Fresh Broccoli

Still picking Broccoli out of the garden! What fantastic weather we have been having here in the Finger Lakes! I know it won't last much longer, but in the meantime we are still harvesting!!

Head Cheese!

Not sure if you have ever ate at the Polish Community Center in Utica NY, but you should! Every year at the Boilermaker Road Race the center offers fantastic, authentic, polish food. Now, every time we drive past the Utica exit we wish to stop and eat more! I'm not really sure how often they open their doors to the public, but for sure they were not open last weekend! We made a few calls as we approached Utica and were told about a Polish Meat Market. Thanks to the TomTom (GPS) we pulled off the exit and within a few minutes were sent down a side street to Pulaski's Meat Market. As we entered I could see the smile grow on my husband's face. We could overhear several women speaking to each other in polish. He was taken back to his childhood days when he would visit his grandmother. As we walked around the market we found one item after another to take home. First Polish beer, then out of the cooler we ordered kielbasa, ham kielbasa, two kinds of head cheese-one with blood-one without, bacon wrapped pork loin, rye bread and mustard. I practically had to drag John away!! We ate sandwiches and sampled all on the way home!! -I can't wait to go back!! Pulaski Meat Market - 1201 Lenox Ave. - Utica, NY 13502

What~!

It has been almost a month since I last blogged! What happened and where did the time go! I looked through the past entries and realized the last picture I posted of our meat chickens, they were just one week old. That was August 16. Now, 9 weeks later, the "peeps" are ready to go to the butcher. They have grown really well and should dress about 6lbs each- real roasters! I feed the birds corn and oats we grow ourselves that are herbicide and pesticide free. They have pasture to go outside where they can eat bugs, green grass and scratch in the dirt and last but not least, they also get grain purchased from Lakeview Organic Grain located in Penn Yan, NY. http://www.lakevieworganicgrain.com/

The Big Cook 2010

Years ago, John’s Dad and crew decided to set one special day aside each year to celebrate one of life’s true pleasures. That is, sharing extraordinary food with our friends.

The BIG COOK is growing each year. We are especially pleased that the BIG COOK is evolving into a venue that connects our guests (always free of charge) to local farmers and producers that support this special day. This year we created a flyer that introduces our ‘COOKS’ and PRODUCERS in order to better acquaint them with our guests. Also new for this year, a dessert contest to benefit NOFA-NY, the non-profit Organic organization of New York. For added fun, we held a special auction to benefit the FFA. The Big Cook is not a competition although it’s not uncommon for the cooks to try to out-do each other while attempting to create the crowd favorite dish.

Thank you NOFA- NY for donating the great prize bags for the winner and reserve winner of the Dessert Contest!! Pictured is winner Linda Rutherford who won with her delicious peaches and cream pie! She is presented the Golden Pie Plate award by Ed Eaves, last year's King of the Apple Pie! Also included in this photo is Abby Eaves our dessert contest manager! Reserve winner was Kelly Saner with her wonderful carrot cake served with homemade ice cream! Both beautiful ladies are from Branchport NY!!!

Thanks to all of the contestants for entering your great desserts! All proceeds from entry fees went to NOFA-NY!

https://www.nofany.org/

Radio Red

I could not stop smiling today! John and I went to Fulkerson's Winery and purchased red and white grape juice for this year's farm wine! Pictured is the barn kitchen with our 16 gallons of Concord, 5 gallons of Himrod and 5 gallons of Cayuga! Little do the kids know how handy that Radio Flyer Wagon is!! What a great smell and what a great surprise the Himrod juice started working already! I believe that would mean wine by Thanksgiving!! There really is no better place to live than the Finger Lakes!

For more information about Fulkerson Winery visit-
http://www.fulkersonwinery.com/

Favorite Local Breakfast!

Farm fresh scrambled eggs topped with local cheddar, and served with garden fresh tomatoes! Cannot get any better!!!

Local Produce

I stopped by one of my favorite local produce stands today in Penn Yan. They still had sweetcorn and it was very good. Surprisingly young tasting and very sweet! I bought peaches and pickling cucumbers as well. We had a great dinner of pork chops, corn, cuke and tomatoe salad and garden potatoes!

September 7

Locavore-Homeavore-Hermitavore-Ok, not sure what to call it. But seriously I have been living just fine off of our garden and tonight my neighbors garden! I am pretty lucky that I live in an area that I can have a garden to grow enough vegetables to last all winter! Tonight I visited a friend and we drank local wine, ate cherry tomatoes and red bell peppers from her garden. Between the food, wine and conversation I was full! Came home and snacked on the leftover watermelon that was in the fridge from our garden. Seriously I have got to get off this hill and go see new and exciting foods to find. But, if forced to live just on the hill, I think I would be quite fine :) Mind you I have a husband that surprised me when I came back from my 10 day trip. He froze 156 quarts of vegetables for me! There is no question I feel better already just 7 days into this challenge!

