Strawberry Mania!

You think I am exaggerating, but after months and months of standing in my pantry, wondering what I should do with beans for the 43rd time in a row, I had nearly forgotten about the abundance of the growing season. When Natalie showed up at my house the other day with a three gallon bucket full of organic strawberries, I got so excited, I think I actually did a little dance. This is how I like to cook- inspired by the beauty of food in its season.
Now, what to do with all of those strawberries? Here's how much I love you- I measured for you. This is not my usual procedure in the kitchen, but I wanted to be able to give you some ideas of what to do with all of the strawberries that I am hoping you have!
Strawberry Salsa from my friend Janet Allen (my friend Sarah said that this is so amazing, you might just not be able to leave the table! Consider yourself warned...


Makes 6 cups
6 T. olive oil
2 T. white balsamic vinegar
½ tsp. salt
2 pints fresh strawberries, coarsely chopped
8 green onions, chopped
2 pints cherry tomatoes, chopped
½ cup chopped fresh cilantro

Whisk together first 3 ingredients in a large bowl; add strawberries and remaining ingredients, tossing to coat. Chill at least 1 hour. Serve with tortilla chips.

Strawberry Custard Tart with Shortbread Crust
I am giving you the recipe for the crust, because it turned out well- I will continue to experiment with it- Next time I will substitute almond meal for some of the flour. Alas, my custard did not turn out very well. Use a recipe for the custard from someone you trust. Put sliced berries on top- lots of 'em.

Put in bowl of food processor:
1 1/4 C Flour
1/3 Cup Powdered Sugar
1/2 Tsp. Salt
1 Stick (cut) cold butter
1 egg yolk

Process until mixed. Pour into 10"tart pan. The mixture will look like a pile of crumbs. Press them into pan. Chill for a couple of hours. Cook 15-20 minutes in 400 degree oven. Let cool before filling with custard.

Strawberry Rose Ice Cream
Place in bowl:
2 cups sliced strawberries
2TBS honey
1 tsp. Rose Water

Stir and let sit for a couple of hours. This brings out all of the sweet juices that will make your ice cream the loveliest shade of pink.

2 Cups heavy cream
1 Cup whole milk (I use raw milk, which is really fatty, so you could also use Half and Half)
1/4 Cup sugar

Blend milk, cream and sugar with juices from macerated strawberries. Freeze in ice cream maker, adding berries in the last few minutes.

Got other plans for your strawberries? Let us know!

Strawberries and Eggs

Last week my work required some driving, all the way to the West Virginia border and back to be precise. To keep my hands off my cell phone and my mind focused on the drive, I made a pit stop at the public library and picked up a few audio books, including "The Omnivore's Dilemma."

Now, my household dutifully purchased and gave copies this book when it first came out, absolutely.  But, in a painful moment of  honesty, I acknowledged that the winding chapters on the science of corn became somewhat of a road block for me.  I never read the book in it's entirety.

Gasp. 

But, it's true. So, to finish what I started, I went to the check-out with Mr. Pollan's opus in tow.

Listening to this book was simply rejuvenating, especially as I listened to the many chapters on Polyface Farm while as I rolled through the Shenandoah Valley on a bright spring day.

The bountiful descriptions about the importance of local foods, clean foods and, in particular, seasonal foods, reminded me my family, friends, and community are building a local and slow food infrastructure...and I am a part of that....of our local community who is "opting out" of industrial foods, as Pollan would say.   I couldn't wait to get home.

Once home, I was delighted to find that I had purchased a dozen Polyface eggs just before I left. The timing was perfect. Also, in my fridge I found a carton of local strawberries purchased from my Farmers' Market. 

I mean, come on, look at these beauties. I knew that we were having strawberries and eggs for supper.

Luckily, I also found that we had milk. Eggs, milk, strawberries? One meal quickly came to mind: pancakes. Pancakes for dinner. Buckwheat pancakes made with fresh local eggs and milk with local strawberries. Can I get an Amen?!

Those were some good looking yolks. They were *bright* orange and perfectly firm. A complete pleasure.

A simple meal of simple ingredients. Served as a reminder that if you have quality local products on hand a wonderful cooking experience and meal is never out of reach, even breakfast for dinner.

The Berry Patch- Strawberry Picking and Farm Stand

This is the final week for strawberry picking at most u-pick farms. Call and check with your favorite farm for availability for any day this week or this weekend. Yesterday morning my friend Liz and I went to an East End farm called The Berry Patch near Standston Va. For $2.16? (I've already forgotten) per pound you can pick two different varieties of strawberries. In the end I picked about 8 quarts or about 10lbs of strawberries for $23. (on average a quart weighs about 1.25lbs) We called ahead and they warned us that the plants were fairly picked over and no longer setting much fruit, but with a little extra time spent picking we did alright.

