The Inventory Update
So, I was walking over to the Green City Market the other day, and who should also be pulling up. None other than market celebrity #1, Paul Virant. I say, "congratulations on the Iron Chef thing." He sez thanks, sez he does not know the exact air date. We both buy a lot of stuff.
OK, now that I mentioned that (hehehe), let's get to the inventory. Last December, I started tracking our inventory of food in the bungalow. The exercise was mostly to show how me and my family were able to eat local all winter through a combination of stored foods and winter shopping. Now, I need to write down the inventory just to keep track of all the food we have.
(Last inventory here)
Ramps - As I mentioned the other day, we have a lot of ramps right now. This on top of ramps in 3 meals last week: spring vegetable ragout, grilled, and in pasta with morels and asparagus.
Watercress - Used as a bed for grilled chicken, some remain.
Nettles - Purchased from a few farmers in Madison. Went into the ragout, some remain--I planed on using some in a stuffing for morels until we ran out of meals.
Mushrooms - Speaking of morels, we got a several good handfuls in Madison, both larger stuffers and other sizes. Also went into the above mentioned ragout and pasta, some also remain, ostensible to be stuffed. In addition to the wild morels, we have cultivated cremini's and oysters from Madison.
Herbs - Cilantro, lovage, rosemary, chervil, mint
Asparagus - Several stalks purchased/provided in the CSA and eaten this week, we still have a bit left.
Keeper onions - 2 more in our CSA box this week; keeping us in stock of onions required for cooking.
Garlic - Like onions, a locavore needs to stock enough garlic for not-so-bland-cooking, and we were able to do that. We still have plenty of garlic. To this store of garlic, we added about six stalks of green garlic purchased in Madison. I love the taste of green garlic, and it contributes strongly to the "spring" flavors in our current cooking.
Dried hot peppers - In talking about the need for stored garlic and onions in cooking, I remembered that I have never noted that our inventory has always included a stock of dried hot peppers, local peppers. Some of these we have dried ourselves, some have come from Farmer Vicki, and some we have purchased in Madison.
Cabbage - There is a head of red cabbage from the winter lying somewhere in the basement fridge; I doubt it will be eaten. On the other hand, from Farmer Vicki's hoophouses, we got two lovely heads of red cabbage this week. These will be eaten soon.
Carrots - Yes
Parsnips - See last report
Potatoes - Used a bunch of red potatoes last week in the spring vegetable stew and grill roasted our remaining La Ratte; that leaves us with about 3 lbs of russets and about 5 lbs of reds. Nicholl's Farm is selling last year's potatoes now in their market stands and I may or may not add some potatoes if we run out.
Apples - There may be crops coming to market but no fruit yet. We have bags of red and yellow local apples, but last week we only ate non-local fruit.
Lettuce - As I mentioned, we bought a big head of butter lettuce in Madison. We ate this during the week. At present, we have last week's CSA head of lettuce and this week's head of CSA lettuce.
Spinach - We bought a bag at one place in Madison then at another place and then we got a bag in our CSA. Lotso spinach.
Arugula - From Madison
Burdock root - 1 lb - No change
Beets - OK, here it comes: we got the beet. God, do we have the beet. We used last week's beet greens, but we did not use the bottoms. Several more beets in this week's CSA, greens included. Many beet.
Kale - No change
Radishes - No new ones, but a few leftover
Turnips - I believe I have been forgetting turnips in the last reports, but we have received several turnips in our Spring CSA.
Misc. - One small bok choi, one large bok choi; sunchokes (just when we threw out the last, we pull some in).
Local Pantry - Cheeses (tons of cheese as a result of being in Madison), yogurt, eggs, noodles, pork, beef, lamb, bacon, granola, grains, milk
Saturday, May 17, 2008
Thursday, May 15, 2008
What's Local Whole Foods Hamamntashen for Passover Location (River Forest, IL)
Fire Sale
I'm not always thinking about food. Sometimes I'm thinking about blogging about food. Or just plain eating. Or playing computer poker. We had spent a bit of time hanging out at Blue Max Cafe in River Forest waiting for our Farmer Vicki CSA box to arrive. As we were driving away, I announced to my wife that tonight's dinner would include a radish/raw asparagus spread like Bruce Sherman did at Green City yesterday. ( I thought he made the spread with butter but it seems the base was cheese.) Then, she seemed surprised when I pulled into the Whole Foods on Lake in River Forest. "We need bread."
We always need ramps. Their days are fleeting first of all, and second of all, they're pretty hard to find around here anyways. Surely not a ramp at yesterday's Green City Market (if you want to start cataloguing its faults, there's one). Of all places, Whole Foods was our ramp source last year. This year we had not seen any, at least at our standard place. Today, I had the keen idea of asking. It turns out there is a box in the back. They are selling them for 99 cents a bunch!!
We got $19 worth. Some probably will go on the grill; some in meatloaf, my kidz in an act that nearly brings me to tears, have asked for my ramp crusted version again, and the rest my wife is promising to pickle. I have a very good family.
And I'm lucky I was thinking about food today.
PS
In other eat local news at this Whole Foods, they had morels from Minnesota. Not the same bargain, but not that badly priced at $15 for a quart sized package.
I'm not always thinking about food. Sometimes I'm thinking about blogging about food. Or just plain eating. Or playing computer poker. We had spent a bit of time hanging out at Blue Max Cafe in River Forest waiting for our Farmer Vicki CSA box to arrive. As we were driving away, I announced to my wife that tonight's dinner would include a radish/raw asparagus spread like Bruce Sherman did at Green City yesterday. ( I thought he made the spread with butter but it seems the base was cheese.) Then, she seemed surprised when I pulled into the Whole Foods on Lake in River Forest. "We need bread."
We always need ramps. Their days are fleeting first of all, and second of all, they're pretty hard to find around here anyways. Surely not a ramp at yesterday's Green City Market (if you want to start cataloguing its faults, there's one). Of all places, Whole Foods was our ramp source last year. This year we had not seen any, at least at our standard place. Today, I had the keen idea of asking. It turns out there is a box in the back. They are selling them for 99 cents a bunch!!
We got $19 worth. Some probably will go on the grill; some in meatloaf, my kidz in an act that nearly brings me to tears, have asked for my ramp crusted version again, and the rest my wife is promising to pickle. I have a very good family.
And I'm lucky I was thinking about food today.
PS
In other eat local news at this Whole Foods, they had morels from Minnesota. Not the same bargain, but not that badly priced at $15 for a quart sized package.
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
Eat Good Food
Green City Farmer's Market 5/14/08, etc.
When I lectured, I lectured on the benefits of eating local. I talked about food miles, proliferating the 1,500 to your table mantra. I talked about how most local farmers were stewards of their land, using better-than-organic, sustainable practices. How local food, purchased in a CSA or at a farmer's market reduced solid waste because of the lack of packaging. I told how I wanted to support my farmer friends and support the farm economy. Still, at the end of the day, I implored, I wanted to eat better.
This is farmer's market fanfare time of year across the media. The Tribune has their spread and directory today. Gapers Block beat them to the punch a few days ago, but the Chicago Reader was hot to the top over a week ago and should have more eat local stories soon. I know Time Out Chicago's got something brewing. Follow the buzz.
The buzz generally will lead you to Chicago's Green City Market. Honestly, it's not my favorite farmer's market. I mean if nothing else the dulcimer music drives me batty. It's hard to bottle feel for a market, but the Green City Market just does not quite have it. Without cataloguing all my slights and quibbles, let me say this, the feel of the market would be a lot better if the vendors were either lined up all in a row, ala a Parisian street market, say with one collective canopy, or if the vendors made a circle or square of something. It would provide cohesion at least. Maybe it would remind me a bit more of the Dane County market even if that's an unfair comparison. This one aint even close. Still, at the end of the day, it is the most complete market around Chicago.
