Tag Archives: Food

Lovin’ the Springtime

Posted on April 26, 2013 by AnnieRie

Finally, we seem to have stumbled upon a true spring time. Lovely sunny low humidity days. Perfect for al fresco dining. No bugs. No wind. Looks like a bit more of this weather in store also. Today we opted for dining outside as much as possible, and also spent time on the yardwork.

First, a report on our impromptu lunch on the patio. Using CSA items mostly, but making my simple salad as a topping. CSA greens with some scallions, baby turnips and red cabbage. A couple of pieces of that mozzarella I made. One of those huge spicy peppery radishes, and half a Valencia orange. Add to it some homemade vinaigrette. The topping is my Tuscan inspired tuna.

In the little cup is a dollop of vanilla yogurt I picked up at Breezy Willow Wednesday, served with a few apricots and some frozen blackberries, left from my Larriland stash in the freezer.

Dinner is happily slow cooking in the oven, the last of the lasagne I made from my homemade sauce. Took it from freezer to oven. No fuss while we enjoy the weather in the back yard.

I can hear the tractors, my husband in the field and my neighbor in his yard. Doesn’t everyone park their tractor by the patio while taking a lunch break?

As for how things are developing in the flower and tree department. Azaleas really starting to flower.

This purple one is really full of blooms. Also having a banner year is my crab apple. Within a few days, this should be a vision in white.

Anything significant blooming in your space? Spring has definitely sprung in West Hoco.

hocofood@@@

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Posted in CSA, Food, Gardening, Nature, Weather, West HoCo and tagged azaleas, CSA, Food, gardening, hoco loco, nature, spring flowers, weather, West HoCo. Bookmark the permalink.

Under the Weather

Posted on April 25, 2013 by AnnieRie

It never fails every spring, I pick up at least one cold while the weather keeps vacillating. Today after doing a fair amount of work in the gardens, I succumbed to that stuffy head, achy muscles and simply miserable feeling. Making me miss a hocobloggers get together at Xitomate. I judge a Mexican restaurant by their moles and their camarones dinners.

We will get there to try it with friends some night, just didn’t make it today. Besides, I can’t wait until they get to Turf Valley, much closer to our house.

Before crashing on the sofa with lemon water and rosemary crackers, I did get many of my herbs in the garden, and spent about an hour pulling up black fabric in the main veggie gardens. I will plant the tomatoes in three weeks, after the last chance of frost. Tell me, is there anything better than the scent of tomato plants?

They are all happy in the mudroom under the window facing east. As for the flowers outside, the dogwoods are blooming. The early azaleas too. I will be taking a trip to Brighton Dam tomorrow if I feel better to see what is happening there.

Yes, under the trees the dandelions are going nuts. So are all our other weeds, and the wild parsley that keeps the bunnies out of my herbs. Herbs planted and planned this year include blue sage, common sage, French tarragon, French thyme, African blue basil, marjoram and sweet basil. The chives and rosemary are coming back as well as that weed called mint. If you do nothing else, plant a few small pots of herbs. Thyme does very well around here.

As for the Thelma Sanders start from seed squash experiment, I ended up with one dozen plants from the saved seeds. Not a bad germination rate at all. There will be a section in the garden for the squash and cucumbers to hopefully happily coexist.

Finally, one last thing about locally sourced meats. We got half a lamb last week from England Acres. Twenty seven pounds. Dressed the way we wanted it. At a fraction of the cost of buying it at the store.

Next week is their first week for their chickens. Believe me, since there are none left in the freezer, I will be popping out to the farm for a couple.

I may be fighting a simple spring bug, but the weather and that beginning of growing season always gets me motivated to go out and enjoy my favorite time of year here in the midAtlantic.

hocofood@@@

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Posted in Food, Gardening, Howard County, Locavore, Nature, Restaurants, Weather, West HoCo and tagged azaleas, Food, gardening, heirloom tomatoes, hoco loco, Howard County, local businesses, Locavore, nature, spring flowers, tomatoes, weather. Bookmark the permalink.

Early Bird CSA Week Eight

Posted on April 24, 2013 by AnnieRie

It was a lovely day out at the farm today for CSA pickup.

The addition to the farm store building is now our CSA pick up site. The smaller section is the store. Bigger, brighter, and filled with lots of great looking food. Plus, outside the animals were out sunning themselves and getting attention.

What did we get this week?