Once I got home I found This good website called Pickyourown.org The website covers the whole of the United States, plus Australia and a few other countries, but The link I provided here is within their Southeastern Virgina site and contains a number of u-pick farms, a seasonal availability chart, information on how to pick, preserve, and prepare your freshly harvested fruits and vegetables. Links to sites for purchasing canning equipment and books on the subject and more. I learned that I made one fast mistake by washing my strawberries right away. The site says you should not wash the berries until you are ready to eat them, because the washing will make them spoil faster. I've have learned that blueberries have a protective coating (that slightly white and waxy looking outer layer that should not be washed off until your ready to eat them, and of course fresh farm eggs as well... so why not strawberries?)

You can contact The Berry Patch at 804-795-9979.

I am gearing up for Blueberry season just a few weeks away! This year we have found an organic farm that has U-pick Blueberries....very exciting! Stay tuned.

Strawberry Vinaigrette

I cannot pass those beautiful red strawberries at the market without taking some home! I have made all the smoothies and cobblers humanly possible, and have eaten my weight in raw berries by this point in the season. I wanted to try something with strawberries that added sweetness to a savory dish, and I needed some variety in my salad combinations, et voila! Strawberry vinaigrette came into my life. Yum.

3 oz strawberry juice (puree 1 C strawberries, then press the pulp through a sieve with a spatula so the just the juice is pressed through)

1/4 C white balsamic vinegar (I love the fig infused one I found at Kroger)

1/2 C olive oil

1TBS Dijon mustard

salt and pepper

Shake or stir until all the ingredients are emulsified. Perfect with simple salads.

Strawberry Picking Clock is Ticking

For all of you who had your heart set on picking strawberries this spring this week may be your last chance. We are at the end of our area's prime strawberry harvest. A few of us from RFC went on Memorial Day morning and it seemed a great way to start this holiday. We wanted to check out Dodd's Acers Farm on Market Road in Hanover County. A friend of ours had been a few weeks before and thought that the farm may be organic. We are pretty sure this is not organic produce, based on certain activities we witnessed. Nonetheless, we had a nice drive and passed a cute produce and flower market and country store complete with cafe all nearby off Market St. I walked away with 7 pounds of strawberries for $10.50.

I froze some for future daiquiris, smoothies, pies, etc. That night we had chocolate dipped strawberries for dessert and thanks to a productive fellow harvester I also was treated to strawberry scones for breakfast!

We at RFC have not heard of any organic pick your own farms. Please let us know if you are aware of any or if you have any more information on this farm or your own favorite farm for pick your own fresh produce.

U-Pick Farms

Some spots to harvest your own produce.   So far as we know none are organic in name or practice unless stated. 

Swift Creek Berry Farm - 
Shannon's spot for picking Blueberries

Mt. Olympus Berry Farm

 Various

The Berry Patch : Gallmaeyer Farms
Strawberries, produce more.
See our post Here. 

Carter Mountain Orchard
Apples, Pears, Asian Pears, and o' course donuts, cider, apple butter etc.

Virginia Gold Orchard
Organic Asian Pears 
See our post Here.


More options:

Chesterfield Berry Farm
Strawberries, Blackberries, Pumpkins

Woods Farms:
Strawberries

Spring Meals!

I've been in a bit of a culinary rut. The limited variation in spring vegetables, combined with an exhausting work schedule and a general cooking malaise has led to some very uninspired dinners around my house. Recently, however, I've been inspired by my sister and her boyfriend, who have embarked on an experiment with the 'raw diet.' As you probably know, raw foodists don't eat anything that has been heated in any way. No bread, cheese, or beans, three of my favorite things ever...sounds pretty terrible, right? Well, I can't say I'm planning on 'going raw' anytime soon, but the creativity required to maintain such a diet and still take in a healthy level of nutrients has inspired me. Ron and I enjoyed a (primarily) raw dinner the other night, celebrating what's in season and (of course!) some good wine thanks to Once Upon a Vine.


Recipes for this simple, fresh and (mostly) raw meal...

Spring Slaw

Ingredients:
2-3 Carrots
4-5 heads baby pak choi
1 bunch white or pink Japanese turnips
A few radishes
1 apple (or 1 pear)
1 Tbsp. currants
1 Tbsp. grated ginger
Olive oil
Red wine or cider vinegar
Salt & pepper
4 leaves (or so) finely chopped fresh basil

Grate carrots, turnips, radishes and apple/pear. Finely chop pak choi, and mix with all grated ingredients. Add currants, basil and ginger. Drizzle with a good amount of olive oil and a few dashes of vinegar. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Slaw is a great way of enjoying all these spring veggies, especially if you're sick of sauteing. The ginger is key here, as are the currants. This was really good, and would also make a great filling to stuff squash with. I do recommend doing all the grating with one of those disc-like food processor attachments. We don't have one, and this did take a while to do by hand.


