We are well into seeding, and it seems like we are burning the candle at both ends. Sometimes I think I am spending all of my time with meal preparation, cooking and cleaning, yet I know there are many other jobs that are also getting done.
Multi-tasking is the name of the game on the farm this time of year. Being flexible, adaptable and responding to requests for extra help are just part of the role we play. Low temperatures, wind, and for some, finishing up combining from last year, put extra strain on already overtaxed minds and bodies. One of the challenges for all of us is to get enough sleep, healthy food and relaxation to maintain mental and physical health.
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Mental illness views
According to recent studies in the United States, each year more than 10 million antidepressant prescriptions are written by primary care doctors with no mental health follow-up. Stigmas are receding, but misconceptions about mental illness remain. A new survey by the American Psychiatric Association shows that although people understand mental illness, and the need for treatment, they still tend not to seek treatment. This is also true in Canada.
Nearly 90 percent of Americans surveyed correctly believe that people with mental illness can live healthy lives and an overwhelming majority (80 percent) feels confident that mental health treatment works. Study findings also show that nearly 70 percent of people surveyed view going to a psychiatrist as a sign of strength.
Although 75 percent of consumers believe that mental illnesses are usually caused by a chemical imbalance in the brain, those surveyed are almost twice as likely to seek help from a primary care physician rather than a psychiatrist, who is a specialist trained to diagnose and treat chemical imbalances and other causes of mental illness. Recent research shows that medication and talk therapy go hand in hand to show improved results for many people.
Eat your vegetables
Spring is here. Are you thinking about planting a garden or are you opting to buy locally grown vegetables in season? Gardening is in full swing for many, especially the planting of potatoes.
Potatoes are being promoted across Canada as tasty and nutritious vegetables that are an important part of our diet.
Parents are learning the nutritional value of potatoes and their importance in children’s diets thanks to a united effort by the potato industry. Kids and Carbs is a campaign sponsored by potato organizations to dispel the myths people have about carbohydrates.
A cross-country recipe promotion informs consumers of different ways to prepare potatoes. More than 300,000 Kids and Carbs booklets featuring kid-tested potato recipes are in circulation throughout Canada. Copies continue to be distributed at a number of trade shows and many elementary schools across Canada. Lois Ferguson, a Toronto dietitian, best-selling author, and Kids and Carbs advocate, also completed a multi-city Canadian media tour to make headlines about potato nutrition.
Food banks across the country received over 300,000 pounds of potatoes thanks to the Kids and Carbs campaign. More than 30,000 10 lb. potato bags were delivered to food banks in Halifax, Cape Breton, Moncton, Toronto, Winnipeg and Edmonton, giving families access to the nutrients that potatoes provide.
A Scandinavian cake
Dear TEAM: I would like a recipe for Vanatera, a Finnish cake with a prune filling between thin cake layers. One makes the dough, rolls it out thin, about five or six layers. They are baked separately, then prunes are cooked up and the pits are taken out. I think it has some sugar in it. I have looked in a lot of cookbooks and cannot find it. This is a nice cake when kept for some time, as the prunes keep it moist. Ñ M.K., Regina, Sask.
Dear M.K.: I adapted this Icelandic cake recipe that sounds like the one you are requesting. Each layer of dough is described as a cookie. It is a hearty cake that is rich, so it goes a long way.
Vine torte or prune cake
Cookie:
1 cup margarine or butter 250 mL
1 cup sugar 250 mL
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla 5 mL
4 cups flour 1 L
2 teaspoons baking powder 10 mL
1Ú2 teaspoon salt 2 mL
1Ú4 cup milk 60 mL
Filling:
2.2 lb. pitted prunes 1 kg
1Ú2 cup sugar 125 mL
1Ú2 cup water, 125 mL
1 pinch salt
Rum or wine to taste (optional)
Cream the butter, add the sugar, and cream together. Add the eggs, beat slightly and mix in. Add vanilla. Mix the dry ingredients together, and add alternately with the milk.
Divide the dough into seven pieces, and roll each piece out so it is approximately the size of an eight inch (20 cm) square cake pan. Bake at 350 F (180 C) until slightly browned. Cool.
Cover prunes with water and simmer until tender. Drain, reserving at least 1Ú2 cup (125 mL) of water.
Put prunes in food processor and add rest of filling ingredients. Process until smooth. Return to pot and simmer for a few minutes to allow flavours to blend. Cool to touch.
Layer the filling between the cookies, ending with a cookie layer. You will have seven cookie layers and six filling layers.
Wrap in wax or parchment paper and then in foil. Refrigerate for 11Ú2 to two weeks to cure.
You know it has sat long enough when the cookie doesn’t crumble when you cut it.
Adapted from www.recipezaar.com.
Need a machine
Dear TEAM: We recently had a house fire and are looking to replace some of my valued kitchen equipment. I had a Braun food centre with a mixing bowl, dough hook, whisk, smaller mixing bowl, blender and food slicer. I have found out the store where I bought it is no longer in business. I can order the attachments from a dealer but not the original machine. If any reader out there has a machine they don’t use but works well, I’d be willing to buy it from them. Ñ G.B., Unity, Sask.
More kitchen hints
Dear TEAM: I would like to know if there is an easy way to remove a cheesecake or any other dessert from a springform pan. If you put the dessert with the metal bottom onto a serving plate, it slides all around. Would putting waxed paper on the bottom solve the problem? Ñ S.B., Provost, Alta.
Dear S.B.: Cutting a circle of parchment paper to line the bottom of the springform pan may help to solve this problem. Parchment paper is a non-stick liner for baking pans and casserole dishes. It can be used in baking, stovetop and microwave cooking.
It seemed strange to me to use it for stovetop cooking, so I experimented with it. I lined the pot when I was making porridge, and also the pan when cooking scrambled eggs. It did save a messy cleanup in the pot; but it seemed wasteful to throw away the parchment paper.
If used on the stovetop, be sure it is not near an open flame. It can be used from freezer to oven to microwave, and makes frozen food easy to separate. It is stronger than waxed paper, and is waterproof and greaseproof. Dampening it makes it easy to shape into casseroles.
Barbara Sanderson is a home economist from Rosetown, Sask., and one of four columnists comprising Team Resources. Send correspondence in care of this newspaper, Box 2500, Saskatoon, Sask., S7K 2C4 or contact them at team@producer.com.
