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!

Peas!

What a huge surprise March and April have been, here in the Finger Lakes. John was able to prepare the garden over the Easter weekend. Usually we are well into May before this can happen. Today I planted heirloom Alaska Peas, two 44 ft. rows, with a chicken wire fence in between the two for climbing. Peas are my favorite vegetable and getting it done today was pretty exciting. I think I am going to try and plant a vegetable a day. Spinach, Chard, Onions, Lettuce, Radishes, and New Potatoes should all do well now. Well I have been told anyway. I have never planted this early and am really looking at this early spring as a sign of great gardening year ahead! :)

Food

Usually people who like to eat food, like to talk about food, cook food, shop for food, touch food, grow food, smell food, and lastly read about food! I found a book I wanted to share. I have not had a chance to purchase and read myself, but hope to very soon. -'The Town That Food Saved-How One Community Found Vitality In Local Food', by Ben Hewitt. Here is a link to read more about it, http://www.slowfoodusa.org/index.php/slow_food/blog_post/hardwick_vt_the_town_that_food_saved/ Now how about those two blog friends with food books of mine....how are you liking your books? Post me a comment....

The Rooster

Today the 'Old Man' died. I am speaking of our old rooster. He was a son of our favorite rooster, 'Starbucks'. Born here on our farm, he did a great job, for numerous years, keeping the hens safe and in order. Many days went by that we took him for granted, but he will surely be missed.

Thank You Finger Lakes Times!

Thank You to the Finger Lakes Times and reporter/editor Susan Clark Porter for the nice article about the blog! The article was titled Locavore for 60 days, featured in their Life by the Lake section in the Sunday edition. I also visited them online at http://www.fltimes.com/ The Living by the Lake section features local; restaurants, events, wine recommendations, and several other community related topics.

Thanks for promoting our beautiful and bountiful area!

Quotation

"By choosing to buy food grown locally and sustainably,in ways that are healthy and humane, I had woven myself into a community that cares about the same things. As a community, we share not only a commitment to protect our natural resources, but an appreciation for the value of food itself, a love for its taste and beauty and the deep pleasure it can bring by connecting us to time and place, the seasons, and the cycle of nature." Alice Waters, The Art of Simple Food

Seeds

All of the non-gmo seeds arrived this week! I had hoped to have them planted in their seed trays two weeks ago, but maybe I am still not too late!? We will see. It does look like I got carried away and ordered too many! :) My goal is to make it through this winter with enough vegtables and with a large selection of vegtables until the next garden. I am feeling pretty excited and anxious as we seem to be having an early spring here in the Finger Lakes! One can dream!

Cultured Butter

I have made homemade butter several times since I started getting my milk at Galens Homestead Acres, Clifton Springs, NY. Using the cream that rises to the top of the raw milk has produced some very sweet tasting butter that melts instantly in your mouth. Making the butter turned out to be very easy and very fast. After reading about cultured butter I wanted to see the taste difference. Cultured dairy products are known to lower cholesterol and protect against bone loss, not to mention provide beneficial bacteria. The cream sits out at room temperature 8 hours before making the butter. The cultured butter is just as silky, but has a slight sour taste that compliments the sweet flavor of the butter. I lightly salted mine. Perfect! Now I just wished I had a dairy cow.

I'm Back

It has been two weeks since I last posted. In that time I have had a few days and a few social gatherings that I let myself be tempted eating foods that are not real, much less local. Each time I felt bad the next morning. It made me remember what I used to feel like all the time. Most of the foods that bothered me might not be considered that terrible by the average person. I ate white bread, potatoe chips, pasta, and pretzels. I physically and mentally felt a difference that lasted about 24 hours. I have decided to stay focused on real, local food as much as possible. I will add to my original list of coffee and spices: olives/olive oil, vinegar, sea food, cocoa powder and citrus. With these additions I feel I can really make it until garden and local produce time! As I write this I am feeling better already :)

60 Days

I can hardly believe sixty days have gone by since I started this eating adventure! I have learned a massive amount of knowledge concerning food, myself and my community. There is no question what I eat affects me daily. I have not felt this good in a long time. My skin is better, I have more energy and I have lost eight pounds without any extra physical exercise. Clearly processed foods, processed oils, refined sugar, and refined flour are not good for me. I am not going to stop eating local and want to keep working toward eating only real food. This month I would like to tackle buying and starting heirloom/non gmo seeds for the garden and also purchase a grain mill to grind local wheat. I will keep the blog going and post my endeavors! Here's to an exciting 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

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.....

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/

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!

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!

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!

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.

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!

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!

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)

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!

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.

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'.