Strawberry Shiso Salad

A bit of explanation here. Shiso is a most wonderful asian herb with a very distinct flavor, useable in place of basil in salads, salad dressings and on pizza. The botanical name of Shiso is perilla -- check out the wikipedia article on this plant. I ate green shiso (青紫蘇 or aojizo) all the time in Japan, often wrapped inside makizushi or as a salad dressing, and came to love its unique flavor. I'm not sure if it's for sale in Tan-A or other asian grocery stores, but of course I prefer the idea of growing it myself so I've got lots in the garden. Honestly, I couldn't begin to describe the flavor...you'll have to taste it for yourself sometime. Suffice to say, it is vibrant, green and unlike anything you've ever tasted. Worth pursuing, definitely, for those (like me!) who sometimes get into cooking ruts, or are constantly searching for new flavors.

Ingredients:

Salad
1/2 pint chopped fresh strawberries
Mesclun mix (Amy's Garden sells great blends! I mix and wash them myself.)
Roasted walnuts
3-4 shiso leaves
Chevre cheese (I have been getting mine from Lovingston Dairy, a new vendor at the South of the James market)

Dressing
Olive Oil
Cider Vinegar
Herbs (anything goes here...basil, thyme, oregano)
Dollop of grainy mustard
Lemon juice or orange juice

Place mesclun mix in a bowl and top with other ingredients. Salad dressing should be a 2:1 ratio of olive oil to vinegar, then however much you want of the other ingredients. Shake well and drizzle over the top of the salad.


Strawberry Toast

Ingredients:
Norwood Cottage bread
Twin Oaks herbed tofu
Fresh strawberries

This is just a good way to get some protein along with all the veggies. Ron is always focused on maintaining a good protein intake, so we always have some tofu hanging around, though I am a bit dubious about the hormonal effects of eating too much soy. I do love tofu though. My dad used to make it from scratch, and ever since then, I've been hooked. This herbed tofu from Twin Oaks is great sliced thin and served as-is on bread. If you haven't eaten uncooked tofu before, you should; it tastes amazingly fresh and clean.

Wine: Friuli Pino Grigio 2007. Some random Italian wine they had available for tasting at Once Upon a Vine that we ended up liking. It's cheap and I'm really into whites lately.

The Perfect Strawberry

Hello again from Hannah, RFC correspondent and self appointed blogger in search of the perfect strawberry. As soon as the calendar hits May I'm ready for a taste of red and pure sunshine in a ripe, seed studded body. As I child, I grew up filling my own green cardboard quarts with Sweet Charlies and Early Glows. Now I can't stand to pass a farm with a sign marked "U-Pick." If I haven't picked a flat and gotten a farmer's tan by at least Mother's Day, I'll be eager to hit the field.

Still, this year my search began in Mechanicsville, at Pole Green Produce off of Pole Green Road. This highly evolved farmer's stand offers local produce in addition to items shipped from (gasp) out of state. There are flowers and melons, jams and Montana Gold Bread products in addition to the local salad greens and onions. But I walked past it all for the green quarts of berries, still encrusted with local VA dirt, and not a bad price. I ate half for breakfast.

But I wasn't satisfied. Not until my knees bear red marks from an hour leaning over a row of berry plants (and on a few squished berry guts) will my quest end. I perused that excellent publication: Virginia Grown Guide to Pick-Your-Own and Select-Your-Own Farm Products. Hanover has some prospects, which I soon hope to review. Also listed is Mount Olympus Berry farm, out on US 1 (or I-95 North) in Carmel Church, past King's Dominion.

The sun was out the day my sister and I trekked up to the home of the gods. It had been sunny all weekend-- which is great for the berries. The more sunlight, the more flavor packed into each juicy bit. The smaller berries are often my favorite, for the flavor is more concentrated. Mount Olympus offers Sweet Charlies as an early variety and Chandler for a later one. The season, I'm told, can last six weeks, depending on heat or rain. Strawberries dislike both.

The Charlies at Mount Olympus were very happy berries. We picked two flats, enough to make jam. While we were there, we looked around the extensive market offerings: vegetables, herbs, potted plants, flats of flowers and landscaping shrubs. There's a green house on site, as well as a field of blueberries, a row of blackberries, and three ponds (no fishing allowed).

In addition to strawberries, an avid picker can stock up on berries of other shades (blue, black), corn and melons, or vegetables like heirloom tomatoes and twenty varieties of pepper. I was told that folks are welcome to pick their own vegetables, but this has never been a popular option. The farm also supplies an impressive list of farmer's markets around Virginia, if working in the fields is not your style.

I hope you will try to at least visit some local farms. If you can be tempted, go ahead and fill a quart with nothing but the reddest fruit you can find. You'll be sure each one is the perfect strawberry.
Information for Mount Olympus Berry Farm is available at www.mtolympusfarm.com. Or call 804-448-0395.

