Tag Archives: tomatoes

Everything is Better With Bacon

Posted on June 3, 2012 by AnnieRie

At least that is what you hear on TV constantly. It is why I keep a small package of thick cut bacon from Boarman in the freezer. I buy only 5-6 slices, freeze them, then take it out and cut off a few squares to add to dishes as they are being made. Like last night’s frittata.

My first Southern SOLE Food Challenge meal. A mostly local meal, with a few exceptions when putting it together. We got a boatload of chard in this week’s CSA delivery. It needed to be used in something that would highlight its earthiness, but also I wanted to balance it with a little creaminess. South Mountain Creamery to the rescue.

Mozzarella, peach ice cream and provolone from SMC

We made a trip to Hagerstown to the outlets today so stopped at the creamery on the way back. The outlets and the creamery are both off Alt. US 40, about 10 miles apart. My hubby had to get an ice cream cone, and we watched them milking cows. I also picked up two chicken leg quarters to use for Sunday night supper with some of the collard greens from the CSA. So, I get two nights meals mostly local. I miss South Mountain being at the Glenwood market.

Back to the bacon, though.

The frittata was made with eggs from TLV Farm, bought Friday at the hospital farmers market. First, I put Love Dove Farms scallions in a pan with a bit of oil, and added the equivalent of two slices of bacon, just cut off in one inch sections from the frozen package. The one inch squares will defrost and cook quickly in the skillet, giving the scallions that bacony taste. I used about 12 ounces of the chard, wilting it on top of the bacon and scallions. A little salt and pepper.

I then mixed 6 extra large eggs with a couple of ounces of milk, and two tablespoons of my recently made garlic scape pesto. Poured all of it into the pan. Let it start to set.

Then added: leftover cheeses. Firefly Farms chevre, and Bowling Green Farms feta. Totaled about 8 ounces of cheese. While we were driving home, I decided to investigate England Acres Farm as a source for meat in the future. They run a farm stand on weekends attached to their historic farm, just west of Mt. Airy.

If you are in the market for fresh chicken this week, their Cornish Rock X chickens, first batch, will be ready on the 6th. While talking to the women who run the farm stand, I found out that they would start processing and selling chickens this week. They already sold out of this week’s eggs before I stopped there at 3 pm Saturday. They do a brisk business and also carry Trickling Springs dairy items, and some amazing goat cheeses from Obergood in Sharpsburg.

I picked up a couple of greenhouse tomatoes there, one of which ended up on top of the frittata, with thin slices of the South Mountain mozzarella. Under the broiler to melt the cheese, and finish the top of the frittata.

Finished off and served with a 2010 Linden Seyval, a hybrid grape that has a citrusy taste. This wine, well balanced and relatively low in alchol, at 12.7%, went well with the frittata, and cut through that richness of the mozzarella. The greenhouse tomato had that hint of acid, and actually tasted like tomato. A promise of what we will be getting in just a few weeks from my garden.

hocofood@@@

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Posted in CSA, Day Trips, Farmer's Markets, Food, Local Businesses, Locavore, Real Food, SSFC, Wine and tagged CSA, farmer's markets, Food, Linden Vineyards, local businesses, Locavore, real food, SSFC, tomatoes, wine. Bookmark the permalink.

Connections Through Food

Posted on May 30, 2012 by AnnieRie

On June 1st, a small group of ten women who met over the internet are setting off on a self imposed challenge to reap the bounty of summer harvests, cook what looks great, and blog about it once a week.

We call it our Southern SOLE Food Challenge. I have a page dedicated to it. The ten of us participated for four months last winter in a challenge to cook locally once a week, when farmer’s markets were scarce, and when our gardens were mostly dormant. We made it through with much support and encouragement by our section leader and chief cheerleader, Sincerely Emily, from Texas. Emily recapped us weekly, and commented on our meals through the entire challenge. SOLE food. Sustainable, Organic, Local, Ethical. We try to find foods that meet all the criteria, but sometimes sacrifice one or two in order to complete a meal. We certainly have enough choices here in Howard County to find local and organic, and meat that is pastured or free range is abundant. My local resource page will show how many I already have found here. Add to that my garden, which is pesticide free, and has many heirloom varieties of tomatoes and five varieties of cukes.

In essence, we all became acquainted over the internet, and didn’t want to lose the camaraderie once the challenge ended. We chose to continue cooking our local specialties across the summer, and share again what we find, and make using what nature gives us.

Some of us have met, as well. Victoria and I live less than 10 miles from each other, and met at the Glenwood Market a few weeks ago. We frequent the same stores and grow some of the same veggies. We get cooking ideas from each other, and share emails when we see something interesting.

