Here are excerpts fro m the article: Local Figs: A Love Letter to a Short Sweet Season Posted Tuesday, August 22nd, 2006, By: Cuisine Bonne Femme Local Figs: A Love Letter to a Short Sweet Season *Bonus Recipe Included* Portland has been raining figs. There are big brown, black and green blobs on the sidewalks, on top of cars, and backyards have been turned into slippery landmine fields. It wont last long though, because we are reaching the end of the local fig season. Fresh figs remind me, somewhat sadly, that summer has now peaked and I need to savor every last bite of it, for there are only a couple of the good weather months left. Portlanders love figs, our green grocers and farmers markets are overflowing with them. There are over 75 identified fig varieties that grow in the Willamette Valley, each just slightly different enough to be noticed. Common types in Portland include the proficient and hardy Brown Turkeys, large chartreuse Desert Kings, and the thick skinned but honey sweet Kadotas. Some varieties are much less known, like the Madeleine des Deux Saisons (Madeleine of Two Seasons) from Brittany, France, so named because they bare fruit in the summer and then again in the fall which is somewhat unusual for our climate. There is also the rarest of the rare, the Crusader. As lore has it, the Crusader fig is so named because it was rescued in the 1920s from the dilapidated memorial site of a 17th century British Knight. A single cutting of this tree was brought to our area by chance, propigated, and resurrected from near extinction by a one Mrs. Margaret Mason in Portland, Oregon. The Crusader fig is now thought to be available nowhere else in the world but here. Yes, figs are mythical and mysterious, and dredge up all kinds of things burned deep into our collective consciousness: Adam and Eve with their fig leaves and other morality tales, ancient still life oil paintings showing platters overflowing with the fruit, and quaint seasonal songs about Figgy Pudding. On a more personal level, fresh figs always bring me back to a decadent vacation, lounging in the hot Mediterranean sun, and eating figs until my stomach hurt. And one of my earliest memories is of being 6 years old and lifted up high on Daddys shoulders, covered in a thick canopy of green, feeling on top of the world and trying to grab the ripest ones from our Grandmothers giant tree. Figs are ancient, thought to be the oldest cultivated fruit perhaps. Fig remnants have been found in excavation sites traced back to 5,000 B.C. Many cultures view figs as medicine, certain that that they will cure both heartaches and upset stomachs. Figs are high in calcium, potassium, and magnesium. Yes, they also contain quite a bit of fiber, so they have very real laxative qualities. Figs are good for you. Such a coy little fruit too, their modest fat bottomed exteriors hiding such luscious pink insides. Figs have a slightly nutty taste and a distinctive crunch from all those tiny seeds. Figs are not terribly juicy and will not drip down your chin like when eating a peach or a watermelon. Figs have a subtle scent, somewhat musky, but not overly perfumey like our garish party girl fruit, the cantaloupe. A good ripe fig is as soft as a marshmallow and can be peeled, eaten as is, or (my favorite method) simply cut in half and scooped up with a spoon. Figs are delicate, bruise easily, and must be picked when ripe, as they do not do well once off the tree. This makes them difficult to transport and sell commercially, and is the main reason you rarely see fresh figs in large corporate supermarkets. Many people in colder climates cant even get fresh figs at all, and I know a poor soul or two that has never even tasted one. Oh, how lucky we as Portlanders are to have figs growing so close to us. Figs, however, are the ambassadors of the fruit world, showing up in many an international culture, and they get along with just about everyone, both savory and sweet. Grilling brings out their sugar as does a pinch of salt, and they are good roasted or baked, or stuffed with many varieties of cheeses. They mix nicely with raw or cooked vegetables, and can be paired with meat, fish, and fowl. Figs are versatile, and are included in all kinds of desserts from creams to baked goods, and even go well with chocolate, nuts, and other fruits, especially citrus. If treated