Now in Season

It's Memorial Day Weekend. I love this time of year. It's one of those cross over periods, and in this case it's spring meets summer. Just as this weekend marks the beginning of summer culture so does it so often mark the arrival of some of our favorite summer foods. This week marked my first sighting of sweet red cherries, cucumbers, blueberries, ripe mulberries, and tender green beans. A couple of weeks ago I got my first batch of baby yellow squash from Fertile Crescent. Now those squash are long and lean with beautiful green bands. At the same time there are still mounds of strawberries and asparagus, those bastions of spring. I've been to both the Lakeside Wednesday Market and the South of the James Market this week. That's just two out of over a dozen area markets.

Here's what I got....
Strawberries: Two Quarts for $10, Agriberry
Asparagus: 1Lb for $5, Agriberry
Sweet Cherries: 1 pint $5, Agriberry
Blueberries: 1 pint $5, Agriberry
Yellow Squash: $4 for a pint stuffed upright like little squash soldiers, Fertile Crescent
Snap Peas: $2.50 for a stuffed standard size zippy bag, Thistledown Farm
Radishes: $2.50 for a giant bunch with greens, Fertile-Crescent
Red Cabbage: $2.50 for a mid-sized head, Victory Farm
Carrots: $3.00 for a good sized bunch with greens, Victory Farm
Green beans: $3.00 for a quart, Bill's Produce
Broccoli: $2.50Lb (which came out to $1 for a large head), Bill's Produce
Red Skinned Potatoes: $2-3 a quart ( I've forgotten which), Bill's Produce

Here's some of the other really nice looking produce I saw at the Market this week...
Green Cabbage
Fresh Red Onions
Spring Onions
Arugula
Lettuces Mixes
Spinach
Kale, Curly and Tuscan
Sugar Peas
Cauliflower
Purple cauliflower
Indian Cucumbers (they are yellow to a brownish green, but taste "just like a cucumber". )
Baby Cucumbers
Bok Choy
Fennel Bulbs (Got these, plus some bulbing fennel plants last week as well)
Turnips
Beets, red, orange, golden
Garlic scapes

Of course I'm only talking produce here and haven't even started on all the meats, breads, jams, jellies, herbs, pastas, plants etc. That will have to wait till next time. If you've spotted something new at your market let us know. With all the new Markets, and new vendors out there it hard to keep up!

Makin' Strawberry Jam

I am making jam right now. Strawberry jam to be exact. I have been looking forward to this day ever since last spring when my friends Casey and Ned made the most amazing strawberry jam in the whole wide world. They called it spoon jam because you can just eat it right out of the jar. Or if you are more civilized, put it on pancakes and ice cream and, I am sure, the pedestrian peanut butter and jelly more than once. The jam was nothing short of amazing- complex and flavorful and bright and unlike anything I had ever tasted. I knew that as crazy as the spring always is for me, I needed to take some time and learn to make their spoon jam. If I didn't, I knew I would miss the magic and regret it all year. So here we are, eating chinese takeout and boiling, boiling, boiling away.

I wanted to bring you a recipe- I really did. This is not so much how it happens. We started around 5pm culling 6 flats of freshly picked, gorgeous strawberries.

We put the berries in pots on the stove, adding sugar- not very much to start- well, approximately 4 cups of sugar to 10 quarts of strawberries. When the pink foam subsided, (an important detail to remember) we added about 2 tsps of salt, 1 tsp of vanilla and 1 lemon- juice and zest to each pot.

Toward the end of the night, we started adding herbs like lavender and all kinds of mint to the jars for fun. Some jars were given the benefit of cardamom and cloves. A couple have rose water because I am currently a little obsessed with the combination- it might be the shared redness, I am not sure. I have no idea what the end result will be once it comes time to eat- immeasurable for sure- but I know it will be really fun to open the jars and remember this night.

Three Cheers to the Full Scale Return of the Richmond Markets!

I just wanted to jump in quickly and say how nice it's been to return to the markets. The first day was a bit like a party, with so many old friends and neighbors out together. This week I was surprised by the fantastic bounty out there. One of my absolute favorite vendors, Fertile Crescent Farm, had a beautiful stand with salad greens, loads of strawberries, kale, onions, and more. They even had pints of baby yellow squash!! I walked away with so much healthy, beautiful food including broccoli from two different vendors, radishes, beets, and spinach.
For my mother's day brunch contribution I am making a simple side of strawberries with local honey and fresh pineapple mint. (This is my untested plan anyway.) I bought two types of mint plants from A Thyme to Plant herb farm.

I also talked with the folks at Blanchards Coffee. I love their 'Dark as Dark' and knew I could always get it from the special bulk bins at the Forest Hill Ukrops. Now that Martin's has officially moved in the Blanchards Coffee has been relegated to bags on the bottom shelf of the coffee isle. Hard to find even when your looking. However, the person I spoke with at Blanchards tells me that they should have some form of bulk bins back in the bakery section of the Forest Hill Martin's in a few weeks time.

