2014 EPCOT Flower and Garden Festival: Hanami (Japan Pavilion)

Japan Pavilion at EPCOT

Japan's booth is named Hanami, which means "flower viewing". How cool is that? Quite appropriate for the Flower and Garden event (of course).

Honestly, I could skip the Japan booth. I love Japanese food, but it is easy enough to come by out in the real world, so I don't have a need to try it at EPCOT when there are so many other exotic cuisines to choose from. But, in the interest of hitting every booth, of course we stopped here.

Passport Page for Hanami

I ordered the Frushi which is gluten free, and although it is not marked as such, I believe it is also vegetarian/vegan. Frushi is fruit sushi- the pink wrapping is soy paper, and the filling is coconut rice, pineapple, strawberries and melon, topped with raspberry sauce and toasted coconut. The whipped cream is from a can (I didn't note the brand), so be careful about that if you have food sensitivities to milk, corn, soy, or artificial flavors.

I also ordered the popped rice cakes, which are not marked as gluten free in the passport, but the Chef happened to be there in the booth, and he assured me that the rice cake dish IS gluten free, even though it was not marked as such in the passport.

Each of these items is VERY sweet. I would classify the Frushi as a dessert item. I would classify the rice cakes -with raspberry sauce, sprinkles, red bean paste, and green tea whipped cream- as equivalent to an 8-year old's birthday cupcake on steroids. Seriously. That was just sugar on a plate. Wow. It was fun to try a few bites, but unless you need a sugar rush or have a burning desire to visit your dentist, I'd say don't bother. If you are looking for dessert, go get flan at the Mexico pavilion!

Frushi: Fruit sushi (gluten free)

Popped rice cakes with green tea whipped cream (gluten free)

In my opinion, the coolest thing about the Japan Pavilion during the Flower and Garden show is not the food, but the Bonsai. Do yourself a favor and walk back through the Japanese gardens to take a look at the bonsai on display. I admit, I do not know as much as I'd like about bonsai (I do have some bonsai books on my "to read" list at the library), but even knowing nothing about the art, I was blown away by the trees on display. Here are a few photos, although they really do not do the trees justice- they were much more stunning in person.

Koi pond at Japan Pavilion

Bonsai on display at Japan Pavilion

Cypress Bonsai on display at Japan Pavilion

Several Bonsai on display at Japan Pavilion

These are just a few of the trees- there were many more on display.

Just for fun, here are a few links to more information about Bonsai:
American Bonsai Society
Bonsai Experience: Types of Bonsai Trees
US National Arboretum: Bonsai Gallery

2014 EPCOT Flower and Garden Festival: Florida Fresh

We visited the Florida Fresh booth yesterday, and I was able to speak with two cast members who were dressed in a way that made me believe they were management for the event (I didn't ask), about the gluten free designations in the event passport. They clarified that:

1) The items marked gluten free in the event passports do not contain gluten ingredients

2) All items are handled in a small food booth, therefore there cannot be any guarantee that cross-contamination would not occur

3) For this event, only food items are marked whether or not they are gluten free. Beverage items are not noted (even if they might BE gluten free), except for gluten free beers, which are specifically noted.

As always, Disney staff was very friendly, accommodating, and knowledgable. One cast member even had it noted in her phone which items were designated as gluten free for every booth, not just the Florida Fresh booth, where I happened to speak with her.

This gluten free designation is very exciting to me! 

I ordered the Watermelon Salad with Pickled Onions, Baby Arugula and Feta Cheese (gluten free, vegetarian) Delicious! I love this salad. Of course, I love just about anything with balsamic reduction.

Shrimp and Stone-ground Grits (gluten free). I ate a shrimp, but not the grits. Sweet shrimp, spicy seasoning- very good.

Florida Kumquat Pie (obviously NOT gluten free, but it IS vegetarian) Tim said this was tangy, sweet, light, with a sweet, crispy crust. 

