Category Archives: Food

Lunch At Early Mountain

Posted on September 23, 2013 by AnnieRie

Friday’s visit to Early Mountain was one of the highlights of this trip. We had never driven the three hours down to the winery, which reopened in 2012 after extensive remodeling and the change of ownership.

I kept seeing references to the winery, because of its unique “Best of Virginia” partnership program.

The chance to sample their wines, alongside wines from other prominent (and some not so prominent, but promising) vineyards, paired with excellent food, is what intrigued us.

Madison VA is not far above Charlottesville. Easy to access. The welcoming entrance sets the stage that this is someplace special, where you can relax, enjoy, linger and not feel as if you are drowning in hordes of people winery hopping (something that makes many wineries in Northern VA unpopular with us).

The inviting entrance area, full of sofas, a few tables, and lots of places to unwind, is what sets this winery apart.

Add to that, the back terrace, with its huge fireplace. Makes al fresco dining a joy.

I could have lunch here almost every week of the year and be happy. I like the changing menu and the changing wine pairings.

We started with a mixed sampler. Two cheeses and two meats. We each picked a different four wine sample. Love how you can mix, and match, the wines with food.

But, if truth be told, we went there specifically to try and buy Ankida Ridge Pinot Noir. Yep, Pinot Noir from Virginia. Ankida Ridge is really small. Their wines, though, are absolutely luscious.

We did buy some Early Mountain whites, as well as those Ankida Ridge goodies. We had a sneak preview of the 2012 Chardonnay. Elegant, really promising. A good year for white wine in VA, and this one is beautifully balanced. I purchased their dry Petite Manseng, their Pinot Gris, 2011 Chardonnay and their dessert wine for now. Nice wines.

Believe me, we will be heading back down when that lovely 2012 Chardonnay is released.

Anyone wanting to take an overnight from up here in Maryland, to the wine country around Charlottesville has to come here. It is worth the trip.

hocofood@@@

Garden Transitions

Posted on September 21, 2013 by AnnieRie

The garden is moving into its fall mode. My lone Thelma Sanders squash is getting bigger, but it hasn’t been joined by any others.

There are blossoms all around it, but no other squash. Could be a real bust.

I have a few dozen green tomatoes left out there.

Since it will still be warm for a while, I am hoping they ripen. Otherwise, green tomato pesto pasta, or maybe that green tomato bacon jam.

The basil has continued to flourish, even as I keep cutting it.

The African blue basil is putting out new growth.

The fall greens have started to spread in their boxes. I have chard and arugula out there.

This is the ruby chard. I may mix it with the French sorrel from the CSA box and make a quiche. It may be getting close to October but there is quite a bit left to harvest, on these lovely crisp days. We do need rain, though. I have been watering things again.

hocofood@@@

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Posted in Food, Gardening, Weather, West HoCo and tagged cooking, Food, foodie, gardening, heirloom tomatoes, weather. Bookmark the permalink.

Another Baker’s Dozen

Posted on September 19, 2013 by AnnieRie

Week 18 of the 24 week CSA. Thirteen items again in the box. A couple of fairly odd ones, and I didn’t swap anything.

We got:
1 head Bok Choy – Friends Road Organics
1 bunch Pink Beauty Radishes – Friends Road Organics
1 container Microgreens – Eastbrook Produce
1 head Green Romaine Lettuce – Bellview Organics
1 bunch French Sorrel – Kirkwood Herbs
1 bag Mixed Hot Peppers – Outback Farm
1 bag Mixed Mustard Greens- Organic Willow Acres
2 piece Gold Acorn Squash – Windy Hollow Organics
1 bag Red Potatoes – Green Valley Organics
1 bag Orange Carrots – Freedom Acres Farm
1 bag Shallots – Shady Brook Organics
1 bag Green Okra – Life Enhancing Acres
2 pieces Heirloom Tomatoes – Crystal Springs Farm

The odd one — the okra. I think we got it once last year and I swapped it. This year, I didn’t.

Okra can be done very well, with a little effort, so I guess the cookbook will be coming out for it. I also thought the mixed mustard greens were interesting. I feel like we have a real Southern basket this week.

As for all those peppers …

… now that I know I have conquered that fear of canning, there may be some pickled peppers, or some hot relish being made. I have some wax beans, and those teeny carrots in here. I could do a pickled veggie mix.

I may take a few of them and hang them to dry out, like I did a few years back.

