B
Tuesday, March 2, 2021
The Observer & Baker City Herald
NUTRITION:
IT’S ALL GOOD
ANN BLOOM
Gardening
is good for
you in so
many ways
Although the snow, frozen ground
and ice tell a different story, spring
and warmer weather are just weeks
away and with the change in weather
come thoughts of gardens, warm soil
and fresh vegetables. Seed catalogs are
already fl ooding mailboxes and garden-
ers of all types — from beginning to the
very experienced — are beginning to
plan their 2021 garden.
Gardening has many benefi ts, health
and otherwise. Gardening is a way
to get some of the recommended 60
minutes of physical activity per day
for adults and youth. Raking, weeding
and hauling hoses gets the heart’s rate
up. Working outside is relaxing and
can help with depression and aids with
sleep.
A garden is also a source of fresh
produce during the summer months
and beyond. Produce can be preserved
through freezing, drying or canning.
Some vegetables that lend themselves
well to freezing are green beans, broc-
coli and corn. Many vegetables can also
be dried for use in soups in the fall and
winter. Herbs also dry well (and quick-
ly) using a food dehydrator or just left
on the counter. Fruits dry well and can
be made into fruit leathers for healthy
snacks. Tomatoes and other vegetables
are also able to be preserved through
canning using either a water bath can-
ning method or a pressure canner.
See Healthy/Page 2B
BETWEEN
THE ROWS
WENDY SCHMIDT
The tropics
in your own
living room
Palm trees can generally be of two
types: fan palms and feather palms. That
classifi cation is made due to the form of
their leaves. It seems odd to be writing
about tropical and semi-tropical plants in
the middle of a whiteout or blizzard, but
you may have a palm tree as a house-
plant. Palms give your home a rather
tropical feeling
Big date palms are Phoenix dacty-
lifera. They’re common in Indio, Cali-
fornia — you don’t have to travel to the
Middle East to purchase dates fresh from
the tree, but you have to go south a ways
to at least semi-tropical climates.
Some palm trees can live in temperate
climates. You will possibly see a palm
tree as landscape or street tree in Seattle
or Portland, for instance. They’ll toler-
ate short duration frosts, but if freezing
occurs in the crown it may kill the whole
tree.
Potted palms make good houseplants.
They won’t tolerate extremely dark areas
of the house, but they’re slow-growing
and so may not outgrow pot or space for
many years. They grow more slowly in
pots, but if you need to repot them use
a pot only a little larger than the one
they’ve been growing in.
Palms mix well with other plants such
as broadleaf evergreens. Use good potting
soil and a pot with good drainage. Water
adequately. Palms are useful near a pool
as they don’t shed leaves. They’re good
understory trees. Fertilize potted palms
regularly. Groom them by removing the
lower dead leaves to make them more
attractive.
See Palms/Page 2B
C ABBAGE C RAVINGS
JeanMarie Brownson
Chicago Tribune
Even this deep into winter, I still crave the
fl avors coaxed from winter vegetables. Root
vegetables, such as turnips and parsnips, easily
transform into roasted sides, soups and mashes.
Potatoes offer exquisite comfort in any form.
Cabbage, one of the world’s most versatile
vegetables, single-handedly eliminates boredom
in the kitchen and at the table.
A recent trip to a large supermarket revealed
more than a half-dozen types of cabbage —
from simple tight green heads to burgundy
wine-colored orbs, to curly edged savoy to the
oblong head of pale napa cabbage. To say noth-
ing of its family members including Brussels
sprouts, collards, kale, turnips, radishes, broccoli
and caulifl ower. The cruciferous family also
includes such wonders as arugula, bok choy and
watercress.
When I plopped down an overfl owing shop-
ping bag, my husband fl inched. He questioned
the number of heads lined up on the counter
and my ability to make something a non-
cabbage-lover would enjoy. As well as pleasant
aromas to fi ll a house we rarely leave. Chal-
lenge accepted.
Where to start? A skillet full of shredded
green cabbage sauteed with bacon and onions
always reminds me of a ski trip with a chef
friend; her dish is now a family standard. My
paternal grandmother’s red cabbage, cooked
with chopped apple, sugar, vinegar and raisins,
makes me sentimental for large family gather-
ings. Ditto for her labor-intensive cabbage stru-
del. Mushroom and sauerkraut pierogi, made
by our baby sitter, proved a hit with our kids
when they were young.
