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Breakfast with Mexico Cooks!: Yoghurt con Fresa y Chía (Yogurt with Strawberries and Chia)

Strawberry season in Mexico! This 70-year-old mixing bowl holds one and a half kilos of sweet, ripe fruit. At the tianguis (street market) where Mexico Cooks! shops, the price per kilo of strawberries is usually 25 pesos, or approximately $1.00 USD per pound.

A couple of weeks ago, Mexico Cooks! was tickled to receive a phone call from our old friend Steve Sando, red-hot heirloom bean empresario Rancho Gordo. "Hey, I'm in town for the day on my way to Mérida–you busy?" Of course we are never too busy for a visit from Steve and we immediately made plans for a long visit over midday comida (the main meal of the day in Mexico).

During the course of our table conversation, we somehow got around to the topic of chía, a product that's fairly newly available from Rancho Gordo. Chía, a species of mint, is grown for its seeds. If you've been around as long as Mexico Cooks! has, you'll remember the chía pet: spread dampened chía seeds all over a little clay animal filled with water and in just a few days, bingo, you have an animal covered with pretty green living fur–the chía plant. Our first memory of one of these novelties was called Paddy O'Hair.

However, chía has been around far longer than Paddy O'Hair or the current chía pet. The ancient peoples of what is now Mexico discovered its extraordinary health properties thousands of years ago. Chía seed may be eaten raw as a whole seed, providing protein, fiber, and fats (including Omega 3), as well as certain essential minerals. Ground chía seed is sometimes added to pinole, a coarse flour made from toasted corn kernels. Chía seeds placed in water or fruit juice are consumed in Mexico and known as chía fresca. The soaked seeds are gelatinous in texture and are used in combination with other cereals. Ground chía seed is often used in baked goods, including some commercially produced breads and cakes.

This week, one of the tianguis vendors offered big-as-the-ball-of-my-thumb, sweet, fresh Michoacán-grown zarzamora (blackberries) for only 20 pesos per kilo–that works out to slightly over 9 pesos per pound. That's about 75 cents per pound. Blackberries are my absolute favorite fruit to add to yoghurt, so you can guess what I bought. I prepare them exactly as I do strawberries.

A year or so ago, Mexico Cooks! decided to add chía seeds to our morning breakfast yoghurt. Most yoghurt in Mexico is heavily sweetened with sugar, artificially flavored, and is nearly a drinkable consistency. I prefer a product that starts out sugar-free, is naturally flavored, and is thick enough to eat with a spoon. I started experimenting and came up with the following recipe.

Alpura brand yoghurt is available almost everywhere in central Mexico. Many Mexican yoghurt brands are labeled "all natural", but even those without added flavorings contain a lot of sugar. Alpura is, as far as Mexico Cooks! knows, the only national brand yoghurt that contains no sugar or artificial flavorings. In the United States, Canada, and other countries, you'll be able to choose from several brands. Or, of course, you can make your own plain yoghurt.

Mexico Cooks!-Style Yoghurt with Fresh Strawberries and Chía

Ingredients
2 quarts plain (unsweetened and unflavored) yoghurt
1 kilo (2.2 pounds) fresh strawberries, washed and hulled
1/4 tsp salt (optional)
Sweetener to taste (Rancho Gordo piloncillo, granulated sugar, or artificial sweetener)
1/2 cup chía seeds

Procedure
Cut the strawberries in half and place in a large bowl. Add the sweetener of your choice to the strawberries. Mexico Cooks! uses artificial sweetener due to dietary restrictions, but Rancho Gordo piloncillo would be far tastier. Mash the berries (I use that heavy-duty metal bean masher in the photo) until some of the juice comes up, but leave most of the berry halves whole or nearly whole.

Add the salt and the yoghurt and stir until well-mixed.

Mix thoroughly.

Add the chía seeds and mix again.

Finished!

I package the finished yoghurt in recycled 900-gram Alpura containers. This recipe yields three filled containers plus 2 cups, or approximately 3 liters of strawberry/chía yoghurt. Once the yoghurt is packaged, allow it to rest overnight so that the chía will develop its gelatinous consistency and thicken the yoghurt.

Approximate nutritional information for a one-cup serving sweetened with artificial sweetener
Calories…………….110
Protein……………..5 grams
Fats………………..6 grams
Calcium…………….120 mg
Sodium………………60 mg
Carbohydrates……….12 grams

Breakfast: approximately one cup of yoghurt, strawberries, and chía. After resting overnight, the chía has become gelatinous and gives substantial thickness to the yoghurt. Three kilos plus two cups of this mixture is enough for about two weeks worth of breakfasts.

Looking for a tailored-to-your-interests specialized tour in Mexico? Click here: Tours.

7 de May de 2011
Mexico Cooks! in Mexico City, Our New Base of Operation

Our apartment building in Mexico City's leafy, bohemian colonia Hipódromo La Condesa. This newly gentrified old neighborhood is full of hip restaurants, trees, parks, and stylish people walking stylish dogs. Mexico Cooks! fits right in–well, at least our two stylish little dogs fit right in!

