February 25, 2010

Quotation

"There seem to be but three ways for a nation to acquire wealth. The first is by war, as the Romans did, in plundering their neighbors. This is robbery. The second by commerce, which is generally cheating. The third by agriculture, the only honest way, wherein man receives a real increase of the seed thrown into the ground, in a kind of continual miracle, wrought by the hand of God in his favor, as a reward for his innocent life and his virtuous industry." -Benjamin Franklin

February 23, 2010

Sweet Corn


Last summer we grew sweet corn for the first time on our place. It was a huge learning experience, not to mention a lot of work come harvest time. I believe Ellie,Ben and I will never look at an ear of corn on the cob quite the same way again! We picked several hundred dozen ears, freezing a lot and selling a lot at the local produce auction in Penn Yan, New York. Growing the corn and reading the Omnivore's Dilemma at the same time has really brought the subjects of genetically modified seeds and corn subsidies to life. No doubt this is part of the inspiration to grow all Heritage/Non GMO plants this year for me.

Tonight I made a corn souffle using our corn and eggs and local milk,and butter. What a great dish, fluffy and with a nice crust on top. We ate this with local cabbage, potatoes and one of the meat hens I raised over the summer. Let it snow.....

February 17, 2010

Another Great Web Site


If you have not been to the Slow Food USA site you should take a minute and check it out. It is loaded with great information and truly inspiring. There are links to follow them on Face Book and Twitter as well. What is Slow Food? "Slow Food is an idea, a way of living and a way of eating. It is a global, grassroots movement with thousands of members around the world that links the pleasure of food with a commitment to community and the environment." You have to love it! Biggest surprise on the site for me; we grow one of the 200 foods in danger of extinction, the Shagbark Hickory Nut. Guess who will be harvesting as many as she can this season!
http://www.slowfoodusa.org/

February 16, 2010

Vinegar


Finding local vinegar has really been a challenge. After searching on-line I did find a great blueberry vinegar from Cherry Knoll Farm. I ordered it through the mail and it arrived two days later! Very speedy service! I have been using if for salad with a local first cold pressed grape seed oil. It is very good and with the local feta outstanding! Ben and John found the bottle and it is now almost empty. They are true vinegar aficionados and I have even seen John drink it straight out of the bottle! :) You can find this vinegar at http://www.cherryknollfarm.com/ Listed on-line are several local stores that carry it as well!

February 14, 2010

Smoked Trout


What a treat! John smoked local trout with hickory and oak yesterday. We have a friend who generously gives us frozen trout! The fish is froze in a large bag filled with water. This is a perfect method as after they thaw out they look beautiful! We served these with a homemade Horseradish sauce on the side. Really great room temperature or cold!

February 11, 2010

Local Feta Cheese


Today while shopping at Wegmans I found local feta cheese. I am a huge fan of feta and immediately I thought of salad. I have not had much luck replacing my old standby, olive oil and white balsamic vinegar. Tonight though I mixed the feta cheese with two more local products, first cold pressed grape seed oil and blueberry vinegar. This was pretty good and on top of the Finger Lakes Fresh Boston Bibb and local pears it was actually quite nice! I will be buying it often! Visit Lively Run Goat Dairy on the web at http://www.livelyrun.com/ They also have Cayuga Blue and Chevre cheeses and you can order directly off their site, but you might want to check Wegmans first!

February 9, 2010

Trees,Cows and Chickens


Who knew, maple syrup, milk, heavy cream and 4 egg yolks could taste so good! I made homemade maple ice cream today, inspired by the homemade ice cream I had over the holidays at John's sister Amy's house. The recipe was very easy and I was pretty surprised at how quickly it was done. It has been 5 weeks since I have had any dessert and completely worth the wait!!! I am dreaming of Strawberry season! :)

I highly recommend the Cuisinart Frozen Yogurt and Ice Cream Maker. It is not as high priced as other models and beginner friendly.

February 8, 2010

Chicken Soup


John loves making Chicken Soup. Today I wasn't feeling well, so he offered to take over when he smelled the hen I had started to simmer. Great soup! Our stewing hen, carrots, corn, and onions, along with local potatoes, and cabbage. Can you smell it!

February 7, 2010

Maple Sugar


In keeping local I have not had any foods containing refined flour or sugar. I would like to try to make dessert and need another sugar substitute instead of honey. With the help of a neighbor I found a local gentlemen that makes Maple Syrup and Maple Sugar. He was selling last years products and will actually be starting to tap trees soon for this year's harvest. I was lucky and got a gallon of syrup and two pounds of sugar. John and I tried the syrup the first night and really it is indescribable. If you haven't had it in a while, go buy some! Maple Syrup/Sugar is known to contain high concentrations of minerals. One taste and you will not eat fake syrup again!

February 4, 2010

Quotation

"There is, then, a politics of food that, like any politics, involves our freedom. We still (sometimes) remember that we cannot be free if our minds and voices are controlled by someone else. But we have neglected to understand that we cannot be free if our food and its sources are controlled by someone else. The condition of the passive consumer of food is not a democratic condition. One reason to eat responsibly is to live free." (The Pleasures of Eating Wendell Berry)

February 3, 2010

Cherry Tomatoes



A fast and easy way to use tomatoes all winter is to freeze cherry tomatoes whole. As you cook all winter you can add them right from the freezer into your dish. Last night we had lamb shanks with John's onions and shallots. I added the cherry tomatoes and braised. The tomato/lamb broth went great on the potatoes and also was fantastic on top of the chard!

February 2, 2010

NOFA-NY


For anyone who is a Facebooker...check out and become a fan of the NOFA-NY site. They have great articles and tons of information. Some of the latest are; Growing Your Food is Fashionable Again, Grass Fed-Beef, Genetically Engineered Food and much more! To find an organization in your area go to http://www.organicconsumers.org/organicgroups.cfm -Listed are Organic Farming Associations and Networks by State.

February 1, 2010

Heirloom Seeds


I recently received my first Heirloom Seed catalog. 'Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds' catalog contains only open-pollinated seeds: natural & non-GMO. http://rareseeds.com/
My goal this year for the garden is to plant only Heirloom seeds, starting many of the seeds indoors. This month should be fun reading and researching which seeds to buy. March and April I will start several inside and the end of May plant. I have never started my own plants before, so I am pretty anxious to say the least! :)

If you are interested in learning more about Genetically Modified seeds watch the movie, 'The Future of Food'. It is really an eye opener. I also recommend the documentary 'King Corn'.