Trader Joes coming to Jax, Paella night!, and Oktoberfest

A lot of happenings this week in the food/nutrition/beer world.  Most of these can be found on Gary Smith’s blog for the Times-Union at Jacksonville.com .  I am going to try and send out some weekly updates as I can on these events.

1.      Tres Leches to start offering more food (brunch/ paella) , seating, and beer/wine

Tres Leches in Riverside is going to be expanding there menu and offering beer and wine.  They will also start a monthly brunch and whats pore exciting a monthly Paella night on Fridays!  I am looking forward to the paella.  To my knowledge, there is not a lot of paella options in Jax area besides The Columbia in St. Augustine.

2.      Trader Joes coming to Jax Beach-

Word is that Trader Joes Plans on opening a store around Ocober 2014.  The location is not set yey but Gary Mills of the T-U says they are planning on the shopping centers aroud JTB and 3^rd street.

3.      Eat Up Down Town goes thru this week

EatUpDownTown is extended thru Sunday.  Definitely check it out this weekend if you haven’t yet

4.      4 Rivers adds 2 locations

4 Rivers plans on opening another location in Orange Park and one in Gainseville.  See the story here

5.      Fall Beers are here!

I have several pumpkin and Oktoberfest beers in my fridge right now.  I love the fall beers!  I currently have Pumking from Southern Tier Brewing, Samuel Adams Oktoberfest, and Blue Moon Harvest Pumpkin Ale that I really enjoy.  Anyone else know of some good ones?

6.      Intuition Ale works Oktoberfest

Not much more that I love then beer.  And fall beers are my favorite.  Intuition Ale Works is planning an Oktoberfest event on October 6^th.  Tickets are $25-$50 and it will be held at memorial park in riverside this year. 

 

 

Tomato: Fruit or Vegetable

               The tomato is a favorite fruit (or vegetable) in the United States.  It comes in a variety of shapes and colors including red, yellow, green and even purple!  The vibrant colors of tomatoes are what make it a super food.  The pigment that causes these colors is an antioxidant called lycopene.  Research has suggested that lycopene can help reduce the risk of certain cancers and heart disease.  Canned tomatoes and sauces actually have higher absorption rates of lycopene compared to fresh tomatoes due to the canning process.  Just make sure you are choosing low sodium versions of the sauces.  Tomatoes are also excellent sources of vitamin C and vitamin A.  They are low calorie as well with about 35 calories per cup!

               So is a tomato a fruit or vegetable?  The answer is technically both.  Scientifically, a tomato is a fruit because it is the fleshy ripened ovary of a plant.    However, in the United States a tomato is a vegetable by law.  It started in 1883 when congress passed a law taxing imported vegetables to protect domestic farmers.  A large importer of tomatoes was charged this tax on his tomatoes because the customs official thought they were a vegetable.  The resulting legal battle went all the way up to the Supreme Court.  In 1893, the US Supreme Court ruled that for trade purposes in the Unites States a tomato would be classified as a vegetable and the tax would apply.  So if you are in the US, a tomato is technically a vegetable!