From Danny Rohrer:
Greetings from the farm. Tomorrow, May 7, will be the opening day of the West Frederick Farmer's Market. We will return to our familiar location behind the Potomac Physicians Building. Hours will remain 10 AM until 1 PM. If possible, please park in the Potomac Physicians lot. The owner of the Holiday Cinemas does not want any parking in their lot and has threatened to have cars towed if things get too bad. Please note that this threat comes from the property owner and not the people who operate the theatre, so there is no need to boycott the movies.
Most of your favorite vendors will be returning and we have added three new ones.
The market opening comes on Mother's Day weekend. Rather than fighting the crowds at a restaurant, why not prepare a gourmet meal at home using local foods? Early spring produce should include radishes, onions, salad and various greens, and asparagus. Market bakers will have breads and assorted pastries and desserts. There will be many types of flowers and plants for a centerpiece or gift. And for your dinner entree I will have a complete selection of the finest home raised meats anywhere.
Beef will include strip, ribeye, porterhouse, filet, sirloin, skirt, and flank steaks; sirloin tip, eye round, and chuck roasts; kabob cubes, stew cubes, ground round, and steak burgers. Pork will include baby back, country style, and spare ribs; boneless loin roasts, pork chops, boneless butts, bacon, and baked ham salad. I will also have 7 flavors of pork sausage. Lamb will include butterflied legs, boneless shoulders, kabob cubes, shanks, ground lamb, lamb sausage, racks, loin chops, arm chops, and sirloin chops. I will also have ham sandwiches and eggs.
Let's celebrate the start of the summer season by making the market opening a memorable one. I will be there, I hope you are too!
Danny
Rohrer's Meats
301-432-8350
Dakarohfarm@aol.com
Friday, May 6, 2011
West Frederick Farmers Market Opening
Sunday, April 24, 2011
Seedling Sale at House in the Woods
I love to buy seedlings from House in the Woods. They have a great variety of heirloom tomatoes. They also sell their tomatoes later in the season at the Common Market.
____________________________________________
The House in the Woods Seedling Sale is approaching--May 6-7--organic heirloom plants for your garden. We feature beautiful heirloom tomato plants, and we've got some new ones to share with you, along with old favorites. I should have plenty of basil plants and some other plants to offer as well.
Sale Hours --- Use our NEW FARM LANE, open on Sale Day only
Friday May 6th, 10am-5pm
Saturday May 7th, 10am-5pm
***USE OUR NEW FARM LANE ON SALE DAY, on PARK MILLS ROAD*** for GPS purposes but there is no mailbox: 2225 Park Mills Rd, Adamstown, MD.
Take 270 to Rte 80 West, go two miles, take a left on Park Mills Road, go about three miles, pass Mt Ephraim Rd and Bear Branch Road. Watch on your left side--you will cross over Bennett Creek, pass a house, then immediately look for our new farm lane with a big "House in the Woods" billboard on sale day. Drive up the lane and follow signs for parking. Gone too far if you get to Lilypons Road.
Our tomato plants are now also available at The Common Market (http://www.commonmarket.com/). We may have more plants available later in May as well.
Contact: ilene@houseinthewoods.com or 301-607-4048
House in the Woods Farm 2011 Organic Heirloom Plant Sale
$4.50 per tomato plant. Ask about other plants for sale. Bring a box for your plants. Return pots to our mailbox, we'll re-use them!
May 6/7, 2011. More info--ilene@houseinthewoods.com 301-607-4048
REDS AND PINKS, PURPLES AND BLACKS (ie black heirlooms are dark
red)------------------------------------
____ Black Krim--Dark red beefsteak with rich sweet taste from Black Sea of Russia
____ Brandywine--Pinkish red, most popular heirloom originated in 1889.
____ Cherokee Purple—A favorite, from Tennessee cultivated by the Cherokee Tribe. Plants loaded with beefsteak tomatoes. Deep red interior flesh, rich, complex flavor.
____ Rutgers-- From 1934 "the Jersey tomato", red tomatoes great taste for fresh slicing or cooking.
____ Cosmonaut Volkov-- From the Ukraine named for the famous Russian cosmonaut. Red slightly flattened fruit with good acid-sweetness balance.