But, the truth about not swapping okra. When I got there, the swap box was already overflowing with hot peppers, since the full shares and the half shares all got peppers, so if I put the okra in the swap box, I could have had twice as many peppers, or another couple of heirloom tomatoes, or the French sorrel. Not much of a choice left.

I feel for our hosts. They will be drowning in peppers tonight. They get to keep whatever is finally left in that swap box after all of us have picked up our shares.

By the way, I love French sorrel. Another fairly unique item we get. There may be a quiche in the planning for this coming week.

hocofood@@@

4 Comments

Posted in CSA, Food, Real Food and tagged cooking, CSA, Food, foodie, heirloom tomatoes, tomatoes. Bookmark the permalink.

The Fear of Canning …

Posted on September 18, 2013 by AnnieRie

… doesn’t have a name in the Phobia list, but it probably should.

I did find, in a Google search, a long list of blogs that used Fear of Canning in their title. So I was not alone when it came to having misgivings about canning.

I conquered that fear Monday morning. With Pineapple Habanero Jelly.

The recipe said it would make six 8 ounce jars, but I ended up with an extra pint of jelly. Thankfully I had a large jar in the dishwasher with the six jelly jars, so I could cope.

I found the recipe here.

And I promptly modified it. Here is what I used.

2 cups pineapple juice
1 1/2 cups apple cider vinegar
1 jalapeño pepper, halved, seeded and with ribs removed
10 small orange habaneros, halved, seeded and with ribs removed
5 1/2 cups granulated sugar
½ teaspoon salt
2 (3 fluid ounce) pouches liquid pectin
1 teaspoon pickled beet juice (to replace red food coloring)

Put the peppers and the cider vinegar in the blender and pulse until peppers are minced.

Pour this mixture into a heavy saucepan. Add the sugar, pineapple juice, and salt. Mix until all is dissolved. Add the beet juice to make it a deeper color. You can increase the amount of beet juice to get it darker. Bring to a rolling boil. Cut the heat back just a bit and cook for about 10 minutes stirring it constantly with a wooden spoon to keep it from sticking to the bottom. I think I didn’t keep the heat high enough so I didn’t get the evaporation to draw it down to 48 ounces.

Add the two pouches of liquid pectin and get the mixture back to a boil again. Lower the heat to medium-low and cook for an additional 4-5 minutes until thickened and syrupy. Mine didn’t get really thick, but it seems to have congealed OK in the jars. I checked them all today and they are no longer runny when I tilted them.

Before I put the liquid into the jars, I did skim off the foam, and I strained much of the pulp out of it to give me a fairly clear jelly.

For the canning, I followed the recommendations in the Ball Blue Book of Canning. Used the dishwasher to sterilize instead of the canning pot. I filled all the jars, and put the six small ones in the pot.

Processed them for ten minutes, and they all sealed properly. Put the large jar in by itself and processed it for 15 minutes. It sealed fine as well. That one will end up in the fridge and be the first one used. I intend to use it on a soft creamy goat cheese and crackers. And, I intend to mix it with butter to coat chicken wings to make a hot wing appetizer. I will report back to see how it tastes, and how it works in recipes.

All in all, this was pretty simple. Now, to be brave enough to move on to that green tomato bacon jam recipe I want to try.

hocofood@@@

7 Comments

Posted in CSA, Food, Real Food and tagged canning, cooking, CSA, Food, foodie, Locavore, real food. Bookmark the permalink.

Life Goes On

Posted on September 17, 2013 by AnnieRie

Even though I did lose a few coworkers. Yes, I knew some of the victims.

No, I don’t want to talk about it. Privacy and respect trump anything else.

Tonight we did honor our reservations at Iron Bridge. The Axios release party.

We tried the wines. We loved the wines. Another relaxing evening at the Bridge.

Sometimes a night out is what you need to decompress. Iron Bridge is one of our favorite restaurants in Howard County. I had a great lobster tail entree and my husband had a perfectly prepared rockfish.

hocofood@@@

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Posted in Food, Howard County, Restaurants, Wine and tagged Food, foodie, Howard County, local businesses, real food. Bookmark the permalink.

Football Weather

Posted on September 15, 2013 by AnnieRie

Clear, sunny, perfect day for the Ravens to open in Baltimore. Good to see that they won.

We did lots of things outdoors today before and after the game. Some wire maintenance for my husband.

Me, checking out the lone squash in the garden, and bringing in almost all the remaining tomatoes. This year, they seem to be slowing down a bit early.

I only have about eight green tomatoes left on the vine.