Our extremely stylish Papillon, Olive, is flirting with you. Desi, the male, is equally stylish but shy.

If you've been reading Mexico Cooks! for any length of time, you know how deeply in love Mexico Cooks! has always been with the state of Michoacán and all its wonders. From my very first visit in 1982, Michoacán has been home to my soul. That love has not changed.

Nevertheless, about eight months ago, my partner and I reluctantly began talking about moving elsewhere. The current problems in Michoacán are serious, as are the problems we experienced in Morelia. Mexico Cooks! has always been primarily about the joyous beauty of Michoacán; that physical beauty hasn't changed, but life there has been deeply affected by what we all hope are the temporary difficulties of living in a city and state where narcotraficantes (drug traffickers) cause big and frequent trouble.

I have been loathe to write about these problems and have believed that surely their end is near, but our personal life in Morelia–and my professional life as Mexico Cooks!–continued to be gravely impacted by the ongoing situation there. Recurrent and very real narcoviolencia all over Michoacán made it all but impossible to take visiting tour groups out into the hinterlands to visit small-town fairs and festivals. Mexico Cooks! would never put you at risk, nor would I choose to be at risk myself. In addition, traffic problems and constant road blockages made it increasingly difficult to travel even the short distance from our Morelia home to Morelia's historic center.

Ultimately, we decided to move to Mexico City. Before, during, and since the move I have repeated, "In more than 30 years in Mexico, it never would have occurred to me that life is more secure in Mexico City than it is in the provinces. But life in Mexico has changed, and my knowledge about security has also changed."

Our new home when we first saw it in January 2011. The gray paths are heavy paper, put down as temporary protection for the newly varnished 60-year-old hardwood floors. This long room measures about 40 feet from the front door to the French doors leading to the balcony.

We spent part of December and part of January apartment-hunting in the big city–its current population estimate is something above twenty million. After searching in several neighborhoods, we narrowed our choice to La Condesa, where several of our friends already live.

In mid-January, we found what we were looking for: a large, quiet apartment in a building with an elevator, within walking distance to public transportation and at a rent we could afford. After having seen any number of apartments that were definitely not 'the one', it was love at first sight when we opened the door to this one. In mid-February, we moved. The moving company estimated that they packed and transported seven tons of our household goods, and when moving-in day arrived, the building's elevator was not working. All seven tons of furniture and moving boxes came up the stairs on the backs of the moving crew. Ay ay ay!

The same room, post-move, looking toward the French doors.

Another view, this time looking toward our front door.

The Mexico Cooks! kitchen. Long and skinny with a door on either end, the kitchen is convenient for both cooking and serving meals. The apartment measures very nearly 1900 square feet.

The Mexico Cooks! office, where I write the articles and process the photos. All of the rooms have marvelous floor-to-ceiling windows for lots of light and air. One of the fringe benefits of moving to this part of the city is ease of getting around: we parked our car in the building's garage and have not moved it since mid-February. We walk everywhere, take the Mexico City metro or the MetroBus if we're going a longer distance, and will only use the car for trips outside the city–that is, if we don't take one of Mexico's superb long-distance buses.

We're lucky to have twice-weekly tianguis (street markets) within three blocks of our apartment. Every Tuesday and Friday, we stroll over to buy fresh fruits and vegetables, meat, fish, poultry, eggs and many staples. The neighborhood supermarket is handy (and also within easy walking distance) for needs the tianguis can't meet.

Street food is everywhere around us. This stand, Tortas y sincronizadas Los Cuñados (the brothers-in-law) is on a corner less than half a block from our building. The owner opens every day except Sunday, from about 9:00 AM until early evening. The first few weeks we were here, we bought sincronizadas (think flour tortillas stuffed with ham, egg, cheese, and chiles, then grilled till the cheese oozes out the sides) or tortas (sandwiches made on a soft telera roll) for breakfast nearly every morning.

Leaving Michoacán has been very difficult for me. Don't get me wrong: I love our beautiful apartment, I love our neighborhood, and I love Mexico City. I think it's the most exciting city in this part of the world. There may come a time when my soul moves here to join my physical self, but just for now a huge part of my heart is still in residence in the mountains of Michoacán.

Art Deco era building, Avenida Amsterdam, La Condesa.

Mexico Cooks! is taking a new direction starting this week; I think you'll enjoy the places we go and the things we bring you. Stay tuned every Saturday morning: we'll be right here. Let us know what you think as you explore this incredibly vibrant, totally electric, cosmopolitan and crazy city with us.

Looking for a tailored-to-your-interests specialized tour in Mexico? Click here: Tours.

30 de April de 2011
Una Muestra de Gastronomía in Michoacán: A Food Fair in Michoacán

The Purhépecha woman in the foreground pats out tortillas while her companion sorts through a plate of golden, freshly cut flor de calabaza (squash blossoms).

The first two mornings of the huge annual artisans' crafts fair in Michoacán begin with a food fair: una muestra de gastronomía. Fifteen or so outdoor kitchens, set up around a charming plaza just a block from the crafts booths, offer cooking demonstrations and inexpensive meals of representative Purhépecha dishes. The food, rustic and rarely seen outside a Purhépecha home kitchen, is, in a word, heavenly. The Mexico Cooks! group trooped into the food fair just in time for Saturday breakfast. They could have known who we were by the way our mouths were watering with anticipation.