The vendors are good. Bennison's bakes some of the best breads in Chicago. I related the story to them today of what I heard from an Evanstonian who I had regaled about how good is Bennison's bread. Surprise. Shock. It seems like a lot of Evanstonian's associate Bennison's with mediocre birthday cakes, and the woman selling bread said she's heard the same thing. If the ciabatta I got from them was crisp and short lasting and hardly healthful, the sunflower rye from Dobra's aptly named Delightful Pastries balanced things. Great eating should start with great bread and Green City has you covered there. The fruit and veg people are some of the best in the area. Surely, you should start first with my pal, Farmer Vicki, who today had spinach and baby bok choi's (that caught the eye of the Penisula Hotel) and the long, skinny, early season allium that her and her son argued over which would sell it better "scallion" or "green onion" (Mom gave in and changed the sign to the latter). Nichol's Farm and Green Acres can load you up with the new and the varied. Beth Eccles at Green Acres can provide you with your own watercress motivations, but sadly, she was out of fiddlehead ferns by the time I arrived. Oh, and please do not forget Growing Power who is doing great things in Milwaukee parking lots. I got some edible flowers from them today. If the cheese selection cannot even come close to Madison, the cheeses that are there are very good, especially from Brunkow. The meat counters vary. I had to buy actual spring lamb (a shoulder) today from Mint Creek Farm. I passed on the elk although I liked the tiny taste, and I have more than enough meat still to bypass Heartland.
Don't go to Green City expecting the greatest farmer's market. Do go to begin your eat local quest. It will get you very well started. You would not have found any fruit today but as soon as the strawberries appear, in a few weeks, I guarantee you won't go another eight years.
The Green City Market will run outdoors on Wednesdays and Saturdays until October 29, 2008, 7-1:30. It is located just north of the Chicago History Museum on Clark Street, around 1700 N.
"It's been eight years since I've eaten fruit"The League of Woman Voters of Glen Ellyn inaugerated a book club last year. They picked Barbara Kingsolver's Animal, Vegetable, Miracle as their book. When it came time for their annual meeting, they needed a speaker. After several reach-outs, the Women became convinced that Ms. Kingsolver would not be available. From who knows how many other choices they found me. I gladly jumped at the chance to provide my eat local, not on the farm, experiences to these recepative ladies. The best line of the night, however, did not come from me. It came from one of the organziers of the event, and it came as we were wrapping up. This woman revealed that for over eight years she had not eaten any fruit. She realized she was not eating fruit because the fruit she was buying just did not taste very good.
When I lectured, I lectured on the benefits of eating local. I talked about food miles, proliferating the 1,500 to your table mantra. I talked about how most local farmers were stewards of their land, using better-than-organic, sustainable practices. How local food, purchased in a CSA or at a farmer's market reduced solid waste because of the lack of packaging. I told how I wanted to support my farmer friends and support the farm economy. Still, at the end of the day, I implored, I wanted to eat better.
This is farmer's market fanfare time of year across the media. The Tribune has their spread and directory today. Gapers Block beat them to the punch a few days ago, but the Chicago Reader was hot to the top over a week ago and should have more eat local stories soon. I know Time Out Chicago's got something brewing. Follow the buzz.
The buzz generally will lead you to Chicago's Green City Market. Honestly, it's not my favorite farmer's market. I mean if nothing else the dulcimer music drives me batty. It's hard to bottle feel for a market, but the Green City Market just does not quite have it. Without cataloguing all my slights and quibbles, let me say this, the feel of the market would be a lot better if the vendors were either lined up all in a row, ala a Parisian street market, say with one collective canopy, or if the vendors made a circle or square of something. It would provide cohesion at least. Maybe it would remind me a bit more of the Dane County market even if that's an unfair comparison. This one aint even close. Still, at the end of the day, it is the most complete market around Chicago.
The vendors are good. Bennison's bakes some of the best breads in Chicago. I related the story to them today of what I heard from an Evanstonian who I had regaled about how good is Bennison's bread. Surprise. Shock. It seems like a lot of Evanstonian's associate Bennison's with mediocre birthday cakes, and the woman selling bread said she's heard the same thing. If the ciabatta I got from them was crisp and short lasting and hardly healthful, the sunflower rye from Dobra's aptly named Delightful Pastries balanced things. Great eating should start with great bread and Green City has you covered there. The fruit and veg people are some of the best in the area. Surely, you should start first with my pal, Farmer Vicki, who today had spinach and baby bok choi's (that caught the eye of the Penisula Hotel) and the long, skinny, early season allium that her and her son argued over which would sell it better "scallion" or "green onion" (Mom gave in and changed the sign to the latter). Nichol's Farm and Green Acres can load you up with the new and the varied. Beth Eccles at Green Acres can provide you with your own watercress motivations, but sadly, she was out of fiddlehead ferns by the time I arrived. Oh, and please do not forget Growing Power who is doing great things in Milwaukee parking lots. I got some edible flowers from them today. If the cheese selection cannot even come close to Madison, the cheeses that are there are very good, especially from Brunkow. The meat counters vary. I had to buy actual spring lamb (a shoulder) today from Mint Creek Farm. I passed on the elk although I liked the tiny taste, and I have more than enough meat still to bypass Heartland.
Don't go to Green City expecting the greatest farmer's market. Do go to begin your eat local quest. It will get you very well started. You would not have found any fruit today but as soon as the strawberries appear, in a few weeks, I guarantee you won't go another eight years.
The Green City Market will run outdoors on Wednesdays and Saturdays until October 29, 2008, 7-1:30. It is located just north of the Chicago History Museum on Clark Street, around 1700 N.
With Watercreess
Let me get a housekeeping matter out of the way. If any of you are coming to this blog for solicitous food porn, you are gonna have to wait. Sure, I did not put up that many pics, and few would qualify as food porn, but there were some. Not for a while. At Looptopia a few weeks ago, while older daughter had the camera, someone stole it. All the text you have to suffer now, until I can spring for a new camera, blame on some all-nighting miscreant.
Too bad too. Last night's dinner would have made a show stopper. Two platters to film. First, a smaller, elongated, octogon-ish, white plate neatly framing about twelve spears of asparagus. A nearly un-natural shade of intense green contrasted with neat ribbons of black grill marks. If this frame would be orderly, composed, the second frame would be a jumble, abstract-expressionist. One of our large wooden, gullied platters overflowing with food. At the rims, logs of La Ratte fingerling potatoes, the grill bringing out their latent yellow properties. In the body of the platter, a mess of locally-raised chicken, grilled to deep golden, with splotches of black here and there. From the photo, you would notice those burnished colors but not really make out the chicken because the chicken was covered with grilled ramps, which themselves were shades of burning green and white. And off to the side of the chicken on the platter, in a little fox-hole I dug for it, the star of the show, the reason for the rest of the food, the watercress.
If it's not egg salad I am working my watercress around, it's a grilled chicken dinner. So French right, watercress with grilled meats. The dripping juices on the platter do make for a nice dressing for the watercress. This watercress, a month into its season, was not nearly as mustardy as last time but had a very pronounced licorice flavor. We will be eating a lot of asparagus in the next several weeks. Before I got too deep into that, I needed at least one more watercress meal. Wish I could have shown you it.
Too bad too. Last night's dinner would have made a show stopper. Two platters to film. First, a smaller, elongated, octogon-ish, white plate neatly framing about twelve spears of asparagus. A nearly un-natural shade of intense green contrasted with neat ribbons of black grill marks. If this frame would be orderly, composed, the second frame would be a jumble, abstract-expressionist. One of our large wooden, gullied platters overflowing with food. At the rims, logs of La Ratte fingerling potatoes, the grill bringing out their latent yellow properties. In the body of the platter, a mess of locally-raised chicken, grilled to deep golden, with splotches of black here and there. From the photo, you would notice those burnished colors but not really make out the chicken because the chicken was covered with grilled ramps, which themselves were shades of burning green and white. And off to the side of the chicken on the platter, in a little fox-hole I dug for it, the star of the show, the reason for the rest of the food, the watercress.
If it's not egg salad I am working my watercress around, it's a grilled chicken dinner. So French right, watercress with grilled meats. The dripping juices on the platter do make for a nice dressing for the watercress. This watercress, a month into its season, was not nearly as mustardy as last time but had a very pronounced licorice flavor. We will be eating a lot of asparagus in the next several weeks. Before I got too deep into that, I needed at least one more watercress meal. Wish I could have shown you it.