This winter, I’m looking for big, bold fl avors
to perk up spirits. A cabbage and red chile
stir-fry I enjoy often during business lunches
at a Szechwan restaurant in Houston comes to
mind. Tongue-tingling Szechwan peppercorns
and lots of hot chile oil fl ow over very crunchy
cabbage leaves.
At home, I re-create the dish with the lacy-
edged savoy cabbage and the Chinese condiment
known as spicy chile crunch (or spicy chile crisp). I
serve the spicy cabbage as a side to roast chicken
and as a meatless main over steaming hot jas-
mine rice topped with plenty of roasted peanuts.
Our friends from Mielec, Poland, introduced
us to bigos, a hearty, tangy, satisfying dish suited
for cold winter nights. Some version of this pork
and cabbage stew is enjoyed throughout Poland,
where it is considered the national dish.
Dried mushrooms and tomato paste (or, often,
dried plums) add to the dish’s umami flavor. That
is the taste sensation that keeps us coming back
for more — kind of like a cheesy snack cracker.
It’s one reason I love the dish — that and the
sauerkraut. Yes, sauerkraut.
Set judgment aside. The long, slow cooking
and the juices from browned pork, render the
Abel Uribe/Chicago Tribune-TNS
Pork simmers in a Dutch oven or slow cooker with cabbage and sauerkraut. Kielbasa
is added near the end of cooking.
kraut and the fresh cabbage, into melted good-
ness.
Take time to source sauerkraut naturally
fermented simply with salt — not vinegar and
certainly not laced with preservatives. There
are plenty of choices these days due to sauer-
kraut’s popularity with raw and probiotic fans,
including Farmhouse Culture, Cleveland Kraut
and Cultured Love. Trader Joe’s has a refriger-
ated sauerkraut with sliced pickles in it that is
delicious in the recipe that follows.
At home, give the sauerkraut a taste and
rinse it under cold running water if it is too
salty or tangy for you. Seasoned sauerkraut,
purchased from a delicatessen counter, works
well in the stew.
My rendition of the classic Polish stew varies
depending on what’s on hand — sometimes I
skip the sauerkraut and use all fresh cabbage.
Just as often, I substitute smoked chicken for
the smoked pork.
Cabbage is low in calories and has high nu-
tritional value, including vitamin C and K and
glutamine (an amino acid with anti-infl amma-
tory properties). It’s also versatile enough to
prevent kitchen boredom for the cook as well as
for her eaters — even the doubting husband.
sambal oelek and Moroccan harissa sauces
work well here, too. Just know your penchant
for heat and add the sauce judiciously to start.
1 small head (about 2 pounds) savoy or
green cabbage or napa cabbage
1/4 cup spicy chile crisp or Chinese black bean
garlic sauce or sambal olek or harissa
1 tablespoon each: soy sauce,
unseasoned rice vinegar
1 teaspoon dark sesame oil
4 large cloves garlic, crushed
2 tablespoons vegetable oil for high
heat cooking (not olive oil)
Chopped fresh cilantro
1/2 cup chopped roasted salted
peanuts, optional
Cooked jasmine rice, optional
1. Cut cabbage in half and remove core.
Cut into quarters. Cut each quarter into large
chunks. You will have about 8 generous cups.
Mix chile crisp, soy sauce, vinegar, sesame oil
and garlic in a small dish.
2. Heat a very large deep, nonstick skillet
(or use 2 smaller skillets) over medium until a
drop of water sizzles on contact. Add vegetable
oil and cabbage. Using a splatter guard, cook,
stirring often, until cabbage is bright green and
crisp-tender, 6 to 8 minutes. (Napa cabbage will
cook the fastest; green cabbage will take the
Prep: 10 minutes
longest. Taste a piece to determine the texture
Cook: 10 minutes
you’ll enjoy.)
Makes: 4 servings
3. Stir in chile crisp mixture. Cook and stir to
coat the cabbage well, about 1 minute. Transfer
I like the Lao Gan Ma brand of spicy chile
to a large serving platter. Sprinkle with cilantro
crisp imported from China; Trader Joe’s version and peanuts, if using. Serve with rice, if you like.