Corn is the basis for the indigenous Mexican kitchen, and the tortilla is the lowest common denominator. On the table in front of this woman, you can see the metate (three-legged rectangular grinding stone) and the mano (similar to a rolling pin) resting on it, along with the prepared masa from which tortillas are made. Both the metate and the mano are hand-carved from volcanic rock.

To your left of the table is the clay comal (similar to a griddle) that in this instance rests loosely on top of a metal drum in which the wood cook fire is built. Prior to use, the comal is cured with cal (builders' lime). The cal serves two purposes: it gives the comal a non-stick surface and it adds nutrients to the masa as it toasts.

In the past, all of Mexico's women prepared dried corn for masa by soaking and simmering it in a solution of water and cal. The name of the prepared corn is nixtamal. Once it's processed, it's ready to be ground into masa for tortillas, tamales, and other corn-dough preparations. Some rural women still grind nixtamal-ized corn by hand using the metate and mano. Some take the prepared corn to their neighborhood tortillería (tortilla vendor's shop) for grinding, and some prepare their masa using commercial dried corn flour. In urban areas, the majority of Mexican families buy tortillas hot off the tortilla baker at the tortillería and carry them home, wrapped in a special hand-embroidered towel, just in time for a meal.

This woman prepares her stove, made of part of a metal drum with an opening cut away for firewood. She's spreading a paste made of wood ash and cal on and around the top of the the drum to hold the comal in place. The white streaks on the red clay comal are cal. The volcanic rock metate and mano are on the bench in the background. Her well-used clay cooking pot is visible to your left.

This joyous woman is patting out blue corn tortillas. The masa and mano are on the metate in front of her. She's toasting the tortillas and roasting tomatoes and chiles on her clay comal. The comal is set into a clay stove fired by wood. The haze that you see is woodsmoke.

The Purhépecha kitchen repertoire includes numerous atápakuas (literally, a type of thick, soup-like salsa served plentifully over prepared food). The Purhépecha word atápakua has meaning deeper than its simple definition. Its connotation is food that is picante (spicy), nutritious, and life-sustaining in a spiritual sense. Mexican culinary historians agree that the preparation of atápakuas dates from as long as 400 years before the Spanish Conquest, around 1100 AD, when the Purhépecha were strong rulers in the area of Mexico that is now Michoacán.

An atápakua can be made from the ingredients that are easily found in the region. The specialty of one tiny village of the Meseta Purhépecha is atápakua del talpanal (wasp larvae). Another town's specialty is xururi atápakua, the principal ingredient of which is cotton seeds. More commonly, indigenous cooks prepare their atápakuas of seasonal and readily available vegetables, wild herbs and greens, and a bit of meat, poultry, or fish.

We of Mexico Cooks! didn't eat wasp larvae or cotton seeds. We inhaled bowls of atápakua de flor de calabaza (thick, soupy salsa served over squash flowers, fresh corn kernels, and chunks of corundas de ceniza (unfilled tamales made with masa and wood ash).

In the closeup of the atápakua you can clearly see the corn kernels (closest to the bowl of the spoon), small pieces of calabacita (similar to zucchini), orange squash flowers, and a piece of white corunda. For flavor and color, chiles serrano and cilantro are blended into the cooking liquid. The thin, soupy salsa is then thickened by blending a small ball of masa into the hot liquid. This atápakua is deliciously spicy and tastes as fresh as the garden. I finished my portion and wanted another bowl.

Here are Susan, Steve, and Gayla, all part of the Mexico Cooks! breakfast crew. We had already gobbled our atápakua (witness the empty bowls) and had moved on to snarfing down the jahuácatas we're holding. Jahuácatas are similar to gorditas. Purhépecha women prepare the jahuácatas by folding freshly patted tortillas and refried beans into multiple thin layers, then toasting the finished product on the comal.

Churipo, shown above, is one of my favorite Purhépecha specialties. Churipo is a hearty soup, the delicious broth flavored by long cooking with beef, cabbage, calabacitas, xoconostle (the sour fruit of a specific nopal cactus), onion, chile, and other ingredients. Served with a squeeze of limón (Mexican lime), a sprinkle of coarse sea salt, tortillas hot off the comal and corundas de ceniza broken up in the bowl, it's a wonderful meal in one dish. If your palate will take the heat, eat some raw chiles serrano along with your bowl of churipo. Remember that the tip of any chile is less picante than the stem end, where most of the seeds are. Photo courtesy Steve Sando, www.ranchogordo.com

Late in the afternoon, after we'd investigated as many of the crafts booths as we could, we were all in need of something very light and fresh for our comida (middday meal). We ordered a fruit plate and a plate of guacamole with totopos (triangular fried tortilla chips) at a local restaurant.

For dessert we found limones, with the pulp scraped away, candied and stuffed with cocada (coconut candy). Half of one of these is plenty!

