These photos are for Charles. I told him that I will post photos on Saturday and didn't get to it till today. My camera had lost the date setting so I don't know exactly which Saturdays I took these photos. Some time in late September to early October.
At the end of the day, I feel so drained and weak. This terrible clenching headache doesn't help either. Even with all the worries in me and gloomy news all around, I am going to stay positive and grateful.
The Black Family would like to take this opportunity to say "thanks" - we appreciate your support throughout the year by purchasing our own grown and produced products.Here we are, down to the last two weeks of the market. Thanksgiving is fast approaching. But there is still time to order your fresh Maple Lawn Farms turkey from me. Turkeys are $2.25 per pound, breasts $3.75, and dark meat portions $1.25. Country cured hams $3.00, boneless smoked hams are $4.00. I also offer fresh hams as well. Delivery can be Nov. 21 at the final day of market, or Wednesday Nov. 26 at the Dutch Plant Farm from 10 AM until noon. My sisters will also be taking orders for pies, cakes, cheesecakes, teabreads and cookies. Thanksgiving orders for Saturday pickup need to be in by Wednesday night. For Wednesday pickup I need them by Sunday night.
This week at the market I will have my complete line of fresh beef, pork, lamb, and eggs. I will also have whole chickens, cutup chickens, boneless skinless breasts, wings, and leg/thigh portions.
Several weeks ago the Washington Post did an article about rose veal. The pictures of animals they were talking about were Jersey bull calves. There is not much meat on their bones. I have been doing something similar for several years. I use my Angus beef calves. They are allowed to run with and nurse their mother, eat grass and hay, and have access to grain as well. I also allow them to get a little bigger. This results in a fat calf with mild flavor and they always get rave reviews. If you still do not like to think about eating a calf, since these are bigger, one can call it petite beef.
I am having a calf processed this week. It always goes fast, so you should preorder. Cuts will be scallopini, cutlets, loin chops, rib chops, sirloin chops, shanks, boneless shoulder roasts, arm roasts, stew cubes, and ground. It always sells fast, so please order ahead so I know how to pack. Please get your orders in by Thursday night.
Hopefully the rain will be gone by Saturday. Have a good week and I will see you at the market.
DannyRohrer's Meats 301-432-8350
Here's some pictures from the Capital Food Fight. I had a great time there with my pal Hilda. Not shown in these pictures: somehow, Hilda and I wore the exact same unusual color combination: dark teal, orangey red, and black. This strange twin effect would have been funny enough (though her dress was totally AWESOME), but the real hilarity came from José Andrés and Anthony Bourdain, ebulliently and obnoxiously narrating every second of the evening together. Here they are antagonizing Bryan during his battle with restaurateur Michael Mina.
Hilda and I hung out with Top Chef contestant Mike Isabella for a little bit. He was quite charming in person.
José Andrés invited everyone in the audience to try Volt, and exclaimed how wonderful it is. I thought this was very nice of him, especially since he seemed very genuine about it.
There was a little turf garden full of mini parfait shooters, which you could inject into your mouth. Hilda and I thought the concept was pretty cool.
I got to see some real characters tonight, in rare form, without the polish or patina of television editing.
At one point the Judges had their own cooking competition and it was a frenzied free-for all of good-natured competition. The audience judged this one with an applause-o-meter based on Anthony Bourdain's hysterical descriptions of the food, which were at once elevations AND put-downs. He has mastered this particular art form. Carla Hall did a little dance in order to get the audience excited about her team's dish, and it worked. Her team won. Anthony Bourdain got the sads when Eric Ripert told him his balsamic vinegar sauce was a little burnt.
We had some delicious food with a few standouts. I am planning to write a followup post about my favorite dish of the evening (other than the lime /corn nut/guacamole macaroon from Volt) from INOX Restaurant but I want to ask the chef a little more about what was in the dish. I also particularly enjoyed the faux gras gougères from Central by Michel Richard and the airy potato dish with caviar from café atlantico/minibar by José Andrés. There was also a lovely potato blini that I can't recall who made, and some salmon canapés in a crispy cone with some sort of cream sauce made by DC Central Kitchen that I particularly liked.
A lot of young ladies were excited to see Bryan. One such lady walked by me saying, "I'm about to have the best moment of my whole life!" and then called out "Bryan Voltaggio!" Of course I told everyone this and they cracked up.
Our friends Bryan and Graeme lost their challenge to Michael Mina and his sous chef but the judges said it was very close, and that Mina had done a little more to elevate his use of the secret ingredient: beef tenderloin. By the way these chefs only had 10 minutes to do their challenges, and they produced some amazing things in that timeframe. Bryan produced a beef carpaccio that looked delicious. José Andrés and Anthony Bourdain would steal pieces of it from Bryan as he was preparing it and would eat it. They even stole a piece to give to an audience member. They heckled Bryan mercilessly but it was all in good fun and for a great cause.
