting butt cancer. (Medline)
• Blanched Broccoli Rabe Greens with Soy-Dashi Sauce <<I love recipes that are this simple, healthy and awesome. Trying this next week. (Not Eating Out in NY)

What inspired you this week?

It’s the rare person who has never been a victim of Diet Coke. I’ve definitely been there, and I’m not proud of it. My friend E—geek girl extraordinare—overcame her Diet Coke addiction, and can help you find your way to recovery.

Since 2008, E. Foley has been helping geeks find love. She writes amazing online dating profiles and guides her clients through the perilous waters of the dating scene. She’s totally proud to report that she’s even caused a couple geek weddings! As part of her quest for her healthstyle, she is an admin at Plus5CHA, a fitness & health community for geeks. (Visit GeeksDreamGirl.com or follow @geeksdreamgirl on Twitter.)

How To Break A Diet Soda Addiction: Tips From A Former (Diet) Cokehead

by E. Foley

Hi, everyone. My name is E and I’m an addict.

(Hi, E.)

CNN recently posted an article entitled “Can you get hooked on diet soda?” Before I clicked on it, I thought to myself, “Duh, of course you can. Been there, done that.”

The addict in the opening paragraph of the article sounds just like me a few years back:

First thing every morning, Ellen Talles starts her day by draining a supersize Styrofoam cup filled with Diet Coke and crushed ice. The 61-year-old from Boca Raton, Fla., drinks another Diet Coke in the car on the way to work and keeps a glass nearby “at all times” at her job as a salesclerk. By the end of the day she has put away about 2 liters.

“I just love it,” she says. “I crave it, need it. My food tastes better with it.”

My preferred poison was Diet Pepsi, but I’ll still refer to myself as a recovering (diet) cokehead. It was my coffee in the morning, it was my pick-me-up mid-morning, it was my lunch beverage of choice, it was how I washed down my afternoon snack, and it was the drink of multiple refills if we went out for dinner. Two liters a day? Easily.

It took me three tries over several years to fully break my addiction.

Each time I quit I went through the horrible withdrawal symptoms. Headaches, irritability, and the unrelenting desire to take one long draw on a cold bottle of Diet Pepsi and feel the sweet rush of it as it traveled from my tongue to my brain. Even though it’s been several years since my last Diet Pepsi, I can still remember that feeling. That rush I got when feeding my addiction is still there, buried in my brain.

Which is, of course, why I will still refer to myself as a (diet) cokehead. I could, if I chose to feed the beast, reawaken the same addiction and be back to a two-liter a day habit.

5 Tips For Quitting Your Diet Soda Addiction

1. Don’t feel like you have to go cold turkey.

It’s what worked for me, but it may not work for you. Maybe set a rule for yourself that you only drink diet soda when you’re out at a restaurant. Since your SummerTomato-esque healthstyle involves more meals at home, that’ll cut down on the diet soda you drink. Later, you can start substituting other drinks when you eat out until you’re eventually soda-free.

2. Remove the addictive substance from your environment.

Smokers will attest that it’s harder to quit when someone else’s cigarettes are in the house. It’s the same for a diet soda addiction. Try to enlist your family, partner, or housemates to quit with you. If they can’t or won’t, see if you can put the soda in another location. Get a mini fridge for it and put it in another room. Out of sight, out of mind.

3. Be prepared for the withdrawal symptoms.

Your body is addicted to this substance. Your brain is addicted to the high you get from it. When that feeling disappears, your body will fight tooth and nail to get it back, to get that next fix. You’ll probably feel downright terrible – headaches, irritability, lack of focus.

• Time your quitting so you can be out of focus and irritable without it affecting your life too much. Don’t quit diet soda the week of the giant research paper or the big work project or your wedding. That’s just a recipe for disaster on both fronts.
• Get some ibuprofin, or your anti-headache medicine of choice. Remember, these headaches are temporary and they will go away. No sense to suffer through them when you can dull the pain.