This was such a sweet finish to a fascinating day in Michoacán. If you'd like to travel to this event in 2012, be sure to email Mexico Cooks! in time to save your place for adventure.

Looking for a tailored-to-your-interests specialized tour in Mexico? Click here: Tours.

23 de April de 2011
Tianguis Artesanal Domingo de Ramos :: Palm Sunday Artisans’ Fair, Uruapan, Michoacán

Originally published on May 9, 2009, this article takes us to the annual Tianguis Artesanal Domingo de Ramos (Palm Sunday Artisans' Fair) in Uruapan, Michoacán. The 2011 fair opens today (April 16) and runs until May 1.

Waving papel picado (cut paper) dance sticks and elegantly dressed in red velvet aprons trimmed with lace , these Purhépecha women danced their way through the opening day parade at the annual statewide Feria de Artesanías.

Mexico Cooks! has attended the Feria de Artesanía de Domingo de Ramos (Palm Sunday Artisans' Fair) in Uruapan, Michoacán, every year for nearly 15 years. The two-week-long fair is always the same and yet never boring, a remarkable combination. This largest artisans' fair in Mexico draws more than 1200 vendors and contestants for the best-of-the-best from all over the state of Michoacán. It attracts international tourism: we've heard languages from all over the globe as we walk the vendors' aisles.

Purhépecha women's festive ropa típica (native dress) includes a knife-pleated skirt, a hand-embroidered guanengo (blouse), a cross-stitch apron, and the long, rectangular blue, black, and white striped rebozo (shawl) that is typical to the region.

This woman marched while carrying an enormous huarache (shoe made of woven leather strips) representing the goods that her region of the state produces. She's also carrying a bag of souvenir key chains that she tossed to individuals in the crowd. Look closely and you'll see the tiny huarache key chains that decorate her sombrero de paja (straw hat).

Clarinets, trumpets, trombones, and a pink tuba–what a great band!

Artisans hawk thousands of traditional low-fired clay pots and pitchers. These are from Tzintzuntzan, Michoacán.

Michoacán is famous world-wide for its traditional arts and crafts. For hundreds of years, artisans in this state have produced highly decorated articles made from locally found materials: clay, wood, lacquer, textiles, copper, reedwork, and paper maché, among others.

Ollas para frijoles (clay pots for cooking beans) from Capula, Michoacán.

Molinillos (little mills) are used for whipping chocolate caliente (hot chocolate) to a thick froth.
For more about Michoacán-style, hand-made Mexican chocolate, look here: chocolate Joaquinita.

These blue jarras y platones (pitchers and platters) with their finely painted, intricate white designs come from one family workshop in Capula. Mexico Cooks! does not…DOES NOT…have room in the house for more pottery. Well, maybe just one more piece! These glorious jarras were all but impossible to resist.

Clay sculptures from Ocumicho, Michoacán, are full of whimsy and bright colors. Among all of these guaris (Purhépecha word for women), did you notice Our Lady of Guadalupe, in the upper right corner?

Hand-embroidered traditional cotton guanengos (blouses) are so important and finely made that they have their own concurso (competition) at the Feria de Artesanía (Artisans' Fair).

2012 will be the 53nd anniversary of the Artisans' Fair in Uruapan. Come see it with us!

Looking for a tailored-to-your-interests specialized tour in Mexico? Click here: Tours.

16 de April de 2011
Indigenous Market in San Cristóbal de las Casas, Chiapas

Here's another re-run from February, 2008. Mexico Cooks! had been visiting friends in Chiapas, one of Mexico's southernmost states, and had just returned home with wonderful photographs of indigenous artesanía (arts and crafts work). Enjoy!

Hand made woolen animal toys at the San Cristóbal de las Casas, Chiapas, artisans' market.

Mexico Cooks! is home again in Morelia, Michoacán. We have just enough oomph left to give you a photo essay from San Cristóbal de las Casas. You'll have a brief but very colorful idea of what we saw during our stay with friends in Chiapas. By next week we will have had enough respite from our vacation to write about local customs, incredible crafts, and, of course, the food.

Every day of the week, indigenous artesanía (crafts) makers and vendors gather to wait for the tourist trade in the plaza of Templo Santo Domingo in San Cristóbal de las Casas. Embroidery and other textiles, leather goods, beads, toys, and trinkets of every kind are on the sellers' tables. Mexico Cooks! was particularly taken with how many of the artisans' goods march along in patterns of vertical and horizontal stripes. Be sure to click on the individual photographs to appreciate the details.

Come look:

Bright yellow-dyed corn and colored beans strung as necklaces.

Hamacas (hammocks) made of handmade string, lined up along a wall.

A stack of finely woven shawls.

Bolts of shiny tela de hule (oilcloth), the top roll featuring Day of the Dead figures.

Woven textile belts finished with leather.

Hand-embroidered zippered eyeglass holders.

Hand-woven bracelets.

Headbands, headbands, headbands!

We're now based in Mexico City, in one of the loveliest old colonias (neighborhoods) in this enormous capital. In a week or so we'll be writing new reports from here–wait till you see what's cooking for Mexico Cooks!.