____ Black Prince-- From Siberia, one of the most popular black tomatoes. Rich taste for cooking or fresh. Smaller fruit.
UNIQUE COLORS-------------------------------------
____ Old German/Pineapple—a mild sweet fruity tomato, with red-yellow streaks to skin and flesh. Low acid, as are most yellow, orange and green tomatoes.
____ Green Zebra--A magic tomato, green with dark green stripes, skin blushes yellow when ripe. Green salsa or even green sauce! A hit for contrast on a potluck platter. Also have some Cherokee Green.
____ Valencia-- Beautiful round bright orange tomato—mild, fruity sweet that might remind you of a Valencia orange. From Maine.
____ Garden Peach--Yellow blushing pink, fruity sweet and juicy, with a slightly fuzzy skin. Just like a peach! Cute little 2 inch tomatoes.
PASTES for cooking and saucing------------------------------------------------
____ Speckled Roma--Paste tomato, Red with a hint of orange and wavy yellow streaks, a beauty! And sweet, you'll want to cut some for the salad too.
____ Orange Banana --another unique paste, this one is orange! Plum-shaped orange paste with pointed ends and a good sweet-tart flavor. An all-purpose plum tomato with good disease resistance.
____ Amish Paste--reliable traditional red roma with thick skin and less juice, ideal for cooking and canning, but sweet enough to eat fresh.
____ Heinz-- Red plum tomato 2 oz firm fruit ideal for cooking.
CHERRY TOMATOES------------------------------------------------
____ Matt's Wild Cherry--Mini red wild cherry tomatoes, prolific. Cute little stems with six bite-size tomatoes on each. Kids love 'em!
____ Sungold Cherry--Orange, super sweet mini tomato. A rare exception to our heirloom rule in our tomato collection, this hybrid is worth it. Our CSA members eat them all up on the car-ride home.
PERENNIAL HERBS----------------------------------------------------
Chamomile—beautiful little daisy-like flowers, dry them for tea
Sweet Basil and Thai Basil—great culinary herbs for any herb garden.
We'll also have four kinds of pepper plants and three kinds of eggplants. And we're selling used sturdy tomato cages at a great price.
Friday, April 15, 2011
Fresh this Week from Rohrer's Meats
Greetings from the farm. I hope you remembered that I am taking this week off and that my next visit to Frederick will be Saturday April 23 when I will be delivering your Easter orders. I need to have your lamb orders by Sunday night since lambs will be going in on Monday. Legs of lamb can be butterflied, boned and rolled, or bone in. All other cuts of lamb will be available as well. You can also order either fresh, smoked, or country cured hams. If beef is your meat of choice, I can supply that as well. I will also have my complete product line that day. Please note that on April 23 I will be located in the regular market location, behind the Potomac Physicians Building. Hours will remain 10 AM until 12 Noon. Don't forget to place your orders and I will see you April 23. Danny Rohrer's Meats 301-432-8350 Dakarohfarm@aol.com
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
Good News About Food!
As far as I'm concerned, food is always good news. But on to the particulars, the New York Times has a great opinion piece by Mark Bittman entitled: Food: Six Things to Feel Good About. Not surprisingly, several of these things have to do with the rising local foods movement and the increasing awareness of people about the quality and sources of their food. Some highlights:
- Time magazine’s Bryan Walsh suggests [the "burgeoning food movement"] has the potential to surpass and save the environmental movement.
- Walmart plans to re-regionalize its food distribution network. The world’s biggest retailer pledged to “double sales of locally sourced produce.”
- There are now more than 6,000 farmers markets nationwide — about a 250 percent increase since 1994 (significant: there are half as many as there are domestic McDonald’s), and 900 of them are open during the winter. They’re searchable too, thanks to the USDA. (Community Supported Agriculture programs — CSAs — and food coops are also searchable, courtesy of localharvest.org.)
- Wholesome Wave began a voucher program in 2008 that doubles the value of federal food stamps (SNAP) at participating farmers markets; that program has grown more than tenfold in less than three years.
- Urban agriculture is on the rise. If you’re smirking, let me remind you that in 1943, 20 million households (three-fifths of the population at that point) grew more than 40 percent of all the vegetables we ate. City governments are catching on, changing zoning codes and policies to make them more ag-friendly, and even planting edible landscaping on city hall properties.