Goochland Area CSA

I just received word from Steve and Chris Ault of Ault's Family Farm and Apiary that due to farm expansion projects they will not be able to participate in the Goochland Farmers market this year. I love these guys, and am very sorry that they will not be able to be at the Goochland Market, but it sounds like they have plenty of great things ahead for those us who enjoy great, local, pastured meat. They promise that after these renovations are complete they will will be better able to serve our local community with fresh, thoughtfully raised pork, poultry and beef. We got our perfect Thanksgiving turkey from Ault's this past year, and they will have thanksgiving turkeys available for order again this year.


The best news is that Edible Garden restaurant of Goochland will continue its Co-Op program with their Summer Season Farm to Family Co-Op. EdibleGarden@comcast.net , and that Ault's Family Farm will be participating.
Fall Line Farms Farm to Family Co-Op fallinefarms@comcast.net http://www.farm2udirect.com/
Here is an excerpt from a message sent out by Edible Garden....
"Fall Line Farms Fall Line Farms, LLC is a farm to family Co-op program designed to connect family owned and operated farms serving the Richmond area with local customers in search of local food year round.
Fall Line Farms represents more than 25 local farms and businesses serving the falls of the James River region. Our Winter Season opened in November of 2008 offering a full line of locally produced products to over 100 founding families weekly. "
This Co-Op offers a wide variety of organic and naturally grown products as well as hydroponically grown tomatoes, locally made candies, goat cheese, Bison meat, and fresh berries are just some of the items you could purchase on-line and pickup. As a member you select the items you would like to purchase each week and place your order all on line.
The Summer Co-Op runs May 1st through October 31st on a weekly cycle with orders placed over the weekend for Thursday pickup from 3:00-6:00. The pickup location has been, and I believe still is at Edible Garden in Goochland. In addition to your actual food cost there is an $85 fee to participate in the Six month Co-Op. However, if you can afford it they have lined up a fantastic list of participating farms.

Here is the run down of participating farms from their e-mail...

Ault’s Family Farm, Pamplin, VA : Pastured Pork, Lamb & Poultry, Honey, Brown Eggs
Beulah Land Fruits, Southampton County, VA : Figs, Muscadine Grapes, Persimmons, Asian Pears
Birdsong Farm, Wakefield, VA : Mesculan Mix, Sunchokes, Leeks, Elephant Garlic Blanton Garden, Suffolk :Tomatoes, Figs, Peppers, Carrots, Beets, Tatsoi, Potatoes Bradshaw Garden, Southampton County, VA : Beets, Carrots, Broccoli, Cauliflower, Peppers, Brussel Sprouts, Radishes, Mesculan Mix, Japanese Eggplant
Breeze Hill Farm, Powhatan, VA : Goat’s Milk Products, Yarns & Finished Items Brookview Farm, Manakin-Sabot, VA : Grass-fed Beef & Pork, Free-range Chicken Eggs, Honey
Cavanna Pasta, Richmond, VA : Homemade Fresh Pasta, Sauces
College Run, Surry, VA : Strawberries, Butterbeans
Cromwell Farm, Virginia Beach, VA : Broccoli, May Peas, Sugar Snaps, Lettuce & Beets Cullipher Farms, Virginia Beach, VA : Berries, Vegetables, Lettuces, Beans and Squash Dave & Dee’s Homegrown Mushrooms, Sedley, VA : Varieties of Fresh Oyster Mushrooms
Dodds Farm, Hanover, VA : Tomatoes, Black Beauty Eggplant, Zucchini, Squash
Deblyn Farm, Dinwiddie, VA Piedmontese Natural Lean Beef
Drewery Farm, Wakefield, VA : Blueberries
Goats R Us, Blackstone, VA : Artisan Goat Cheese Products
Herban Avenues, Lovettsville, VA :Organic Herbal Teas
Manakintowne Specialty Growers, Powhatan, VA : Specialty Greens & Herbs and Baked Goods
March Garden, Southampton County, VA : Potatoes, Melons, Cabbage
Mount Vernon Farm, Sperryville, VA : Pasture raised Beef, Lamb & Pork, Blackberries Shenandoah Farms, Mount Jackson, VA : Apples, Hydroponic Tomatoes, Cucumbers, Bibb Lettuce
Shire Farm, Surry, VA : Free-range Chicken and Duck Eggs
Tuckahoe Plantation, Goochland, VA : Cut Flowers, Free-range Chicken Eggs
Turner Garden, Southampton County, VA : Heirloom Tomatoes, Beets, Carrots, Celery Root, Fennel, Parsnips, Melons, Radishes, Spring Onions
Velatis Caramel Candies, Maidens, VA : Specialty Candies
Whitener Farms, Suffolk, VA : Tomatoes, Asparagus, Squash, Watermelon, Arugula, Onions, Eggplant, Okra, Radishes
Wild T Bison Farm, Haynesville, VA : Pasture Raised Bison Products
Williams Garden, Goochland, VA : Heirloom Tomatoes, Spring Onions, Carrots, Arugula Questions, Contact: Fallinefarms@comcast.net

AgriBerry CSA '09!