right, figs can easily be preserved for the winter by drying, canning, put up into in jams or chutneys, or boiled down into bright sticky syrups. Daydreaming of summer in January? Try some figs preserved in brandy over ice cream, a splash of vanilla-fig syrup with orange liqueur in your vodka cocktail, or spicy fig chutney with roasted peppers for your pork chops. There are over 75 identified fig varieties that grow in the Willamette Valley, each just slightly different enough to be noticed. Common types in Portland include the proficient and hardy Brown Turkeys, large chartreuse Desert Kings, and the thick skinned but honey sweet Kadotas. Some varieties are much less known, like the Madeleine des Deux Saisons (Madeleine of Two Seasons) from Brittany, France, so named because they bare fruit in the summer and then again in the fall which is somewhat unusual for our climate. There is also the rarest of the rare, the Crusader. As lore has it, the Crusader fig is so named because it was rescued in the 1920s from the dilapidated memorial site of a 17th century British Knight. A single cutting of this tree was brought to our area by chance, propigated, and resurrected from near extinction by a one Mrs. Margaret Mason in Portland, Oregon. The Crusader fig is now thought to be available nowhere else in the world but here. Yes, figs are mythical and mysterious, and dredge up all kinds of things burned deep into our collective consciousness: Adam and Eve with their fig leaves and other morality tales, ancient still life oil paintings showing platters overflowing with the fruit, and quaint seasonal songs about Figgy Pudding. On a more personal level, fresh figs always bring me back to a decadent vacation, lounging in the hot Mediterranean sun, and eating figs until my stomach hurt. And one of my earliest memories is of being 6 years old and lifted up high on Daddys shoulders, covered in a thick canopy of green, feeling on top of the world and trying to grab the ripest ones from our Grandmothers giant tree. Figs are ancient, thought to be the oldest cultivated fruit perhaps. Fig remnants have been found in excavation sites traced back to 5,000 B.C. Many cultures view figs as medicine, certain that that they will cure both heartaches and upset stomachs. Figs are high in calcium, potassium, and magnesium. Yes, they also contain quite a bit of fiber, so they have very real laxative qualities. Figs are good for you. Such a coy little fruit too, their modest fat bottomed exteriors hiding such luscious pink insides. Figs have a slightly nutty taste and a distinctive crunch from all those tiny seeds. Figs are not terribly juicy and will not drip down your chin like when eating a peach or a watermelon. Figs have a subtle scent, somewhat musky, but not overly perfumey like our garish party girl fruit, the cantaloupe. A good ripe fig is as soft as a marshmallow and can be peeled, eaten as is, or (my favorite method) simply cut in half and scooped up with a spoon. Figs are delicate, bruise easily, and must be picked when ripe, as they do not do well once off the tree. This makes them difficult to transport and sell commercially, and is the main reason you rarely see fresh figs in large corporate supermarkets. Many people in colder climates cant even get fresh figs at all, and I know a poor soul or two that has never even tasted one. Oh, how lucky we as Portlanders are to have figs growing so close to us. Figs, however, are the ambassadors of the fruit world, showing up in many an international culture, and they get along with just about everyone, both savory and sweet. Grilling brings out their sugar as does a pinch of salt, and they are good roasted or baked, or stuffed with many varieties of cheeses. They mix nicely with raw or cooked vegetables, and can be paired with meat, fish, and fowl. Figs are versatile, and are included in all kinds of desserts from creams to baked goods, and even go well with chocolate, nuts, and other fruits, especially citrus. If treated right, figs can easily be preserved for the winter by drying, canning, put up into in jams or chutneys, or boiled down into bright sticky syrups. Daydreaming of summer in January? Try some figs preserved in brandy over ice cream, a splash of vanilla-fig syrup with orange liqueur in your vodka cocktail, or spicy fig chutney with roasted peppers for your pork chops.

