Wyoming Tribune Eagle newspaper article

Page D4 Wyoming Tribune Eagle
Tuesday, August 7, 2012
When it comes to corn, blue is best
Horse Barn Dinner Show
Mexican scientists found that blue corn tortillas had less starch, more
protein and a lower glycemic index than white tortillas. Lower glycemic
index foods are healthier because they release sugar into the bloodstream
at a slower rate, which helps lower incidence of heart disease and diabetes.
Meet the horses and feast on a cowboy-style steak dinner,
followed by a musical comedy show. $40 a person, free for
children ages 7 and younger. Reservations required.
Remaining performances for this summer are: Aug. 10, 11,
18, 24 and 25 at 6 p.m. at the Bit-O-Wyo Ranch, 470 Happy
Jack Road. Reservations are required.
The blue in blue corn is from anthocyanin pigments and are similar to
compounds found in berries and red wine.
Visit www.bitowyoranch.com or call 638-6924.
– Courtesy of Cheyenne Botanic Gardens, www.botanic.org
Yep, you can pickle that!
Chef Monica Corrado
will be at the farmers
market today displaying
fermentation methods
and explaining benefits
of eating “real foods.”
By Josh Rhoten
jrhoten@wyomignnews.com
Seems like everyone wants
to talk about natural foods
with Monica Corrado these
days.
The self-taught chef has
become something of a
spokeswoman for the real
food movement, which encourages people to make
their own meals from foods
grown close to the source and
far away from preservatives.
It’s a philosophy that is gaining appeal among those who
support green and natural
methods.
It doesn’t hurt that Corrado
is quite frank, enthusiastic
and uses humor to talk about
a topic she loves and is willing
to fight for.
“This is a revolution and a
movement,” she said. “And
we are going against those
big guns over there … There
is a real correlation between
If you go
What: Self-taught chef and
advocate of the real food movement Monica Corrado will be
giving a free presentation on
fermentation at the Tuesday
Farmers Market.
When: Tuesday, 3-6:30 p.m.
Where: Cheyenne Depot Plaza,
121 W. 15th St.
Cost: Free.
More information: Visit
www.tuesdaymarket.org or
www.simplybeingwell.com
when the health of our country started to deteriorate and
the introduction of processed
foods and I think this movement is gaining support because people are sick and
tired of being sick and tired.”
Corrado will bring the real
food philosophy to life at the
Tuesday Farmers Market
this week with demonstrations and tips on how to ferment foods. That process is
one of her favorites after she
learned how easy it was and
how many health benefits
could be gained.
Corrado has no formal chef
training, gaining a lot of her
experience originally from
Chef Monica Corrado checks on one of her creations. Courtesy
the large Sunday dinners she
helped make for her family as
a child. Today she is a certified holistic nutrition consultant and spends her time
teaching classes on the basics
necessary for using real
foods every day.
Her career highlights
include the opening of one of
the first organic and biodynamic catering companies in
Washington, D.C., and a
nationally published cookbook. She also serves as a
professor at Tai Sophia
Institute in Maryland.
Currently in Loveland,
Colo., Corrado travels across
the U.S. teaching a variety of
classes on real food topics.
“I try to give people the
skills to make their own food
in a very approachable and
simple way,” she said. “I
want to give them the tools,
inspiration and confidence
they need to go back into the
kitchen.”
A self-proclaimed groupie
of Corrado’s, Susan Lucas
said after attending one of
Corrado’s classes in 2007, she
has since ditched her microwave and become more
aware of what she should eat.
“She is very smart and very
knowledgeable and down-toearth. I learned a lot from her
and she has a very easy way
of making concepts really
accessible and fun,” Lucas
said.
Corrado’s presentations
Tuesday will focus on lacto
fermentation.
“It is a traditional food
preservation technique
that’s been around for a long
time and encourages the
growth of healthy bacteria in
a food,” she said. “Canning
and other methods kill the
bacteria, but fermentation
keeps them alive.”
U.S. Department of
Agriculture research service
microbiologist Fred Breidt
said the fermentation pro-
cess is extremely old and is
very effective at preserving
food when done properly.
The process encourages the
growth of lactic acid bacteria, which are naturally occurring on vegetables, for
example, killing off harmful
bacteria like E. coli.
“When done right, you are
going to get a nice pickle and
that happens most of the
time. But if there is air in the
jar, for example, some mold
can grow and that can lead to
those illnesses,” he said. “So
it is important to know how
the process works and do it
properly because you are
changing the food’s state.”
Corrado said the bacteria
in the process is beneficial in
children’s diets.
“It’s such a cool thing because it is so easy and so powerful. I just went bananas
when I learned about all the
benefits,” she said.
Corrado will be working
with a variety of fermented
foods including pickles, sauerkraut and peach chutney.
“I love coming to these
kinds of events because the
people at them already sort of
get it. They are already trying
to eat real food and are eager
to learn more,” she said. “It’s
great.”