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
There are No Bad Farmer's Markets
FEDERAL (NOT) Daley Plaza Market May 13, 2008
Update: Good comment the other day about putting in some market basics, and I tried to do that with my report on Green City, but God, I never paid enough attention to the fact that I mis-wrote the name of the market on this post. For the record, the Federal Plaza market is on Tuesdays and the Daley Plaza is on Thursdays.
It's time to bring on the maiden Oak Park Farmer's Market story again. About how when we moved to Oak Park in the Spring of 2000; hit the market as soon as it opened; great donut scare, etc. The punch line, as always, is that the market left us unimpressed and almost lost us to the path we follow today.
Granted the market back then was not what it is like today. No Farmer Vicki. Stands with supermarket produce (how one of these places survives I do not know). One thing, though, has been pretty constant. Little produce at the beginning. It bothered me then. Not now. There are no bad markets.
If a few vendors withstanding below zero in Ann Arbor can make a market, then what was at Federal Plaza today was down right splendid. Asparagus, a lot of asparagus, including expensive stalks from Nichols Farm and purple stalks from Mick Klug, where Chef Virant gets his 'sparagus(maybe Chef Virant will have Mick Klug with him on Iron Chef) [ed. Are you going to stick your Vie Iron Chef scoop in every post?]. It was not all asparagus. Nichol's had last year's potatoes holding up quite well and a few other green things. This market has honey and two bakeries and Stovers canned goods and River Valley mushrooms who were long sold out of morels at 1:30, and Chicago Coalition for the Homeless coffee, which is everything I want in coffee: organic, fair trade and for a great cause; and there were two guys selling cheese, not cheese they made or farmed or had any special connection to, but rather cheese they thought would sell at a market. They had Pleasant Ridge Reserve and a few cheddars. Still, these were all side shows to the asparagus.
What really does a market need about now beyond asparagus. Eat it now. I'd say buy some from each farmer, but that does not really work with asparagus. Asparagus is one of those crops that needs to be eaten fast, now. So, unless some is going into the freezer, don't buy too much. It does, however, freeze pretty well after a short blanch. Makes a nice pasta in January. Get your asparagus. Eat local. Eat seasonally. There are no bad markets.
Update: Good comment the other day about putting in some market basics, and I tried to do that with my report on Green City, but God, I never paid enough attention to the fact that I mis-wrote the name of the market on this post. For the record, the Federal Plaza market is on Tuesdays and the Daley Plaza is on Thursdays.
It's time to bring on the maiden Oak Park Farmer's Market story again. About how when we moved to Oak Park in the Spring of 2000; hit the market as soon as it opened; great donut scare, etc. The punch line, as always, is that the market left us unimpressed and almost lost us to the path we follow today.
Granted the market back then was not what it is like today. No Farmer Vicki. Stands with supermarket produce (how one of these places survives I do not know). One thing, though, has been pretty constant. Little produce at the beginning. It bothered me then. Not now. There are no bad markets.
If a few vendors withstanding below zero in Ann Arbor can make a market, then what was at Federal Plaza today was down right splendid. Asparagus, a lot of asparagus, including expensive stalks from Nichols Farm and purple stalks from Mick Klug, where Chef Virant gets his 'sparagus(maybe Chef Virant will have Mick Klug with him on Iron Chef) [ed. Are you going to stick your Vie Iron Chef scoop in every post?]. It was not all asparagus. Nichol's had last year's potatoes holding up quite well and a few other green things. This market has honey and two bakeries and Stovers canned goods and River Valley mushrooms who were long sold out of morels at 1:30, and Chicago Coalition for the Homeless coffee, which is everything I want in coffee: organic, fair trade and for a great cause; and there were two guys selling cheese, not cheese they made or farmed or had any special connection to, but rather cheese they thought would sell at a market. They had Pleasant Ridge Reserve and a few cheddars. Still, these were all side shows to the asparagus.
What really does a market need about now beyond asparagus. Eat it now. I'd say buy some from each farmer, but that does not really work with asparagus. Asparagus is one of those crops that needs to be eaten fast, now. So, unless some is going into the freezer, don't buy too much. It does, however, freeze pretty well after a short blanch. Makes a nice pasta in January. Get your asparagus. Eat local. Eat seasonally. There are no bad markets.
Mad About Madtown
Mad About Spring
Yes I'm mad. Mad about Spring, mad about Spring shopping; mad over Madison and its farmer's market, mad that I have to venture the two plus hours to Madison; mad over our haul of Spring, the morels small(ish) and the morels large for stuffing; the nettles and then more nettles because the price seemed so good--make money selling your weeds you farmers; mad for asparagus finally here. Mad enough that after finishing my transaction with on of my favorite Dane County meat vendors (for chops), I turned right around and bought a fluffy head of Boston lettuce because I heard him tell someone how this was the ideal time of year for his lettuce. Mad, of course, that Madison is a month in and markets in, and near Chicago we are just about to begun.
The Dane County Farmers Market in Madison went outdoors on April 23. We had plans that day. The following Saturday we had plans and then the one after that too. May 11 was finally a plan-less day. So we made a plan. To Madtown. We like to head out the day before, we get such a deal at the downtown Concourse Hotel through Priceline. Quick aside, I'll tell you another thing that keeps me on the madly in love side of mad in Madtown, the parking. We always pull into a public lot 1/2 block from the Concourse when we get in, then we can leave the car there all the way through Saturday after the shopping--there's been times when I've had to run to the car to drop off the bags weighing us down--and when we leave, $7.
Getting to Madison the night before, we have less must-do's for dinner but too many options for breakfast the next day. A fish-fry is mostly in order at night, all you need to know about Madison and fish fries is that the 'net has both Madisonfishfry.com and Fishfrymadison.com (and the not exclusively but mostly Madison, Wisconsinfishfry.Madison.com) After the highly disappointing Avenue Bar last visit, we hit Kavanaugh's Esquire Club, a Wikipedia version of Wisconsin supper club if there ever was one for this fry. There is only one site devoted to Madison brunch, but we already have so many favorites here. Could it be the piles of food at Mickey's Dairy Bar, Old Fashioned, which I wholly disagree with Mike Sula on it's rated-ness; crispy pastries at Cafe Soliel, Madison even has a better bagel place than Chicago gosh darn-it. The problem is, we can never get past the market.
My wife lasers, always, on Ingrid's LunchBox. She gets the breakfast sandwich with farm egg and horseradish hollandaise. I am advised, don't eat the first pastry I espy. I don't, but the potato donut I finally settle on, about three bakeries in, turns out to be a poor choice, too cold. I really make my breakfast of samples of cheese. Here they are, America's top team of cheese-ists. Willi of Bleu Mont Dairy and Julie Hook and her old, old cheeses and Anne Topham snarls that her knee replacement did not come from stooping to milk the goats ("I don't stoop"). She does, however, make the best fresh goat cheese you can find at her Fantome Farms. You could fall madly in love with this market just for the cheeses.
I am, as always, never fully satisfied. Not satisfied with the lack of farmer's markets in Spring around Chicago. It was not just cheese we bought the other day. It was spinach, the market had lots and lots of spinach, a crop that can be over-wintered and frost-kissed to lovely Northern sweetness. Take that bagged-ifornia. And ramps, that harbinger that's near impossible to actually buy in the Chicago area, the cool weather was keeping them in supply at Harmony Valley Farms. We got 4 for $10. Please, please Sarah and Rick and Abby and the rest of our market maker powers that be, we need markets much earlier. We will probably never get a market like Madison (and I am satisfied with that), but can we get one a little bit more like Madison? At least one with a schedule like that?
I'm mad about Madison. Take the short drive. You'll find yourself getting oh so mad too.