4. Substitute a tasty beverage that you enjoy.

When I quit, my savior was unsweetened iced tea with lemon. It gave me enough caffeine to dull the headaches and it was sugar-free and natural. Nowadays, my #1 beverage is water, followed by unsweetened iced tea. Here are some substitutes for diet soda:

• Water. It’s not as boring as it sounds. Flavor it up with a squirt of lemon, lime, or orange.
• Sassy Water. I tried this recipe from The Flat Belly Diet and it’s pretty darn good. If you hate straight-up water, give it a shot. It tastes very fresh and zippy.

2 liters water (about 8 ½ cups) 1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger 1 medium cucumber, peeled and thinly sliced 1 medium lemon, thinly sliced 12 small spearmint leaves. Combine all ingredients in a large pitcher and let flavors blend overnight.

• Unsweetened Tea. As a former resident of NC, I can tell you that asking for unsweetened iced tea in the South will get some really odd looks (especially after you tell them you won’t require fake sugars either). But most places have it, and you’ll discover quickly which restaurants have unsweetened iced tea worth drinking.Hot tea is also amazing, especially if you get loose leaf tea rather than grocery store teabags. My favorite loose leaf teas come from Adagio Teas and their Ingenuitea teapot is super spiffy for brewing.
• Italian Soda. If you can afford a few extra calories, consider stepping down from diet soda to Italian Soda. You make Italian soda by mixing carbonated water with flavored simple syrup. Torani syrups come in a myriad of flavors and are made with cane sugar (not HFCS). It’s 100 calories for two tablespoons, but trust me, you do not need two tablespoons, or even two teaspoons, to transform your water into something a bit more flavorful. Be careful to watch your consumption of Italian soda. It won’t have all the calories (or chemicals) of a HFCS soda, but the empty calories do add up. (Torani does make sugar-free syrup, but it may be better to go the more natural route, even if it does mean a few more calories.)

5. Get a sponsor.

No, you’re not an alcoholic. Diet soda isn’t going to ruin your life and relationships the way alcoholism can. But you will need help sometimes, and it’s good to have a friend or three you can call or text or visit when you’re feeling the need to swing into a 7-11 for a Big Gulp. Have your lifelines on speed dial and don’t be afraid to use them.

You can do it!

Why don’t you drink soda?

Originally published March 9, 2011.

Photo by roygbivibgyor

There’s been a lot of talk lately about the dangers of sugar, and one reader asked:

So if you bake things from scratch with things like unsweetened apple sauce instead of sugar and whole grains and seeds etc… can they still be considered healthy? Like are healthy muffins or banana breads possible?

To dessert or not to dessert, that is the question.

The reason this is hard to answer is because “healthy” is not a black and white word. Instead it is a fuzzy word with many shades of gray. That is because health is not made or broken by any single food, it reflects your daily choices and habits. Health is a pattern, not an event.

Adding less sugar or more nutritious ingredients may indeed move an item a few degrees in the healthy direction, but it won’t change the fact that a muffin is a muffin and will always contain some sugar and flour, and never be an example of healthy eating.

But that doesn’t mean you can’t eat a muffin and continue to be healthy.

The problem with a “healthier” muffin is a philosophical one, because the reality is we do not eat muffins for health. We eat them for enjoyment, which is arguably as important as health when considering your quality of life.

So is it worth sacrificing the pleasure you get from eating a muffin to make it slightly closer to something it will never be?

I think this answer will be different for everyone. For myself, it is definitely no. I’d rather eat fewer (or smaller) tastier muffins than any lesser version of the same.

But muffins don’t mean much to me, whereas for some of you muffins represent a cherished time with your grandmother, a Sunday morning ritual with your child, or some other deep, meaningful activity worth continuing regardless of health considerations.

In these cases, maybe there is a place for the slightly healthier muffin. Or maybe there is another habit you have that can be made healthier, so the impact of the occasional muffin is less significant.

Foods like muffins mean something different to everyone because they must be considered in the context of the diet as a whole. A breakfast muffin is certainly a worse idea if you had a 7 layer cake the previous evening, or if there are nachos in your immediate future.

The challenge for us as individuals is to be selective about which of our food habits we prioritize, which we drop, and which we upgrade.

It’s up to you to make the call.

Lastly, just to be sure we aren’t getting too serious with all this philosophy today, here’s the venerable Betty White describing her own delicious muffin.

Do you try to make desserts healthier?

Originally published April 20, 2011.