This just in via e-mail...

The AgriBerry CSA is now accepting applications for 2009! My dad joined last season and was picking up his fruit every week after work at the Lakeside Farmers Market. They had some delicious looking fruits for sale as the summer went on, and they were even nice enough to sell me some peaches one week, though I wasn't a CSA member. If you're a fruit lover, take note!

WHO: Fruit and berry fans can now get in on enjoying an array of sun ripened, just picked, local berries and fruits delivered nearby!

WHAT: A weekly share consisting of seasonal goodness- asparagus, strawberries, sugar peas, cherries, black raspberries, blackberries, blueberries, red raspberries, plums, peaches, nectarines, fall red raspberries, and apples. Although not certified organically grown, all products are grown with sustainable farm production practices.

WHEN: Starts May 19th thru September 24th for weekly delivery! 20 weeks total.

WHERE: Shares will be delivered and available for pickup at a variety of locations on Tuesdays, Wednesday or Fridays.

COST: Three payment options available- see application. Space is limited-act fast!

HOW: Go to www.agriberry.com and download the application under the "CSA" tab.

Broad Appétit

After hearing about this from Tanya Cauthen at Belmont Butchery, you'd think we would have posted a link by now...but here it is: the website for Broad Appétit -- Richmond's upcoming food festival, set to be held on May 18th! Bill Foster will be there, and so will Joel Salatin, of Ominvore's Dilemma fame (if you haven't gotten around to reading that lovely book yet, Joel is a local food / sustainable agriculture activist who runs a farm in Swoope, VA). One of the events will be a "Locavore Marketplace," which will "feature Virginia's “best practice” local farmers, growers, bakers and food purveyors who will all feature Virginia's May bounty including strawberries and a spate of spring flowers. Event goers can meet and get to know the growers who are producing farm-fresh products, as well as learn their growing and preparation methods through interactive and educational demos." If this goes well, I imagine we'll be seeing a big increase in people attending the farmer's markets this season!

Hard work And Inspiration

So I had the day off from work today, and in between the laundry and vacuuming and cleaning all those strawberries! and picking up my chickens from Avery's Branch and taking my dog to the vet...well you get the idea... I had a multitude of plants that still needed to get into the ground. Trouble is I don't have much cultivated ground left, and as a full time gardener I was a little grumpy by the end of the day from all that gardening! Not that I'm complaining! Sometimes though I just need a little reminder I why I love what I do, or why I do it at all.

I came home and found that in addition to watering in my new plantings I had also watered two whole unopened packs of beet seeds. The time I spent forced to put out these seeds left me doing a quite chore at a beautiful time of day. So I stoped and took notice of how nice even the faded chive blossoms look mixed up with the bronze fennel.

I also realized it was time to harvest some of my radishes from the front two 'fancy pots' at the entrance to my garden. These early summer pots are the perfect example of how to get the most out of a small space. Each tall pot contains two Red Leaf Lettuces and Two Butter head Lettuces. In the center of each I seeded in some radishes knowing that just as the lettuces started really filling in the space, the radishes would be ready to harvest. The radishes, which put up longer stems and then leaf out atop the lettuces are the perfect companion. I love it when things like this work out.

Finally, as I was photographing the lettuces and such ( having decided a post was in order) I glanced down at our pet dinosaur in his prehistoric succulent garden. It turns out that for a long time the people who lived here or in the adjacent property buried their trash in the yard...... or perhaps just some wacky kid who liked to bury his toys and the kitchen plates.. either way this little dino is one of many things we found while making our garden.

Not food related I know, but I couldn't resist. So now revived, by the results of work days past I feel ready for tomorrow... another day in the garden.

Erin's Top Five at the Market

Disclaimer: I cannot stick to five items only. I will, however, gush about five vendors that I love and my favorite products of theirs.

1) Victory Farms- golden beets and sweet peas- so gorgeous and bright

2) Norwood Cottage Bakery- White Wheat Bread (don't look at the price) and Double Chocolate Stout Cake (Whose ingredients are: Callebaut cocoa powder, chocolate stout, cake flour, eggs, sugar, sweet cream butter, sour cream. Um- yeah.)

3) Faith Farms- Amish Roll Butter. You've gotta try it.

4) Cabbage Hill Farms- micro greens. For those of us that loved Jumpin' J's Java in Church Hill, these greens are part of the reason why. These are a beautiful addition to any meal, as a garnish or greens substitution. Plus, they are so cute!

