A couple of months ago, we noticed two cottony puffs of white mold growing in a jar of Smucker’s Concord Grape Fruit Spread. We wrote to Smucker’s asking if it was safe to eat, and what caused the mold. We got a response back, but it wasn’t to the questions we asked:

Thank you for contacting The J.M. Smucker Company with your inquiry regarding Smucker’s® Concord Grape Jam. We greatly appreciate and value the input we receive from our consumers and take very seriously any comments pertaining to product quality.

Susan
Consumer Relations Representative
Ref # 10145794

This week, mold appeared in a second jar of Smucker’s, the Red Raspberry Spread. So rather than try to re-contact the unhelpful customer service department at Smucker’s, we went online to search for the answers. Here’s an answer from the National Center For Home Food Preservation:
Q. What do I do if there’s mold on my jellied fruit product?

A. Discard jams and jellies with mold on them. The mold could be producing a mycotoxin (a poisonous substance that can make you ill). The USDA and microbiologists recommend against scooping out the mold and using the remaining jam or jelly.

Gee, you’d think Smucker’s might have warned customers against eating jelly with white mold—especially because it may well not have been their “fault” (see the next section). Perhaps they can take the information we found and paste it into a helpful customer service response.

Aside from the mold—and the lack of help from Smucker’s—the spreads were delish.

Typically, jelly and jam don’t develop mold on their own, because of the high acid of the fruit and the preservative action of the sugar. But mold spores can sometimes enter a jelly jar via contamination from a utensil that was previously used on another foodstuff—the bread for example. A microscopic piece of bread with a mold spore can adhere to the spoon or knife when you spread the jelly on the bread.

We refrigerate open jars, and we’re especially cautious of cross-contamination, using a separate spoon for the jelly. But it is possible that when we spread the first spoonful of jelly on the bread, it picked up a microscopic mold spore that got introduced to the jar when we went for a second spoonful.

So today’s tip is: Don’t double dip that spoon or knife. And toss out a jar with mold.

WHEN YOU CAN KEEP FOODS WITH MOLD

There are thousands, if not millions, of different types of mold, from beneficial ones like penicillium (which is used to make the mold in blue cheeses) to toxic ones. Experts warn that scooping out the visible mold is not a solution, since the mold shoots microscopic tendrils deep into the foodstuff.

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, you can save hard cheeses, firm fruits and vegetables by cutting out at least an inch around and underneath the mold spot. But the organization advises you to toss baked goods, bread, casseroles, grain, jams and jellies, legumes, meat, nuts, pasta, peanut butter, soft cheeses, soft fruits and vegetables, sour cream, yogurt and other foods.

The list of what you can keep is easy to remember because it’s so brief: hard cheeses, fruits and vegetables. Bid adios to everything else.

Even George H.W. Bush could be convinced to eat broccoli, when it’s tucked away as a surprise in a delicious corn muffin. Make them for brunch or lunch, with soup or a bowl of chili.

And, you can adjust the recipe to mild, medium or spicy!
 
 
RECIPE: SECRET FOREST CORN MUFFINS

Ingredients

1. HEAT oven to 350°F. Line 6 regular-size muffin cups with paper baking cups.

2. MIX muffin batter as directed on cornbread mix pouch. Stir in 1/4 cup cheese. Spoon about 1 tablespoon batter into each muffin cup. Place 1 broccoli floret in each, stem side down, trimming stem if necessary for floret to fit in muffin cup.

3. SPOON remaining batter over florets, covering completely.

4. BAKE 15 minutes; sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake 1 to 3 minutes longer or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool at least 5 minutes before serving.

The ingredients were mashed in a molcajete (mol-cah-HET-tay), a Mexican pestle carved from volcanic stone, although today granite is an easier-to-clean option.

The name of the dish comes from the Aztec language, Nahuatl: ahuacamolli (ah-waka-MOLE-ee), which literally translates to “avocado sauce” (ahuacatl is avocado, molli is sauce. In Spanish, guacamole is prounounced huac-ah-MOE-lay.

Over time, different regions of Mexico began mixing local ingredients, creating thousands of variations. In American cuisine, it is used as a dip and condiment.

Progressive Mexican restaurants often offer a tasting appetizer of three or four different recipes.

Try guacamole with different garnishes and mix-ins. Photo courtesy Avocados From Mexico.

 
But perhaps the best way to enjoy National Guacamole Day is to create your own signature recipe. To the mashed avocado, lime juice and salt, add:

 
Check out this fusion recipes from California Avocado Growers for Cajun Guacamole, French Guacamole, Greek Guacamole, Italian guacamole, Japanese guacamole.

There are 21 pages of guacamole recipes on the website.

Here’s a Cranberry Guacamole recipe for the holidays.

There are different varieties of gooseberry, but our focus here is the cape gooseberry (Physalis peruviana), also called the Peruvian groundcherry and the goldenberry, the uchuva (in Columbia) and fruta del amor (love fruit—in Peru).