Looking for a tailored-to-your-interests specialized tour in Mexico? Click here: Tours.

9 de April de 2011
Epiphyllum Crenatum, Pride of the Mexico Cooks! Home Garden, Spring 2011

This article was originally published on April 17, 2010. In February, our just-barely-in-bud epiphyllum moved with us to Mexico City, courtesy of our dear friend Tony Anaya, who carried her pot in his car and kept her in his apartment for a few weeks until we got here. The first of the 2011 blooms opened fully on March 26, 2010. It is thrilling beyond words to watch her develop.

Meet our epiphyllum crenatum, the crenate orchid cactus native to Mexico. Crenate refers to the scalloped shape of the cactus's long, thick leaves. The open flower measures approximately seven to eight inches in diameter.

Sometime during the very early spring of 2009, Mexico Cooks! and several friends took a Sunday drive to Pátzcuaro and beyond. On the return trip, we passed through Tzintzuntzan. As we drove slowly past the market square in town, I suddenly screeched the car to the curb–a display of plants, for sale on the corner, had grabbed my attention. Among her other plants, the vendor's big epiphyllum cactus, potted in a La Morena chile can, made my heart go pitter-patter. Eighty pesos later, we loaded the big cactus into the back of the car and headed home to Morelia.

This tiny can of La Morena chiles chilpotles* adobados is a wee cousin of the six pound chile can that originally held the epiphyllum. La Morena produces canned chiles jalapeños en escabeche (pickled) as well as chiles chilpotles* in adobo. The canned chiles are excellent, the best we've tried.

*Chilpotle is a variant spelling of chipotle.

This group of buds is still relatively closed, although the bud on the right is beginning to show signs of opening. The cactus, growing in a pot on Mexico Cooks!' sunny terrace, has more than 30 buds.

This species was shown at an exhibition at the London Horticultural Society's Garden in 1844 and won highest medal for a new introduction. It had been collected in Honduras 5 years earlier by Georges Ule Skinner, who sent the plant to Sir Charles Lemon. Sir Charles brought the epiphyllum to flower for the first time in 1843.

Barely opened on Saturday evening, this bud opened fully by Sunday morning. Temperatures in Morelia have ranged between 50°and 85° Fahrenheit during this week (April 10-17, 2010).

The thick, fleshy leaves of this cactus can grow as much as two feet high. The leaf skin is smooth and green and the leaves have definite scallops, visible in the photographs.

The fully-opened flower lasts approximately 36 hours before the petals close and the flower droops. Mexico Cooks! expects that the season for this year's buds and flowers will be finished in about two weeks.

Epiphyllum crenatum is easy to cultivate and highly rewarding. After a few months in its new pot, our cactus began to grow new leaves. Late in the winter, we were thrilled to see that buds were beginning to form. According to horticulturalists, the plant will need to be re-potted after it flowers in 2011.

Close-up of the petals, pistils, and stamens. Epiphyllum crenatum belongs to the plant division Magnoliophyta, which has this type reproductive organs.

Epiphyllum crenatum in her pot on the terrace. We and our employees water the epiphyllum three or four times a week during the dry season. During the rainy season (mid-May through early November), Mother Nature keeps the pot plentifully watered.

Looking for a tailored-to-your-interests specialized tour in Mexico? Click here: Tours.

2 de April de 2011
Detallitos (Little Details) Around Mexico

The feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, 2007, Morelia, Michoacán.

Before the wedding guests arrived, Jalisco 2004.

A window frame in Pátzcuaro.

A picture frame in Zacatecas.

Our Lady of Guadalupe embroidered on the back of a shirt.

Archway in San Cristóbal de las Casas.

La Puerta, Ajijic, Jalisco, 2004.

Gold-leaf flowers in the Santuario de Guadalupe in Morelia.

Stairway in La Casa de los Once Patios, Pátzcuaro.

Mexico Cooks! has moved to Mexico City. In just a couple of weeks, we'll be writing from Mexico's exciting capital, one of the largest cities in the world. Meantime, enjoy these reportajes recalentados (warmed over reports) from days gone by. This one dates to February 2008.

Looking for a tailored-to-your-interests specialized tour in Mexico? Click here: Tours.

26 de March de 2011
Mexico, Where It’s Strawberry Season All Year

Piled high in every town's market, locally grown strawberries sell all year 'round in parts of Michoacán, Guanajuato, and Jalisco. Mexico Cooks! photographed these at a daily market in Pátzcuaro, Michoacán.

Right about now, bounty from South of the Border is available on your supermarket shelves. Fresh red strawberries, grown from Zamora, Michoacán to Irapuato, Guanajuato, will give you the sweet taste of Mexico's sun and warmth. Fresh raspberries grow near the shores of Lake Chapala, while big-as-the-end-of-your-thumb, sweet, delicious blackberries grow locally in Mexico Cooks!' region of Michoacán.

