If any of us have told you to consume more foods that are high on the ORAC index (high in antioxidants), know that culinary herbs and spices are among the highest. Even more than regular vegetables and fruits. So I decided to geek out and put all of the indexed culinary herbs on a spreadsheet to graph out for you. Keep in mind that all fresh herbs are good but note which ones are the highest. I personally like to get my fresh organic herbs from the farmers markets. One of my favorite farms that I don’t get to often because they are only at the Santa Monica market here in LA is Coleman Family Farms. Brandon and I visited their farm years ago and their herbs truly have a lot of… “Qi.” But there are a few stands at the Hollywood market that has excellent herbs as well. Even better would be if you grow them yourself! I always put a ton of fresh herbs in my salads either mixed in with the lettuce or incorporated into a dressing (perhaps a non-dairy green goddess?). I also like to make pesto and pistou with an assortment of fresh herbs. I don’t recommend cooking fresh herbs too much as that will inactivate some of the antioxidant activity. 
 

If you’re of Asian heritage, you must have tried bitter melon. If we’ve told you that you have excessive heat in the body, you should try this. And if you have any problems with high blood sugar then you should know about this vegetable, if you don’t know already. This is one of my favorite vegetables to buy a few of when it’s in season at the farmers market. It’s definitely an acquired taste and it’s called bitter melon for a reason. My Mom likes to prepare it with black bean sauce and ground beef or pork but I have no desire to eat any MSG so I saute it with eggs.
 
2 bitter melons
4 free range eggs
Sesame oil
White pepper
Sea salt
 
Cut in half lengthwise, as the picture below shows. Not all bitter melons have this beautiful orange color in the middle. Carve out the seeds. I’m sure the seeds have some medicinal value but until I figure it out, discard them. Thinly slice. Saute on low-medium heat with the oil of your choice and a little bit of water, enough to steam the bitter melon. Add some sea salt to the melon and cover. Cook until you can easily stick a fork through it. Whisk a few eggs in a separate bowl and pour in the middle of the pan. Turn off the heat and toss the mixture around. The eggs won’t exactly look scrambled but it will look like of chunky. Add sesame oil and additional sea salt to taste.
 
I apologize in advance if you think this is a nasty recipe but I think it’s delicious!

Whole Paycheck/Foods has really gone over the top. The new Whole Paycheck/Foods Market just opened today on the Arroyo Parkway in Pasadena, just a few minutes North of our office off the 110 freeway. Brandon and I went today after work and this place really takes the cake. I heard someone say that it is the largest Whole Foods in the country and I’m not surprised. It’s truly a dizzying 76,770 square foot spectacle with underground parking, 2 levels of shopping and a few features I’ve never seen at any other Whole Foods including a roasted nut bar, chutney counter, wine and tapas bar with a lounge, custom flavored butter counter, croissant bar, an incredibly organized cheese section with more goat and sheep cheeses than I’ve seen at other locations, a chocolate bar, etc.
 
I must admit that I’m becoming less and less upset with Whole Foods. They’re really making a concerted effort to meet the demands of their consumers. There’s a lot more 100% grass-fed beef and local produce than I’ve noticed before. Although we’re still going to go to the Hollywood farmers market every week, it’s nice to have this local option within walking distance from where we live. This location is also very convenient to the Gold Line.
 
So for all of you patients who ask where to eat lunch in the area, where you can buy spelt bread and other specialty items that you can’t find anywhere else, here’s your answer!

Brandon and I have a farmers market ritual. We haul our asses out of bed at 8 am on Sunday morning, no matter how late we’ve stayed up the night before. Then we drive to the Hollywood farmers market at Selma and Ivar (between Amoeba Music/the Arclight and the Pantages Theater) to get our weekly produce for food and juicing. Note: If it’s crowded or it’s the summer, park at the Arclight and bring your ticket to the market manager for validation. $3 is much better than frustration finding street parking or an unfathomably hot car. It’s funny because if we somehow miss the farmers market, then I am completely uninspired to cook that week. Anyway, I have been asked multiple times about who I get my produce from at the market since I regularly interrogate the farmers about their farming practices. So here is my partial list… I’m still in summer mode so I can’t remember everything but I’ll add to this as the seasons change. Everyone’s organic or sustainable (or close enough to it) on my list.
 

1. Burkart Farm - Amazing seasonal fruit. In the summer, great red flame grapes and autumn royale grapes, peaches, French plums, nectarines, blackberries. In the fall, my life revolves around Fuyu persimmons.
2. Tutti Frutti Farm - They’re my go-to farm for my juicing veggies like fennel and purple carrots. They have the best heirloom tomatoes in the whole market during the summer.
3. Lily’s Eggs - We love their fertile eggs. These chickens get to run around the fields, have fun with roosters, eat bugs and grubs. In my opinion, these taste amazing in comparison to other organic eggs that you might find at Whole Paycheck Market or Trader Joe’s. I also get freshly killed organic chicken here but only if you arrive relatively early. Tomas sells out around 10 or 10:30 am and if I don’t arrive in time, I don’t make chicken that whole week. These chickens are so tasty and you don’t have to do anything to them to make them taste good. On Wednesdays he sells fresh duck.
4. Healthy Family Farms - Get your heritage turkey for Thanksgiving here. Rather than getting a free turkey at Vons for spending $100, you actually have to pay for this one and it’s comparable in price to the better turkeys at WFM. They also have excellent pastured eggs here that are actually looking better than Lily’s Eggs these days.
5. Weiser Farm - When it’s in season, grab as much Bloomsdale spinach as you can! This is the best spinach in the world. It’s thick, juicy and sweet. Definitely not your ordinary crappy bagged Trader Joe’s spinach. Crosnes are really interesting. They remind me of Jerusalem artichokes but look like tiny long shells that you find at the beach. Sauteed with some garlic and butter, these are super. Speaking of Jerusalem artichokes, Weiser has these as well and they are delicious when roasted. In the winter they have amazing cauliflower varieties like the romanesca as well as bright purple cauliflower heads. The purple cauliflower makes a visually stunning pureed soup. They also have a variety of heirloom carrots in a rainbow of colors and I especially like the flavor of their purple Nante carrots when juiced.
6. McGrath Farm - During certain times of the year, their strawberries are almost crack-laden. I have actually eaten an entire flat by myself in a few days. They are so fragrant and sweet. McGrath also has fantastic purple carrots, heirloom varieties of beets, shell beans, rapini and wild arugula.
7. Ha’s Apples - In the fall, they have several varieties of apples and I love the Gravenstein’s and Arkansas Black. They also make simple apple turnovers that are made without sugar! They’re really good. The only problem I have with them is that their pears are NOT organic. DARNIT!
8. Flora Bella Farm - James Birch is such a nice, friendly farmer who loves acupuncture. He has the best arugula ever but only if you like really bitter arugula. I buy his purple radishes, stinging nettles, collard greens and yellow plums. The fresh garbanzo beans are very intimidating but I’m sure I’ll buy them at some point in time.
9. The mushroom guys - This stand is not on the main strip where all of the produce is but it’s on the intersecting street where all of the prepared food stands are. When chanterelle mushrooms are in season, it’s the only time of the year I make rice in the form of risotto.
10. Rocky Canyon farm - They boast the “farmer to you beef” and “farmer to you pork” signs. I’ve never tried their pork but they have many different cuts of grassfed beef to choose from. I’ve made a mean standing rib roast and home cured corned beef with their product.

 
If anyone has anything to add, let me know. This is my one stop shop. I don’t have to go to any other supermarket if I come here once a week.