Harvard SEAS lecture 11/7/11, Dan Barber

Subject – Reclaiming Flavor. Much to my surprise, Harold McGee was around to introduce Dan Barber to the audience. Flavor molecules are actually a defense mechanism. Believe it or not, the flavor molecules are toxic to small insects and mold. It doesn’t seem toxic to humans, because we essentially dilute herbs by cooking. Physical/environmental stress [...]

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what to buy and when

I thought this was pretty nifty for anyone looking to cook with seasonal ingredients. The Center for Health and the Global Environment at Harvard Medical School has published a quick reference guide for the New England area (and another guide for the Mid-Atlantic area) that gives a run-down of the fruits and vegetables that are [...]

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Harvard SEAS lecture, 11/15/10, Dan Barber, part 2

[Whoo-hoo! Part 2!] After biochar and lobster charcoal, Dan talked about the Stone Farms greenhouses. The Northeast is on the same latitude as Spain and southern Italy. Yes, it is colder here but we get the same amount of sunshine. During the colder seasons, their greenhouses are filled with sun-determinate plants instead of temperature-determinate plants (like tomatoes [...]

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Harvard SEAS lecture, 11/15/10, Dan Barber, part 1

[This particular write-up is taking me time, so I'm going to split it up.  Here's part 1. ~Mikan] Last night’s lecture with Dan Barber of Blue Hill/Stone Farm was very different from the previous lectures.  Whereas the lectures so far have been about manipulation of ingredients and cooking technique, Dan was there to talk to [...]

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