Tag Archives: foodie

The Official First Day of Spring

Posted on March 20, 2012 by AnnieRie

So, today officially spring begins even though it has been evident for days that the calendar and the flowers, trees and shrubs have already synched up.

The tulips in our yard are up. In Columbia, where I went today for a doctor’s appointment, they are already way ahead of us in terms of the color all around. We are a few degrees cooler and a few hundred feet higher in elevation than Columbia.

To me, my favorite thing to celebrate spring is fennel salad. Light and tart, full of the delicacy of the baby fennel, the tartness of juice oranges, and bite of red onion, I love making this every spring.

It will be dressed with the best olive oil I have, and sprinkled with sea salt and white pepper.

My other favorite thing to cook in spring is asparagus. We have wild asparagus growing out under our crepe myrtles. I keep going out there to look for it, but it usually doesn’t show up until mid April. Just checking to see if the warm weather has hastened the sprouting of them, but no luck yet. Asparagus frittata, yum!

As for my trip to Roots the other day, I had to indulge in Hummingbird Farms tomatoes, from their hydroponic plantings. I know I really should eat tomatoes in season to get the best tasting tomatoes, but these beauties just called to me from the case.

I think they will be sliced open and served with Cherry Glen Gold goat cheese. Drizzled with St. Helena Olive Oil’s lemon infused oil, and some herbs de Provence. Truly a spring time pleasure.

Add to all that, my husband insisted on picking this up at MOM’s yesterday.

Their web site says it is mild. They lied.

I think it needs something to mix it with, and serve it with grilled lamb kebabs maybe. I know, maybe I need to use this Treuth skirt steak.

All this great weather inspires me to get out and grill.

hocofood@@@

Locavore vs Foodie

Posted on January 29, 2012 by AnnieRie

Sometimes I am not sure what I am. I do eat quite a bit locally, and I eat more real food than I did when I worked and traveled. I definitely support many local businesses, even if they don’t just sell local foods.

But, I am also a foodie, even though I hate that term. I love making recipes from my old Gourmets, and from my Time Life cookbooks of the World. Doing so requires the use of exotic ingredients. I think I have reconciled myself to use local ingredients as much as I can, and use fresh or organic ingredients for those things that don’t grow in the Mid Atlantic ever. Like citrus, olives, most hard grains, beans (trying to dry beans here can be an exercise in futility due to the humidity).

Yesterday my two avocations collided. What else could justify a same day visit to South Mountain Creamery and Wegman’s?

Off on a day trip with a mission. Get unsalted butter, milk and some cheeses to use for Dark Days Challenges. Take pictures on a perfect day to use in future posts. Stop at Wegman’s on the way home to see what they may have in local items in the winter. I am about equi-distant between Frederick and Columbia. Columbia’s Wegman’s will open in June. Frederick is where we go now to get our exotic food fix. I was looking for salsify. They didn’t have any. But, they do have black truffles for $999.00 a pound! Really! People buy them?

I picked up quite a haul including some Kennett Square PA organic mushrooms, and Mock’s Greenhouse Bibb Lettuce, and some CA olive oil (cheaper than my good olive oil from St Helena). Also, raided the olive bar. And found my favorite Doctor Kracker organic spelt crackers. That’s the highlights from Wegman’s.

As for South Mountain:

Besides the cheeses, milk, yoghurt, ice cream and Firefly Farm chevre, I found the Wild Pea’s Hummous, made in Baltimore, and found some of South Mountain’s chicken and pork. With the goodies safely packed in my coolers, I popped around to photograph the cows and the scenery. The calves get milked every afternoon, and children love the farm. There was one family there Saturday morning having ice cream cones and visiting the cows.