September 4

Have been home from London for 2 days and not only have I stuck to all local food, everything I have eaten has been grown on our farm! I feel a new word coming on, homeavore! Ok , sounds silly. Anyone have a better word???

Back in the USA!

I just got back last night from a 10 day trip to London. Ellie is taking a semester abroad and I went over early with her to see London and help her move in! Eating local and organic seems to be just as big there as here in the states. Walking through London there were several restaurants advertising local foods only or specials of the day using local foods! One of my favorite stores while there was Neal's Yard Dairy, a small shop selling farm cheeses from the British Isles. They were extremely generous with the samples and the store had such a wonderful smell throughout! I bought a very nice cheddar, Montgomery's Cheddar to be specific. I actually brought some back with me in my suitcase! John had some this morning and agreed with me, it is the best Cheddar cheese we have ever had! This cheese is made at Manor Farm, in North Cadbury, Somerset. Made with unpasteurised milk and aged for over a year, it truly is spectacular. I am going to be on a mission this month to find the best local cheese in the Finger Lakes!

September is fast approaching.....

NOFA-NY is hosting its first ever Locavore Challenge to run throughout the month of September 2010. The Locavore Challenge serves multiple functions for NOFA-NY and for the organic movement in NY State. The first is as a general awareness builder, the second is as a membership recruitment initiative and the third is as a major annual fundraiser for the organization. The goal is to have more than 4,000 participants throughout the state involved in this event. I have signed up for a month, but why not sign up even for one day!???

Glucavore

We had a really fantastic evening last Wednesday. A kitchen full of great friends and great food! One of my very good friends was recently diagnosed with Celiac Disease. Our goal for the night was to have a completely local and gluten free evening. We started with an extravagant appetizer pictured, prepared by my husband John, followed by Prime Rib, fresh dug potatoes, swiss chard and for dessert, a beautiful creme brulee, prepared by Ben. WOW

Peeps-One Week Old

The peeps have started getting their wing feathers!

Watermelon

The watermelon are getting big! I planted an heirloom variety named "Astrakhanski Watermelon". It is a Russian variety named for a city near the Caspian Sea. Can not wait to try!

Golden Beets

I had to thin our Heirloom Golden Beets last week. We had the small beets with the greens for dinner. They were super tender and really great tasting. What a pretty yellow color too! Next time I going to slice them and serve cold with oil and vinegar.

The Peeps Are In!

This morning I drove to our post office and picked up a box of chicks! Every year I order birds from Murray McMurray. This batch is a box of meat birds. They are truly adorable! Everyone should hold a peep in their hand at least once in their life! These peeps will grow into meat birds, for the freezer, for us and also for sale. I'll try to post their growth once a week on the blog so you can see them change. They won't stay this cute very long!!

The Pennsylvania Yankee Mercantile

Yesterday I got to visit the Pennsylvania Yankee Mercantile, a new store on Main St. in Penn Yan NY. The store is full of local foods produced all within 100 miles. I bought several items, including lettuce, yogurt, cheese and tomatoes. They had frozen local meats, cheese, yogurt, ice cream, pasta , bread and much much more! Really a nice store! Go support your local farmer and check it out!!!

Summer Squash Pickles

A great way to use up your endless number of Summer Squash is to make pickles. I made these last week with yellow squash, zucchini, Hungarian peppers, and onion. Everything out of the garden!! This will be great while I'm on the Locavore Challenge for snacking! They are really good served with cheese and an awesome appetizer when someone drops by unexpected!!

NY Locavore Challenge

I’ve taken the challenge – have you?
Join me this September as I pledge to eat fresh, local, in season, and organic foods for the month. NOFA-NY [the Northeast Organic Farming Association of New York] is hosting its first ever NY Locavore Challenge to run throughout the month. The challenge is set up as a personal challenge for individuals to make a commitment to eat only locally and sustainably produced foods. There are three challenge options available for participants: 1 Day, 1 Week or 1 Month. Participants who choose the Day or Week challenges may select the specific day or week during the month of September that they would like to complete the challenge. The Month challenge runs from September 1st to 30th and all challenges must be completed by September 30th.
Participants register to complete the challenge and pay a nominal fee to participate. The Day Challenge is $5 for NOFA-NY members and $7 for non-members. The Week Challenge is $10 for NOFA-NY members and $15 for non-members. The Month Challenge is $25 for NOFA-NY members and $45 for non-members.
Upon signing up, challengers will receive various amounts of resources and NOFA-NY gifts including buttons, bumper stickers, and bags depending on their registration level.
To see the complete list of resources, challenge rules, and registration details – visit the challenge website: www.nylocavorechallenge.com
Sign up today and learn more about how your food choices affect your health and the environment!
As an added challenge I will be eating only local for the month of August too! I hope to post places, items and ideas to help others get ready for September!