For The Love of Food

Welcome to Friday’s For The Love of Food, Summer Tomato’s weekly link roundup.

A scary new link between BPA and breast cancer, a fascinating new discovery about HDL and how one simple habit can help you live 6 extra years.

Want to see all my favorite links? Be sure to follow me on on Delicious. I also share links on Twitter @summertomato, Google+ and the Summer Tomato Facebook page. I’m very active on all these sites and would love to connect with you.

Links of the week

• BPA Effects Seen in Monkey Mammary Glands <<BPA (the scary chemical in plastic bottles and the lining of cans) can increase breast density (i.e. risk of breast cancer) in monkeys that have been exposed in the womb. Scary stuff. (ScienceDaily)
• Eating Fast Increases Diabetes Risk <<The study didn’t say the reason, but it is likely because fast eating usually results in overeating. So yes, it pays to learn to become a slow eater. (ScienceDaily)
• Some HDL, or ‘Good’ Cholesterol, May Not Protect Against Heart Disease <<For those interested in the biochemistry of heart disease, this is an absolutely fascinating new discovery regarding HDL. Looks like current tests really aren’t sensitive enough. (ScienceDaily)
• Advantage of Body Fat (Video) <<A really interesting perspective on the advantages of body fat for older people. (Dr. Weil)
• Regular Jogging Shows Dramatic Increase in Life Expectancy <<Want to live an extra 6 years? Of course you do. Though right now the finding is just a correlation, it might be worth taking up jogging. (ScienceDaily)
• Bans on School Junk Food Pay Off in California <<There’s really no reason for junk food to be in schools, kids can get plenty of it everywhere else (though apparently, they don’t). (NYTimes)
• For Healthier Eating, Keep Fruits, Veggies Within Reach <<Turns out you’ll eat healthier spontaneously if healthier food is near you. Go figure. (Medline)
• Eating More Foods Rich in Omega-3s May Lower Alzheimer’s Risk: Study <<Have I told you to eat more fish lately? Oh good. (Medline)
• In Sitting Still, a Bench Press for the Brain <<Though I question how much neuroscience the author of this article really understands (“so-called gray and white matter”?, didn’t know that was up for debate), the findings on the power of mediation for cognitive enhancement are still pretty interesting. (NYTimes)
• Seared Sugar Snap Peas <<I’ve never done much with snap peas except eat them raw. This looks delicious (though I’d leave out the sugar). (Simply Recipes)

Farmers Market Boot Camp

Big news! On May 19th, I’m hosting one last Farmers Market Boot Camp at the San Francisco Ferry Building in support of Food Revolution Day and Jamie Oliver’s foundation.

For those who don’t remember, last year I offered a farmers market tour/class for a few weeks that was really fun and wildly popular. But I hadn’t started it up again this year due to time constraints.

To support Food Revolution Day I’m hosting one last boot camp and donating all the proceeds to Jamie’s foundation. Even better, Quirky is donating a Mercado farmers market shopping bag to everyone who takes the class. How awesome is that?!

Space is limited to only 10 people, so don’t wait to sign up.

Food Revolution Day Farmers Market Boot Camp

What?

The last Summer Tomato Farmers Market Bootcamp

When?

Saturday, May 19th @ 9:30am

Where?

San Francisco Ferry Plaza Farmers Market

Price?

$40

Sign up here (sorry, the event is now sold out)

Hangout with Jamie Oliver

If you can’t make it to San Francisco on May 19th why not just hangout with Jamie in the comfort of your own home? Jamie is hosting a Google+ hangout for Food Revolution Day that will be broadcast live to everyone. For a chance to join the hangout and talk to Jamie himself, all he asks is that you make a simple video describing one meal that revolutionized your life. Jamie will be watching the videos and will pick the winners who get to join him live. For more info check out Jamie’s video below.

There are a handful of us here on the front lines trying to help people get healthy and live longer, richer, happier lives, and it is hard to argue that anyone has had a bigger impact than Jamie Oliver. I have tremendous respect for Jamie and all he’s done to raise awareness for the importance of real food, educating people around the globe about what it means to eat well. That’s why when the Food Revolution Day team asked if I’d be willing to help out, I jumped at the opportunity.