5)Amy's Garden- Now that the strawberries are gone, it is time to explore their other gorgeous produce. Romanesco Broccoli is super fun and beautiful!

See you at the market!

RFC Visits: Berkeley Farmer's Market

In Part 2 of my continued West Coast food adventures, I managed to catch the last hour of the farmer's market in Berkeley, CA. I admit I've always thought of the West Coast as a land of plenty when it comes to seasonal and local eating; I was curious to see how this farmer's market compared with our own in Richmond.

A mountain of fava beans.

I was amazed by the amount of produce left at the end of a long afternoon market -- there were still piles of everything, including tantalizing stacks of radishes, squash, greens, carrots, broccoli, cauliflower and oodles of strawberries. There were definitely more produce vendors, which was nice to see, though not particularly surprising. Clearly there are some major organic farms established in this area, serving a wide range of marketgoers -- again, pretty much what I expected, though nice to see. The market had a definite sense of establishment and place in the Berkeley community.

Though most produce selections were similar to what I see at home, I was really excited to see stacks of fava beans -- I'd really like to find a good alternative in Richmond to buying can after can of beans (especially with concerns about Bisphenol A), and I know favas are delicious. Is there a reason why I haven't seen these at the market?

Vendors and customers still busy in the last hour.

I also noticed vendors hawking foods I've been longing for at the Richmond farmer's markets for some time: in particular, dairy products like hard and soft cheeses and yogurt. The yogurt was available for sampling, and I was pleased to find that the flavorings weren't too sweet. At the cheese booth we had an animated conversation with the vendor, who ended up giving us free packages of two products: cheese curd mixed with hot peppers and a creamy, almost bitter spread called 'quark.' He told us he'd be giving his leftovers to the food bank anyway, so he was happy to let us have a few things. After that we bought a loaf of multigrain bread coated in sunflowers from one of the several bread vendors, hoping to eat it with the cheese the next day. Both products turned out to be delicious. And, of course, everyone was quite friendly and willing to discount their products during the final market hour -- I felt right at home.

Multigrain bread.

As we headed home from the market, I wondered if any of these vendors sold to Chez Panisse; the idea of cooks from the restaurant coming down to the market and shopping for fresh ingredients was certainly romantic, though probably not entirely realistic. The restaurant probably receives its own planned shipments, but it's fun to think of Alice and the rest of the market staff mingling with other marketgoers, passing through each booth evaluating the day's produce.

My verdict on a comparison between Berkeley and Richmond is that what we need is time -- more seasons to establish the market as a part of people's lives, and to draw more vendors and farmer's into the burgeoning community. But, honestly, I think farmer's markets are pretty similar from place to place: mini street fairs full of interesting people and great food.

Following my visit to Berkeley, I discovered a great foodie/locavore restaurant called Marché in Eugene, OR. In Part 3 of my West Coast log, I'll talk about lunch and shopping at Marché's cafe and 'Provisions' shop.

Less planning and more fun at a dinner party...

Last weekend we were invited to dinner by our friends Jeremy and Deanna. These are friends who love food and cooking as much as we do and they had a great idea to inspire the menu. Instead of conceiving the meal plan and then laboring over it before we got there, they decided to create a challenge. Without revealing what they were, earlier in the week Deanna went shopping and procured secret ingredients.

Things like...

She chose some great dinner ingredients ala Top Chef, things like proteins that don't take too much time, a nice mix of veggies, good fats, and a few random things she knew had never graced her kitchen before.

While the kids played and the ladies drank wine, Ned and Jeremy set to work... planning dishes so that they used each and every ingredient provided. No excuses. None.

And honestly, it took them more time to decide what to do than it did to make it. But, they did impress.

A beautiful (and delicious) first course: cucumber "sushi" 2 ways... sardine and raita, and then quinoa with pancetta, capers, and lemon.

The main course was surf and turf, with stove top smoked lobster tail (fortunate, as we learned that Jeremy must use his stove-top smoker once a month or it will be thrown away) and flash seared lamb chops on a bed of arugula with a brilliant basil, rosemary marcona almond, and garlic pesto (some Jeremy genius right there). Sunchoke and potato puree topped with seared heart of palm (blasted heart of palm). Roasted Broccoli Raab with pancetta and garlic rounded out the plate.

The second course (which came third thanks to Ned and Jeremy's keen planning skills) was an exceptionally simple and delicious crab, aged gouda, and artichoke heart stuffed and baked portobella.

We brought Ned's short bread as our contribution... and the boys decided to serve it with a chili, fresh pineapple quick-made chutney along with blueberries and strawberries. Oh, and a whipped chocolate mascarpone, nom.

Deanna served up a heck of a challenge, with a huge variety of delicious ingredients, this time the boys delivered. Next time we host, I'm thinking marmite and wheat berries.