When you go to your local super market, take a closer look at those clear plastic containers (known in the trade as clamshells) full of red raspberries, strawberries, and blackberries. In the small print on the Driscoll label it says "Product of Mexico". When I still lived in the States, I read that label and imagined a gleaming white-tile packing factory. In my mind's eye, I saw employees in starched laboratory jackets, nurse-like white caps and latex gloves, packing strawberries as the jewel-red fruit came flying down an assembly line. It was a fantasy worthy of Lucy and Ethel at the chocolate factory in that famous episode of I Love Lucy.

The first time I visited a nearby raspberry "packing factory" , I had to laugh at my own earlier ideas. This packing operation was perfectly Mexican. Several clean-cut young men with bandannas wrapped around their heads roamed up and down the rows between lush raspberry canes. They hand-picked only the reddest, ripest raspberries and gently placed them into small plastic buckets, the kind five-year-olds use at the beach.

Two young women dressed in blue jeans and caps stood at a long folding table (the kind you'd find at a swap meet) and packed those perfectly ripe raspberries into flat after flat of Driscoll clamshells. They packed the plastic boxes into case after case for shipping and then rapidly started packing more.

Within 24 hours of picking, those berries are in the United States, either in Miami or Los Angeles. A day later, they are shipped out to stores across the United States. In addition, red raspberries from the shores of Lake Chapala are shipped not only to the United States but also to Canada, to England, to all parts of Europe, and to Japan.

The half pint boxes sell for about $4.99 the box in grocery stores north of the Mexican border.

Remember that raspberries are the most delicate fruits in the vast berry family. Treat them with the softest touch, just like handling like a newborn baby. Wash them gently (never allowing them to soak) just before you serve them.

I often prepare this wonderful recipe for guests. Not one single forkful is ever left over.

Raspberry Rosemary Sauce on Pork Medallions
1 medium or large orange
2 teaspoons vegetable oil
1/3 cup finely chopped onion or shallots
1/3 cup finely chopped carrot (1 small carrot)
1 large clove garlic, minced
1 1/4 teaspoons dried rosemary leaves, crushed
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme leaves, crushed
1 small bay leaf
1 package (6 ounces) red raspberries, divided
1/2 cup white wine
1 1/4 cups chicken broth
4 boneless center-cut pork chops
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1/4 cup flour
Shredded green scallion tops for garnish

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Sauce:
Using a vegetable peeler or zester, cut eight to ten thin strips from only the outer orange portion of orange peel and reserve. Squeeze the juice from the orange, reserving 1/4 cup juice.

Heat the two teaspoons oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add onion, carrot, garlic, orange peel and herbs. Cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are lightly brown and wilted, about five minutes. Add 1/4 cup of the raspberries, the reserved 1/4 cup orange juice and the white wine.

Increase heat to high and bring mixture to a boil. Boil, stirring occasionally, until mixture is reduced to about two tablespoons (about eight to ten minutes). Add chicken broth. Bring mixture to a boil again. Reduce heat and simmer for five minutes. Turn off heat and set sauce aside.

Note: Sauce can be prepared ahead of time to this stage. Cover and refrigerate until ready to finish.

Pork Medallions:
Pat pork dry with paper towels. In a large, oven-proof skillet, heat the 1 tablespoon oil over high heat. While oil is heating, dust the pork evenly on both sides with flour, patting off any excess. When the oil is very hot, add pork medallions and cook until well-browned on the first side, about three minutes. Turn the medallions over, place the skillet in the preheated oven and cook until pork is just cooked through, this will be quick, only about six to seven minutes.

Remove medallions to heatproof platter or serving plate, cover loosely with aluminum foil and keep warm while finishing sauce.

Strain the sauce back into the same skillet in which the pork was cooked, pressing the solids through the strainer with the back of a spoon. Add any juices that may have collected on the serving platter. Over high heat, bring the mixture in the skillet to a boil. Continue to boil, stirring occasionally, until lightly thickened, about six to eight minutes. Taste and season with salt and pepper, if desired.

Spoon a tablespoon of the sauce in the center of each of the four warmed dinner plates. Place each pork medallion on top of the sauce. Top with one tablespoon sauce, about two tablespoons raspberries and a few strips of diagonally shredded green onion tops. Serve at once.

Makes four servings.

In case any of you might have health concerns about Mexican-grown produce, here's what the Driscoll people themselves say about the safety of their raspberries and strawberries:

"Driscoll's farmers have been leaders in the practice of Integrated Pest Management (IPM) which relies on a balanced method of natural and inorganic means to reduce disease and control pests in the field. To insure that Driscoll's fruit is the safest possible, Driscoll's employs a company which conducts third-party independent residue testing of fruit in every Driscoll cooler and facility every week."

These fields in the state of Jalisco are Mexican owned and leased to Driscoll solely for growing raspberries and strawberries. The raspberry crop is rotated annually and the packing operation is moved each year to the fields most convenient to the highway.

Far-flung fields of Driscoll's other delicious crop—strawberries–are in Zamora, Michoacán and Irapuato, Guanajuato (which calls itself the Strawberry Capital of the World). Red jewels lie close to the ground, nestled in dark green leaves. The strawberries are ripe and luscious this time of year, ready to be hand picked, packed, chilled, and shipped to all parts of the world. You'll find them, packaged in clear plastic one-pound boxes so you can see exactly what you're choosing, in the produce section of your favorite hometown supermarket. North of the border, the boxes sell for about $2.50 US in season. Here in Mexico, we're paying closer to the peso equivalent of $2.00 US per kilo (2.2 pounds).