Yes I'm mad. Mad about Spring, mad about Spring shopping; mad over Madison and its farmer's market, mad that I have to venture the two plus hours to Madison; mad over our haul of Spring, the morels small(ish) and the morels large for stuffing; the nettles and then more nettles because the price seemed so good--make money selling your weeds you farmers; mad for asparagus finally here. Mad enough that after finishing my transaction with on of my favorite Dane County meat vendors (for chops), I turned right around and bought a fluffy head of Boston lettuce because I heard him tell someone how this was the ideal time of year for his lettuce. Mad, of course, that Madison is a month in and markets in, and near Chicago we are just about to begun.
The Dane County Farmers Market in Madison went outdoors on April 23. We had plans that day. The following Saturday we had plans and then the one after that too. May 11 was finally a plan-less day. So we made a plan. To Madtown. We like to head out the day before, we get such a deal at the downtown Concourse Hotel through Priceline. Quick aside, I'll tell you another thing that keeps me on the madly in love side of mad in Madtown, the parking. We always pull into a public lot 1/2 block from the Concourse when we get in, then we can leave the car there all the way through Saturday after the shopping--there's been times when I've had to run to the car to drop off the bags weighing us down--and when we leave, $7.
Getting to Madison the night before, we have less must-do's for dinner but too many options for breakfast the next day. A fish-fry is mostly in order at night, all you need to know about Madison and fish fries is that the 'net has both Madisonfishfry.com and Fishfrymadison.com (and the not exclusively but mostly Madison, Wisconsinfishfry.Madison.com) After the highly disappointing Avenue Bar last visit, we hit Kavanaugh's Esquire Club, a Wikipedia version of Wisconsin supper club if there ever was one for this fry. There is only one site devoted to Madison brunch, but we already have so many favorites here. Could it be the piles of food at Mickey's Dairy Bar, Old Fashioned, which I wholly disagree with Mike Sula on it's rated-ness; crispy pastries at Cafe Soliel, Madison even has a better bagel place than Chicago gosh darn-it. The problem is, we can never get past the market.
My wife lasers, always, on Ingrid's LunchBox. She gets the breakfast sandwich with farm egg and horseradish hollandaise. I am advised, don't eat the first pastry I espy. I don't, but the potato donut I finally settle on, about three bakeries in, turns out to be a poor choice, too cold. I really make my breakfast of samples of cheese. Here they are, America's top team of cheese-ists. Willi of Bleu Mont Dairy and Julie Hook and her old, old cheeses and Anne Topham snarls that her knee replacement did not come from stooping to milk the goats ("I don't stoop"). She does, however, make the best fresh goat cheese you can find at her Fantome Farms. You could fall madly in love with this market just for the cheeses.
I am, as always, never fully satisfied. Not satisfied with the lack of farmer's markets in Spring around Chicago. It was not just cheese we bought the other day. It was spinach, the market had lots and lots of spinach, a crop that can be over-wintered and frost-kissed to lovely Northern sweetness. Take that bagged-ifornia. And ramps, that harbinger that's near impossible to actually buy in the Chicago area, the cool weather was keeping them in supply at Harmony Valley Farms. We got 4 for $10. Please, please Sarah and Rick and Abby and the rest of our market maker powers that be, we need markets much earlier. We will probably never get a market like Madison (and I am satisfied with that), but can we get one a little bit more like Madison? At least one with a schedule like that?
I'm mad about Madison. Take the short drive. You'll find yourself getting oh so mad too.
Monday, May 12, 2008
What's Local -- Fresh Farms, Wheeling
Which Supermarket Would You Save
My wife agreed to drive home yesterday from our activities so I could make a few notes in my new beloved toy, the Blackberry. A few notes turned into some fixation, and between me and that, one daughter reading and the other daughter napping, the driver got a bit perturbed. To make up, to make needed conversation, I asked, "what's your favorite grocery store?" It did not work. She stayed mostly perturbed for the rest of the ride home. It was not until this morning that I remembered the right way to phrase the question. "Which, if you had one grocery (or supermarket) in Chicago (area) would you save?"
We love the which can you save game. If you only could eat one sandwich; if you only could eat from one type (e.g., Italian, Jewish) of food; if you could only go to one other state...invariably our, if only one questions lead to which five (at least), but this one was pretty straight forward. See, I was in the thrall of Fresh Farms of Wheeling. I could see some advantages to Fox & Obel as "the one", but because I was, yesterday at Fresh Farms ( especially) it was the one. My wife answered back, "Whole Foods."
I pishawed her. "Whole Foods." Clearly, for all our bitchin', we shop there a fair amount; surely for milk and soy milk and yogurt. Yet, there was nothing that I can think of that is at Whole Foods that is not at other places that we also frequent, at least nothing really necessary so to speak. Moreover, is there anything Whole Foods really does better beyond being convenient to the Bungalow.
"How could you pick Whole Foods over Fresh Farms" I asked incredulously. "Seasonal produce," she justified. "Ah" I snorted. I think she'd even concede she was hasty today. I mean can you walk into Whole Foods this week and get Michigan apples, Wisconsin potatoes?
Fresh Farms, to backtrack, is a Russian geared store, or I should say better, it is a food store geared toward Russian food habits. These habits include a need for zaruska (plural zaruski) appetizers/food to be eaten with vodka or tea/food for light meals. This habit is fulfilled in stores like Fresh Farms with ample stocks of smoked, salted, dried and cured fishes. Fresh Farms has a large selection, although not quite as good as the infrequently opened Renee Gourmet with its slabs of salmon, captain, etc. The habit also means an array of sausages I could never get around to trying en total unless this really was the one grocery store. I tend to get the beef sausage called, with no irony, Jewish Dry Salami on most visits. The habit includes plenty of pickles and yesterday there were two types of cucumber pickles, marinated apples and pickled green tomatoes. Finally, and most important to this post, there is the habit for outstanding dairy. The Russians, like other Eastern Europeans, like their milk. In fact the one thing we had to stop for on the way home yesterday, was milk. I was reasonably confident Fresh Farms would have our kinda milk.
They did. Beyond Farmer's All Natural Creamery milk and buttermilk, they had Farmers All Natural Creamery cheese (first I've seen of that); sour cream (no ingredients!), and cottage cheese (likewise without extra ingredients). They had the Cultural Revolution yogurts from another dairy in Kaldona, Iowa, and the yogurt my wife likes best, Trader's Point Creamery. She really appreciated that they had low-fat vanilla. Butters included Wüthrich European Style made by Grassland Dairy and the best, Clarendon Hills. Those Russians know what I know, to get the best in dairy, get local.
Until I hit some other favorite food market, the one to keep is Fresh Farms, 291 E. Dundee, Wheeling, IL (intersection of Milwaukee and Dundee).
My wife agreed to drive home yesterday from our activities so I could make a few notes in my new beloved toy, the Blackberry. A few notes turned into some fixation, and between me and that, one daughter reading and the other daughter napping, the driver got a bit perturbed. To make up, to make needed conversation, I asked, "what's your favorite grocery store?" It did not work. She stayed mostly perturbed for the rest of the ride home. It was not until this morning that I remembered the right way to phrase the question. "Which, if you had one grocery (or supermarket) in Chicago (area) would you save?"
We love the which can you save game. If you only could eat one sandwich; if you only could eat from one type (e.g., Italian, Jewish) of food; if you could only go to one other state...invariably our, if only one questions lead to which five (at least), but this one was pretty straight forward. See, I was in the thrall of Fresh Farms of Wheeling. I could see some advantages to Fox & Obel as "the one", but because I was, yesterday at Fresh Farms ( especially) it was the one. My wife answered back, "Whole Foods."
I pishawed her. "Whole Foods." Clearly, for all our bitchin', we shop there a fair amount; surely for milk and soy milk and yogurt. Yet, there was nothing that I can think of that is at Whole Foods that is not at other places that we also frequent, at least nothing really necessary so to speak. Moreover, is there anything Whole Foods really does better beyond being convenient to the Bungalow.
"How could you pick Whole Foods over Fresh Farms" I asked incredulously. "Seasonal produce," she justified. "Ah" I snorted. I think she'd even concede she was hasty today. I mean can you walk into Whole Foods this week and get Michigan apples, Wisconsin potatoes?