And let's be clear... the kitchen was a disaster. No. Really. It was bad. We're going to have to add a clean as you go rule... since those two are the tasmanian devils of homestead Iron Chef.

But all in all, we couldn't have had more fun, and we've decided that next time it's our place. Ned will enjoy staying up till 3:00am with the dishes... it's so worth it.

A Day For Food (My Manakin Market and so much more)

Please note the "Real Housewives of Goochland Co." tank top that Lisa had made up

Okay,  so we RFC gals have a lot of days where food is the star, but this Saturday was one of the stand outs.  Erin, Casey and I took another day trip... something I highly recommend in general. We met up just about 9:30 in the morning, large coolers loaded with ice packs, and headed out to Goochland to visit the farmer's market.  The only thing is there are now two great markets in Goochland. We landed on our dear friend Lisa Dearden's 'My Manakin Market.'  This was our first trip out to this two year old market.  It's lovely.

We pull into the market surrounded by acres of open fields to see about two dozen folks standing in a huge circle learning to fly fish just to the right of the car .  It was a bit of a sight, and I swear Casey veered just a little to the left to avoid being hooked.  We parked with a long line of cars in the cool grass and wandered under the canopy of several large shade trees.  The vibe here is relaxed fun, very different from the hectic energy of my regular South of the James Market. 

I was dreaming of fresh fruit and to the rescue appeared Agriberry.  The three of us went in on a mixed flat of fruit.  Eight containers for $35 knocks about $1.60 off each, and we mixed blackberries, raspberries, and strawberries for a box full of late spring bounty.    Eggs, tomatoes, some lovely tender green beans, homemade granola, fried eggs served up by Ms. Michele Wright, new potatoes,  and squash all looked delicious.

That's me getting  some crazy hot Jalapenos ( if  only I'd known) and deliciously sweet dark cherry tomatoes

One of our finds on this morning was a vendor selling homemade mustard.  Pete's Mustard Company... The spicy horseradish mustard turned out to be too good to resist. There are different options here than at some of the biggest markets, and the atmosphere is perfect for a Saturday morning and  we all walked away having found what we were looking for as well as a couple of things we didn't even know we needed until we stumbled upon them.  This market also does  a nice job of incorporating some agricultural education... one of Lisa Deardens specialties.  Groundhog crossing signs where everywhere, a few square feet off to one side still had wool bits from a shearing demonstration and Lisa says that last week they had "Sheep Back Ridding" for the little ones!
 In the end, our Saturday involved farmer's market shopping, river walking, the opening up of a couple Bearer Farms bee hives, a perfect cafe' lunch at one of my favorite little spots, a trip to the gelato shop, and a near brush with some shootin'.  You'll hear more on that from Casey.

Arriving  home I was bushed... I think perhaps the Limoncello and Pear Brandy gelatos pushed me over the edge. Still Matt and I headed out to the grocery store for some staples, but once we returned  it was time for some real relaxing.  Dinner was going to have to be simple.  I poured a glass of wine.  Matt broke out a nice beer and we hung out between the patio, grill and open door kitchen while we tossed together dinner.  We made a quick Greek salad, and some butterflied lemon chicken on the grill, with the last of the garlic scapes and some of those whole jalapenos from the market.

Garlic scapes and jalapeno's for the grill

Matt put the jalapenos under the chicken breast and cooked the chicken that way.  The jalapenos were then cooled slightly, de-seeded and sliced, and served atop some crusty bread with goat cheese.  I love jalapenos and Matt loved them prepared this way, but to my surprise these jalapenos were hotter than many other hot peppers I've eaten... I got through two slivers and had to give it up, shoveling plain goat cheese topped bread into my mouth to try and cool the flames in vain...whoosh!!  These guys were hotter than most to start and roasting just spread the most intense oils throughout the pepper I think.  All in all a day full of fun... I can't wait to see what Casey has to say, and for our next day trip adventure!

RFC Throwback: May

There are loads of spring recipes to share for the RFC throwback for May.  Markets and gardens are flush with fruits and veggies again.  In 2008, we shared recipes for mulberry upside- down cake and mulberry and almond ice cream.  'Take your pick--'tis the season! 

Upside down cake- not just for pineapple

Then there are the strawberries... Strawberry rose ice cream?  Strawberry tart? How about strawberry salsa?  All of those recipes are in this post from 2009.  Yummmm....

Strawberry mania!

To add to the mania, I want to share my favorite recipe for strawberry jam.  One night in May of 2010, Casey invited me to share in the making of the famous Freeman family strawberry jam.  I love it to this day- using the loose jam often as sauce for ice cream and in all kinds of baking.  

So many berries!

Jam!

What about all of the veggies that are filling our plates these days?  Shannon did this lovely post in 2011 on the versatile kohlrabi.  As a side, as chips or as a slaw, kohlrabi might become your new favorite springtime veggie!

Beautiful purple kohlrabi

Happy spring, y'all!