It’s a close relative of the tamarillo and the tomatillo, as well as the tomato—all members of Solanacaea, the Nightshade* family. The genus originated in the Andes Mountains, in the area that is now Ecuador, Colombia, and Peru.

The “cape” is a paper-thin green covering that dries to a tan or greenish ecru papery husk. The husk is left on for attractive garnishing and removed for cooking.

There are also capeless varieties, which are similar in taste but lack the delicate beauty of the cape.

Because of the scarcity and the cost, cape gooseberries are used sparingly, often as colorful garnishes on plates or cocktail glasses.
 
But these flavorful little fruits, looking like miniature cherry tomatoes, are eaten as berries or cooked into chutneys, compotes, desserts, jams and jellies, meat glazes, pies, purées, sauces, or garnishes for plates and beverages.

For a fancy dessert garnish, dip them in chocolate.

The berries need to be eaten when they are very ripe; otherwise, they can be tart.

But as part of your adventures in food, experiment. If they aren’t sweet enough, you can bathe them in sugar water, sprinkle them with sugar or cook them with added sugar.

> Take a look at the two recipes below: Poached Gooseberries and a versatile Gooseberry Butter Sauce.
 
 
HISTORY OF THE CAPE GOOSEBERRY

Thousands of years ago, Inca farmers high in the Andes cultivated the wild bounty that grew on their lands: sixty varieties of beans, cape gooseberries, cherimoya, dragon fruit, peanuts, potatoes, prickly pear, squash, tamarillo, tomatoes, and quinoa, among other crops.

The bright orange berry, also called the Aztec berry, golden berry, ground cherry, husk tomato, Inca berry, Peruvian cherry, and poha, grows at 7,500 to 10,000 feet. Traders brought them to Florida and Louisiana in the 1700s. Cajuns brought them to Quebec, where they are still cultivated.

They grow wild throughout a great part of the country They are cultivated in the U.S. and also grow wild here, having escaped their cultivated fields centuries ago. They are grown in Europe and as far away as Australia, which cans them for distribution to the rest of the world.
 
 
RECIPE #1: POACHED GOOSEBERRIES

Thanks to Andrew Faulkner of Melissas.com for this recipe.

Ingredients

 
Preparation

1. COMBINE the sugar and water, bring to a boil and boil for 8 to 10 minutes.

2. ADD the lemon and gooseberries and cook for 5 minutes, until the fruit is just cooked through (about 12 minutes in all).

3. COOL in the syrup. Serve as a topping for ice cream, or serve warm over sponge cake or angel cake with whipped cream.
 
 
RECIPE #2: GOOSEBERRY BUTTER SAUCE

This sauce, by Tom Fraker for Melissa’s Produce, can be served over squash, a white fish fillet, or as a dessert sauce.

Ingredients

[1] Cape gooseberries (photo © Rose Jones | Flickr).

[2] You can see why cape gooseberries in their husks make a lovely garnish (photo © Lucas George Wendt | Unsplash).

[3] Panna cotta with poached gooseberries. Here’s the recipe (photo © Cannelle Vanille).

[4] Antidote chocolate is made in Ecuador, home of gooseberries, which they add to chocolate (photo © Antidote Chocolate).

*Nightshades are members of the Solanaceae family of flowering plants, many of which are edible, while others are poisonous (some have both edible and toxic parts). The name of the family comes from the Latin solanum, “the nightshade plant.” Other edible members include capsicum (the chiles), Chinese lanterns, eggplants, garden huckleberry, ground cherry, naranjilla, pepinos, peppers, potatoes, and the tree tomato.

One thing that sets these nightshades apart is their alkaloid content. Alkaloids are harmful nitrogen compounds that, in high quantities, are toxic, causing nausea, diarrhea with vomiting, and headaches. In extreme cases, they lead to unconsciousness and convulsions to the point of respiratory paralysis. That’s why the tomato was considered poisonous by Europeans and not eaten for 200 years following its discovery. Alkaloids exist in tiny, non-harmful quantities in the nightshade foods we eat. Tobacco and the petunia are also members of the family, as well as the Datura or Jimson weed, the mandrake, and the deadly nightshade or belladonna.
 
 

If you’re a fan of seared foie gras: Why pay a restaurant a $20 supplement for one little piece when you can buy an entire pound for $30.99 and sear it at home in a minute?

Our Top Pick Of The Week is bargain foie gras: $30.99 a pound for the trimmings of the lobe, called foie gras cubes. The whole lobe, or for pre-sliced scallops, is almost double that.

The cubes are available from foie gras specialist D’artagnan.

While foie gras may seem exotic, cooking it couldn’t be easier. Just season with salt and pepper and place in a hot pan for a minute. The biggest task is deciding how to serve it.

In general, sweet or sweet-and-sour items pair best with the richness of seared foie gras: