Tag Archives: local businesses

My Local Little Christmas

Posted on December 25, 2013 by AnnieRie

This year I managed to buy almost every gift I gave from local artisans, farms, small businesses and people I know.

With the exception of regifting some books and some vintage jewelry from my late mother in law’s collection of fun costume stuff.

I didn’t post until after the presents have been given.

For me, reducing waste and my carbon footprint have driven me to look locally for my food, my services, my choices in giving, and just generally in how we live.

Call it that “greening” thing.

I still have a few indulgences that can’t be found locally. Like avocadoes. Spices. Citrus.

But, by and large, I prefer supporting people I know, all year round.

Some highlights.

Local wines. Taken to drink at my brother’s. And given as gifts. This year, it was mostly Big Cork.

Drinkable, approachable wines, to take to dinner when ham is on the menu. The Vidal Blanc and the Traminette.

Fun gifts. Like the soaps from Breezy Willow. Wild Woman is one of my favorites.

An alpaca scarf for my husband.

The greenery around the door from TLV Tree Farm. The tree from Greenway Farms. Not from North Carolina, but from right up the road.

The shrimp I took to my brother’s came from Boarman’s.

Dinner tonight featured many local items too. Tomorrow, my post will be about replacing those expensive dinners with easy to prepare local feasts.

To paraphrase, have yourself a local little Christmastime. Think about it as you get ready for New Year’s Eve. More on suggestions for the upcoming holiday later this weekend.

Makes for a lovely holiday week.

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Posted in Community, Farms, Food, Howard County, Local Businesses, Locavore, Wine and tagged community, cooking, farms, Food, foodie, local businesses, Locavore, MD Wine, wine. Bookmark the permalink.

One Week Left

Posted on December 22, 2013 by AnnieRie

Until I turn 61 years old. This last week before my birthday has been pretty crazy. The weather has been amazing, with spring temperatures.

The last minute holiday baking and cooking has been intense. I got shrimp from Boarman’s the other day, in order to make steamed shrimp with Old Bay. The requested dish for my brother’s Christmas Eve party.

I made two kinds of cookies today. Chocolate pistachio and chocolate chocolate chunk.

These cookies again came from Bon Appetit. Hard to make. They tended to break up when slicing. But, very good. Particularly with red wine, for dessert tonight.

As for the weather, with the doors open today (it hit 72 degrees here), the starlings made a huge racket in the trees out back.

Thankfully, they weren’t nailing my bird feeders.

As for the last week of my 60th year, I did request that we try and go to the newly opening Highland Inn for brunch on my birthday. That is, if they open in time.

On the way home from Boarman’s yesterday, they looked like they were close to opening but who knows.

I saw their new menu on Facebook today. A bit pricey, but for special occasions, like those where we used to go to King’s Contrivance, they might be a new local special place.

We shall see.

hocofood@@@

Last Minute Gifts

Posted on December 18, 2013 by AnnieRie

We’re a week away from Christmas. Six more shopping days.

Have you found the perfect gifts yet? How about a few locally inspired/small business/non profit suggestions?

Even some of the more unusual items. Like gifts of food, or a CSA membership. Or, head over to the Howard County Conservancy or Robinson Nature Center gift shops to pick up stocking stuffers.

How about toys made in the USA, that Clark’s Farm has in their gift shop? They are open Saturdays from noon to three. The Enchanted Forest book, maybe, as a gift to someone who grew up here and has memories of visits and parties there.

Specialty foods for the holidays? Like the handmade specialty sausages made for Copper Penny by Simply Sausage. If you go there this weekend, I may be fighting for those last packages of these treats. Particularly the chorizo and the kielbasa. Although I may be tempted by that Philippine longganisa.

The same chorizo that they make for Jaleo chef Jose Andres.

Other local options. Wine from Black Ankle, Big Cork, Elk Run, Sugarloaf, Old Westminster, Serpent Ridge, all wineries very close to us and whose wines are available not only at the wineries but at many local liquor stores.

Greenbridge Pottery is another local place where awesome items are crafted right here in the county.