The freezer is almost full. Today, between games, I cut up the habaneros and the jalapenos for the jelly. Found all the material to do the canning. Tomorrow will be canning day. I have to decide how hot I want this jelly to be. I got about 10 habaneros from the CSA. The recipe calls for 6-15 depending on what level of heat you want.

I also roasted the remaining paste tomatoes and put them away in the freezer. Took all the pesto out of the ice cube trays and divided the cubes up into small containers to keep.

Roasted three more heads of garlic, resulting in a full jar of soft tasty garlic to use in recipes.

Tomorrow there may be showers. That will be good as we are crossing our fingers that there will be no restrictions for the Equinox Twilight Hikes at the Conservancy, next Sunday night, the 22nd.

They should be fun, if the weather stays this lovely. Family hiking ending at the campfire for stories and s’mores. Followed at twilight by the adult hike.

It’s a “bring your own” hike. Musical instruments to play. A few snacks to supplement the s’mores for the adult crowd.

Check out the details on the Conservancy web page. If you want to enjoy the changing of the seasons.

hocoblogs@@@

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Posted in Food, Gardening, Howard County, Nature, Volunteering, Weather, West HoCo and tagged community, Food, foodie, gardening, heirloom tomatoes, Howard County, howard county conservancy, nature, tomatoes, weather. Bookmark the permalink.

A Picture Perfect Fall Day

Posted on September 14, 2013 by AnnieRie

That’s what about 70-80 people decided who came out to the Conservancy to join our family hikes.

We had four hike leaders and each one of us had 15-35 people. The largest group was with our preschool leader. She had at least 35 people on the short tour around the farmhouse and down to the play areas.

I took about 15-20 people on a couple of loops to show them all the cool things we teach the children on the field trips. Almost 90 minutes out there.

Then, we found dozens of families down in the nature center checking out Maize, our corn snake, or reading books, or looking at all the exhibits. Into the midst of the chaos, a family showed up to tour the facilities for a possible wedding in 2014. I got to take them for a tour and show them the grounds, as Alison was out and about with all the visitors and handling the snake. We didn’t think the mother of the bride was into snakes.

I finally left there at 1:00. Too late to hit Breezy Willow or Larriland so I ran over to Harris Teeter to get pectin, pineapple juice, sugar and a few boxes of cereal for my better half. I missed my chance to pick up my favorite yogurt at Breezy Willow so it will have to wait until next week.

Turf Valley is coming along quickly. The outdoor seating at Facci is there. Looks like they are very close to opening, and you could smell wood smoke (maybe the pizza ovens?) and someone in a chef’s cap was out in back, taking a break, talking on his phone. They look to be the first to open.

Petite Cellars and Grille 620 are hiring, if anyone is looking for a job.

Mimi’s was being worked too. The cleaners have opened.

We may finally have another fully occupied shopping center in northwest HocCo, with new restaurants. Woo Hoo!

Tomorrow is pineapple habanero jelly making day. Stand by for the report on how well it goes. If I don’t seriously hurt myself handling the habaneros I will have 6 jars of jelly to use for appetizers, glazing, and I think, to make some killer chicken wings.

hocoblogs@@@

Update on the Farms

Posted on September 13, 2013 by AnnieRie

Just in case you want to get out and stock up for winter, there were a few emails lately with what is happening at local farms.

England Acres announced a new batch of fresh chickens for this weekend. The market is open Friday, Saturday and Sunday 10-6. If you have never made fresh chicken, using these lovely birds, you are in for a real treat if you head out and buy one or two of them. They can’t keep them in stock for long. They just fly out of the refrigerator at the farm store.

As for other goodies available, Breezy Willow still has their 25 pounds of tomatoes for $25 special. If you are inclined to make tomato sauce to freeze, this is the way to get good organic tomatoes for a great price. The farm store is open tomorrow from 10-2. I may be stopping there to pick up some yogurt and cheese, as they have some of my favorite vendors in their store.

Last, Larriland.

All sorts of specials, like tomatoes in the field by the barn. Otherwise, here is the latest chart.

Opening Saturday, September 14, 2013
1. Jonagold apples: picking is good. Jonagolds are sweet/tart, large, greenish with a red cheek, all purpose apples. Jonagolds are a cross between Jonathan, a tart apple, and Golden Delicious, a sweet apple.

2. Spinach and Swiss chard. picking is excellent. This year we planted “Rhubarb Chard” which has red stems and looks just like beets but no bottoms.