Quotation

"For many decades, humanity has cheated the laws of nature through the hubris of its own intelligence. Or, at least, what we've come to perceive as intelligence, and the technology it has brought forth. We've forgotten that every economy is ultimately an economy that exists only with the blessing of the sun and the land; without these, we have nothing" Ben Hewitt-The Town That Food Saved

Veggie Dinner Last Night

With no kids home last night, John and I decided to have an all vegetable dinner. We picked everything from the garden just before eating! What a meal. Eating food grown in your own backyard is about as local as it gets!!!

Quotation

"The participatory nature of local food systems holds tremendous power, not merely to secure and understand the cycle and source of our nourishment, but to reawaken a sense of responsibility for and toward the communities in which we live. To assume accountability for our food is to assume accountability for our lives." Ben Hewitt, The Town That Food Saved

Dinner Last Night

I love summer! The warm weather is great but more importantly the fresh food! We really enjoyed the local potatoes last night. I served them with our lamb, carrots from last year and Swiss Chard and Zucchini picked from the garden! It really was fantastic!

Organic Potatoes

I had a great surprise yesterday when I visited Galen Farms to purchase Raw Milk. Another milk customer was selling Local Organic Potatoes, Squash and Yellow Beans! I purchased the Organic Yukon Golds! -Having them for dinner tonight with Lamb!

Homemade Black Cherry Icecream

This was fantastic! I'm not a huge fan of Black Cherry ice cream, but this won me over! I made jelly with the juice that I drained off the cherries John had picked me a couple weeks ago...pictured a few posts back. I used the jelly with heavy cream and our eggs! I also saved some of the whole cherries in the freezer and threw a large handful in! Beautiful!!

Thinning the Turnips

I went to thin the turnips yesterday and realized I should have sooner! We had several large ones. I thinned out the larger ones and served them boiled with butter. If anyone has a great turnip recipe, please share!! They are nice boiled, but I would really like another way to prepare them.

Costata Romanesco

I harvested our first summer squash plants this morning. Very excited to try the Italian heirloom green striped zucchini, Costata Romanesco! It is said to be the best tasting squash in the world! We will see.......

Swiss Chard

I harvested more Swiss Chard this morning for the freezer. Our goal is to have a green item on the plate once a day! I have seen several road side stands in Penn Yan with Swiss Chard and Spinach. If you have not had Chard before, you should really give it a try! It is fantastic! This version doesn't get as tall or stalky either-Bietola Da Coste Riccia Da Taglio.

Sweet Black Cherries

Summer is truly flying by too fast. It seems I have not had even a minute to post any news! I will try to make up for it:) Recently John picked me a large bowl of sweet Black Cherries. We have several Cherry trees on our farm. I froze a bag and cooked and drained the rest for jelly!

10 Reasons to Drink Raw Milk

Great article....check it out on-line at.... http://nourishedkitchen.com/10-reasons-drink-raw-milk/ Purchase raw milk from Galens Homestead Acres, located in Clifton Spring New York!
http://www.galenshomesteadacres.blogspot.com/

Peas!

OK, for all the locavores, there is just no excuse to not eat fresh vegetables! The local stands are full of chard, spinach, asparagus, lettuce, rhubarb and now peas!!

Hunt Country Vineyards

My daughter and I visited Hunt Country Vineyards last week. We had a fantastic time tasting wines and shopping in their gift shop! Everyone at Hunt Country is wonderful to talk to and we were treated to a personal wine tasting with Joyce Hunt! She graciously came over to the tasting room after just giving her Bernese Mountain Dog, Hedy a bath. I was very impressed with several of their wines and purchased many to take home to enjoy for the summer. To visit Hunt Country check out their website at: www.huntwines.com or find them on facebook!

Chipotle

Check out Chipotle's "Food with Integrity" Pledge. Come to the Chipotle Fundraiser Event and support your NY state farmers! Next Tuesday - The new Chipotle on Mount Hope is opening and featuring this special deal! Support your local farmers! For your $5 donation, you'll receive a burrito, chips & salsa or guacamole, and a fountain drink. The first 300 customers in the door will also receive a canvas farmers market bag and organic seed packets!

100% of proceeds will benefit local farms supported by NOFA-NY.

Read more about Chipotle's at http://www.chipotle.com/#/land

Farm To Table -Local Wine and Food Tasting This Friday Night!