To learn more about Food Revolution Day or host your own event, check out the Food Revolution Day website.

Pan Roasted Artichokes With Pistachios And Black Quinoa

Small artichokes really don’t get the love they deserve. While the large ones are delicious and great for entertaining, the smaller kind are easier to work with and much more versatile. They are tender and delicious, and usually even less expensive.

This recipe for pan roasted baby artichokes was born out of necessity. After a solid week of forgetting to buy the herbs I needed to make my usual recipe, my bag of artichokes were the last remaining vegetable in my refrigerator and I knew if I didn’t cook them they would soon go bad. So I started digging around my pantry.

Since I didn’t have parsley, I needed something else to season the artichokes. The only other fresh flavor I had was lemon, so I decided to use the zest as a primary ingredient. I also used pistachio nuts that I had left over from my Chard, Pistachios and Mint recipe, and some black quinoa (here’s my favorite brand) to make the dish more substantial.

I was completely unprepared for how delicious this turned out. I caramelized the lemon zest with some shallot, which gave the artichokes a sweet tanginess that perfectly balanced their creamy flavor. The quinoa added a beautiful contrasting color and an intriguing crunchy texture, while the nuttiness of the pistachios gave the dish a rich earthiness.

As soon as I tasted it I knew I needed to share this recipe. The second time around it turned out just as good.

Pan Roasted Baby Artichokes With Pistachios, Lemon and Black Quinoa

Ingredients:

• 1 lb small artichokes
• 1 half medium shallot
• 1/4 c. shelled pistachio nuts
• Juice and zest of 1 Meyer lemon
• 1/2 c. black quinoa cooked
• 1/4 c. + 1 tbsp olive oil
• salt and pepper

If you haven’t cooked your quinoa, start that first. Remember that it expands to four times its original volume when cooked, so you don’t need to make a lot.

Whisk 1/4 c. olive oil, lemon juice and a pinch of salt in a large mixing bowl. Clean your artichokes by cutting off the top third and the bottom, then removing all the tough leaves. You do not want the artichokes to be stringy, so it is better to remove extra leaves than too few.

Cut your clean artichoke in half then submerge it instantly in the olive oil and lemon juice mixture. Artichokes quickly oxidize and turn black when exposed to air. The acid from the lemon juice will prevent this from happening. As you’re cleaning the artichokes and adding them to the bowl, stir the mixture regularly to be sure none are exposed to air for too long.

Thinly slice your shallot. Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a deep pan on medium high heat. When the oil swirls easily in the pan add the shallots and pistachio nuts. When the shallots begin to brown, add the zest and stir. Cook the mixture for another minute or two until the shallots have almost completely caramelized.

Add the artichokes and liquid to the pan and salt and pepper to taste. Turn the artichokes so their faces are touching the surface of the pan and allow them to brown and the liquid to reduce. Stir the artichokes every few minutes until the liquid is almost completely reduced and all surfaces of the artichokes start to brown. If the pan dries before the artichokes have finished cooking, add 1/8 c. of water to prevent the shallots and nuts from burning.

The artichokes are done cooking when then are tender all the way through. At the last minute, toss in the quinoa and mix well. Make sure to scrape the caramelized bits of shallot and zest into the quinoa. Adjust salt and pepper and remove from heat.

Makes one main course or 2-3 side dishes. This would pair beautifully with roasted rosemary chicken.

Originally published April 19, 2010.

Open Sundays 10-2p at Moxon car park

My name is Helen Manis, and I’m a lawyer who lives in London. I love to bike around and listen to music at the same time, lethal though it is. I also love yoga, jogging and cooking. I am not particularly good at any of these things.

Farmers Market Update: Marylebone, London

by Helen Manis (photos by Michael Blyth)

Last Sunday I visited one of London’s larger farmers markets in Marylebone. Marylebone is actually called Marylebone village. Non-Londoners: if a place in central London is called a village, this means that it is expensive. The pretty high street is famous for coffee houses, restaurants and high-end interior shops. As well as the boutiques Marylebone also holds its weekly farmers market in a car park on a Sunday. I have always loved the relaxed feel of Marylebone and can happily spend a couple of hours with a coffee wandering around the stalls picking up the weekly groceries.