3. Tomatoes: this is a new tomato field with garden tomatoes, roma/paste tomatoes, grape tomatoes and cherry tomatoes.

4. Blackberries: picking will be fair. The blackberry season is almost over.

Ripening Soon:
1. Apples: there are 14 more apple varieties to ripen throughout September and October. Click on the Fruit Harvest Calender below for varieties and ripening times.

2. Broccoli will be ready in late September.

3. Beets will be ready to pick in October.

4. Pumpkins will be ready to pick in October.

5. Cauliflower and cabbage will be ready to pick in late October.

I love heading out to Larriland. I may be stopping there tomorrow also, as I need pectin and apple cider to make my habanero jelly. More on that later.

Fall is coming, that’s for sure. Today was just a lovely day. Cooler, breezy, sunny after the rain headed out. Can’t wait for pumpkin season.

hocofood@@@

Falling Behind

Posted on September 12, 2013 by AnnieRie

In the CSA consumption. Week 17 crept up on us before we finished week 16. Another Baker’s dozen this week.

1 Spaghetti Squash – Riverview Organics
1 bag Bintje Potatoes- De Glae Organics
1 bag Sweet Onions – Liberty Branch Farm
1 bag Garlic – Friends Road Farm
1 bag Habanero Peppers – Tasty Harvest
1 bunch Dinosaur Kale- Farmdale Organics
1 head Green Leaf Lettuce – Green Valley Organics
1 head Green Butterhead Lettuce – Maple Lawn Organics
1 stalk Edamame – Liberty Branch Farm
1 head Curly Endive Meadow Valley Organics
1 head Baby Bok Choy – Plum Hill Organics
1 bunch Italian OR Curly Parsley – Noble Herbs
1 pint Gold Grape Tomatoes – Chiques Roc Organics

The new one here is the Bintje potatoes. Who knew potatoes could arouse such passion and controversy. These are the famous Belgian potatoes used for frites, according to the WSJ article about them.

So now I need to find beef drippings?

Then there’s the edamame. Which we love. Simply cooked. Boiled in heavily salted water. Squeezed out of their pods as the perfect appetizer to accompany gin and tonics on the patio.

But then, there’s those killer habaneros.

There are eleven of these things! I can handle one or two, but ELEVEN! OK, time to find a hot pepper jelly recipe. Stay tuned to see how this works out.

I do love the return of the greens. We got butter lettuce, endive and leaf lettuce. Plus the kale.

Fall is definitely coming. I do need to get out of garden processing mode, and start eating the CSA bounty a little quicker.

hocofood@@@

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Posted in CSA, Food, Locavore and tagged cooking, CSA, Food, foodie, Locavore, real food. Bookmark the permalink.

Perfecting Pesto

Posted on September 10, 2013 by AnnieRie

To me, pesto is one of those universally adaptable ingredients. Slather it on flatbread. Mix it to make dressings. Plop it on pasta. Spread it on fish. On chicken. Drop cubes of it into crock pot meals. Like chicken soup.

I love making pesto with all sorts of bases. Like basil. Like garlic scapes. Like radish greens, carrot tops and whatever else green looks good.

One thing that is always in my fridge and my freezer is pesto.

I have been working on my processes to make pesto. Like using the food processor to grate cheese.

Start with a few hunks of pecorino romano and/or Parmigiano Reggiano. Process it until the food processor stops migrating across the counter top.

Whatever doesn’t get used in the pesto goes in the refrigerator for later use.

Today I harvested three cups of African Blue Basil.

African blue basil has been my most prolific producer for the past two years. I still have at least 4-6 cups out there in the herb garden.

I toasted some pine nuts. Added some pistachios. My ratio: 1 cup basil to 1/3 cup nuts to 1/2 cup cheese. I add two cloves of garlic for every cup of basil.

This is my roasted garlic from yesterday. There were six cloves added to my three cup basil mix today.

I start with a teaspoon of salt and a teaspoon of pepper, then add to taste as I go along. I drizzle extra virgin olive oil into the processor to get the consistency I want. I don’t even think of measuring olive oil. It is just eyeballing the clump spinning around in the processor and getting it to that creamy mix, that isn’t too dry.

Today I put two cups of it away in the freezer. I also had a four ounce container to use for dinner tomorrow. This combination was one I really liked, and will try to duplicate in the future.

Here’s to pesto!

hocofood@@@

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Posted in Food, Gardening, Locavore, Real Food and tagged cooking, Food, foodie, gardening, Locavore, real food. Bookmark the permalink.