Gift certificates to locally owned restaurants would be a nice present. How about Iron Bridge, Victoria Gastropub, Bistro Blanc, Aida Bistro and dozens more? Make a choice to give something local instead of a chain restaurant card.

Local farms like Breezy Willow have gift items, not just food, but crafted items like the alpaca woven clothing, felted soaps, RJs herbal soaps.

Ice cream. Cheese. Local honey. Jam. Jellies. There are hundreds of possibilities.

Support Mother Nature’s off Snowden Parkway for your birding friends and relatives.

Crunch Daddy Popcorn of Columbia for those who love traditional and way out there flavors of popcorn.

Anything else you can think of? I have given you ideas from places where I have bought gifts, or visited, or dined at. What else is out there that supports the local economy?

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Dreams vs Dreary

Posted on December 17, 2013 by AnnieRie

OK, after buying a ticket like millions of others, I didn’t win MegaMillions.

It would have been nice, wouldn’t it? Maybe I could fix dreary Columbia!

If you haven’t followed the latest local drama, the “dissing” of Columbia Gateway as dreary, by a New York writer, then you have been out of the local news loop for sure.

Personally, I agree the Gateway area leaves a lot to be desired. Maybe the Columbia residents need to pressure businesses to stop calling something Columbia when it isn’t.

Me, I think I will continue to love my part of the county. Make cookies again tomorrow.

Toll house, and then my mom’s sugar cookie recipe.

And, enjoy my tree from Greenway.

I think I did an awesome job decorating it.

Oh, by the way, much of the area is pretty dreary in the winter. Unless you love sunrises and sunsets, which are the heart and soul of the solstice.

Lovely, isn’t it? And, no, we didn’t win the money.

hocoblogs@@@

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Posted in Commentary, Dark Days, Howard County, Local Businesses, Nature, Weather, West HoCo and tagged commentary, community, Howard County, local businesses, nature, weather, West HoCo. Bookmark the permalink.

Hoe! Hoe! Hoe!

Posted on December 13, 2013 by AnnieRie

Getting into the Christmas spirit using local farms for inspiration and products.

Like my poinsettias from Greenway Farms.

We headed out to the tree cutting site on Rte. 144 west of Cooksville after a visit to the landfill to rid ourselves of all the downed tree limbs.

I only wanted to get my poinsettias and maybe a really tiny tree. Turns out I really want a tree in the living room, so we succumbed and cut a five foot high white pine.

It is sitting in a bucket in the garage waiting for tomorrow to be put into place.

We also got a small basil for my kitchen window. They also have little rosemary trees, if you want a specialty tree for a table.

Keeping in the Buy Local spirit, tomorrow I am heading out to Copper Penny for a ham, and Breezy Willow for alpaca gifts.

Then, home to decorate while watching my favorite football game.

Christmas, only 11 more days to go.

hocoblogs@@@

Fall CSA Week Six, The End is Near

Posted on December 12, 2013 by AnnieRie

Week Six of Seven. Next week is the last delivery. Just in time for Christmas cooking.

This was a very good selection of food. Almost all will work in soups and stews.

We got:
1 bag carrots
1 bag Yukon gold potatoes
1 bag sweet potatoes
1 bag garlic
1 bag watermelon radishes
1 bag red beets
1 piece celeriac
1 bag parsnips
1 container cremini mushrooms
3 leeks\
1 green cabbage

The bread this week was an Italian boule. Perfect for the chili I will be making this weekend.

I really enjoy these one pound loaves of bread. Lots of variety and just the right size for us.

I already roasted the beets and the radishes tonight, to use in salads. The root vegetables will keep. I have a large paper bag hanging from a hook in the garage, keeping the potatoes fresher longer.

Tonight for dinner I found a good recipe to use up last week’s cabbage.

A simple braised cabbage. Made with a small head of green cabbage, a sliced carrot, an onion, some chicken stock, salt and pepper. Roasted for two hours, covered with foil. Then finished for 20 minutes to caramelize. I served it with Copper Penny Farm garlic sausage.

Enough left for lunch, probably Sunday.