Strawberry stands dot the roads leading into and out of Irapuato, Guanajuato. The stands offer tall wicker baskets filled with sweet, delicious fresh berries as well as frozen strawberries with cream, just ready to dig in.

These are not those huge strawberries grown more for looks than for flavor. Is there anything more disappointing than biting into a beautiful berry and finding it white in the middle, dry, hard and tasteless? These berries are mid-size and grown for their sweet taste—the best possible flavor—as well as beauty. Ripened more fully prior to picking than those grown elsewhere, these local strawberries are simply perfect.

Always refrigerate berries immediately—move them from the shopping bag to the refrigerator. Temperatures between 34 and 38 degrees F are best, but be sure not to freeze them! Fresh berries are very sensitive to freeze damage. Remember this general rule: for every hour your berries are away from refrigeration, you'll lose a whole day's shelf life.

Do not wash your berries until you are ready to prepare and eat them. Moisture will hasten decay of these fragile berries, so keep them dry as well as cold until the last moment.

Shelf life varies between berries; however, under ideal conditions, strawberries should keep for about two to five days in your refrigerator and raspberries should keep for between one and three days. For best results, consume your berries as soon after purchase as possible.

Are you drooling yet? Let's look at more wonderful recipes for raspberry and strawberry treats.

White Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake
For the ultimate in red raspberry decadence, try this cheesecake.

18 vanilla wafer cookies
1 cup macadamia nuts, toasted
4 1/2 tablespoons butter, melted
4 ounces white chocolate, chopped
16 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
2/3 cup sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoons lemon juice
2 large eggs
3/4 cup fresh raspberries
8 ounces sour cream
3 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Crust:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Finely grind cookies and macadamias in food processor. Add butter and blend until mixture forms very moist crumbs. Press crumbs firmly onto bottom and part of sides of an eight inch spring-form pan. Bake until golden (10 minutes).

Filling:
Melt white chocolate in microwave, (about 1 1/2 minutes), stopping every 30 seconds to stir and to make sure it doesn't burn. Set aside. In a large bowl, use your electric mixer to beat cream cheese, sugar, vanilla extract, and lemon juice until smooth. Add eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition, just until combined. Beat in white chocolate.

Spoon half the batter into the crust. Top with berries. Top with remaining batter. Bake for about 45 minutes or until cake is set around the edges, but center jiggles slightly.

Let cool for about 20 minutes before adding the topping.

Topping:
In a medium bowl, whisk sour cream, sugar, and vanilla. Spoon over cake, spreading the topping to the edge of the pan. Bake five minutes. Allow cake to cool and then refrigerate overnight. Serve plain or garnish with more berries.

Here are a few tips for handling red raspberries, whether you buy them at a strawberry farm or in your North of the Border supermarket.

If you want to freeze red raspberries, spread them out in a single layer on a cookie sheet with sides and place the uncovered cookie sheet in the freezer. After the raspberries are well frozen, shake them gently into a zip-lock bag and immediately put them back in the freezer. Your raspberries, whole and beautiful, will be ready for immediate use when you need them.

Try the following recipe when you want to serve an unusual fruit treat for a Sunday party brunch. Your guests will love the refreshing berries in a very unusual dressing.

Ginger Strawberries Estilo Mexico Cooks!
This recipe is served cold with a hint of spicy ginger tang and always makes a hit at brunch.

2 pounds fresh ripe strawberries
1 orange
2 tablespoons pickled ginger, drained
1 cup unflavored yogurt
2 tablespoons orange marmalade
2 tablespoons sugar or 2 packets artificial sweetener
1/4 teaspoon salt

Remove green caps from strawberries and wash gently. Pat dry in a large terry cloth towel. Cut the strawberries in half and place in a large mixing bowl.

With a vegetable peeler or zester, cut thin strips of orange peel (orange part only). Cut the orange peel strips into tiny matchstick-size strips, no longer than 1" and no wider than 1/16".

Cut the pickled ginger to the same size as the orange strips. Mix the ginger and the orange strips together.

Add the ginger and orange strips mixture, orange marmalade, sugar (or artificial sweetener) and salt to the yogurt. Stir until well-mixed.

Pour yogurt mixture over strawberries and stir gently to coat all the strawberries.

Refrigerate until well chilled. Serve.

Bringing fresh, ripe strawberries home from the field (or from the tianguis) is tricky. It's a good practice to take a wicker basket or plastic container with you to put your strawberries in for their trip home; like raspberries, they are easily smashed and deteriorate quickly under their own weight in a plastic bag.

If you buy either raspberries or strawberries in plastic clamshells, save a clamshell or two for times when you might go to a pick-your-own farm to protect the berries on the trip home. Bring your strawberries home in the clamshells. You'll be glad you did, when you realize your freshly picked berries will arrive home in perfect condition.

