January 30, 2008

Spanish Hooky- no sticker fruit


It's not all pork sausage and foie gras around here. Sometimes the Tramontana wind blows me away for a new book project that I'll just call here "Spanish Hooky". Beside the work at hand, TC- intrepid photographer and I managed to eat in a handful of wonderful joints from Bar Boia in Cadaques to Les Cols in Olot. But these natural lemons were scored at the Monday market in C-town before we headed to the volcanic landscapes of inner Catalunya. There we had a stellar meal prepared by Fina Puigdevall of very local, very thoughtful dishes ranging from a simple yet memorable Santa Pau beans and botifarro to a perfectly piggy rib with cabbage and quince. The dishes flowed at a more lively Spanish rhythm than here in France with a friendly and welcoming wait staff. Our tasting lunch 12 courses was anchored by the best bread I have eaten in ages- from Els Hostalets d'en Bas. More on that later. For now, lemon marmalade made with fruit with no stickers. I don't need a 5 digit code to tell me that these were grown naturally. Jordi at the Market told me. But if you're not sure about where and how your fruit is grown, check out this tip from the Ideal Bite - my daily green conscience.

Look for the labels stuck on your fruits and veggies:
  • A four-digit number means it's conventionally grown.
  • A five-digit number beginning with 9 means it's organic.
  • A five-digit number beginning with 8 means it's GM.

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