Marylebone Farmers Market

It’s worth getting to the market early. Unlike the more famous (and more expensive) Borough Market, the locals still outnumber the tourists, but the market can and does get busy and many items sell out by closing time. Its not surprising to see why—Marylebone has a huge range of artisan breads, fresh vegetables, dairy, organic meat and hot food. The stall owners are knowledgeable and friendly and many of the prices are not too bad all things considered. All of the food is sourced locally and the stalls are independently run.

One of the things that I love about Marylebone is the unusual food that you can pick up.  If you go, try and head to the Alham Wood Organics, which sells buffalo milk and cheeses. Almham is a really friendly family run organic farm who sell at a lot of the London farmers markets. The milk is amazingly creamy and tastes really clean. Their buffalo mozzarella is used at one of my favourite London restaurants – Franco Manca pizzeria in Brixton market.

Cheese

Less unusual but equally tasty are tomatoes. Call me unoriginal but tomatoes are my absolute favourite and I eat them pretty much every day in salads, roasted or as a base for sauces. I usually go to the Isle of Wight tomatoes stall. You can buy fresh tomatoes or their additive and preservative free products, which have won awards galore (for good reason).

Tomatoes

My best friend Stuart and I are having a bit of a love affair with fresh beetroot in salads at the moment so I pick up some for dinner together with heaps of fresh salad leaves from Dr Adrian Izzard’s stall.

Beetroot

The breads and home-made cakes are completely out of this world. I try and make my own bread (once it comes out of the oven I usually finish the entire loaf in about 20 mins) but some of the speciality loaves at the old Post Office Bakery are too tempting and I buy a date and walnut loaf. Obviously I pick at it on the way home.

Bread

Spring has truly sprung when the tulips are out. Tulips are one of the best flowers—they are cheap and simple but so pretty. I put them in a little Le Creuset milk jug.

Tulips

As always I could wander around for longer but life gets in the way. If you do find yourself in central London on a Sunday morning you could do worse than spend a couple of hours at Marylebone Farmers market.

What did you find at the market this week?

For The Love of Food

Welcome to Friday’s For The Love of Food, Summer Tomato’s weekly link roundup.

This week we explore how vegetables make you prettier, a consensus on what’s killing us and why you don’t walk enough.

Want to see all my favorite links? Be sure to follow me on on Delicious. I also share links on Twitter @summertomato, Google+ and the Summer Tomato Facebook page. I’m very active on all these sites and would love to connect with you.

Links of the week

• A reversal on carbs <<So now pretty much everyone (including the nutrition departments at Harvard and Tufts) agrees that fat isn’t bad and processed carbohydrates are the cause of all our problems (though I would add lack of veggies and exercise as well). Took long enough. (LA Times)
• Don’t Just Sit There <<In case you were wondering why I mentioned exercise above. (NY Times)
• Why We Don’t Walk Anymore (plus a Primal Health Challenge) <<I average about 14,000 steps per day according to my Fitbit and Fuelband. How about you? (Mark’s Daily Apple)
• Superfruit, or just a plain old Clark Kent fruit? <<Though I’ve been saying this for years, thank you LA Times for calling BS of the week on superfruit.
• Beauty might be a matter of dietary makeup <<This is not the first study I’ve seen saying that eating vegetables makes you prettier. And clearly it’s true, look at you guys! (LA Times)
• A family who eats together, eats better <<This has been shown over and over again. Dinner may sound trivial, but it’s really a big deal. (National Post)
• Mixing Weight Training and Aerobics <<One of the most interesting articles I’ve ever read on the pros and cons of doing cardio and strength training in the same day. (NY Times)
• Eating Fish, Chicken, Nuts May Lower Risk of Alzheimer’s Disease <<Diet is actually pretty important in preventing Alzheimer’s disease. If being thin doesn’t motivate you enough to eat well, this should. (ScienceDaily)
• Nutritionist’s Notebook: Estimating nutrient requirements <<It’s impossible to know exactly how much of each nutrient you need. Also, the way we got the vague numbers we do have is exceptionally creepy. (Food Politics)
• Beautiful chart tells you how to eat seasonal (in the U.K., at least) <<Cool, right? (Grist)

What inspired you this week?