- The number of farms is at last increasing, although it’s no secret that farmers are an endangered species: the average age of the principal operator on farms in the United States is 57...Efforts by nonprofits like the eagerly awaited FoodCorps and The Greenhorns, both of which aim to introduce farming to a new generation of young people, are giving farming a new cachet of cool. Meanwhile, the Nebraska-based Land Link program matches beginning farmers and ranchers with retirees so that the newbies gain the skills (and land) they need.
- U.S.D.A. is behind the “Chefs Move to Schools” program, which enlists culinary professionals to help revamp nutrition curricula and the food itself; around 550 schools are participating.
All of these things are exciting to see. Where I would like to see more of is affordability and consumer access to fresh local foods. I think we have made inroads to access but not so much affordability, as our culture has turned local produce from a necessity into more of a niche market for people who can afford to pay a premium. If you see good examples of how fresh local food is being made affordable, send them to me and I will share them.
Friday, March 18, 2011
Local Chef for Hire
I gave birth to twins three months ago. So exciting! And as predicted, my boyfriend and I had no time to do any of the things we used to do. Which, for the most part is no big sacrifice. However, we always ate really well before, and one night I found myself grumpily eating a can of beans and thinking something had to change.
Fresh this Week from Rohrer's Meats
Greetings from the farm. I will be returning to Frederick on Saturday March 17. I will be at the Dutch Plant Farm from 10 AM until noon. I will have my full line of beef, pork, lamb, cheese, and eggs as well as Cornish hens. Also, the lamb sausage is available.
Hopefully I will be able to stay awake as I have not yet recovered from Wednesday night. I went to a brood cow sale in Winchester, VA. that night. Had I bought a cow or two, I would not have landed in this situation. I was ready to leave the sale around 9 PM when a cattle trucker asked what I was driving. There was a man who had purchased 15 cows that needed a trucker. Charlie asked if I could help him out and haul 6 head. I asked how far the haul was and he said around 100 miles. I really did not want to do it, but 5 years ago Charlie helped me out. Back then a friend and neighbor had purchased a herd of cows and asked me to help haul them. That roundtrip was just over 300 miles and took 7 hours to complete. The fact that Charlie helped me out back then save me 2 more trips. So I agreed to haul that load for Charlie on Wednesday.
I went to a gas station and topped off my tank, it only took 27 gallons. Then went back to the stockyard and got the cows loaded. My truck is tagged for a 10,000 pound maximum weight. The cows and trailer exceeded that so I had a too big load. We started up the road just before 10. We went through Virginia, into West Virginia, and crossed the river into Maryland. The roads were windy and hilly so we could travel too fast without jerking the cows around. We entered Maryland at Hancock and headed west on Route 68. Talk about hills, we had to go over Sidling Hill. I went up that mountain at 40 miles per hour so that my truck's engine would not be over worked. Having finally crested the hill, we started down the other side. I had to keep my foot on the brake to keep the load from pushing me too fast. Then there was the sign. "Runaway truck ramp." That was all I needed. I just imagined the load getting out of control and me having to head there. But I made it down the mountain with nothing more than warm breaks. We made it into Cumberland, then drove the rest of the way on back roads, top speed of 30. Now in Pennsylvania, we drove through Berlin and a few minutes later arrived at the farm. To reach the barn, we had to back in off of the road and go about the length of 2 football fields. In the dark. With me holding a flashlight and guiding Charlie, and then Charlie guiding me. And the edge of the driveway was full of obstacles. But we made it and got the cows safely unloaded.
Now ready to leave, Charlie thought we should take the main road rather than risk finding our way back the way we came. There was only 1 turn until we were on the main highway. Smooth sailing all the way into Grantsville where we picked up Route 68. The only thing was we were about 20 miles west of where we would have been if we had taken the back roads into Cumberland. But since we did not get lost, it was a success! Now nothing but major highways all the way back to Hagerstown, I finally reached my driveway right at 4 AM. I went straight to bed but the phone started ringing just before 8. That made for a short night for an old geezer like me. Tonight, being the night before market day, will be a long one as well.