It was fun reading all these titles, so many of which are favorites of mine. And one un-favorite: I hated Memoirs of a Geisha so much, I wanted to write to the publisher and demand my time back. I can forgive a lot of things, but not bad writing! It prompted me to send out an email to my friends and relatives asking them what book they hated to the point of outrage. (Clear winner: The Celestine Prophesy -- boy, do people hate that book!) I adore Bryson. I am just finishing A Brief History of Nearly Everything, and I love love love it. I won't repeat the ones others have mentioned. Here are a few you may not have heard of that are absolutely wonderful: A Lesson Before Dying New York Trilogy (read them as one book) The Metaphysical Club (don't let the name fool you) Defining the Wind (beautiful writing and hilarious) The first two are novels, the other two are sort of history of ideas. The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay Don't give up on War and Peace! It's just long, not hard, and it's terrific. He LOVES people -- if you like Ann Tyler, you'll like Tolstoy. The only tricky part is the names. One edition of W&P even comes with a bookmark that keeps them straight, or you can keep your own chart. But new translations of Tolstoy simplify the names as a matter of translation, which made Anna Karenina very easy to read. Reread Charlotte's Web now that you are an adult and can appreciate what an incredible piece of writing and philosophy it is. Some book!

I made this today and loved it! I'm not sure it still qualifies as "healthy" when you return to the pan for multiple servings though:). Recipe found on "Damn Declicious" blog. PS...I only had about 1/2 cup of quinoa on hand so used orzo for the other half and it was still delish. ONE PAN MEXICAN QUINOA Prep Time 10 minutes Cook Time 25 minutes Total Time 35 minutes Yield 4 servings Wonderfully light, healthy and nutritious. And it's so easy to make - even the quinoa is cooked right in the pan! INGREDIENTS 1 tablespoon olive oil 2 cloves garlic, minced 1 jalapenos, minced 1 cup quinoa 1 cup vegetable broth 1 (15-ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed 1 (14.5 oz) can fire-roasted diced tomatoes 1 cup corn kernels 1 teaspoon chili powder 1/2 teaspoon cumin Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste 1 avocado, halved, seeded, peeled and diced Juice of 1 lime 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves INSTRUCTIONS Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add garlic and jalapeno, and cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in quinoa, vegetable broth, beans, tomatoes, corn, chili powder and cumin; season with salt and pepper, to taste. Bring to a boil; cover, reduce heat and simmer until quinoa is cooked through, about 20 minutes. Stir in avocado, lime juice and cilantro. Serve immediately. This post was edited by funnygirl on Fri, Apr 11, 14 at 16:24

From wisegeek: Umami is a distinct, difficult to describe flavor caused by the interaction of glutamates, a naturally occurring amino acid, with receptors on the tongue. Some people call umami âÂÂthe fifth taste,â as it is distinctly not sweet, sour, hot, or salty. In addition to having a unique standalone flavor, umami appears to enhance foods it is combined with, making other flavors richer and more intense. The concept of umami is ancient, although the official term is relatively recent. Every time someone puts ketchup on fries, they are using the principle of umami. Both potatoes and tomatoes have high amounts of free glutamates, which interact with each other to create a distinctive flavor. Other foods with an abundance of free glutamates include seafood, shiitake mushrooms, meats, carrots, and seaweed, among many others. Many of these foods have been traditionally paired to enhance their natural umami flavor. The discovery of umami is credited to Kikunae Ikeda, a researcher at Tokyo Imperial University. Ikeda was researching the unique flavor of seaweed broth when he isolated a distinctive compound which he identified as umami, or savory, since it did not fit with the other four identified tastes. Ultimately, he managed to separate a unique white powder with a crystalline structure, which came to be known as Monosodium Glutamate, or MSG. Ikeda's discovery paved the way to many developments in food science, and to a restructuring in the way people though about taste. In addition to modern day examples of umami, the flavor has also been harnessed historically. It appears in high concentration in cured and fermented foods, such as the Roman garum and an assortment of traditionally fermented Asian sauces such as soy sauce and fish sauce. Umami has classically been used as a condiment, to enhance the flavor in other foods, bringing out their natural umami. Related topics Umami List of Foods with Iron Umami Receptors Diabetic Foods Low Fat Foods Umami Taste Receptor Health Foods There has been some controversy over umami. Some people believe that it is not, in fact, a distinct flavor, and wish that it was not classified as the fifth taste. Others have historically had concerns about glutamates, MSG in particular, claiming that the compounds have deleterious health effects. Especially in the West, the concept of umami was not as readily adopted as it was in Asia, as is reflected by the lack of an English word for the taste. However, Western chefs have slowly embraced the concept, designing dishes which harness the power of umami, whether it is truly a distinct taste or simply a subset of another.