Two pounds of onions
Eight juice oranges
One bulb garlic
Two pounds zucchini
One pound spinach
Half pound salad greens
Three pounds sweet potatoes
One pound green beans
One bunch radishes

This week a non egg week. We had a choice of applesauce, cherry amaretto jam, or Monterey Jack cheese. I picked applesauce. And, a new bread for me. Already made my light dinner, tuna salad on it. My better half went off to a meeting and I was tired from running around in the sun at the Conservancy all morning, so made a salad and a sandwich. This bread is awesome!!!

I also nibbled on two of the radishes. I love fresh radishes dipped in a little seasoned salt. I see radishes in the swap boxes often, and don’t know why people dislike them. I love them, raw or baked or sliced on bread with butter and salt.

Eight weeks down, four to go. Breezy Willow continues to have a great mix of veggies. Perfect to pair things for recipes.

hocofood@@@

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Posted in CSA, Food, Local Businesses, Locavore and tagged CSA, Food, foodie, local businesses, Locavore. Bookmark the permalink.

Whey Out There!

Posted on April 23, 2013 by AnnieRie

OK! Mozzarella was a success.

Eight ounces of cheese, close to half a gallon of whey left over. Don’t throw it away!

Instead, make soup with it. All from the freezer and fridge. Potato corn chowder. Look into the crock pot. Frozen foods in it.

I dumped about two pounds of Yukon Gold CSA potatoes, boiled, sliced and frozen in October. And, about 10-12 ounces of sweet white corn from TLV, blanched and cut from the cob. The corn is the blob on the right bottom of the pot. All the whey in there.

Plus, green beans from the CSA. Turnips from East Rivendell (they buy wholesale from Lancaster Farm Fresh). Greens and turnips. Baby Hakurei turnips.

Added some scallions and carrots. Carrots from Breezy Willow. Scallions bought at England Acres when I picked up my half a lamb (another topic for later this week). Oh, and some of that bacon from TLV bought Saturday.

Popped some basil from my new plants in it. Some veggie blend from dried herbs. At some point, I fished out the potatoes and pureed them in the blender. Salt and pepper and garlic powder to taste. This came out very well. Rich satisfying soup.

Served with a salad medley. And, a lovely white wine from Linden.

hocofood@@@

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Posted in CSA, Food, Local Businesses, Real Food and tagged cooking, crockpot soups, CSA, Food, foodie, Linden Vineyards, Locavore, real food, wine. Bookmark the permalink.

Making Mozzarella

Posted on April 22, 2013 by AnnieRie

Yes, you can make your own mozzarella. It gives you a great treat if you are missing the lovely soft mozzarella from South Mountain Creamery. All you need is milk, rennet, citric acid and salt. I got my recipe here. My first venture into cheesemaking. I halved the recipe.

I had a half gallon of fresh raw milk. Friends with cows are wonderful to have. I am doing a swap. Garlic scape pesto from my garlic next month for the milk to make cheese.

Bring milk with citric acid solution to the proper temp. Add the rennet solution and let it rest off the heat. It will begin to look like this. Mine took longer than ten minutes.

We have curds and whey. Not quite firm in the pic, but they got there. Curds being firmed up in the microwave.

After two 30 second cycles in the microwave, I added the salt and started to massage it and stretch it.

It needed another 30 seconds microwaving to get to the right temperature. I also lost my photo assistant to lawn cutting, so no pics of the stretching cheese. Here is the final product.

Fresh raw whole milk makes a softer creamier cheese. 2% milk, not ultra pasteurized supposedly makes the shinier white more solid version. It will be served tonight with venison steaks, for my local meal. Pics of the chilled sliced cheese later tonight or tomorrow.

I was surprised at how easy it was. Now, I need to figure out what to do with a large amount of whey. I hear I should use it instead of water in grains, soups, couscous, stews, and that it freezes well. I have about 50 ounces of whey in the fridge. More experimentation this week.

You know you’re a locavore when you make your own cheese. Next project, maybe a simple goat cheese with herbs. We know people with goats.

hocofood@@@

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Posted in Food, Locavore, Real Food, Sixty@Sixty and tagged Food, foodie, Locavore, real food. Bookmark the permalink.

Triadelphia Lake View Farm

Posted on April 21, 2013 by AnnieRie

The farm just down the road a piece. Closest to us, and a source of meat, eggs, plants, Christmas decorations, and veggies.

TLV Tree Farm. Known to many Howard County residents as the Christmas Tree Farm, where years ago we discovered the farm when we bought our first town house. Now known to much of Howard County as one of the farms at four of the five Farmers Markets in the county. They come to all the market days except the Thursday market.