Local Wine & Food Tasting
Friday, June 4, 2010
5 pm - 8 pm
New York Chiropractic College
Seneca Falls, NY


Vendors Include: Cayuga Sunrise, Glenora Wine Cellars, Knapp Vineyard, Montezuma Winery, Muranda Cheese Co. Finger Lakes Culinary Bounty, Ventosa Vineyards, Billsboro Winery

This event looks fantastic! Saturday Conference with Speakers and Exhibitors offered as well. See their website: http://www.pathwayswellnessprogram.com/finger_lakes_farm_to_table.html

Radishes

Yesterday I came home with local asparagus, strawberries, radishes, spinach and rhubarb! Made a huge spinach and radish salad for dinner! Was really refreshing! I am not a huge radish fan, but in the salad and fresh they really are great.

Spinach

Spinach has hit the local produce stands! Great steamed or use for fresh spinach salad!

Pasture Butter

Pasture butter is made from the milk of cows that graze on fresh grass in the summer. It's rich in Vitamin E, Beta-carotene, and Selenium. Studies have found it contains more cancer-fighting conjugated linoleic acids (CLA) and a healthier ratio of heart-protective Omega 3 and 6 fatty acids than traditional butter. Check out Galen's Homestead Acres and purchase raw milk to make your own! http://galenshomesteadacres.blogspot.com/

Quotation

"The cheap-food boom has been seductively comfortable for us all. Let's face it: Farming is damn hard work, typically done for damnable pay. By relinquishing this burden, by handing the reins to the corporations, we relieved ourselves of a lot of backaches, sunburns, and financial strains. We struck a deal: The agribusinesses got a guaranteed chunk of our income and our full faith in their ability to keep us sustained. In return, we got to pursue lifestyles that don't resolve around the soil and toil and that allow us a measure of leisure time unprecedented in human history. In early 2009, American television viewing reached an all-time record of a stunning 151 hours per month. That's more than five hours per day, and let's be clear about something: You and I don't get to sprawl across the sofa masticating pork rinds and watching American Idol unless someone else is growing the food." Ben Hewitt, The Town That Food Saved.

Quotation

Ellie gave me a copy of Michael Pollan's latest book, Food Rules An Eater's Manual. It is a small paperback containing 64 'rules' about eating healthy. If you have not read The Omnivore's Dilemma, I suggest reading this book. It is much shorter and will inspire you to think further about what you are putting into your mouth each meal. "Rule 44-Pay more, eat less. Americans spend less than 10 percent of their income on food, less than the citizens of any other nation." Michael Pollan, Food Rules

Stewed Rhubarb

With so much Rhubarb at the roadside stands I wanted to find a good way to eat more of it without making a pie! This stewed Rhubarb was easy and absolutely delicious. Serve it with ice cream or as we had it tonight, with homemade tapioca cream. Awesome! Try googling rhubarb and learn the many health benefits too :)

Catlin Bulk & Natural Foods

Stopped into the Catlin Food Store today on Route 364, about 2 miles west of Penn Yan. I was very happy to find local potatoes! Sunnyside Potatoes grown and bagged by Tomion Farms, Stanley NY. I am just planting ours, so it will be awhile before we are eating our own. These look great!


Catlin Bulk & Natural Foods, 2901 State Rt 364, Closed Saturdays.

Spring Produce

Good news for all the locavores! The Asparagus and Rhubarb are ready!
I bought both at two Penn Yan roadside stands today! Cream of Asparagus
Soup for dinner....

Trout for dinner

Yesterday's dinner was a real treat! Trout given to us by a good friend from the Cuba NY area and prepared by our son John! It was superb! The trout were really fresh tasting which I attribute not just to the chef, but also the way they were frozen. All of the trout were put into a bag of water and froze solid. It does take a day ahead in the fridge to thaw out, but so worth the wait!! There is a great website to help find places to fish near you. Check out http://www.great-lakes.org/fish_ny.html

Dandelion Greens!

Spring is really here! John picked Dandelion greens down the pasture lane today and enjoyed them for lunch. A little vinegar, minced garlic, and a nice dollop of homemade cultured butter on top! Wow! They were fantastic!!

Some Like It Raw

Very interesting article on the New York Magazine web site,Restaurants section: http://nymag.com/restaurants/features/65483/
Raw milk is gaining in popularity as the number of farms with permits to sell rose: 29 in New York (up from nineteen in 2007), and 100 in Pennsylvania (up from 35 in 2005).

Check out the article!

Chives

The chives are up! We had our first chives and potatoes last night! What a great way to liven up potatoes in the spring! I am very anxious for our first harvest of baby red potatoes, but in the meantime adding fresh minced chives is fantastic!

Finally

The seeds are up!! Pictured are my broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage and kale seeds!