Eat fresh, be well, and I will see you at the market. And if you need to wake me tomorrow, please do so gently, I'll be very happy to see you.
Danny
Rohrer's Meats
301-432-8350
Dakarohfarm@aol.com
North Market Farmers Market is no more!
Unfortunately, we will not be doing the North Market Farmers Market this year. I want to thank everyone who came out to support us last year. It is our hope that the landlord is able to find a full time, long term tenant for 331 N Market Street. I can speak for all the farmers that participated last year when I say we really enjoyed being a part of the community in 2010 and hope that you will come see us at either the Saturday Boughman's Lane Farmers Market or the Thursday, Shab Row market. Thanks for buying your food locally and supporting your local farmers!
Farmer Will
Whitmore Farm
Thursday, March 3, 2011
Fresh this Week from Rohrer's Meats
Greetings from the farm. I will be returning to Frederick this Saturday, March 5. I will be at the Dutch Plant Farm from 10 AM until noon. I have some product in my freezer that I would like to move. I have an abundance of pork ribs which will be offered this week at buy 2 get 1 free. I also have a few turkeys which I will offer at 20% off. Weights are 12, 16, 20, and 22 pounds. These specials are good as long as my supply lasts, so it might be a good idea to order ahead.
I have some other "unusual" meats which I can bring if you ask in advance. I have beef heart, tongue, and liver; pork heart, tongue, and liver; lamb kidneys and liver; and chicken hearts, liver, and 1 pack of gizzards. These meats make good pet food as well.
Lamb sausage and Canadian bacon, popular products that I don't always have, are supposed to ready this week as well. Joan plans to make ham salad and red velvet whoopie pies.
Beef this week will include strip, ribeye, porterhouse, sirloin, skirt, and flank steaks; sirloin tip, eye round, and chuck roasts; steak burgers, ground round, stew cubes, and shin bones with meat. Pork will include boneless loin roasts, pork chops; spare, country style, and baby back ribs; boneless butts, ground pork, bacon, Canadian bacon, and a limited amount of pulled pork. Applewurst, maple, and country sausage are fresh while mild Italian, hot Italian, bratwurst, and sage are frozen. Lamb will include butterflied leg, boneless shoulder roasts, kabob cubes, loin chops, arm chops, racks, shanks, ground lamb, and lamb sausage. I will also have chicken wings, back/necks, Cornish hens, eggs, and cheese, including Caprikorn's goat's milk cheeses.
Eat fresh, be well, and I will see you at the market.
Danny
Rohrer's Meats
301-432-8350
Dakarohfarm@aol.com
Fresh This Week from Summer Creek Farm: CSAs
I know it has been a cold winter. Up here on the farm this weather makes everything we do tougher and we spend more time cutting wood just to stay warm. It makes everyone just want to crawl under the covers and wait for spring! But while everyone is in their long winters nap the world is a changing. What has been going on in Egypt is just the tip of the change. Much of us do not realize that in other countries people spend a much larger percentage on income on their basic food. In the US we spend about 9.8% of our income on food, and a fair percentage of that is the cost of pre-prepared food. In Egypt they spend about 40% of their income on food, and it is not microwavable dishes either. On top of that they have experienced 17% food inflation just this year. No wonder they march in the streets.
Friday, February 18, 2011
Today's Groupon: Elk Run Vineyard in Mt. Airy
Fresh in my inbox, a new offer from Groupon for half off a wine tasting at Elk Run vineyard in Mt. Airy. What better way to try some local wines? You can get the offer if you go to Groupon in the next two days.
Fresh this week from Rohrer's Meats
Greetings from the farm. I will be returning to Frederick this coming Saturday, February 19, from 10 AM until noon. As usual, I will be located at the Dutch Plant Farm ion Baughmans Lane.
Some of you may remember that I will occasionally let a steer grow to a larger size. These more mature animals usually have more marbling and an even better flavor. I have one of those animals this week, he weighed over 1800 pounds and produced a carcass weighing 1131 pounds. Cuts from this big boy will include porterhouse, T-bone, ribeye, sirloin, flank, and skirt steaks; boneless chuck, sirloin tip, eye round, and clod roasts; brisket, shinbones with meat, stew cubes, steak burgers, and ground round.