Fresh Farms, to backtrack, is a Russian geared store, or I should say better, it is a food store geared toward Russian food habits. These habits include a need for zaruska (plural zaruski) appetizers/food to be eaten with vodka or tea/food for light meals. This habit is fulfilled in stores like Fresh Farms with ample stocks of smoked, salted, dried and cured fishes. Fresh Farms has a large selection, although not quite as good as the infrequently opened Renee Gourmet with its slabs of salmon, captain, etc. The habit also means an array of sausages I could never get around to trying en total unless this really was the one grocery store. I tend to get the beef sausage called, with no irony, Jewish Dry Salami on most visits. The habit includes plenty of pickles and yesterday there were two types of cucumber pickles, marinated apples and pickled green tomatoes. Finally, and most important to this post, there is the habit for outstanding dairy. The Russians, like other Eastern Europeans, like their milk. In fact the one thing we had to stop for on the way home yesterday, was milk. I was reasonably confident Fresh Farms would have our kinda milk.
They did. Beyond Farmer's All Natural Creamery milk and buttermilk, they had Farmers All Natural Creamery cheese (first I've seen of that); sour cream (no ingredients!), and cottage cheese (likewise without extra ingredients). They had the Cultural Revolution yogurts from another dairy in Kaldona, Iowa, and the yogurt my wife likes best, Trader's Point Creamery. She really appreciated that they had low-fat vanilla. Butters included Wüthrich European Style made by Grassland Dairy and the best, Clarendon Hills. Those Russians know what I know, to get the best in dairy, get local.
Until I hit some other favorite food market, the one to keep is Fresh Farms, 291 E. Dundee, Wheeling, IL (intersection of Milwaukee and Dundee).
Benefits of Locally Grown Food
Like You Don't Know
The Angelic Organics Learning Center is leading a discussion on eating local this Wednesday at the Chicago Public Sulzer Library in Lincoln Village. Details here.
The Angelic Organics Learning Center is leading a discussion on eating local this Wednesday at the Chicago Public Sulzer Library in Lincoln Village. Details here.
Sunday, May 11, 2008
Next Iron Chef?
As far as I can tell, no other source has picked up on the latest in Vie news. Look here for more details soon. Good luck Chef Virant.
Perhaps the secret ingredient will be hearts of palm...paw-paws? heritage turkey? gooey butter cake?
Perhaps the secret ingredient will be hearts of palm...paw-paws? heritage turkey? gooey butter cake?
Friday, May 09, 2008
Inventory
A Big Head of Lettuce, a Small Head of Bok Choi, It's Nice Getting New Crops to Eat
Last night's dinner made good use of what Spring brings. I thinly sliced about five scallion stalks and sweated them in a mix of butter and olive oil (medium heat). I roughly chopped the leaves and stalks from three beets, added them to the pan. Cracking nine farm eggs, whisking them (with a bit of added olive oil), was enough time for the beet greens to cook. I started the scramble on low heat and then turned the stove to medium high after the curds formed, about five minutes. Then, its a diligent swirl, swirl, swirl, getting the cooked edges to the center. Just before the eggs were finished, and I scramble soft, I shredded a good bit of Wisconsin Fontina style cheese over.
On to the inventory. (Last inventory here)
Herbs - Cilantro
Keeper onions - 3 small ones from our CSA box this week, so we are just fine here.
Scallions (a/k/a green onions; a/k/a spring onions) - None this week, but we have plenty still.
Garlic - Garlic holding out. I love congratulating myself for buying enough garlic to last.
Cabbage - Red head still there!
Carrots - Enough that they can go in the kidz lunches again
Parsnips - The problem with all the parsnips we have, it's like the squash and the cabbage, they seem so winter.
Potatoes - Have not touched them in a week or so, but there's still some,
Apples - Picked up some red delicious and golden delicious for lunches at Caputo's
Lettuce - Big head of leaf lettuce
Burdock root - 1 lb - No change
Beets - We are quite long on beets, about 20
Kale - We were saving one from a previous CSA box; this week we got two big bunches. Now we actually have enough for a decent portion.
Misc - One small one regular head of bok choi
Radishes - A...bunch
Local Pantry - Cheeses (actually low on cheese), yogurt, eggs, noodles, pork, beef, lamb, bacon, granola, grains, milk
We're heading to Madison today for morels, nettles, ramps, herbs. I imagine next week's inventory will be a bit larger.
Last night's dinner made good use of what Spring brings. I thinly sliced about five scallion stalks and sweated them in a mix of butter and olive oil (medium heat). I roughly chopped the leaves and stalks from three beets, added them to the pan. Cracking nine farm eggs, whisking them (with a bit of added olive oil), was enough time for the beet greens to cook. I started the scramble on low heat and then turned the stove to medium high after the curds formed, about five minutes. Then, its a diligent swirl, swirl, swirl, getting the cooked edges to the center. Just before the eggs were finished, and I scramble soft, I shredded a good bit of Wisconsin Fontina style cheese over.
On to the inventory. (Last inventory here)
Herbs - Cilantro
Keeper onions - 3 small ones from our CSA box this week, so we are just fine here.
Scallions (a/k/a green onions; a/k/a spring onions) - None this week, but we have plenty still.
Garlic - Garlic holding out. I love congratulating myself for buying enough garlic to last.
Cabbage - Red head still there!
Carrots - Enough that they can go in the kidz lunches again
Parsnips - The problem with all the parsnips we have, it's like the squash and the cabbage, they seem so winter.
Potatoes - Have not touched them in a week or so, but there's still some,
Apples - Picked up some red delicious and golden delicious for lunches at Caputo's
Lettuce - Big head of leaf lettuce
Burdock root - 1 lb - No change
Beets - We are quite long on beets, about 20
Kale - We were saving one from a previous CSA box; this week we got two big bunches. Now we actually have enough for a decent portion.
Misc - One small one regular head of bok choi
Radishes - A...bunch
Local Pantry - Cheeses (actually low on cheese), yogurt, eggs, noodles, pork, beef, lamb, bacon, granola, grains, milk
We're heading to Madison today for morels, nettles, ramps, herbs. I imagine next week's inventory will be a bit larger.
Thursday, May 08, 2008
What's in Season - May
Before It's June
As I just posted, May is finally starting to bring some farmer's markets, and with such, the ability to add local to your table gets a bit easier. May is a time for mixed product around here. We can roughly divide our what's available into 4 categories.
The Esoteric
The earliest spring crops are mostly still there, and unlike the last couple of months are entering a bit into the markets. Over at LTHForum, shoppers have found ramps at Whole Foods. Likewise, Irv and Shelly have them to order. Other foraged type crops include morels, garlic mustard, dandelion, nettles and watercress. See if you can find these real spring around Chicago.
The Classics
Yes, local asparagus can be now had. Irv and Shelly have. I know Cassie was working her hardest to get some too. Spring onions ("scallions") are around. Rhubarb should be available too/soon. A couple of other early crops you might find are sunchokes and burdock root. Hopefully, we'll see strawberries.
Greenhouse Crops
Spring farmers like my pal, Farmer Vicki, are working their hoophouses with abandon. Their crops include lettuces, chard, bok choi, kale, carrots, spinach, beets, and the ever present sprouts. Fresh herbs this time of year include cilantro* and sorrel.
Stored Crops/Frozen
Over-wintered parsnips are around, maybe a few over-wintered carrots. In these cases big is better. Michigan apples are sill hangin' in; I saw them this week at Caputo's in Elmwood Park and Cermak Produce in Chicago. Likewise both places had Wisconsin potatoes. There's keeper onions lollygagging around too.
Meat and eggs.
*The saying goes, what grows together goes together, but cilantro is most vexing (to me). It's a cool weather herb and mostly in season around this time of year. Yet, when I think, what does cilantro most go with, and I think salsas, especially salsa crudo's or fresh tomato salsas. These, surely, are not in season for a while. I got a nice bag of cilantro last week in my CSA. Twice this week, my wife prepared on of our favorite cheats, guacamole. The avocado, lime and serrano chile may have been non-local, but at least we found a use for the cilantro! (local onions too).