One more week to go, and two chickens coming next week. Here’s crossing my fingers that the winter CSA starting the end of January gets enough members for the MOM’s Jessup pick up site.

hocofood@@@

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Posted in CSA, Farms, Food, Local Businesses, Locavore, Winter Eat Local and tagged CSA, farms, Food, local businesses, Locavore. Bookmark the permalink.

It’s Been A Soup Sort of Week

Posted on December 10, 2013 by AnnieRie

Seems to be the norm this week to have soup for lunch or dinner. What with a second snowfall today.

At least we got the snow thrower some hours. I think it hasn’t been used in two years. My husband had everything done in about an hour this afternoon. All told, between the two storms we had about seven inches of snow on the ground.

It even brought the red bellied woodpecker up close to the house, something she rarely does.

While we were out there, the crockpot was on, with my latest version of cauliflower leek soup bubbling away.

The secret to my soup? Garam masala. It makes it much more complex in flavor.

The recipe:
1 small head cauliflower, broken into pieces
4 medium leeks, sliced, white part only
2 scallions, sliced
4 medium Yukon Gold potatoes, parboiled first
1 pint stock (I used turkey)
1 pint almond milk
2 tsp garam masala
1 tsp pepper
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp salt

Everything in the crockpot except for the almond milk, for six hours on high, or eight hours on low. One hour before serving, I pureed most of the mixture, leaving about 1/4 of it in its chunkier form. After pureeing it, add the almond milk for the last hour to give it the creamy texture.

Tonight we dressed it up a bit.

I had a package of Copper Penny Farm mini chorizo in the oven on slow cook (250 degrees) for that last hour. Placed a few of them, with some of their juice, over the soup.

A mostly local meal tonight. Just the spices and the almond milk, not local. Warm, satisfying. It’s interesting how soup is one thing we love to have when the “weather outside is frightful”.

hocofood@@@

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Posted in Birds, Farms, Food, Locavore, Nature, Weather, West HoCo, Winter Eat Local and tagged birds, cooking, crock pot cooking, crockpot soups, farms, Food, Howard County, local businesses, Locavore, nature, weather, West HoCo. Bookmark the permalink.

Spirit of the Season

Posted on December 7, 2013 by AnnieRie

Let’s start with the cookies, and then move on to the crafts fair and then to the winery. All in all, a busy weekend so far.

The cookie inspiration came from Rantings of an Amateur Chef.

I adapted it to use my butternut squash instead of pumpkin puree.

Pumpkin Molasses Cookies

What you will need:

1/2 cup butter, room temperature
1 cup light brown sugar

1/2 cup roasted butternut squash
1/4 cup molasses
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 1/3 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup natural cane sugar, for rolling the cookies

In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat butter and sugar together until creamy and smooth. This took a while as i hadn’t softened the butter enough. Add the roasted butternut squash, molasses, egg, and vanilla extract. Mix at medium speed until well combined.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, spices, and salt. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients, not all at once. I had about a cup at a time. Continue mixing until combined and it starts to clump up.

Refrigerate the cookie dough, wrapped in plastic wrap, for at least 1 hour. The dough can be chilled for 2-3 days. I chill mine overnight when I can. Because I made a double batch, I did divide it in half.

When you are ready to bake, preheat oven to 350° F. Line your baking sheets with parchment paper. Place the cane sugar in a small bowl or on a plate. Roll tablespoon-sized balls of dough in the cane sugar until well coated and place on prepared baking sheets, about 2 inches apart. Bake for 10–12 minutes, or until cookies look cracked and set at the edges. I put two sheets at a time in the oven. Top and bottom third.

The cookies will still be soft. Let them cool on the baking sheets for 2-3 minutes after removing them from the oven, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. I made larger cookies and got about 30 of them per batch.

I made a double batch to take to the Conservancy. The holiday crafts fair, which was a huge success. Including some amazing crafts made by the children. Like this one.

I spent today assisting at the fair. Watching all the festivities and linking people with local farms for trees, and for holiday dinner items like beef and pork.