Pork will include boneless loin roasts, pork chops; country style, spare, and baby back ribs; boneless butts, ground pork, and bacon. Hot Italian, bratwurst, and country sausage will be fresh while applewurst, mild Italian, maple, and sage will be frozen.
Lamb will include butterflied leg, kabob cubes, boneless shoulder roasts, Frenched racks, shanks; loin, arm, and sirloin chops; and ground lamb. I will also have chicken backs and necks for stock, eggs, and cheese.
It looks like tomorrow will be much nicer than my last visit to town. I hope to see you there.
Danny
Rohrer's Meats
301-432-8350
Dakarohfarm@aol.com
Thursday, September 9, 2010
Derelict in my duties
Hey friends of local food! Sorry I've been AWOL for a month. I've been doing a lot of cool stuff but haven't been writing about it. Honestly, I have been pretty tired, being almost five months pregnant with twin boys! Here's an update:
Yesterday, Chef Christine from the Kitchen Studio gave an AWESOME demo at the North Market Farmers Market and made both panzanella and corn salad. The dishes were simple, super-fresh, and they brought out the best in seasonal flavors. In other words, the samples went really fast! Chef Christine really knew how to draw in both kids and adults, and I realized while watching her demo that I would really enjoy taking one of her classes, maybe the farmer's market class, or the sushi class...
This past Friday 9/3 I worked with our Office of Sustainability at work (I work for Frederick County Government) to put together a brown bag lunch about local food. We had a panel that included Chef Bryan Voltaggio from Volt and Zoe Brittain and Sally Fulmer from the Common Market. These folks talked about how they work with local farmers to get local produce into their establishments, and what they get out of it. It was really a very smart conversation about how to create direct relationships that benefit the farmer, and how it these relationships benefit a local restaurant and grocery store. More than that, the speakers talked about intersecting profit with purpose, and it was a very engaging. We also talked a little about the loss of family farms, and other outlets to access farm products directly, including farmers markets, CSAs, and direct farm sales. One resource we shared was the 2010 farm guide published by the County's Office of Economic Development. Get a copy if you don't have one.
I didn't grow a garden this year- I started a bunch of seedlings in my friend Chad's greenhouse and then got caught up in things like making babies. Chad ended up planting some of my stuff (especially the lettuces) on his farm and got some enjoyment out of them. So I've been shopping a lot at the farmers markets this summer, more than I usually do, because I am determined to eat lots of fresh fruits and vegetables while they are in season so that the babies get lots of good nutrition! Right now, I am obsessed with tomatoes and honeycrisp apples and watermelon.
I discovered Spriggs Delight Farm goat cheeses and am totally hooked. I am a cheese lover, and finding out I had a dairy sensitivity last year was a total bummer! But I was happy to discover that I could still eat goat and sheep's milk cheeses, and that has saved me from getting too skinny. I am a big fan of a lot of local goat cheese producers like Caprikorn farms. Each farm has totally different products despite using the same basic ingredient, and that's very exciting. Spriggs has very rustic, old-style cheeses with complex flavors. I tried the Hillside Feta and Torre cheeses yesterday for the first time and was so impressed. The Hillside Feta is smooth, creamy, and goaty without having the metallic tang that can sometimes infiltrate goat milk. It is honestly better than any other feta I have tried. The Torre is an aged, complex cheese with lots of character, despite being mellow- It's solidly in the stinky cheese category, in a good way. And the dairy also makes goat milk fudge- needless to say, I spent all of my farmer's market money there yesterday and then had to walk past the Cortland apples at Lewis Orchard and all of the other market goodies with a blind eye.
Three words: FRESH LOCAL EGGS. With the disgusting conditions revealed on a daily basis at the mega poultry operations in the midwest, I am SO GLAD to be eating local, free range, organic eggs. They also taste better. I got my last batch from Persimmon Pond at the West Frederick Farmers Market from Wendy and they were wonderful.
I hope you are enjoying the harvest season! Corn is coming to an end, but melons and squashes are reigning supreme. Tomatoes will be good until the first frost and then a little later as the green ones ripen. Enjoy apples- the different varieties will phase in and out- right now you have to try Cortland and Honeycrisp. Ooo, and don't forget peaches! And I see all of the summer vegetables are still hanging in there because of all the heat we've had. It's been a hard summer for your local farmers because of the heat and drought. It's a good time to appreciate your local farmer.
