Poet Nadine Sellers of Greenadine Weblog came to me through my blogging green network.  To say she is a find is an understatment – she is a gift.  I find her to be a gentle giant, a force of wordy wisdom. I am not sure I am doing justice to how she provokes my inner wonderings.   She uses words that I have completely never heard of, challenging me to wonder even more. She takes her ideals, her greenness, her connection to the earth and puts them to prose, as you will see below she has a way of exclaiming things. Additionally she appreciates my recipes from the heart, always commenting and always adding her own recipes to share- below is one that I can’t wait to try. When sending this guest post she said from your fervent follower and friend.  I treasure our kindredness.

A Fondness for Foodness: 

Food has been on man’s mind ever since

man had a brain. Or so i assume. The act of feeding is a primordial need and concern, just ask any Frenchman.. Some cultures center on different aspects of eating; the Chinese have traditionally searched the balance of nutrients and its medicinal effects upon the body. The Latin peoples have sought deep joy around the family feasts. The Jivaros have crystallized tribal unity around the dinner ritual, your head or mine? interjecting anthropological humor in the subject, but food is a serious topic, yes, ask any French chef.

Food is more than something to chew on,

animal instinct insures proper selection. Newly developed modern science has diverged from nature in the art of supplying wellness to society.

Folklore used to be a vehicle of long held knowledge, but the diaspora has disseminated and confused the principles of food as medicine. When the Jewish philosopher physician Maimonides found chicken soup to be a cure for such respiratory problems as asthma, he did not know that scientists would corroborate his theories, eight centuries hence.

When the Egyptians worshiped the trusty

garlic plant, they only had empirical savvy about its capacity to treat cryptoccocal meningitis. Then Pliny the elder, the Roman do gooder found it to be beneficial for thinning the blood, among its many properties. I can just see an Italian mother serving garlic laden sauce to her ailing family, “eat and your Tuberculosis will get better”, well actually, researchers have indeed proven the efficacy of allicin against myco-bacterium Avium and especially as treatment for TB.

So what do the rest of us do on a

regular day to improve our food intake? If it were only an act of nutrition, we’d trot over to some fast food place and stuff something in the dotted line that says ” insert here” open face, and presto, human is fed (up). I do know folks who would casually perform this soulless routine as feeding time, they can also simultaneously hold a conversation with co-workers and hold a cell phone close by.

Is this a diminished ritual or a multitasking feat?

Attitude holds power in the pursuit of

wellness, starting from the selection of fresh locally grown produce to the preparation of the food,. The connectivity between the supplier and the consumer can extend the value of the meal. I had a respectful relationship with the family butcher since i was tall enough to order my father’s preferred cuts over the market’s marble counters, nothing but the best for those who appreciate quality.

Farmers markets provide joy, the anticipation of organic produce’s direct path to your table adds an essential pleasure to mere consumption.

There is little continuity in the

plastic wrapped processed meat or canned veges, the ultimate product has been interrupted by an army of middlemen on the search for long shelf life and rapid profits. Laboratories have provided clues to sensory enhancement and whole generations have been addicted to artificial sweeteners and flavors. The palate is fooled, but the body is not my dear! just check the occurrence of common illness.

Hippocrates wrote ” let food be

your medicine”, he knew of the complexity of active nutrients in ordinary ingredients. A return to natural foods and carefully processed supplements would ease the health crisis in developed countries. Immune systems need the whole range of vitamins and minerals from a variety of plants and elements. Modern pharmacology has cleaved a divide between food and drugs, while the forty previous centuries had connected the art and science of foods as wellness.

Inseparably.

The body knows, the nose knows, take

your senses on a daily trip to the markets and grow some primal instinct at the heart of your nourishment, your happy table will tell you stories to fill more than the stomach. There is a glow about the well fed person; and nature holds the mystery.

flickr leek image credit

Leeks in blankets.

Despite the spontaneous baptism of this recipe, this is a tradition in my ancestral Southern France. ( poireaux a la bechamel)

I have simplified the list of ingredients to suit busy schedules and shopping opportunities.

1 large bundle of leeks (ramps), or

asparagus, or salsify (oyster plant)

1 package of thinly sliced ham

1 package of grated or sliced Swiss cheese (Gruyere)

——————

White sauce/ Bechamel:

2 cups of organic whole milk

4 Ts whole wheat flour or corn starch.

sea salt/pepper.

Shake all cold ingredients in a well sealed jar and pour into a sauce pan, stir constantly over low heat till thickened. I add a tsp of olive oil to smooth the sauce.

——————-

Wash vegetables thoroughly, leeks can be gritty between leaves.

Trim to equal lengths, steam or boil for 5 – 10 minutes. Save the juice to drink later.

Roll each leek or asparagus stalk into a slice of Swiss cheese, or grated Gruyère or Romano, then into one of very thin ham; use a wooden toothpick to secure if necessary.

Place the rolls in a glass pan rubbed with butter.

Pour sauce all along the line up, especially at center, lightly sprinkle grated cheese on the spine.

Bake for 20 minutes at 400 degrees; aslight brown crust indicates all flavors have blended.

Potato quarters can be treated to same roll and bake method, add a tsp of garlic and onion powder to the sauce for those. Lean bacon may be used as wrap.

Bon appetit!

More of Nadine’s work.