Vegetables

Growing up, I firmly believed two things. First, I would one day be the starting power forward for the Philadelphia 76ers. Second, vegetables are bad. As I've gotten older, I've realized I lack both the height and the array of post moves to make it as an NBA starter. But the years have only affirmed my instincts about vegetables. The herbivore camp will point to the various health benefits of consuming leaves, stems, and roots. But these pale compared with the emotional, physical, and monetary costs.

BERLIN - A large and unprecedented outbreak of bacterial infections linked to contaminated vegetables claimed two more lives in Europe on Tuesday, driving the death toll to 16. The number of sick rose to more than 1,150 people in at least eight nations. Nearly 400 people in Germany were battling a potentially fatal version of the infection that attacks the kidneys and kills up to 5 percent of patients. A U.S. expert said doctors had never seen so many cases of the condition, hemolytic uremic syndrome, tied to a foodborne outbreak.

Exotic and unusual herbs may be in vogue these days with chefs and food writers, but good cooks of all kinds, well-known or not, professional or otherwise, know the value of familiar, plain old parsley. Parsley is common, the opposite of trendy. But it's also among the most useful, refreshing, and lovely of herbs. Albert Stockli, formerly of New York's Four Seasons Restaurant once called parsley "the jewel of herbs, both in the pot and on the plate. "   We're used to seeing parsley sprinkled - into salads, on top of a grilled chop or fish filet or over cooked rice.

PUTTING HIS money where his dream is, Marathon Restaurants CEO Cary Borish is investing $100,000 to turn a long-vacant, blighted Brewerytown lot into Marathon Farm, which will supply his six Philadelphia eateries with fresh vegetables and feed the residents of a neighborhood that has seen its share of hard times. Although the third-of-an-acre lot on the corner of 27th and Master streets is still bordered by the ancient redbrick walls of a city warehouse that collapsed 20 years ago, Borish watched happily Sunday as blight gave way to beautiful on its way to bountiful.

We now have JG (for Jose Garces ) Domestic taking its best shot at warming up the chilly lobby of the Cira Centre, the iceberg of an office building tethered, by skywalk, to the classic bones of 30th Street Station. Domestic has a faux farmhouse thing going on - shelves populated by nicked watering cans and countertop balance scales, antique milk bottles and implements designed, blessedly, before the age of the digital readout. There are also, in this multiroom, 175-seat arena, acres of maple-hued pine, both knotty and not. And I'm still weighing whether the decor (there's plaid in there, too)

CANNING ISN'T just for grandma anymore. Long associated with life on the farm, preserving, or "putting up" tomatoes, peach jam and dill pickles, was as foreign to city folk as mowing the back 40 and milking the cows. Unless your family had some kind of connection to the land, the notion of canning just never came up. Times have changed. Thanks to a foodie zeitgeist stoked by creative chefs, urban farmers and a crackerjack blogging community, canning is all the rage. From her apartment on the 20th floor of a Center City high-rise, Marisa McClellan is one of the bloggers leading the charge.

When it comes to grilling, the global spice rack offers a world of exotic flavors. In India, garam masala is the go-to spice blend. The name means "warm" or "hot," so expect this seasoning to bring some spicy heat to the dish. A blend of up to a dozen spices, there are as many variations as there are cooks in the kitchen. The exact combination of spices varies by brand, but may include pepper, coriander, cumin, dried chiles, and others. This Garam Masala Grilled Chicken and Vegetables is a mildly spicy dish built on a bed of naan, an Indian flatbread similar to pita.

MINNEAPOLIS - Dawn Steward was one of many rookie gardeners who tried growing vegetables for the first time last year. But her yields were underwhelming. "I didn't know what I was doing," Steward said of her attempt to start peppers and shallots from seed in her St. Paul, Minn., home. "They were fine until I watered them. Then they all died. I think it was my lack of experience. " Still, that didn't dampen her enthusiasm. Homegrown produce has too many benefits not to keep trying, she figures.

Sprig & Vine , a stylish all-vegan BYOB, has surfaced in New Hope's Union Square development off Bridge Street (215-693-1427), near the Triumph Brewery. Ross Olchvary, former sous chef and chef de cuisine at Horizons, has set up a dining room out of a Pier 1 catalog with dark wooden tables and comfy banquettes. The open kitchen turns out wholesome dishes such as roasted root vegetable pavé (polenta, rosemary, and red wine-braised shallots, $17), edamame falafel ($7), and cornmeal-crusted tempeh ($18)

Even though the popular "spring mix" of greens has become ubiquitous in grocery stores year round, it just seems wrong to rely on it as a main salad ingredient every season of the year - especially in winter. Once, not so long ago, farmers, gardeners and diners waited eagerly for the first tender young leaves of lettuces and other greens to herald spring. Nowadays, modern farming, processing and shipping allows us all to serve clean and ready-cut salad from a bag whenever we please.