Shannon
P.S. Sweet Potatoes.
Friday, August 6, 2010
Tomato Festival August 22
Our friends at Volt are having a Tomato Festival at the Big White Barn in Buckeystown on August 22nd. For $50, you can taste over 40 varieties of heirloom tomatoes and try dishes made by Frederick's own Bryan Voltaggio of Volt Restaurant. Sounds like a fun and fancy way to enjoy local food on a lazy Sunday afternoon! 
Saturday, July 24, 2010
Results of the Blueberry Challenge!
Hey pals! I'm behind! The banner on top of this website says it's still June. I am also a few days later than I wanted to be reporting the results of the blueberry challenge. C'est la vie! I am excited to report we had three entries for the blueberry challenge (four if you count my muffins and the awesome blueberry/peach cobbler that we ate before we remembered to take a picture of it):
- April F's Gingered Blueberry Oatmeal Muffins from her 1000 Pizza Doughs blog, which look totally adorable in this picture. I could seriously eat them up! She was also kind enough to post the recipe! I must say, these put my muffins to shame.
- Chelsea's Blueberry Lime Jam from her blog figs and twigs, with a gorgeous picture that is something of a tease. More please! She also included the recipe, so I can have my wish!
- Omar's Blueberry Buckle, which had so many blueberries that it buckled in the middle.
It's always fun to do a challenge and see what people make! Thanks to the talented cooks who participated in the blueberry challenge- I want to come visit your houses now to thank you in person ;D
Simple tomato salad
We're having my parents over for dinner tonight, and we've decided to make picnic food (but eat it indoors- it's 100 degrees ouside!) Here's what's on the menu:
- Devilled eggs (mom's recipe, but made by me with eggs from Chesapeake's Choice at the West Frederick Farmer's Market)
- Potato salad (great grandmother's recipe, made by mom)
- Baked beans (from a can)
- Fresh fruit salad (with watermelon, peaches, blueberries and blackberries from the farmer's market)
- Ribeye (from the Safeway)
- Tomato salad (with tomatoes from the farmer's market) with basil, olive oil, and Cherry balsamic vinegar from Lebherz Oil and Vinegar Emporium (new place on Market Street-it's Lou's addiction)
Shannon
Thursday, July 22, 2010
Fresh this Week from Summer Creek Farm
Fresh this Week
- Potatoes
- Slicing tomatoes
- Squash
- Cucumber
- Beets
- Basil
- Onion
- and more!
So what happens each week to make your veggies happen? Well our work team arrives at the farm at 8 a.m. At that time nothing is harvested yet for your boxes (except maybe potatoes). On a board in the packing area of our basement is the list for today's box. We start the day picking in the High Tunnels to beat the heat of the day. Tomatoes, greens and berries are picked first. Next we move on to the field crops. Generally 4 people are in our work team on CSA days.
At the same time we are taking restaurant orders for evening delivery. Today we took orders from Cafe Nola, Isabella's and Volt. Additionally we picked an order for the Common Market and MOM's. While the crew is picking, my two young nieces start packing in the packing area (that is why CSA members sometimes see smiley faces on the bags!). They weigh and bag potatoes, tomatoes, etc. When the field crew comes back in (like today with about 200 lbs of squash and zuch!) they start cleaning the produce and methodically placing it in the CSA box so each person's box is similar. We finish by cutting the herbs so they are still fresh. All this packing is in an area that is about 75 degrees so that the produce is not stressed.
We then pull my delivery van under a large awning to keep it cool and load the produce in order of our delivery route. About 3 p.m. (give or take--OK I run late a lot) I leave to deliver to the Frederick drop-off. Then downtown to the restaurants and out to the groceries. Then to Urbana. All the while the produce is in an air-conditioned van. We do the best we can to pick it fresh that day and keep it cool so when you get it it tastes like just out of the field. I hope you enjoy all our hard work.
Thanks for all your support and for the jobs you have helped create for our young work crew.