Hi to all, the holiday season is approaching, I just wanted you all to know I will be setting up our market stand in Riverdale, Md for a special market on Nov. 19 and again on December 12th for a special Christmas Bazaar. The Thanksgiving market is a late afternoon and evening market. It was fun but cold last year when we did this market. My heater did not work ans I lost my helper to the guy next door who had a working heater! December 12th is an all Day Christmas Bazaar. If you have friends or are in the are tell them to stop by and visit our stand. I will also be at the Saturday Frederick Market till 11/21. I am hoping for a crop of fresh spinach for that last market. I hope the holidays are bright for all of you.
Farmer Rick
farmer@summercreekfarm.com
I am so excited, I can't wait! I am going to the Capital Food Fight this Wednesday in DC to try food from some of the best restaurants in DC and watch Bryan Voltaggio compete with a bunch of other chefs. My friend Hilda and I are going together and I am just beside myself with excitement. The event is a benefit for DC Central Kitchen. In their own words:
Our cohesive approach to solving the interconnected problems of poverty, hunger, and homelessness has led us to become a recognized national leader in our field. As a community kitchen, we recycle over one ton of surplus food each day that would otherwise go to waste and turn it into 4,500 daily, nutritious meals for the greater Washington, DC region. Among the people preparing these meals are the students of our Culinary Job Training program; once homeless and hungry individuals themselves, these aspiring men and women are equipped with professional and life skills. DC Central Kitchen uses the existing ingredients of our society to strengthen bodies, empower minds, and build communities.This alone would be exciting. But then you have all the judges and "celebrity guests." Some of these characters are a real who's who of food lovers:
José Andrés
Anthony Bourdain
Ted Allen
Eric Ripert
Carla Hall
Jonathan Umbel
Barton Seaver
Michael Mina
Mike Isabella
Tracy O'Grady
Bryan Voltaggio
There will also be tastings from fifty DC restaurants. There are a number of restaurants I have been dying to try. I will be sure to take lots of notes and report back. I am also interested to see who really highlights fresh local ingredients that are in season. Needless to say, I am going to make an exception to my special eating plan that day, and I am okay with it. It's a once in a lifetime opportunity.
On a related note, I have nothing to wear and have been out looking for an outfit and have not found anything yet!!!! At least I have some wonderful shoes.
The West Frederick Farmer's Market goes all of the way til Thanksgiving. A lot of people don't know that. Now is a good time to put your holiday orders in, especially for meat.
Dan Goebel (Yeon's husband) has put up some cute pictures of the spinning demo that was at the market on October 3. See them here.
I am a week behind as usual on my Top Chef posts, but was given a reprieve by Bravo showing a reunion episode from previous seasons this week. It really seems like Bravo is trying to stretch this season out. Maybe it's because this season is really interesting and they keep picking up new viewers. Anyway, it's annoying.
And speaking of Top Chefs (I am not insinuating anything), I went to Volt last night with a few girlfriends as I normally do on a Friday night. Bryan brought out fresh truffles and let me smell them. I had never seen a whole fresh white truffle before and it was really pungent and awesome. I told him I am doing a 21 day medical cleanse to eliminate nine different allergens from my diet (I can't drink either- the only thing I had there last night was sparkling water), so he brought out other stuff for me to smell. Have you ever smelled a Tonka bean? Probably not, because until recently they were banned by the FDA: in large doses they act as a blood thinner. They have vanilla undertones, but the smell is even more complex, spicy, and earthy. Bryan and I chatted about how it's great about the publicity, but it also is keeping him from other things that he also considers important. He hasn't been making it to the farmer's market recently, and he doesn't like this. [But he has been buying a lot of fresh local produce] We talked about doing another chef's challenge next year and he is into it. Anyway I am excited for him and the restaurant, and think it's awesome he is doing so well on Top Chef. My friends and I complain halfheartedly nowadays about how busy Volt is, but we are also very proud. Oh, and check out this article in the Baltimore Sun.
On the cleanse- it's called MediClear, and it was prescribed to me by a naturopathic doctor along with this stuff called Isocort, which is an adrenal supplement. I've been on the Isocort now for a week and have already seen radical improvements to my energy and to some weird problems I've had for a while like pressure on the top of my head. I even had an MRI for the head pressure a few years back and they didn't find anything. But within a few days of starting on the Isocort it went away. I have narcolepsy, and I think it's being triggered by food allergies. Anyway, I am testing this theory out. The good thing is that the cleanse emphasizes fresh fruits and vegetables in addition to the temporary elimination of foods that typically cause people allergies and immune problems. It's nice to know that I can not only keep doing the thing I love- eating from the green market- but that it may also be my path to wellness. I'm still doing the gluten-free thing and I feel better than I did- I'm not depressed anymore- but I think there may be other things that are causing me problems. We shall see. If you think this stuff is weird, that's okay. The proof is in the pudding, as my mom says.
Happy Saturday! Hope to see you at the market!
OH and PS, I need to change the header!
