Wednesday, November 4, 2009

Fall farmers' market bounty



I've been having a great time trying out the items from our new farmers' market vendor here in Bay Ridge -- Siobhan from Raindance Farm brings wonderful raw milk cheese and various beef and pork products from her farm in Schenevus. This week we are trying the "ring bologna" which contains only beef and spices; this is a bit like a delicious smoked summer sausage, only with a better texture. Great for sandwiches with cheese, mustard, kale, a slice of tomato, and some ruby red sauerkraut from Hawthorne Valley (Union Square Greenmarket).

My other Saturday purchases included:
-kale
-sweet potatoes
-onions (bought lots so Ollie and I can indulge in butter-sauteed onions to our hearts' content!)
-red skin potatoes
-apples
-turnips (+ turnip greens in the crisper)
-yellow pepper
-carrots
-tomato
-2 loaves whole wheat sourdough (from Bread Alone)
-sea scallops
-"sun" cheese (from Raindance Farm)

At the Union Square Greenmarket on Monday I bought:

-popcorn! (the best EVER -- I get it on Mondays from a farmer who sells all veggies)
-raw milk cheddar (because already in 2 days we have gone through the sun cheese, it's that good)
-ground beef from the wonderful guys at Central Valley Farm (once again, the best ground beef to be had anywhere around here)

And tomorrow, since I have to go into the city anyway, I will be stocking up on eggs from a New Paltz farm (he was sold out last time -- his eggs are the best to be had around here aside from Grazin' Angus Acres which sells on Saturdays). Also probably pick up more sourdough as we are going through it really fast with all these sandwiches. And I will be visiting the Cayuga Pure Organics booth to buy some dry beans and possibly a whole grain of some kind (spelt? farro? not sure -- something for stews).

To start the week I made bone broth from last week's chicken bones and remnants (supplemented with chicken feet and lots of veggies); having this on hand will allow me to make a butternut-squash-black-bean-and-kale soup that's divine (recipe forthcoming). I also soaked and cooked 1.5 cups of black beans and 1 cup of pinto beans; I will be using them for soup and to make a sandwich spread. I made apple muffins for Hugo's take-to-work breakfasts (see my recipe), and washed and chopped the turnip greens. Today I made ice cream from raw cream we got last week: just 2-3 cups raw cream mixed with 2-3 eggs yolks and 1/4 cup maple syrup (optional 1 tbsp. vanilla). It's SO delicious!

3 comments:

  1. You were right, Siobhan is very nice and I enjoyed the ground beef I bought from her- Central Valley is also very, very good- I made some for my sister who remarked "it's so good you can't taste the 'health' in it!" Not being able to taste the health-y in a food is her ultimate compliment as she is so NOT into trying to eat healthy (and this is her complaint about the health food in her college, that you can taste the 'health' in it too much!)

    (btw, sorry my name appears twice in your follwer's list, i don't know how that happened)

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  2. Hannah,

    I met you at a pickling class in NYC in October. I love your blog!!! Powerful intro!!!

    Kris
    http://eatlocaloneyear.com

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  3. Tennille-

    I find it so funny (and yes, aggravating) when people don't want to eat normal foods that are simply better, more wholesome versions of what they already eat, only because they have been told it's "healthy." I wish food could just be food. Period. It's bizarre that so many people out there (and I am not picking on your sister -- this is an extremely common phenomenon) really prefer to eat a burger from factory farmed animals because they think somehow it's bad for them and an indulgence and therefore must taste better. This is totally absurd! That burger does NOT taste better than it's grass-fed counterpart, and to top it off, you now have to be scared you're going to end up paralyzed from such an "indulgence."

    We now use food used as a reward, as pleasure, as entertainment, as a way of dealing with boredom, depression, and dissatisfaction with life. We use it as a way of keeping ourselves going for a few hours longer, as a way of making ourselves feel happy, pampered, or in control.

    What does it say about people, about society, and about our modern lifestyle that food is being used for everything but nourishment?

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