As I just posted, May is finally starting to bring some farmer's markets, and with such, the ability to add local to your table gets a bit easier. May is a time for mixed product around here. We can roughly divide our what's available into 4 categories.
The Esoteric
The earliest spring crops are mostly still there, and unlike the last couple of months are entering a bit into the markets. Over at LTHForum, shoppers have found ramps at Whole Foods. Likewise, Irv and Shelly have them to order. Other foraged type crops include morels, garlic mustard, dandelion, nettles and watercress. See if you can find these real spring around Chicago.
The Classics
Yes, local asparagus can be now had. Irv and Shelly have. I know Cassie was working her hardest to get some too. Spring onions ("scallions") are around. Rhubarb should be available too/soon. A couple of other early crops you might find are sunchokes and burdock root. Hopefully, we'll see strawberries.
Greenhouse Crops
Spring farmers like my pal, Farmer Vicki, are working their hoophouses with abandon. Their crops include lettuces, chard, bok choi, kale, carrots, spinach, beets, and the ever present sprouts. Fresh herbs this time of year include cilantro* and sorrel.
Stored Crops/Frozen
Over-wintered parsnips are around, maybe a few over-wintered carrots. In these cases big is better. Michigan apples are sill hangin' in; I saw them this week at Caputo's in Elmwood Park and Cermak Produce in Chicago. Likewise both places had Wisconsin potatoes. There's keeper onions lollygagging around too.
Meat and eggs.
*The saying goes, what grows together goes together, but cilantro is most vexing (to me). It's a cool weather herb and mostly in season around this time of year. Yet, when I think, what does cilantro most go with, and I think salsas, especially salsa crudo's or fresh tomato salsas. These, surely, are not in season for a while. I got a nice bag of cilantro last week in my CSA. Twice this week, my wife prepared on of our favorite cheats, guacamole. The avocado, lime and serrano chile may have been non-local, but at least we found a use for the cilantro! (local onions too).
Get Your Farmer's Markets
Today's Market
This is about the time of year that various publications present their farmer's markets guides. The Chicago Reader scooped the industry with their guide last week. It's not a bad one, being both info packed and a bit subjective. Still, they miss the first market I know.
Today, in Western Springs, you can stop by to congratulate potential Iron Chef, Paul Virant, and you can hit the French Market at the intersection Hillgrove and Wolf. The market, unlike many markets around here, runs in the afternoon, 2-7 PM.
Some may disparage these markets with their mix of crafts and olive (!). Me, I like any farmer's market. Maybe because they're "French", these markets often feature the nuns from the Fraternite of Notre Dame from the West side of Chicago. These nuns bake up some classic style French pastries. The French Markets also often have guys who will amalgamate a collection of Amish goods, get a pie baked with lard; most of the more "real" farmers markets will not have these types of stands as they only allow farmers to sell their own goods. I highly doubt their will be much in the way of seasonal produce at this market. Nearby Vie may have ramps on its menu, but I do not believe their will be at this market, nor will morels another Virant favorite. Still, for all anxious to get to a market, here's your chance.
This is about the time of year that various publications present their farmer's markets guides. The Chicago Reader scooped the industry with their guide last week. It's not a bad one, being both info packed and a bit subjective. Still, they miss the first market I know.
Today, in Western Springs, you can stop by to congratulate potential Iron Chef, Paul Virant, and you can hit the French Market at the intersection Hillgrove and Wolf. The market, unlike many markets around here, runs in the afternoon, 2-7 PM.
Some may disparage these markets with their mix of crafts and olive (!). Me, I like any farmer's market. Maybe because they're "French", these markets often feature the nuns from the Fraternite of Notre Dame from the West side of Chicago. These nuns bake up some classic style French pastries. The French Markets also often have guys who will amalgamate a collection of Amish goods, get a pie baked with lard; most of the more "real" farmers markets will not have these types of stands as they only allow farmers to sell their own goods. I highly doubt their will be much in the way of seasonal produce at this market. Nearby Vie may have ramps on its menu, but I do not believe their will be at this market, nor will morels another Virant favorite. Still, for all anxious to get to a market, here's your chance.
Wednesday, May 07, 2008
Vie News
Yes, there's a new menu online, been online for days now. Yes, it'll make you hungry for spring with roasted Klug farm asparagus, Spence farm garlic mustard and ramps, cream of stinging nettle soup and lovage and sorrel playing their herbal tune. That's not my Vie news.
Nope.
Here's the news. The Chicago area's ablest pickler and restauranter most committed to local (at least until I know the Mado people) has also caught the eye of a certain Chairman Kaga or whatever his nephew is named. Hopefully the secret ingredient will be morels. Keep here for more updates.
Nope.
Here's the news. The Chicago area's ablest pickler and restauranter most committed to local (at least until I know the Mado people) has also caught the eye of a certain Chairman Kaga or whatever his nephew is named. Hopefully the secret ingredient will be morels. Keep here for more updates.
Tuesday, May 06, 2008
Eat Good Food
Dancing with Mr. D
Why, why, why...why, why, why; why it frustrates me so much that people, people, at least the general population in the Chicago area eat so poorly. Eat good food. Is there anything more basic, more satisfying, more hard to find than a good french fry. In another time, in another food board universe, there used to be vehement arguments on "cheap eats" vs. "fine dining". I'm surely a cheap guy, but I have some sympathies towards fine dining. Certainly, as I have focused on local eating, my snobbery towards product has grown. Still, there are things that cheap restaurants tend to do better, that satisfy more, and no more is that demonstrated than in the french fry.
I assume the couple running Mr. D's Shish Kabob (6656 W Diversey, Chicago) are a couple. They have that silent communication, nearly extended conversations of the long married. They divide the labor. Most orders just come over the short counter. She'll get the meat and condiments ready and later take the money. He mans the grill and fries the fries. Unlike, say Gene and Judes, the potatoes are not constantly cut. Rather, you can see the same levered device as Gene and Judes to the side, but there are bins a-ready. He works the two fryer system, aided by a long, square-headed spider, that he uses to both pat down frying potatoes, maintaining submergence, and straining out any fallen bits.
It is rare, really rare, for a better (read more expensive) to take the same care on their fries. Outside Chicago, I know, but so representative, both of the Kellers in Las Vegas, Hubert at Burger Bar and Thomas at Bouchon, produce fries no where close to Mr. D. I remember someone telling me at Bouchon that they just did not have the time to make fries the way Mr. D does. Then, someone else told me, about one of the Kellers, that they got the "best frozen". Hahahahahaha. One of the places in the Loop had those too, skin on, maybe could fool a non-fry freak, but not me. I'm a freak.
A freak for good food. I get most of my good food from local farms. I also like to get my good food from guys who know how to do it. Guys like Mr. D.
My wife first read about the local food centered market, Lionette, in one of our in-room magazines (I think). I'll cover Lionette and some related places in another post.In looking up the name of an oyster bar in Boston yesterday, I was reminded of yet another post I meant to do. So, listen, I'm totally backlogged on posts. When I promise forthcoming posts on local inventory, what's in season, my recent eat local speech in Glen Ellyn, I mean it. I promise. And I have a couple of restaurants to report on, in the loop; both I generally liked, and both had pretty good fries, but neither had fries that came close to as good as Mr. D's on the far Northwest side of Chicago.
Why, why, why...why, why, why; why it frustrates me so much that people, people, at least the general population in the Chicago area eat so poorly. Eat good food. Is there anything more basic, more satisfying, more hard to find than a good french fry. In another time, in another food board universe, there used to be vehement arguments on "cheap eats" vs. "fine dining". I'm surely a cheap guy, but I have some sympathies towards fine dining. Certainly, as I have focused on local eating, my snobbery towards product has grown. Still, there are things that cheap restaurants tend to do better, that satisfy more, and no more is that demonstrated than in the french fry.
I assume the couple running Mr. D's Shish Kabob (6656 W Diversey, Chicago) are a couple. They have that silent communication, nearly extended conversations of the long married. They divide the labor. Most orders just come over the short counter. She'll get the meat and condiments ready and later take the money. He mans the grill and fries the fries. Unlike, say Gene and Judes, the potatoes are not constantly cut. Rather, you can see the same levered device as Gene and Judes to the side, but there are bins a-ready. He works the two fryer system, aided by a long, square-headed spider, that he uses to both pat down frying potatoes, maintaining submergence, and straining out any fallen bits.
