FRESH FACTS

WEEK OF MARCH 31, 2008

Long before it was chic to “Go Green” in Hollywood, one of entertainment’s most durable, popular and legendary stars was an advocate of FRUIT and VEGETABLE gardening, publishing an engaging book on the topic in 1970, the year “Earth Day” was first celebrated.

“Like a time-tested friend, a garden is as ready to rejoice with you as to comfort you” said the late actor Glenn Ford (www.glennfordbio.com) in his book “Glenn Ford Beverly Hills RFD” about his decision to turn part of his Beverly Hills estate into a VEGETABLE garden and FRUIT orchard in the late 60s, largely inspired by an effort to encourage son Peter (www.peterford.com) to eat more VEGETABLES! “Being able to pick the vine-ripened FRUIT is one of the great pleasures of having your own FRUIT and VEGETABLE garden” noted Ford.

Ford’s creativity in the kitchen matched his skill in his Beverly Hills garden, which still exists today at the family home now occupied by Peter and wife Lynda Ford. Ford used his bumper crop of ORANGES to add grated ORANGE rind to flavor pancake batter, for basting roasting chicken with ORANGE juice, to add ORANGE rind to GREEN BEANS while cooking or as a finishing touch for baked BEANS or grilled pork chops.

AVOCADOS were a Ford favorite, added diced to scrambled eggs or served on the half shell sprinkled with LIME juice. Craving a midnight snack? Ford sliced TOMATOES, sprinkled them with brown sugar and fried them in bacon fat, serving them over hot biscuits with cream gravy.

STRAWBERRIES were enjoyed by dipping into powdered sugar, mashing with a little water and freezing into ice cube trays for an easy to eat sherbet.

To keep up with his lush production of VEGETABLES, Ford French fried everything from GREEN BEANS and SQUASH to ZUCCHINI and CAULIFLOWER. CUCUMBERS, scored with fork tines and sliced peel-on, made a simple but delicious salad dressed with sour cream.

Ford always had a supply of HERB butter on hand: butter blended with LEMON juice, sherry, finely chopped PARSLEY, OREGANO, ROSEMARY and THYME.

Along the way, celebrity pals provided even more culinary inspiration for Ford, who learned from Judy Garland “that mashed POTATOES topped with a poached egg was a quick fix for a queasy stomach.” And for singer Edith Piaf, he created “Peche Piaf”, a peeled and halved ripe PEACH savored in a glass of fine champagne.

This Week in Fruit

Fiber rich BARLETT and PACKHAM PEARS are among this week’s best FRUIT values, great as lunch bag snacks or diced into salads for added crunch and flavor.

TOMATOES are in plentiful supply at very reasonable prices. Add a slice to hamburgers and grilled cheese sandwiches or enjoy a Bacon-LETTUCE and TOMATO for lunch.

Best value in the CITRUS FRUIT category is MINNEOLA TANGELOS along with RUBY RED GRAPEFRUIT. NAVEL ORANGES, LEMONS and KEY LIMES also continue to be plentiful at moderate prices.

MANGOS are abundant, with prices decreasing. Dice finely, grill with butter, grated GINGER and honey and use as a topping for chicken or pork.

Large sizes of RED DELICIOUS APPLES from Washington State are among the best values, with sweet-tart FUJI and CAMEO varieties also an excellent value now.

Chilean RED, GREEN and BLACK SEEDLESS GRAPES continue in steady supply at very reasonable prices.

Quality is excellent on California STRAWBERRIES, with supply steady and prices moderate. Good values continue on BLACKBERRIES and RASPBERRIES.

HASS AVOCADOS are in steady supply at moderate prices. Use diced FRUIT as a topping for chili or other spicy dishes to balance the flavors.

BANANAS are in plentiful supply at very reasonable prices. This tropical FRUIT is a nice complement to STRAWBERRIES in pie or tarts.

PAPAYA is in steady supply from Mexico and great for balancing the body’s digestion.

Prices are gradually decreasing on CANTALOUPE and HONEYDEW MELON, with volume improving on seedless WATERMELON.

Good values continue on KIWIFRUIT, a rich dietary source of Vitamin C.

This Week in VEGETABLES

RED and GREEN LEAF LETTUCES are among the most economical VEGETABLE choices this week.

Salad toppings in plentiful supply include CUCUMBERS, CELERY, MUSHROOMS, RADISHES, GREEN ONIONS, JICAMA and SPROUTS.

For a low-calorie side-dish, try steamed ZUCCHINI or YELLOW CROOKNECK SQUASH, both in plentiful supply at economical prices this week.

The best value on RUSSET POTATOES is by the prepackaged bag. RED ROSE and WHITE ROSE POTATOES are decreasing in price, delicious boiled, drained and tossed with a butter-olive oil mixture and fresh minced ROSEMARY or CHIVES.

Excellent values continue in the ONION category, with ITALIAN RED, SWEET BROWN and WHITE BOILER varieties all in plentiful supply at moderate prices.

Two spring favorites – ASPARAGUS and ARTICHOKES – are decreasing in price as production and volume improves.

GREEN CABBAGE is plentiful at economical prices and an easy way to get your daily fiber requirement, enjoyed raw in Cole slaw or steamed as a side dish.

BROCCOLI and CAULIFLOWER price levels are very reasonable thanks to plentiful production levels.

Look for potted HERB plants that you can set on your kitchen windowsill for an endless supply of such savory HERBS as CHIVES, THYME, BASIL, ROSEMARY and PARSLEY throughout the spring and summer.

This Week in FLORAL

Potted TULIPS and MUMS are among the best value in blooming plants. ROSES, CARNATIONS, SUNFLOWERS, DAISIES, ASTERS, TULIPS and ZINNIAS round out the many cut floral choices for arranged bouquets.