Every week I will post about something local and seasonal that I am doing, maybe cooking, maybe canning or freezing. So will the rest of the group. We will talk about it and comment on our own blogs, and have some low key theme weeks. All for fun, and sharing what we find. Like what to do with kohlrabi, garlic scapes, baby turnips and tons of greens.

I get my CSA box tomorrow, so will be doing something from it this weekend. Summer cooking, easy, light, local and shared. Stay around to see what I will be making. In the meantime, a link here to one of the participants getting ready to start. We all have been emailing and suggesting things to get ready.

Like Rebecca over at Eating Floyd posts about making your own homemade lemon curd. Doesn’t this pic from her blog look simply mouth watering? I am adding this recipe to my to do list because it will be used often. I like her idea of freezing it. I also loved all of Rebecca’s feasts from the winter challenge.

Off to check out how my tomatoes and cucumbers fared after last night’s inch of rain. And, planning what to make for this weekend’s challenge.

hocofood@@@

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Posted in CSA, Farmer's Markets, Food, Gardening, Howard County, Locavore, Real Food, SSFC and tagged cooking, CSA, farmer's markets, Food, gardening, Howard County, Locavore, real food, SSFC, tomatoes. Bookmark the permalink.

You Like Tomayto, I Like Tomahto

Posted on May 25, 2012 by AnnieRie

No matter how you pronounce it, tomatoes are my summer candy. So, I was excited yesterday morning to find this in my garden.

These are yellow plum tomatoes. I noticed the blossoms last week. Now, I have teeny tiny tomatoes there, and I have blossoms on the Sweet Olive plants, which are a determinate grape cherry tomato. They are an early bloomer and will be done before others produce.

The Wayfarer cucumbers are blossoming, and even have really tiny cukes starting to emerge. And yes, after I snapped the pics I went in and weeded out the emerging morning glories that inevitably come up from seeds left in the soil after last year. I use them as an attraction for pollinators at my perimeter, but they tend to take over unless you grab them out before the seed pods open in the fall.

The wild asparagus in my crepe myrtle is still producing. Besides the four spears in this pic, there are two more tiny ones coming out of the ground to the left of the plant. This year I have harvested 15 spears so far. These six would bring the total to 21, the most I have found in this location.

These two long thin spears will be sliced, blanched and find their way into some pasta with the garlic scape pesto tonight.

As for the lettuces and mixed greens, the rain rejuvenated them and there are all sorts of goodies hiding among the bolted plants. Time to harvest these and use as a garnish on a pizza.

I also think I need to do some serious mint pruning, and maybe make mint simple syrup for iced teas and summer drinks. This pot of mint is about six years old, coming back every spring.

Herbs and greens right now, with the promise of other goodies in the next few weeks. Gardening is one of those simple pleasures. What is your garden producing now?

hocofood@@@

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Posted in Food, Foraging, Gardening, Howard County, Locavore, Real Food and tagged cooking, Food, gardening, heirloom tomatoes, hoco loco, Howard County, Locavore, real food, tomatoes. Bookmark the permalink.

Breakfast Al Fresco

Posted on May 19, 2012 by AnnieRie

My favorite time of day. Early mornings before it gets hot outside. The birds are singing, the squirrels and rabbits are running around, and my neighbor’s dog comes by to say Hi, before fruitlessly continuing his rabbit chasing in the meadow.

This week the Kousa dogwoods are blooming.

They are heavy with blossoms and I baby those trees to keep them from having breaking limbs. We have them pruned, along with the Japanese lace maples, and the crepe myrtles every other year, in order to keep them healthy. They are my privacy screen from my neighbor’s driveway and they allow me to sit out in the morning in peace and solitude.

Friday I went out to have coffee and fill the feeders.

No, that isn’t wine for breakfast. It is hummingbird nectar in a wine bottle. My feeder uses a recycled bottle as the vessel with a copper wire and a cap. A little tricky to assemble but easier to clean.

The empty messy feeder. Pop off the cap. Rinse and throw the bottle in the blue bin. Clean the cap. Reassemble with a new bottle and you have happy hummingbirds.

Notice the double sided sticky tape ant trap. I have to get a permanent ant barrier, but so far this works. We have a hummingbird family who comes every summer and hangs out in my flowers, and my next door neighbor, too. We both have feeders for them.

As for the squirrel log, and the suet, we try to keep the squirrels from the bird food, and it usually works. I give them one of these logs and one unprotected suet but keep the high protein good birdfood away from them. The birds are busy feeding babies, and they are very active. I have a couple of feeders full of nuts, safflower and sunflower chips and cracked corn. It goes fast this time of year and then slows down once the trees and bushes start getting seeds and berries.

While there, one of the younger chickadees came to visit.

