FOODucation: American Meat Cuts

Hey everyone,

Finals is next week! Good luck! Here's something short and...well savory most of the time! If you ever wondered where specific cuts of meat are derived from, here are a few answers! These graphics also include suggested/common ways that cut of meat is cooked! Enjoy!

All of these can be purchased as posters here:
http://shop.chasingdelicious.com/products/american-meat-cuts-posters-set-of-four

Thanks!
- Charles Quinto

FOODucation: Seasonal Produce Guide!

Hey everyone,

I came across some really cool charts and guides for seasonal produce! There are 3 sets of graphics. The first applies to seasonality of produce specifically for Southern California, the second set applies to the Northern Hemisphere and the last set was published in San Francisco but I'm not sure exactly to which region it applies. However, they're all nifty graphics and a general guide of when specific produce is in season. Enjoy!

Source: http://caff.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/CAFF_socal_08.pdf

Source: http://chasingdelicious.com/kitchen-101-produce/

Source: http://chasingdelicious.com/kitchen-101-produce/

Source: http://chasingdelicious.com/kitchen-101-produce/

Source: http://its-a-green-life.com/2012/11/14/your-seasonal-farmers-market-guide/

Thanks!

- Charles Quinto

Edible Flowers

Hey everyone!

The heat has finally let up and finals are just around the corner. Today I wanted to talk about edible flowers! Add color, flair and a new twist to drinks and dishes! Below is a select list of flowers used in restaurants across the nation along with their sensory properties. Enjoy!

Pansy: velvety texture and tangy flavor

Nasturtium: sweet and peppery

Snapdragon: sweet and intense (try it on desserts!)

Orchid: mildly sweet (try it with cocktails!)

Arugula Blossom: Nutty and spicy (try it with seafood!)

Borage Blossom: cucumber flavor  (try it with cocktails!)

As always here is a link to the original article. The article also includes a recipe for Halibut!
https://www.yahoo.com/food/eat-more-flowers-83630099858.html

Nasturtium image taken from: http://www.gourmetsleuth.com/ingredients/detail/nasturtiums

Borage blossomm image taken from: http://www.ediblewildfood.com/borage.aspx

Thanks!
- Charles Quinto

Food for Thought: Fish Farming

Hey everyone,

We're in the last month of the semester before finals, I hope you're surviving the strong winds and heat wave that has been unrelenting. On a much cooler note, let's talk about.....aquaculture! What is aquaculture you ask? Put simply, it is farming aquatic organisms.

Given the increasing population and need for sustainable practices, aquaculture presents a solution. For example, a facility roughly the size of an airport runway could produce the equivalent of salmon produced by Norway. While there has been opponents against fish farming due to waste production, potential for harboring disease and problems associated with feed all hope is not lost!

Dr. Yonathan Zohar has a laboratory in Baltimore which has managed to spawn branzino and gilt-head seabream. The environment is kept clean so that the fish do not need antibiotics, chemicals or hormones to maintain health. To reduce detriment to the environment, water is filtered and recycled while any waste produced is broken down by bacteria. Additionally, scientists are developing new feed formulas made from natural ingredients such as algae instead of traditional feed which may contain fish oils.

Here's the article from NPR which also discusses another aqua farm in an industry setting:
http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2014/04/07/298333029/the-future-of-clean-green-fish-farming-could-be-indoor-factories

Thanks!
- Charles Quinto