--Farmer Rick
Photo: Summer Creek CSA box contents, Week 10, 2009
Basil
Originally from central Africa and Southeast Asia, basil has long been cultivated as a culinary and medicinal herb. Traditionally, basil has been used in treatment of headaches, coughs, diarrhea, constipation, warts, worms and kidney malfunctions.
If you have an abundance of basil, try making pesto, which can be used as a spread (it’s great in grilled cheese sandwiches) or a sauce for pasta. To make a basic basil pesto, blend the following in a food processor:
2 cups (packed) fresh basil leaves
2 cloves garlic
1/4 cup pine nuts
2/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Sea salt and freshly cracked pepper
1/2 cup grated hard cheese (like parmesan or pecorino)
Serve pesto at room temperature (or no more than gently warmed - do not cook). Pesto freezes well for later use. Try adding a thin layer of olive oil on top before freezing, to help maintain the bright green color. If freezing, try adding the cheese after thawing.
Sources: Purdue University (basil facts) and Food Network (pesto recipe, modified)
Recipe Feature
Panzanella
This rustic tomato and bread salad is an excellent way to use leftover artisan bread from the farmer's market (or your oven), and tomatoes and basil. For the recipe, including a photo, cruise over to Frederick Foodie's blog.
Recipe: Christine Van Bloem
Link of the Week - Buy Local Challenge
Buy Local Challenge Week (July 17-25, 2010) encourages everyone to eat at least one local item per day for the week. You've probably been doing this without trying! For the rest of this week, consider trying the challenge. If you're already eating mostly local foods at home, try visiting one of the restaurants Farmer Rick mentioned above for some tasty, locally grown treats cooked by someone else!
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
News from Truffle King
Greetings Chocolate Lovers:
As I mentioned at the beginning of the month, there were things going on behind the scenes that had not been finalized. You may have noticed my recent absences at the Farmer’s Markets. I will be locating in August to Alexandria, VA. To help organize and pack for the move, I will no longer be at any of the Farmer’s Markets for the rest of July and there will be no production in August.
I’ll try and keep the Clustered Spires Pastry Shop on 285 Montevue Lane, Frederick stocked for the remainder of the month, but once inventory is gone, there will be no further production. Google directions are on my web site listed above. Clustered Spires is not far from the West Frederick Farmer’s Market on Baughman’s Lane, so you might stop there on your way home and pick up your truffles. They are open Tuesday-Saturday 11am-6pm.
A special thanks to all my favorite customers for your inputs, patronage and mutual enjoyment of my truffles over the months and years. Once relocated and up and running again, I will send out an email, and perhaps we can do business again through the mail, or by some other method.
Monthly flavors for JULY:
DARK (58.5% Cacao)Semi-Sweet Chocolate & Heavy Cream Ganache enrobed in Semi-Sweet Chocolate
DARK/BLUEBERRY (58.5% Cacao)Semi-Sweet Chocolate, Heavy Cream, and Organic Blueberries enrobed in Semi-Sweet Chocolate
WHITE CHOCOLATE/COCONUT (35% Cacao Butter)Sweet White Chocolate, Heavy Cream, Organic Coconut Ganache enrobed in Sweet Milk Chocolate
MIXEDEqual mixes of all three flavors in boxes of 6 or 12
Yours for good chocolate,
Timothy Miller, Chocolatier
Imperial Chocolate Company
Frederick, MD
301 788-5278
artco@mindspring.com
TruffleKing.com
Friday, July 16, 2010
Buy Local Challenge Week July 17-25!!!
From the press release:
Start Today!
Pledge to Eat Local during Buy Local Challenge Week, July 17-25, 2010
Every pledge counts! We invite you to take the pledge again this year and join the thousands across Maryland supporting Maryland's family farms during Buy Local Challenge Week, July 17-25, 2010.
Register your pledge now at http://www.buy-local-challenge.com/. Your pledge to "eat at least one item from a local farm every day during Buy Local Challenge Week" immediately puts your $'s to work in your neighborhood, ensuring that farms survive for future generations. Plus you're doing your part to maintain a cleaner, greener planet and provide safe, nutritious food for you and your family. If you have already registered your pledge - take the next step: starting today make your first purchase at a local farm, farm stand, farmers' market or winery; stock up at a grocer that offers genuine local products; or treat yourself to a meal at a restaurant that serves local farm food. Discover the bounty of Maryland's farms, and we hope you'll decide to shop local year round!
