Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/465103
ByAnnieCulp Springcleaningisalways a challenge at our house — not because no one's will- ing to work, but because no one can stomach the idea of throwing anything out. I think it's pointless to clean without also get- ting rid of lots of stuff. My kids call this "The Purge" as in, "Oh no, hide your trea- sures. Mom's starting 'The Purge.'" It's amazing how quickly a kid will clean their room when they see you walking down the hall, trash bags in hand. It doesn't matter how much you emphasize how good they'll feel with less stuff. They can't part with any of it so they hide it away — under beds, in drawers, and in the deepest, darkest recesses of their closets. Lit- tle do they know my master plan which is to go through it all while they're away at school. Really, the only problem with this little scenario is that I am such a hypocrite — a major one. I hate to be subjected to "The Purge." This year, my kids chal- lenged me to go through my books and magazines. Oh boy. I've been holding onto some of these literary treasures for years. I'm not talking just a few years ei- ther — I have cooking mag- azines that go back as far as 20 years simply because they contain a recipe or two I haven't wanted to lose. I can purge just about anything before I can throw out books, but this time I gave it a shot. Most of the magazines I flipped through were worth recycling, and I did so cheerfully as I ex- perienced that "light" feel- ing that comes with "The Purge." I did come across one recipe, though, from an old copy of Bon Appetit, and it brought back some great memories. The recipe for Chicken Vesuvio in the October 1999 issue, evokes memo- ries of my young, 2-year- old son, of my husband who was a first lieutenant in the Air Force, and life in Seda- lia, Missouri. These mem- ories make me smile and they make me hungry for Chicken Vesuvio. Hypocrite or not, I think I'll hold on to that copy just a little longer. ChickenVesuvio RecipeCourtesyBonAppe- tit Magazine, October 1999. I have made this recipe many, many times. My fam- ily loves it and as they've grown, I've increased the amount of crushed red pep- per. Be sure to adjust it to suit your family's tastes. This is also a fantastic rec- ipe to serve to company or to a crowd because it dou- bles (or triples) easily, and you can make most of the recipe ahead. I cook the chicken and the potatoes just up to the point before baking, refrigerate it un- til an hour or so before we want to eat, and finish the baking then. I've done this as much as a day in advance and it always turns out per- fectly. Serve it with good, crusty bread and a salad. Ingredients: One, 41/2-pound chicken, quartered, backbone re- moved 1Tablespoon dried oregano 1teaspoon garlic powder 3Tablespoons olive oil 2large russet potatoes (about 14ounces each), peeled, each cut into 6 pieces) 6large garlic cloves, peeled 1/2 teaspoon (or more) dried crushed red pepper 1/2 cup chicken stock or canned chicken broth 1cup frozen green peas, thawed Chopped fresh parsley (optional) Preparation: Preheat oven to 450°F. Sprinkle chicken pieces gen- erously with salt and pep- per. Sprinkle oregano and garlic powder over chicken; set aside. Heat oil in large ovenproof pot over medium high heat. Add potatoes and sauté until golden brown, about 5minutes. Transfer potatoes to bowl. Add chicken to same pot and sauté until golden brown on all sides, about 10 minutes. Add garlic cloves and dried crushed red pep- per and sauté 2minutes. Return potatoes to pot. Remove pot from heat. Add stock. Return to medium- high heat and bring to boil. Cover pot tightly; transfer to oven and bake until chicken is cooked through, about 30 minutes. Add peas to pot; cover and bake 5minutes longer. Transfer chicken to platter. Arrange potatoes and peas around chicken. Pour sauce from pot over chicken. Garnish with chopped parsley, if desired, and serve. Arecipesavedfromthe spr in g cl ea ni ng ' pu rg e' PHOTO BY ANNIE CULP Chicken Vesuvio is a recipe collected back to 1999, because some people just can't throw stuff away. FLAVORS PLEASE RECYCLE THIS NEWSPAPER. By Debra Chase "The perfect organism. Its structural perfection is matched only by its hos- tility...its purity. A