It is rare, really rare, for a better (read more expensive) to take the same care on their fries. Outside Chicago, I know, but so representative, both of the Kellers in Las Vegas, Hubert at Burger Bar and Thomas at Bouchon, produce fries no where close to Mr. D. I remember someone telling me at Bouchon that they just did not have the time to make fries the way Mr. D does. Then, someone else told me, about one of the Kellers, that they got the "best frozen". Hahahahahaha. One of the places in the Loop had those too, skin on, maybe could fool a non-fry freak, but not me. I'm a freak.
A freak for good food. I get most of my good food from local farms. I also like to get my good food from guys who know how to do it. Guys like Mr. D.
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
Eat Local Meat
Arnold Farms Delivery's
Via, e-mail, Tom Arnold informs me that he will be making several delivery stops for his meats in the Chicago area on May 14 (Wednesday) and May 16 (Friday). If you are interested in ordering his meat, see his web site for more info.
As his e-mail is not very specific on the locations, I suggest following up with him.
Via, e-mail, Tom Arnold informs me that he will be making several delivery stops for his meats in the Chicago area on May 14 (Wednesday) and May 16 (Friday). If you are interested in ordering his meat, see his web site for more info.
May deliveries will be divided over two days: Wednesday, May 14th, and Friday, May 16th. The last two stops on Wednesday are at new times, and the Friday delivery is an all-new day and schedule. Let me know how these changes will affect you. The schedule is as follows:
*** WEST & SOUTH. Wednesday, May 14: Stops for this day would be Elgin, 8:15 am; Bartlett, 9:00am; North Aurora, 10:00; Downer’s Grove, 11:00; Villa Park, 12:00; Lockport, 2:00 pm.
*** CHICAGO & NORTH. Friday, May 16: Stops for this day would be Oak Park, 11:00 am; Downtown Chicago, 12:00; Northwest Chicago, 1:00 pm (location to be announced pending where majority of order come from); Park Ridge/Des Plaines, 2:30 (location to be announced); Arlington Heights, 3:30; Round Lake Beach, 5:00.
Sides of beef and pork are still available for May. As noted last newsletter, I need to book orders for sides and special cutting instructions at least one delivery in advance due to our processor, Lena Maid Meats, running close to capacity and increased demand for our meats. (Ex.: order a side of beef in May for July delivery. We may be able to be more flexible on sides picked up by you at Lena Maid.) However, we do have several animals unspoken for for May delivery but will need to know if you are interested ASAP and have your cutting instructions no later than Sunday, May 4th.
As his e-mail is not very specific on the locations, I suggest following up with him.
Monday, April 28, 2008
Local Green Fairy
Gaper's Block kindly informs that North Shore Distillery, the local, pot-stilling folks have now come up with an absinthe.
Eat Local Later
What's Up at Cassie's Green Grocer - Part 2
Cassie asked me to post this:
Cassie asked me to post this:
Organic Plant Sale Saturday May 3rd, 10am-6pm. Green Grocer Chicago, 1402 W. Grand Ave
Tomato Mountain is providing the Green Grocer Chicago with over 1,000 strong and healthy organic plants for our customers to grow their own delicious edibles (even if you have no garden space)!!!! We will have herbs, tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, tomatillos, lettuces and more. Besides these green wonders, we are raffling off unique painted plant pots to benefit the patrons of Dignity Diner, our Tuesday night volunteer hot spot. Local artist and print-maker, Mat Daly with be at the store to autograph his customized Green Grocer poster.
Eat Local Now
What's Up at Cassie's Green Grocer - Part 1
Who wants to eat local. Who wants to eat local now! Cassie's got your goods. She forwarded to me a list of produce on hand, so who sez you have to wait until the farmer's markets open.
Who wants to eat local. Who wants to eat local now! Cassie's got your goods. She forwarded to me a list of produce on hand, so who sez you have to wait until the farmer's markets open.
Here’s a few items that either we just got or will have probably by the end of the week!
Asparagus from Seedling Fruits in Michigan (this could still be another week or two)
Arugula and chives from City Farms (Division/Clybourn)
Baby lettuces, mustard greens, collards, radishes, chard from Windy City Harvest (28th and Western)
Lettuces, herbs, microgreens from Organic Illinois farms (all across the state)
“Teese”-vegan cheese made by local Chicago Soy Dairy (who uses Wisconsin soybeans when in season)
Friday, April 25, 2008
Running Even
Latest In Inventory
(previous inventory)
It's starting to be the time of year where the new stuff exceeds the stored stuff. We are in our fourth week of the Spring CSA. Last week was not a great CSA week. Farmer Vicki warned us that the Napa cabbage had some insect damage, to peel off some leaves, but it turned out that our cabbage was gone, totally. Such is the price of organic/sustainable farming practices. In addition to what we are getting from Genesis Growers, we picked up some produce from Cassie's Green Grocer. She's made a great find, Windy City Harvest. Windy City Harvest would be an all around terrific project on its own, but the produce they are selling to Cassie just gorgeous. Great reason to get to her place.
Before I get to what's at hand, one housekeeping note. The weather has warmed enough that the attic is no longer a viable storage spot. We moved the remaining potatoes to the basement, and we moved the remaining apples to the basement fridge.
Celery - Stalk by stalk, it has its uses
Herbs - Mostly rosemary and mint. We have Farmer Vicki mint and Green Grocer mint.
Keeper onions - Based on our purchases a few weeks ago at Andy's Fruit, we are holding out.
Scallions (a/k/a green onions; a/k/a spring onions) - A bunch, this is the first crop produced outside by Vicki. The use of spring onions/scallions as the cooking alium, after keeper onions run out, is one of the things that gives Spring food its characteristic flavors.
Garlic - Garlic remains fine, and we should last until the new garlic arrives.
Cabbage - Red head remains but for what?
Sunchokes - I looked at the sunchokes the other day, and they are pretty much caput. We had our chance. I just have not had the nerve to toss.
Carrots - Last week's CSA box had several large (assuming over-wintered) carrots, but none this week. We are not heavy on carrots, but given their market availability now, I'm not worried.
Parsnips - In addition to some we've carried for ages, last week's CSA box contained very large over-wintered (i.e., kept in the ground during the winter) parsnips.
Potatoes - We've used a lot of potatoes of late. We finished the 50 lb bag of Wisconsin russets we got earlier this winter, and we've used quite a bit from our smaller bag of Wisconsin russets. We have about 20 lbs of reds and about 5 lbs of speciality potatoes.
Apples - Not that many left, mostly what we got at Andy's a few weeks back.
Lettuce - The CSA boxes have had a lot of lettuces. This week we got a head of romaine. Time for Dad to whip out his Ceasar salad kit.
Burdock root - 1 lb - No change
Beets - Hopefully Cassie gets some more baby beets in from Windy City Harvest as I bought out her entire supply. As I said above, this is high endorsement for what they're doing on the West Side of Chicago. Moreover, these are double duty beets, with enough nigh perfect greens for the money that it's a steal. Also got beets, larger beets from Farmer Vicki, and we still have beets from before.
Kale - One bunch in this week's CSA box. Farmer Vicki suggests using it raw, but I'm just gonna save it for a week, so that there's enough for a good helping.
Radishes - We got a lot, ate a lot--so much that we ended up not having the ones we planned on serving for a Passover salad--and have obtained a bunch again. If you want some of your own, Cassie has some great looking French breakfast radishes.
Local Pantry - Cheeses (actually low on cheese), yogurt, eggs, noodles, pork, beef, lamb, bacon, granola, grains, milk
(previous inventory)
It's starting to be the time of year where the new stuff exceeds the stored stuff. We are in our fourth week of the Spring CSA. Last week was not a great CSA week. Farmer Vicki warned us that the Napa cabbage had some insect damage, to peel off some leaves, but it turned out that our cabbage was gone, totally. Such is the price of organic/sustainable farming practices. In addition to what we are getting from Genesis Growers, we picked up some produce from Cassie's Green Grocer. She's made a great find, Windy City Harvest. Windy City Harvest would be an all around terrific project on its own, but the produce they are selling to Cassie just gorgeous. Great reason to get to her place.