You can go to the farm any Saturday in the winter and pick up meat, and sometimes there are eggs and Bowling Green Farm cheese in the fridge. They are open 10-2 every Saturday. I tend to stop there when I need something for a weekend dinner.

Just drive up to the farm and if no one is in the store, they have a number to call to get someone from the house. They have been farming in the county on these 100 acres for generations.

The farm house sits at the intersection of Triadelphia and Triadelphia Mill Roads. A pleasant back roads drive from Clarksville, using Triadelphia Mill, or from Columbia using Homewood, Folly Quarter, Triadelphia, what I call our direct route to Harper’s Choice. Easily accessible from Rte. 32 also.

The farm has U pick strawberry fields in the spring. Pumpkin picking, a corn maze and fall activities in October. And, of course, the Christmas tree cutting.

If you have the chance, check out their products at the markets, and then go visit the farm. Only three weeks until the 2013 markets open. TLV is present at Miller Library, Howard County Hospital, Glenwood Library and Oakland Mills markets.

hocofood@@@

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Posted in Farmer's Markets, Farms, Food, Howard County, Local Businesses, West HoCo and tagged farmer's markets, farms, Food, Howard County, local businesses, West HoCo. Bookmark the permalink.

Sharps at Waterford Farm

Posted on April 19, 2013 by AnnieRie

Continuing my series about local farms. Today is opening day at Sharps greenhouses, for flower, herb and veggie gardeners who want a great selection of plants. Plugs, pots and flats.

I first discovered this farm about seven or so years ago when we were volunteering at Dayton Days. We went there to pick up 150 miniature pumpkins for children to decorate. Driving down the heavily rutted gravel road, we entered that magical rural atmosphere. No other homes to see, just the farmstead and the Sharps’ new home on the hill. I have been back many times since, to buy fall flowers and produce, to bird watch with the Howard County Bird Club, to hear Denise speak to the Legacy Leadership Institute, and now twice to buy my heirloom tomato plugs. The history of the Sharps and the farm is here.

Denise is amazing. I swear she is the queen of multi-tasking. She built up this huge wholesale business supplying plants to master gardeners, scout troops, nurseries, farm stores, and more. This is the place to go for starting your garden. With their high tunnels, greenhouses and cold frames, there are large amounts of seedlings for sale. She is open Tuesday through Saturday until June for plant purchases.

When I arrived today, the sheep were grazing in the rolling hillside above the farm buildings. As you can see above, there also was a visit from Montgomery County schools, first graders. They were coming through the greenhouses in small groups to see the plants, smell the basil and learn about growing vegetables. The road is not for low slung vehicles, or for anyone with a need for speed.

Once down the road, you can see the old farmstead on the facing hillside.

When I left, the school children were off on a tractor pulled wagon to see all the sites on the property. Sharps Farm is easily accessible off of Rte. 97, just north of the Montgomery County line. Take Jennings Chapel Road west for about a mile to the sign and the turn.

As you can see, I got a good start on my heirloom tomato growing. Plus a few hybrids. My new varieties this year are Box Car Willie and Paul Robeson.

And, I greatly expanded the supply of Amish paste. My workhorse from last summer. I went from four plants to a dozen. Making tomato sauce to can and freeze will be a priority this summer. Here are some of the tomatoes from the seedlings I bought last year. The Amish paste are on the left.

Take a trip out to the farm to look for your plants this season. Or, put it on your to-do list to visit on an open house day, or come back in the fall for the corn maze, pumpkins and other events.

hocofood@@@

Early Bird CSA Week Seven

Posted on April 17, 2013 by AnnieRie

Lots of greenhouse and high tunnel goodies this week. Things we crave, and now due to the proliferation of high tunnels and greenhouses, are ready to harvest early in the season. Breezy Willow delivers the freshest goodies, as always.

We got:

3 grapefruit
3 pounds red potatoes
1/2 pound salad mix
1 pound spinach
2 pounds zucchini
1 pound green beans
1 bunch beets with greens
1/2 pound mushrooms

We had a note this week about the citrus. It seems oranges were adversely affected by the cold weather this winter in Florida, so our citrus was limited to grapefruit.

I also picked a big parmesan sourdough bread from Great Harvest, and we got the dozen eggs. These are from Nature’s Yoke. I do miss the pretty colored eggs from Breezy Willow, but with the size of the CSA, they have to use eggs from more than one farm.

They still taste wonderful, and have those lovely deep yellow yolks.