The Florida Fresh booth even included a kumquat tree in the plantings:

Each booth has demonstration plantings of some of the ingredients featured in that Outdoor Kitchen. Here are some more from the Florida booth:

There were a few "What am I?" activities, which is fun:

(This one is banana, in case you cannot see it on the sign)

This is where we stopped on Day One. Now it's time for Day Two. I was hoping for more sunshine today than yesterday, but it's raining today. That's OK, Disney is magical in any weather :) And even more magical, my friend Jen happens to also be in town- we met this morning for a character breakfast, & she may be joining us in EPCOT this afternoon. 

EASY Gluten Free Pear Tart

This is a delicious and simple gluten free pear tart. I adapted this recipe from the one found here, and was really surprised at how quick and easy it was to prepare. I will be making pear tarts more often!

Easy gluten free, yeast free pear tart

I used butter in this recipe, but I think you could substitute organic vegetable shortening to make it vegan. By the way, I have noticed that Spectrum Organics now has a butter flavor vegetable shortening, although I have not tried it. If you try it, please let me know how it worked for you.

Gluten Free Rustic Pear Tart
Makes one 9" tart

Ingredients

For the crust
3/4 cup gluten free flour mix
1 chia egg (1Tbsp chia mixed with 3Tbsp water, let sit about 5 minutes)
2 tablespoons sugar
6 tablespoons organic unsalted butter
3/4 teaspoon sea salt

For the filling
2 large or 3 medium pears, slightly underripe
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon tapioca starch (also known as tapioca flour)
Cinnamon and sugar for sprinkling

Method

Cream the butter, sugar, and salt in a bowl. Beat in the chia egg and gradually add the flour until dough comes together in a ball. Place the ball of dough in baking dish, and press it into shape with your fingers.

Refrigerate dough while you prepare filling.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Core pears and slice into thin strips. I used a mandoline, but using a knife is fine. I was going for a more rustic (and simple) tart, so I did not peel the pears.

Toss pears with 1 tablespoon sugar, lemon juice, and tapioca starch. Arrange pears in a fan-like array on the chilled dough. Keep layering pears until you run out of pears. Sprinkle the top with cinnamon and sugar to taste.

Bake for 30-40 minutes, or until edges of dough are just lightly golden brown. Let cool for 15 minutes before serving.

Yum!

Plums and Prunes

The other day, while chatting with my good friend Ed (an organic grower), the topic turned to plums and prunes. Ed said, "a plum is not a prune"

Me: Wait- what?
Ed: A plum is not -necessarily- a prune.
Me: But aren't prunes just dried plums?
Ed: It can be. But a prune is a specific variety of plum.

Who knew? I thought a prune was the dried version of a plum, just like a raisin is the dried version of a grape.

I also thought that the reason we are seeing more dried fruits labeled as "dried plums" instead of "prunes" was entirely a marketing gimmick. You can read more about the re-branding of prunes here, and here.

After the conversation with Ed, I wondered what a fresh prune looked like, and if I'd ever see one.

About a week later, Joan and I were at Costco, and guess what? Fresh prunes:

Here is what one looked like at home, next to a plum:

Check it out! They are different.

Here is what the prune looks like inside:

I'm sure there are different varieties of prunes, and they probably are not all this exact size or color. This one is an "Italian Prune"- but grown in the USA- ha. (the more I learn about food, the more I realize names and labels don't mean much, if anything. Labels are designed for marketing, not information). 

Italian prune. Image source.

So- in Ed's words: "all prunes are plums, but not all plums are prunes." I feel like I need a Venn diagram for that.

OK, I am a total geek : )

For more about plums and prunes:
A discussion on Chowhound about Italian Prune dessert recipes
An article on theKitchn about in-season Italian Prunes.
A beautiful photo and recipe for a Double Plum Tart. It is a traditional recipe, but could easily be adapted and made allergy-friendly.
Happy Healthy Librarian just posted What Ten Dried Plums (Prunes) a Day Can Do for Your Bones, summarizing a recently published study on prunes and bone density.
World's Healthiest Foods nutritional information on Prunes and Plums

Raspberry-Chia Smoothie

Raspberry-Chia Smoothie

I really just threw everything in the VitaMix and didn't measure. Soooo... all measures are approximate. Adjust to your taste.