There was also a very young house sparrow hopping everywhere, but too quick for me to capture. Two days before, a very young sparrow was unsuccessfully trying to fly high enough to make it to the feeder. Unsuccessful then, but eventually they get the hang of it.

I did wander down to check on my garden and found my first blossoms on the yellow plum tomato.

The tomatoes have survived their planting shock and are doing well. I cluster plant them along the fence, with small cages and then use string and poles to keep them aloft. I find that the support system works better than really huge cages. At least in the area where I plant.

I also noticed while sitting out there that the sage and rosemary bushes are spreading so much they are no longer separate. They have been there three years now. They somehow survived snowmageddon in 2010. I am getting huge beautiful sage leaves, big enough to look really nice as fried sage to decorate gnocchi.

Breakfast on the patio. A lovely way to start the day. Cheers!

The Garden Is In!

Posted on May 13, 2012 by AnnieRie

Done. Finished. Well almost. I still have to mulch tomorrow. But all the plants are in. In Howard County, the rule of thumb is don’t plant tomatoes until Mother’s Day. No frosts in the county and hopefully temps that will stay above fifty degrees.

I am experimenting this year. Part will be heavily mulched, and part has black fabric with light mulch. Mulch tomorrow and a light input of food, and I am done. The rain the next few days should establish the plants.

As for my herb garden, it is going gangbusters. The sage is huge and is flowering.

The English thyme that overwintered came back with a vengeance.

All the other plants are doing well. I put in 32 tomato plants today. I may be selling tomatoes on street corners in August, but who cares. If they all don’t make it, at least what does, will keep me happy through the summer, fall and winter. I will be freezing and canning.

As for current goodies, tonight we had plum tomatoes from David’s stuffed with homemade pesto. A hearty, killer pesto made with greens from the CSA, walnuts, parmesan and olive oil. Not that pretty, but so tasty.

I low temp roasted some wild ahi and served it with the tomatoes and some cremini stuffed with this pesto. The greens in the pesto included Persian cress, turnip greens and curly parsley from my CSA delivery.

We opened an old local wine.

Breaux is about an hour away, just south of Harper’s Ferry. This 1999 Cabernet was still doing very well for its age. It had the berry taste that the back label described, even after 13 years. The smoky oak was still there. DH swore he picked up the anise that the label described, but I didn’t. All in all, a softer version of a young cab, perfect to compliment big, tomatoey tuna with a pesto that stood up and said, look at me.

Walnuts in pesto will do that.

hocofood@@@

A Day Trip to Lancaster

Posted on May 1, 2012 by AnnieRie

It was way too nice out to stay home. We decided to play hooky from yard work and spring cleaning and head out for a leisurely back roads drive to one of our favorite destinations, Lancaster.

We intended to drive by a few of the Amish barn, shed and outbuilding companies and also hit the Central Market. We got a late start so bagged the first part and just lingered on the second.

Ever since I was little my parents would take weekend drives with us, taking us to parks, cities, towns, whatever, just because they liked exploring. I don’t know when I first entered this building with them, but I was pretty small.

The building is really hidden now, as the city skyline changes around it. I keep forgetting where to turn to find the nearest parking.

You have to navigate carefully to get in this back way, but it puts your car really close so you can bring things out and wander the streets.

I did not take pics inside, as not to offend any of the Amish who don’t wish to have pictures taken of them. It is hard to selectively take pics and not get an inadvertent image. I respect their wishes so put the camera away. We hit many of our favorite stands, like Clyde Weavers for bacon and smoked kielbo.

I had to get goat cheese feta and mozzarella. These are not made by our local goat cheese purveyors and they are so good, and lactose free.

To use with the mozzarella, one of the stands was offering home grown, greenhouse ripened tomatoes. So much better looking than supermarket tomatoes, and cheaper than those sold at Silver Spring Market, or at Roots.

With the mozzarella, the tomatoes, and basil from Mock’s last Saturday, it looks like a Caprese salad some night soon. We had a snack, then wandered the new shops behind and across from the market. We couldn’t resist trying this, in lieu of making a sangria for a get together with friends. We needed something fun and low alcohol to complement spicy wings. This wine should do it. The PA wines made from fruits are fun, summertime light wines.

These two bottle packs are eco friendly, and the wines are just fun. We don’t always want heavy wines in the hot weather, and this one is a treat. The winery is just outside Lancaster, and they source the fruit from all over. This wine is slightly sweet, but the winery also makes dry varieties of wine. Nice people, a friendly tasting room, and we had a relaxing day riding the back roads of PA and MD. What we got today should tide us over until our Sandy Spring CSA starts next Thursday. We got an email today with specifics, including the first two picnics at the Amish farms near Lancaster. In May and June. Can’t wait.