I already put some of the spinach in tonight’s dinner.

Spinach, along with the rest of the bean sprouts from last week, some onion, garlic, ginger, water chestnuts, sesame oil and soy sauce. Served with sweet spicy spare ribs from Boarman’s.

I am loving these beets.

I dry roasted last weeks, and they went into salads. This week, I will probably do the same, as beets with spinach and cheese, and vinaigrette made using my frozen fruit. Yum! Doesn’t get much better.

The green beans and red potatoes will become a lunch salad.

As for the bread, this parmesan sourdough is dense and chewy and really tastes wonderful. If it does cool down this weekend, I am making a stew and sourdough dipped in gravy is heaven!

I already ate the crusty end with dinner tonight. Love fresh bread with butter.

hocofood@@@

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Posted in CSA, Food, Howard County, Local Businesses, Locavore and tagged cooking, CSA, Food, Howard County, local businesses, Locavore. Bookmark the permalink.

In Search of Seedlings

Posted on April 16, 2013 by AnnieRie

The primary objective this week. Get my seedlings and veggie plugs to be ready to plant the garden in about three weeks. I will be going to two farms, and hitting Earth Day at the Conservancy to achieve this.

last year’s tomatoes

I will add these two farms to my farms series after I get there, Sharp’s at Waterford on Friday and TLV Tree Farm on Saturday.

I will be getting heirloom tomatoes and also cucumbers at Sharp’s. Love their extensive selection of heirlooms. I will get all my herbs from TLV, except for that African blue basil, which will come from Greenway at the farmer’s market in May.

As for Earth Day, the Master Gardeners bring veggie and flower seedlings to the Conservancy to sell. I got some awesome heirlooms last year from them.

Add to all these seedlings, the ones in my window at home.

Kale. arugula and mesclun.

Thelma Sanders squash, including two that took weeks to germinate (slow metabolism maybe?). There are nine seedlings now. I am giving a few to friends to grow, as nine squash plants would take over my garden.

The organic garlic is going gangbusters.

Oh, and this was just for fun.

Starting ruby chard in an egg carton. These will get transplanted all sorts of places, to see where they do the best. Chard is so beautiful, you can use it as an accent plant, and then have it for dinner.

Getting that green thumb itch, and waiting until after the last chance of frost to move it all outside.

hocofood@@@

Checking Out Greenfest

Posted on April 13, 2013 by AnnieRie

Another of those spring rituals. Going to the Greenfrest at Howard Community College. Looking for plants, and picking up a few items of interest from the displays. As usual, there was a large enthusiastic crowd there this morning, and lots of greenery for sale.

The fest takes over the quad, the parking area, and two floors inside the Burrell Galleria. Lots for families to do, outside and inside. The Howard Astronomical League was outside with scopes, there were family activities outside, and food for sale.

I only had an hour there today as we had a conflict with a dinner engagement and I needed to get food ready to take to it. Still time to pick up another reusable bag (like I need more shopping bags!). A few brochures, and then out to the Master Gardeners area.

They were doing a brisk business in native plants, but I was looking for heirloom veggies. I will have to wait until Earth Day at the Conservancy to get those. Great to find out from them that our master gardeners have so many places for us to find really good starter plants.

I then headed off to see TLV where I wanted some greens and some short ribs. A request from my husband for me to do short ribs over the collard greens from this week’s CSA. TLV did not disappoint. I came home with short ribs.

They were doing a very good business, already sold out of all the basil plants they brought. Many more herbs available. I will be heading out to the farm in two weeks to get mine. Just in time to plant.

Many of their customers were commenting on how good it was to see them, and how we all can’t wait for the Howard County Farmers Markets to start in just 3 1/2 weeks. Keep checking their website and facebook pages to see the lists of vendors when they get posted.

Notice all those lovely containers of greens. Quite a few of those were sold as I was there talking to them. This is a great way to have fresh microgreens on the table. I use window boxes outside my kitchen, but these tubs would do great on a porch, or a deck, keeping leafy goodness out of the reach of bunnies and deer.

On my way out, I saw that a number of bikes were being loaded onto the trailers for the bike collection.

It was a beautiful breezy spring day, and it looked like another successful event in this, its sixth year. Driving home through Columbia and across Folly Quarter, I couldn’t miss all the flowering trees and shrubs. At home, the cherry tree is in full bloom. I need to pop out tomorrow and see how the azaleas are coming at Brighton Dam. It should be a sunny but cool day, perfect for a ride.