survi- vor - unclouded by con- science, remorse, or delu- sions of morality." From the 1979 film, Alien Most scientists today would say that there is no such thing as a perfect organism. There is one pathogen that comes very close though, and it is liv- ing on earth. Enjoying the warmer temperatures of many sections of our planet, it has spread from its ori- gin in China to other ar- eas of the world. Arriv- ing in the United States in 1998 it was first de- tected in Florida in 2005 and it has since spread to all of the southern states. Traveling on its own personal vector it is moving fast. California is desper- ate to avoid it and Florida is at war with it. Driven by globalization, climate change and monoculture farming practices, the yel- low dragon is spewing its fire over citrus orchards throughout the southern United States. This crea- ture and its vector like the heat. They like it so much they have moved into Flor- ida and over 80 % of the citrus crops have been af- fected, somewhere around 90,0000 acres of citrus. Arriving in Southern Cal- ifornia in 2012 it has just recently been detected as far north as San Jose. In China, they call it Huanglongbing, the Yel- low Dragon Disease. An invasive microbe that originated from Asia and has circled the globe. Heat tolerant, the Yellow Dragon moves along on its own special spaceship, the Asian Citrus Psyllid, Di- aphorina citri , an ugly lit- tle fly that moves around very quickly. The fly eats the new leaf growth and afterward its dark pas- senger is injected into the tree. The Yellow Dragon can kill a full grown tree in as little as 5 years. Escaping detection for the first cou- ple of years, it has an op- portunity to establish it- self within the tree and once established it is im- possible to eradicate. This lively little alien pathogen literally sucks the life out of a citrus tree. There is currently no known cure for this dis- ease and no known strains of citrus varieties are im- mune. Commercial grow- ers are using conven- tional management prac- tices to control the little fly such as pesticides and antibiotics. In some areas the trees are dug up and burned in a final attempt to kill the Yellow Dragon. Scientists are also work- ing to develop a bio-engi- neered or GMO version of certain varieties of citrus to combat the disease. None of these practices aids the organic farmer. She cannot use the highly toxic pesticides or anti- biotics and she certainly does not want anything to do with GMO's but she may have a hero. Biologic control in an even smaller creature, a parasitic wasp, found to be a natural predator of the fly. Tamarixia radiata is about the size of a flea and this tiny creature from Pakistan has a big job ahead of it. Released last year in California by UC Riverside Scientists to help protect the cit- rus crop from the micro- bial invader, once estab- lished it will seek out, at- tack, and kill the invader fly, in turn killing the Yel- low Dragon. So far, this is the organic citrus grow- er's only hope. We squeeze oranges, slice lemons, wedge limes and section grapefruits at an astonishing rate to the tune of billions of dol- lars annually in California alone. It is hard; no make that impossible to imag- ine a world without citrus fruits. If this alien is not eradicated we may end up in just such a world. FRUIT The aliens among us: the fight to save our citrus trees MIKE LEWIS-COURTESY Parasitic wasps have been released onto citrus leaves to demonstrate the damaging effects they have on plants. Saturday,February28th 10:00am – 8 : 0 0 p m Carlino'sRoomatRollingHil Casino Tickets $10 Includesacommemorativetastingglassand$5freeslotplay $1 Tasting Fee at Each Booth Tickets available at the Rolling Hil Casino Box Office by calling 530.528.3500, AmericanWest Bank, Rabobank, and at the door! VOTING IS UNDERWAY! Vote for your favorite Tehama County Businesses before Wednesday, February 25. Online Ballots Only at www.redbluffdailynews.com/bestof Five Lucky Voters will be selected at random from all eligible ballots on March 4. Each will receive a $100 Shopping Spree at the Tehama County business of their choice! FOOD » redbluffdailynews.com Wednesday, February 18, 2015 » MORE AT FACEBOOK.COM/RBDAILYNEWS AND TWITTER.COM/REDBLUFFNEWS B4