Introduction
I am Mahnoosh. I come from a family of land owners in Iran where life was focused on growing the food we ate. I spent the summers of my childhood at Zanganeh, which was like a small village filled with all the activities surrounding an agricultural community.
I did well in school and went on to the University of Tehran where I received a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science. After a few years working for the University I immigrated to the United States. My interest in nature and health inspired me to change my focus toward health and nutrition earning a Master’s degree in Nutrition.
I enjoy providing consultations on using healthy food to help people resolve health problems and improve their lives. The garden is the source of healthy fresh food along with a place to enjoy the beauty of nature.
Summers at Zanganeh
Every summer my family made the transition from living in the city to the family farm or ranch at Zanganeh. Those were days surrounded by agriculture and nature. A great place for a child to grow up and learn about life and nature. We would get up at 6 am and we would go to the spring to wash our faces and collect water in pottery kouzeh to use later in the day. Then we would pick some fresh herbs and vegetables for breakfast. They could include basil, mint and tareh (garden leeks). Some fresh bread along with goat yogurt and cheese from our flock of goats would round out our breakfast.
We grew a variety of fruit and nut trees with pomegranates being one of the major crops. We also had apricots, figs, pears, almonds, walnuts, red mulberries and yellow mulberries. I was a good tree climber and got my share of fresh fruit from the trees. We also grew many types of vegetables including onions, tomatoes, potatoes, eggplants, okra, watermelon, cantaloupe, honeydew melons, cucumbers, squash, bell peppers, dry beans, and much more.
I also enjoyed hiking up in the nearby mountains where I picked some wild plants and herbs that were edible or were used for medicinal purposes. In those days we didn’t have any hiking boots or special outdoor clothing. We would head up the hills with our plastic slippers and had no problems. Life was simpler!
The food we ate was grown at Zanganeh. We grew the wheat and barley used to bake the bread we ate. Fresh vegetables, fruits and nuts were all from our farm. We dried fruits to save them for the winter. The fresh peaches had the pits removed and a walnut placed inside. Then they were put on long strings to dry for a tasty snack. Nuts and dried beans were stored for winter as well.
Traditional Persian food includes a lot of vegetables, fruits, grains and beans. Lots of herbs and spices are used to make everything tasty and nutritious. We ate simple whole foods filled with nutrition and life.
Coming to the US
I came to the United States and lived in Northern California. I started going to college there. Then I moved to Southern California and focused my education on the prerequisite courses I needed to get into a Master’s program in Nutrition. Since my first degree was in Political Science, I had some catching up to do in the natural sciences. I graduated from California State University at Northridge with my Master’s of Nutrition in 2009.
Nutritionist and Health Coach
I enjoy helping others improve their lives and their health with a focus on healthy eating and lifestyle. There is always more to learn and I enjoy researching the health benefits of different foods and herbs. It is amazing how much of our health is influenced by the types and quality of our food. In this country we have gotten away from nutritious healthy fresh food with all kinds of refined and processed foods that have had the life taken out of them. I look back at what we ate when I was growing up and recognize those fresh fruits and vegetables are a key to a healthy life. Even for our snacks we ate walnuts, chickpeas, dried mulberries, dried peaches stuffed with walnuts, and other healthy foods.
I like coming up with creative cooking recipes and ideas. We use a lot of fresh vegetables from our garden and I like finding creative ways to use them. Combining lots of herbs and spices for flavor and nutrition gives us healthy and delicious meals.
Musician
I have always enjoyed singing. I started by singing songs of well known Persian singers by the age of 10, trying out different voices and styles. I have started taking formal voice lessons to improve my voice and expand the types of music I sing.
I learned to play some basic songs on the Ukulele. I then expanded to the Guitalale, which looks like a miniature guitar. It has 6 strings like a guitar, but is smaller in size, so is easier to handle. Bob has taught me how to play basic versions of some of the classical guitar songs he learned. I’ve also expanded my knowledge of music theory.
Bob has also started teaching me to play the recorder. We have some practice to do before we are ready to go on stage, but we enjoy working on music and hope to get some duets together in the future.
Zanganeh Garden 