Need help finding Local? Visit http://www.buy-local-challenge.com/ for statewide directories to locate farm fresh products, meats, wines and more. Share your favorite Buy Local experience with your friends. The Buy Local Challenge website also hosts the BLC Online Community. This site allows you to upload information about BLC events, submit your photos, tips or recipes, to chat, or generally interact with other users in Maryland and around the nation.
Thursday, July 15, 2010
Blueberry Challenge: You have til July 18!
Hi there, blueberry lovers! Just a quick reminder that you have until July 18 to complete the blueberry challenge!
I made my usual blueberry buckle recipe, it's a firm-textured coffee-cake with a vast quantity of blueberries (about 4 cups), and a crisp streusel top. Pictured here for your viewing pleasure. The in-season berries were a little too juicy and seemed to burst disproportionally (making for a bit of a soggy cake on one side) but pleasing over-all.Recipe is from Cook's Illustrated, berries from
Larriland Farms.
Fresh this Week from Summer Creek Farm
Fresh this Week
- Potatoes
- Cherry tomatoes
- Squash
- Green tomatoes
- Basil
- and more!
The farm went from drought to mud this week. We went from fixing irrigation breakdowns to weed control. The rain is very welcome but the weeds go wild when it is hot and wet like this. Slicing tomatoes and peppers are coming on soon. Our cherry tomatoes are in four regional grocery stores this week. I hope you are enjoying them too. We pick on average 50 pints a day this time of year. At the same time we are planting for fall. More crops to continue our harvest through Thanksgiving. After Thanksgiving we get a rest, for now we have too much to do!
--Farmer Rick
Green Tomatoes
Green tomatoes are simply regular tomatoes that haven't ripened yet. They are firmer in texture than ripe tomatoes, which are usually red.
There are probably as many fried green tomato recipes as there are Southern cooks. There are plenty of ways to coat and fry your sliced green tomatoes. First, season with salt and pepper. You could use bread crumbs (such as Panko), cracker crumbs, corn meal, flour or even crushed Corn Flakes for the outside coating. The coating will stick better if you coat the tomato slices with flour, then dip them in a beaten egg, then coat with your final outside layer. Then fry in a deep skillet or deep fryer.
Of course, you can always place the tomatoes in a brown paper bag and wait for them to ripen before using. You can find some tips on how to speed the process here. Store tomatoes in a cool place, but try to avoid refrigerating whole tomatoes, for better flavor. Once they are cut, leftover tomatoes should be refrigerated.
Thanks to Chef Christine Van Bloem and Shannon Moore for the green tomato tips.
Recipe Feature
Fried Green Tomatoes
2 medium to large green tomatoes, sliced thick
2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp olive oil
1 cup flour, seasoned to taste (salt, pepper, cayenne, etc. to taste)
1 cup Panko bread crumbs, or other coating of your choice
1 large egg, beaten with 2 tbsp water (egg wash)
salt and pepper, to taste
Heat butter and olive oil together in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. (If you don't use a nonstick skillet, you'll need to use more butter and/or oil.)
Season the tomato slices with salt and pepper, and coat lightly with flour. Then dip in the egg wash, and coat with bread crumbs. Be sure the outside is completely covered.
Carefully place tomato slices in the heated oil/butter mixture and fry until the bottom is golden brown (4-5 minutes). Carefully flip and repeat on other side. If you have one, a fish spatula works well to flip delicate items with minimal disturbance of the coating.
Once both sides are golden brown, remove to drain on paper towels. Season again to taste with salt and pepper, and serve immediately.
Recipe: April Finnen
Link of the Week - About Lycopene
According to the Mayo Clinic, "numerous studies correlate high intake of lycopene-containing foods or high lycopene serum levels with reduced incidence of cancer, cardiovascular disease, and macular degeneration." These studies were based on tomato intake, and while it is not clear that lycopene was the sole reason since tomatoes are high in a number of nutrients including lycopene, study participants who ate a lot of tomatoes fared better than those who didn't. So enjoy those tomatoes!
Summer Creek Farm
15209 Mud College Road
Thurmont, MD 21788
summercreekfarm@gmail.com
We are on facebook!