Then, we headed off to visit a new winery to try out some bubbly. Nothing like a good blanc de blanc to get you in the spirit.

Our first visit to Old Westminster Winery, and definitely not our last. What a wonderful family owned winery. Right up the road from Mt. Airy.

Just the beginning of the holiday season and already we are out and enjoying the festivities. Here’s to a few more weekends spent out and about.

hocofood@@@

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Posted in Adventures, Community, Farms, Food, Howard County, Local Businesses, Locavore, Wine and tagged cooking, farms, Food, Howard County, howard county conservancy, local businesses, Locavore, MD Wine, wine. Bookmark the permalink.

Cut Your Own Tree?

Posted on December 6, 2013 by AnnieRie

For those of us who love the scent of freshly cut pine and who want to have a Christmas tree up for four weeks, getting a tree that you cut yourself is a good deal.

Granted, it can be daunting running all over the farms looking for that perfect tree.

For I don’t know how many years, we would head out to TLV Tree Farm to get a tree. Right after Thanksgiving.

I have been going through old pictures to decide which to keep and I have found dozens of pictures of our decorated house. Mostly with trees that we cut ourselves.

There are three choices here in Howard County. This web site gives you the name of the farms, arranged by county. Besides TLV, there are two others. Greenway Farms and Browning Tree Farm.

Just over the county lines, Pine Valley is north on Rte. 97 with an incredibly huge selection. And, Gaver Tree Farm is west of Mt. Airy, on Detrick Rd. Very close to a farm I frequent during the winter to buy dairy, meat, eggs and produce, England Acres.

If you want to support local businesses this holiday season, head out to the farms and either cut a tree or pick up one that they have cut very recently.

Certainly beats those dried up things the big box stores sell. Price wise, they are a good deal too.

Or, those of us who support Gorman Farm on Gorman Rd. east of Hopkins, can head out there where the farm stand is also open.

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Turkey Lurkey

Posted on November 30, 2013 by AnnieRie

My mostly local Thanksgiving meal. Done tonight for just the two of us.

Pretty traditional this year. Roasted turkey. Green bean casserole. Mashed potatoes. Sausage dressing.

Every element of the meal had local ties.

Let’s start with our turkey. An eleven pound Maple Lawn Farm fresh “hen”.

Brined for sixteen hours in advance. I found a basic apple cider, salt, brown sugar, orange peel, bay leave, garlic, rosemary and water brine.

Roasted at 450 degrees for 30 minutes, and 90 minutes at 350 degrees. Trickling Springs butter under the skin. Grapeseed oil rubbed over the top, and a poultry mix sprinkled everywhere.

Really moist turkey this year. The right amount of time in the brine, and it wasn’t overcooked. I have a crock pot full of bones, skin and the innards, with a couple gallons of water, which will cook all night to make stock.

Side dishes this year. My take on classics, but revved up a bit.

Mashed potatoes included goat cheese, butter and milk. These were CSA potatoes, a mix of Yukon Gold and white potatoes.

I made a green bean casserole using Breezy Willow’s beans. Blanched them first, then put them in a casserole with some organic condensed cream of mushroom soup I got at Roots. Half of the container became the base for the gravy. The onion on top the beans was a CSA yellow onion that I roasted yesterday until it was crispy. It added flavor without all that breading and greasiness the canned onions have.

The dressing was simple. Bread cubes mixed with turkey stock (I started the stock early today, using only the innards and water, celery, carrots and scallions. Cooked up about 4 ounces of Boarman’s homemade country sausage and mixed it in. A little sage, salt and pepper. Baked alongside the green beans.

Complementing the meal, a Finger Lakes Pinot Noir. 2007 Konstantin Frank.

Really a soft wine. Glad we opened it. It is just starting to fade a bit.

All in all, just enough food. I didn’t go overboard on anything other than making just a bit too many potatoes.

As for leftovers, I have two cups of shredded turkey to make a soup. One leg to use for a lunch salad next week. One complete breast for a salad or dinner. A couple of thighs for another dinner.

Keeping it local. Supporting small businesses. I may not have shopped today, but I did pretty well.

hocofood@@@

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