Ingredients

1 cup apple juice (white grape juice would also work here)

1/2 cup frozen raspberries

1 tsp ch-ch-ch-chia seeds (sorry, I can't help but sing "ch-ch-ch-chia":) Now you will, too ; )

I also added some brown rice protein powder, but that's optional.

Handful of ice cubes

Method

Blend.

Enjoy!

Health benefits of: raspberry, chia, and another post on chia

Watermelon Fresca

Watermelon Fresca

Ingredients

• 4 cups cubed, seeded watermelon
• 1/2 cup filtered water
• 2 tablespoons agave nectar
• 1 1/2 tablespoons lime juice
• 2 cups seltzer water (optional)

Method

• Blend watermelon, water, agave, and lime juice.
• Strain through cheesecloth or strainer. Chill juice in refrigerator.
• When ready to serve, combine with seltzer water for a fizzy drink. For no fizz, use filtered water.
• Best served very cold.

We found this orange watermelon at a fruit stand down the street. Curious about orange watermelon? Click here and here for more information. 

Click here to learn more about the health benefits of watermelon.

How to read produce sticker codes

Did you know that those little stickers on your fruit  actually mean something? Surprise, they are not just for grocery inventory- they contain important information about the produce, such as where and how it was grown.

I probably should have turned this sticker right-side-up for the photo. Oops :)

When shopping, one quick glance at the sticker tells you whether the produce is organic, conventional, or genetically modified.

Here is the basic information to remember:

• The 4-digit code tells you what the produce is. For example: 3065 is a cameo apple
• Organic produce adds the number 9 to the front of that code. For example: 93065 is an organic cameo apple
• Genetically modified produce adds the number 8 in front of the code. For example: 83065 would be a cameo apple that has been genetically modified.

This next part goes above & beyond what you need to know when buying produce, but you might be interested to learn that the sticker also tells you what kind of fruit it is, and where it came from.

In the photo above, the label actually shows that the apple is certified organic, Cameo, and that it was grown in the USA. Some stickers will also show what state the produce comes from. But not all stickers have all of that information right on the label. Some only have the code.

So, if you are a data geek like me, know that you can input the 4-digit code in this database, to find out even more information about the apple. You can see below that it tells you the variety, botanical name, size, and growing region. This actually isn't the best example- some entries have more information than others (click on photo to enlarge).

The pluot below has a 9 in front of the 4-digit code, which indicates that it was grown organically. Again- that's a quick and easy way to tell if something is (or is not) organic when you are in the grocery store.

When you input the code in the PMA database, use only the 4-digit code (omit the 9).

Here's another pluot. This one does not have a 9 in front of the 4-digit code, so that means it was grown conventionally. Trust me, you'll get very fast at spotting the 9, and noticing when it is not there. It will become second nature.

Here's another example of when this comes in handy- at the Farmer's Market last week, our favorite organic farmer had some lettuces that he'd brought in from a farm in another state. Those items had labels. They did not begin with a 9. Yet he told us that they were organic. But the label clearly did NOT have a 9, and was only 4-digits. I still bought them, but this tip is good to know if there are certain items, such as the dirty dozen, that you wish to purchase only if they are organic. You cannot always trust the sign in the grocery or what the local produce guy tells you. People make mistakes. If organic is important to you, the 9 on the label is very useful information!

Try this at home if you are curious:) Sometimes I'll buy an item and really like it, but I don't know what variety it is. The database will tell you, and then you know what to look for next time.

The PMA database contains codes for dried fruits, fruits, veggies, herbs and nuts. Pretty cool.

Have fun and happy shopping!

ADDITION: The 9 identifies items that are Certified Organic by the USDA/EU. Some produce may be grown without chemicals or pesticides, but for various reasons may not be certified organic. Ask your local grower for more information about how their produce is grown- they are the best ones to answer your questions. Ask yourself what is most important to you in the foods you consume. It may be that you can find locally grown produce that meets (or nearly meets) your needs even if it is not USDA/EU Certified Organic (which includes a lot more criteria than just grown without chemical pesticides).