Here are some interesting statistics about strawberries: Canada imports all of its fresh strawberries from either the United States or from Mexico. The United States is the major importer of Mexican fresh strawberries. Under NAFTA (the North American Free Trade Agreement), duty is no longer charged on strawberry exports to either the USA or Canada.

Last, but certainly not least, let's toast our local strawberries with a refreshing and beautiful strawberry margarita.

Strawberry Margaritas
The jewel of the season: try Mexico Cooks!' fresh strawberry margarita recipe!

For two:
10 to 12 ripe strawberries
2 cups ice
2/3 cup prepared margarita mixer
1 tablespoon orange juice concentrate, thawed
2 teaspoons fresh key lime juice
Whole strawberries (for garnish)

Put strawberries in a blender with the ice, margarita mixer, orange juice concentrate and lime juice. Blend until smooth and slushy. Pour into two glasses and garnish with whole strawberries, if desired.

Buen provecho!

Looking for a tailored-to-your-interests specialized tour in Mexico? Click here: Tours.

19 de March de 2011
Images of Women in Mexico

A late-19th Century image of Our Lady of Guadalupe, the Queen of Mexico and Empress of the Americas.

Collage by Rodolfo Morales, 20th Century Oaxacan artist.

Tortillando y comadreando (making tortillas and gossiping), Morelia, December 2007.

Sayaca (transvestite clown), Carnaval, Jalisco 2004.

Native dance costume, Chiapas 2003.

Berta Alicia Alejo, Michoacán 2007.

Lila Downs, Mexican-American singer, Guadalajara, November 2005.

Two young Purhépecha women, Paracho, Michoacán September 2010.

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12 de March de 2011
Parque Nacional La Marquesa, Estado de México: Road Food in the National Park

Cabaña Carmelita, La Marquesa, Estado de México (the State of México, or Edomex).

When you think of national parks, what comes first to your mind? Smokey the Bear? That cute forest ranger in khaki shorts who showed you how to pitch your tent? Hungry campers 'round the fire, waiting for hotdogs? Next time you think "national park", think La Marquesa in the State of Mexico (affectionately known as Edomex). And forget about forest rangers, tents, bears, and hotdogs. Instead, think about homey fonda-style restaurants lining both sides of the highway.

Watch for the sign on the south side of the cuota–you'll love the place.

For 30 years, Mexico Cooks! has bused to and from Mexico City, first on the old two-lane highways and then on the super-duper toll highway called the autopista. Either way, the road meanders between the city of Toluca and the Distrito Federal, passing through Parque Nacional Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla. The park is affectionately known as La Marquesa, and its natural wonders are an enormous tourist attraction.

Guisado de chicharrón prensado (a stew-like dish made of the compressed crunchy bits left after frying pork skins), ready to be served at Cabaña Carmelita. It was truly hard to choose among all of the wonderful offerings. We wanted one of everything.

Mountains, waterfalls, and green pine forests are one thing: what called my attention every single time the bus passed through the park were the colorful restaurants framing two sides of the roadway. But sadly enough, the bus hurtling along never stopped for food. Think thirty years of unsatisfied craving!

Crocheted lace doilies and hand-decorated clay dishes are just waiting for your arrival.

About a year ago, it suddenly occurred to me that I was familiar enough with getting around in Mexico City that I could drive to and–oh, the daring thought!–in this city of nearly 25,000,000 people. And if I played my cards right, I could time the trip to arrive at La Marquesa just in time for comida, Mexico's main meal of the day. My beloved compañera, our two little dogs, and I left Morelia at eleven o'clock in the morning with happy plans for our lunch break at one of the La Marquesa fondas.

On the left, a guisado of huitlacoche (corn fungus). On the right, hongos silvestres (wild mushrooms).

But which one! The little restaurants line up one after another like tempting booths at a state fair, colorful and filled with promise. Look, this one advertises rabbit! And that one has delicate escamoles (ant eggs)! And then we noticed La Cabaña Carmelita, with pambazos (iconic Mexico City-style sandwiches) blazened prominently on its placards. The thought of pambazos enticed us in, but even though we found out that there were no pambazos that day, the rest of the menu made us stay.

Sopa de hongos (mushroom soup), served with a piece of crunchy chicharrón and a lime to squeeze into the broth. Steaming hot, loaded with big pieces and strips of setas (a kind of mushroom), and deliciously spicy, this mushroom soup is a far cry from Campbell's.

A quesadilla con pollo (quesadilla with shredded chicken). The serving was enormous: it consisted of a huge blue corn tortilla covered with shredded chicken, melted soft cheese, shredded hard cheese, and a salsa picante, plus a salad of sliced ripe tomatoes and cucumbers.

A tlacoyo con frijolitos y queso (an oval tortilla, in this case made of blue corn, stuffed to bursting with refried beans and cheese), accompanied by a big clay mug of café de olla (cinnamon-spiced coffee).

These two women took our orders and cooked and served our delicious food.

By the time you read this, we will have driven once again through La Marquesa. Will we stop for comida? Look at that face–is there any doubt in your mind?

Looking for a tailored-to-your-interests specialized tour in Mexico? Click here: Tours.

5 de March de 2011