Before I get to what's at hand, one housekeeping note. The weather has warmed enough that the attic is no longer a viable storage spot. We moved the remaining potatoes to the basement, and we moved the remaining apples to the basement fridge.
Celery - Stalk by stalk, it has its uses
Herbs - Mostly rosemary and mint. We have Farmer Vicki mint and Green Grocer mint.
Keeper onions - Based on our purchases a few weeks ago at Andy's Fruit, we are holding out.
Scallions (a/k/a green onions; a/k/a spring onions) - A bunch, this is the first crop produced outside by Vicki. The use of spring onions/scallions as the cooking alium, after keeper onions run out, is one of the things that gives Spring food its characteristic flavors.
Garlic - Garlic remains fine, and we should last until the new garlic arrives.
Cabbage - Red head remains but for what?
Sunchokes - I looked at the sunchokes the other day, and they are pretty much caput. We had our chance. I just have not had the nerve to toss.
Carrots - Last week's CSA box had several large (assuming over-wintered) carrots, but none this week. We are not heavy on carrots, but given their market availability now, I'm not worried.
Parsnips - In addition to some we've carried for ages, last week's CSA box contained very large over-wintered (i.e., kept in the ground during the winter) parsnips.
Potatoes - We've used a lot of potatoes of late. We finished the 50 lb bag of Wisconsin russets we got earlier this winter, and we've used quite a bit from our smaller bag of Wisconsin russets. We have about 20 lbs of reds and about 5 lbs of speciality potatoes.
Apples - Not that many left, mostly what we got at Andy's a few weeks back.
Lettuce - The CSA boxes have had a lot of lettuces. This week we got a head of romaine. Time for Dad to whip out his Ceasar salad kit.
Burdock root - 1 lb - No change
Beets - Hopefully Cassie gets some more baby beets in from Windy City Harvest as I bought out her entire supply. As I said above, this is high endorsement for what they're doing on the West Side of Chicago. Moreover, these are double duty beets, with enough nigh perfect greens for the money that it's a steal. Also got beets, larger beets from Farmer Vicki, and we still have beets from before.
Kale - One bunch in this week's CSA box. Farmer Vicki suggests using it raw, but I'm just gonna save it for a week, so that there's enough for a good helping.
Radishes - We got a lot, ate a lot--so much that we ended up not having the ones we planned on serving for a Passover salad--and have obtained a bunch again. If you want some of your own, Cassie has some great looking French breakfast radishes.
Local Pantry - Cheeses (actually low on cheese), yogurt, eggs, noodles, pork, beef, lamb, bacon, granola, grains, milk
Thursday, April 24, 2008
Eat Boiled Meats
Passover Bollito Misto Sauces
The other night, we ate leftover bollito misto. I counted five sauces: herbal salsa verde, tomato-based (canned) salsa rossa, creamy horseradish, intriguing honey-walnut and using the cranberries that we've carried all winter, cranberry mostarda. Five sauces for four meats: veal shoulder, beef shank, brisket and capon. How did we go wrong. I wanted symmetry. How did we screw up I asked my wife. The merguez, I had forgot to count the merguez. We did have five meats. Happiness reigns in the Bungalow.
As I noted the other day, 1/2 the reason to eat bollito misto is for the sauces. Boiled meat, especially good local meat, is tender, rich, but yes, not exactly zooming with flavor. Bland. A vehicle. An excuse. To counter the plainness of boiled meat, bollito gets served with flavor-forward sauces, the sting of fresh horseradish, the cloy of honey, the salty jolt of anchovy mixed with herbs and the exotic, Renaissance taste of the salsa rossa.
All the ingredients were local except for the canned tomatoes, the tomato paste, the spices, the olive/mustard oils, the vinegar, the sugar, and have-to-admit, the parsley.
The other night, we ate leftover bollito misto. I counted five sauces: herbal salsa verde, tomato-based (canned) salsa rossa, creamy horseradish, intriguing honey-walnut and using the cranberries that we've carried all winter, cranberry mostarda. Five sauces for four meats: veal shoulder, beef shank, brisket and capon. How did we go wrong. I wanted symmetry. How did we screw up I asked my wife. The merguez, I had forgot to count the merguez. We did have five meats. Happiness reigns in the Bungalow.
As I noted the other day, 1/2 the reason to eat bollito misto is for the sauces. Boiled meat, especially good local meat, is tender, rich, but yes, not exactly zooming with flavor. Bland. A vehicle. An excuse. To counter the plainness of boiled meat, bollito gets served with flavor-forward sauces, the sting of fresh horseradish, the cloy of honey, the salty jolt of anchovy mixed with herbs and the exotic, Renaissance taste of the salsa rossa.
Salsa Verde
This is a standard in the Bungalow. Bollito misto was not the only meal centered around this sauce. It's probably easiest to make this in a blender or food processor (Robot Coupe as they said about five times on Top Chef last night), but I like to make it in a mezzaluna. I enjoy the workout, and I think the texture, rough, inexact, is more pleasing.Roughly chop a good amount of fresh herbs on hand; traditionally the dominant herb is parsley. Mint, oregano, basil, rosemary, chervil and tarragon are all good additions (I used the first four).
Garlic, three cloves. Finely minced. I start the garlic on a cutting board but then add to the mezzaluna board, so that I'm chopping the garlic as I continue to chop the herbs.
Dried local hot pepper. Minced. Just in the mezzaluna. The later liquid elements will hydrate the pepper a bit.
A good dollop of Dijon mustard. Not all salsa verde recipes include mustard, but I find it adds needed binding as well as complexity. The mustard goes into the eventual serving bowl with the ingredients from the mezzaluna board.
Salty elements, anchovies, cornichons, dill pickles, etc.; I used one salt-packed anchovy. Finely minced. I do this on a separate cutting board to keep things less smelly, then add to the serving bowl.
A splash of red wine vinegar.
Olive oil, extra virgin but not one of our fancier ones until I get the right consistency. The herbs should just float in the oil.
Horseradish Sauce
Equal parts sour cream, red wine vinegar, olive oil. Minced fresh horseradish to desired nasal-clearing.
Salsa Rossa
Adapted from David Rosengarten Entertains
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 onions, diced
6 cloves garlic, sliced
1 large carrot, scrubbed and diced
1 stalk of celery, diced
Good glop of tomato paste, more than a tablespoon
1 28 ounce can of tomatoes, drained
Cayenne, nutmeg, cinnamon, enough for an exotic, Oriental flavor + salt and pepper
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
At medium or lower, heat the olive oil in a skillet, add the onions, celery and carrots, cook for a few minutes until getting soft. Do not crisp. Add the garlic and cook a bit more. Add the tomato paste, cook for one more minute. Then, add the canned tomatoes, squishing them between your fingers as they go in. Add the spices. Cook over low heat until the stuff thickens. Let cool and puree in blender or food mill. Add the vinegar. Adjust the seasoning.
Honey Sauce
Adapted from Kyle Phillips
Handful of black walnuts, crushed
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup cooking stock
Cranberry Mostarda
Adapted from Mario Batali
2 cups granulated sugar
1 pound cranberries
5 tablespoons Colman’s dry mustard
1 teaspoon mustard oil (available at specialty stores)
2 tablespoons black mustard seeds
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
In a heavy-bottomed saucepan, combine the sugar and 2 cups of water and bring to a boil. Add the cranberries and cook over until the cranberries are just beginning to burst.
In a bowl, make a paste from the other ingredients and some water. Stir this mixture in to the berries and cook over high heat until the mixture is thick and syrupy, about 20 minutes. Remove from the heat and allow to cool.
All the ingredients were local except for the canned tomatoes, the tomato paste, the spices, the olive/mustard oils, the vinegar, the sugar, and have-to-admit, the parsley.
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