CABBAGE AND CHILE CRISP
STIR-FRY
tastes good and does not contain preservatives.
Chinese black bean garlic sauce, Indonesian
See Cabbage/Page 2B
Foster home need greater than ever
One harsh reality
of the pandemic often
goes unnoticed: the
continued need for
foster parents.
Similar to many
regions across the state, Eastern
Oregon faces a critical shortage
of foster homes for youth in need.
Unlike many other areas, how-
ever, these rural and frontier com-
munities have a history of joining
together to address complex chal-
lenges facing their most vulner-
able populations. We don’t see it
as an “agency” problem to fi x but
rather fi nd support through com-
munity collaborations and from
the care of foster families.
In Oregon, an average of 7,345
children are in foster care on a
daily basis, according to state
data from 2019. Greater Oregon
Behavioral Health Inc. (GOBHI)
is a foster care program that
provides homes for youth in local
communities involved in the child
welfare system or for those youth
being supported by their local
community mental health pro-
gram. Our agency certifi es foster
families and works in partnership
with the Oregon Department of
Human Services Child Welfare
to provide additional support
services to youth and our foster
families.
The ongoing need for foster
families is well-known. How-
ADAM
RODAKOWSKI
ever, the pandemic has increased
uncertainty for both youth in
foster care, and foster families.
Despite this challenge, the people
caring for foster youth are making
remarkable accomplishments in
the lives of youth every day. These
families make lifelong positive
impacts on the youth they serve,
and are crucial to the success of
our communities.
I’m honored to work with
and support our foster families.
Whether the child they serve
stays with them for a few days or
becomes a permanent member
of the family, foster families have
the unique ability to be the stable,
supportive adults during a chal-
lenging time in the life of a child.
That leads us to the common
question: How does the system
work? GOBHI is licensed by the
state of Oregon to certify and
provide homes for youth in local
communities who are involved
in the child welfare system, or
are receiving care from their
local community mental health
program. We certify homes for
children and teens ages 4 to 17. In
2019, we certifi ed 54 homes in 18
counties.
GOBHI’s Therapeutic Foster
Care program is a higher level
of service and support than you
would fi nd through traditional
foster care. We empower foster
families to provide a safe environ-
ment that supports a healing
process for our youth. Foster fami-
lies receive training and ongoing
support to help them create that
type of environment. Training
topics include Trauma Informed
Care, de-escalation techniques,
working with biological families,
cultural awareness, and evidence-
based parenting practices. Each
family receives an assigned case
manager to support them and the
youth in their home. Our team is
available 24 hours a day, 365 days
a year to provide support and
guidance.
Help doesn’t stop at the case
management level. Foster Plus is
a 10-social service agency collabo-
ration. Its purpose is to connect
kids in need with the support
and stability of committed, caring
foster families. GOBHI leads this
collaborative group dedicated to
increasing the number of safe
foster homes and supports other
agencies to improve services to
children.
The positive impact that a
foster parent can have on a child
lasts a lifetime. We often hear
stories of children who may have
spent less than six months in
a foster home but later in life
contacted their foster parent to
express their gratitude.
“Deciding to be a foster parent
was rather scary for us. Now I can
say, I wouldn’t trade it for any-
thing else. I’ve seen such a differ-
ence in their life, and also in ours.
The GOBHI team was right there
along the way and that’s exactly
the type of support we needed,” a
foster parent said.
If you have wanted to fi nd a
way to help children — especially
those children in your own com-
munity — this is a way to do so.
You will be ensuring that all kids
in Eastern Oregon know they are
wanted and safe during a very
scary time in their lives.
If you have even considered
fostering, please reach out. There
are two options for people looking
to become a foster parent:
• Full time — a child may
reside in your home for 6-24
months.
• Part time — children will
reside in your home for 2-14 days.
Everyone can help in ways
small and large. We welcome
anyone who’s ready to make a
change.
Adam Rodakowski is the director of
Greater Oregon Behavioral Health
Inc.’s Therapeutic Foster Care
program. Patrick Mulvihill, GOBHI
communications coordinator, also
contributed to this column.