Visiting Alex’s Snowball Stand in Lisbon … And Other Random Thoughts on West County Activities

Posted on April 30, 2012 by AnnieRie

Yesterday morning I posted that we would be going out to Sharp’s Farm to buy plants. While we were out, my husband wanted to try the snowball stand in Lisbon to see how they measure up to Woodstock, his favorite place for summer treats.

We spent about 30-45 minutes picking out plugs at Sharp’s, and it is warm and humid in the greenhouses, so a snowball sounded good.

After we settled up, I carefully wedged the plants in the back of the truck, I didn’t want them sliding around in the bed of the pickup. As you notice in this picture, these are not the two dozen flower plugs I bought, these are the pole beans, cucumbers and a few more exotic varieties of heirloom tomatoes. Somehow they enticed me, and now I need to rethink what goes where in the garden. The 3 inch pots at Sharp’s are only $1.50, a very good price for plants this large.

So, where are the snowballs? They are here.

They also sell ice cream and Nathan’s hot dogs. They have a children’s play area around back.

They are on the circle in Lisbon just up from the Town Grill and on the way to Larriland Farms. A really convenient spot to stop for a cooling ice cream or snowball after picking strawberries this May.

On the way home we stopped into Western Regional Park to see how it had grown. There are now five miles of trails in the park, paved and natural surfaces.

Weekends in West County. You also have lots of options for picnics. There are three locations where you can pick up foods to go and have a day in this less crowded Howard County park.

There is Vittorio’s.

Casual Gourmet.

And, Smokin’ Hot.

All in all, a good trip today. I am monitoring the updates on when the strawberries will be ready to pick at Larriland. In the meantime, my husband gave his egg custard snowball from Alex’s a thumbs up, for putting more than enough flavoring in it, and for the taste. We will be going back.

hocofood@@@

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Posted in Community, Day Trips, Food, Gardening, Howard County, Local Businesses, Nature, People, Restaurants, West HoCo and tagged community, day trips, Food, gardening, heirloom tomatoes, hoco loco, Howard County, local businesses, nature, spring flowers, tomatoes, West HoCo. Bookmark the permalink.

Earth Day Here and There

Posted on April 21, 2012 by AnnieRie

Tomorrow is Earth Day, but today the Conservancy was hosting dozens of volunteers and visitors for service projects, a plant sale by the Master Gardeners, a birding hike, and crafts projects for the little ones.

The wheel barrows were loaded and ready to go out for tree planting.

The parking lot was full of cars, on a lovely morning that cleared up to make it easy to work. Thankfully, it didn’t rain on the projects.

WR Grace brought out a group of volunteers to put in plants and mulch the entrance area, right on Old Frederick Rd. Everybody was hard at work. The Conservancy greatly appreciates their dedicated volunteers that come out to help.

I bought a few more tomato plants from the Master Gardeners. I couldn’t resist. I got two red fig and two pineapple plants. Yes, these are tomatoes. Interesting rare varieties. The red fig dates back to the 1700s, and is a pear shaped tomato. The pineapple tomato is one of my favorites. In talking to the gardeners, they said many of their heirloom seeds come from Baker Creek, which is the source for this picture.

After I left there, I ran over to TLV Tree Farms to pick up herbs for my garden. At Greenfest last week, I told them I would come out during their Saturday hours (10am – 2PM) and pick up what I needed to fill in my herb garden with new annuals and a few perennials that are getting ragged.

While there, I did pick up a couple of New York Strip Steaks to grill if the weather holds. MD steaks marinating in MD wine. What could be better?

I put the three varieties of thyme in the ground this afternoon, and left the lavender sitting in the pots until I position the basil, tarragon and marjoram that isn’t hearty enough to plant yet.

English, creeping and silver queen thyme

Lavender waiting to be planted, keeping the mint company

I also wandered around to document the blooming of my bank of azaleas along the north side of the house. They are almost the last to bloom. One more area in the northeast corner still isn’t ready. These that bloomed today are brilliant red, and some of my favorites.

What a beautiful spring day in the county. One more pic of the azaleas, because they are so brilliant. Go out and plant something!

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Posted in Community, Food, Gardening, Howard County, Local Businesses, Locavore, Nature, People, Volunteering, Weather, West HoCo and tagged community, earth day, gardening, heirloom tomatoes, hoco loco, Howard County, howard county conservancy, local businesses, Locavore, nature, photography, spring flowers, tomatoes, volunteering, West HoCo. Bookmark the permalink.

Happy! Happy! Joy! Joy!

Posted on April 20, 2012 by AnnieRie

Heirloom tomatoes.

They make me do my happy dance. I rode out to Sharp’s Farm this morning, the first morning the greenhouses are open. You have to go early to get some of the most exotic heirlooms. They are sold to many places like Brookside Gardens, the Master Gardeners and the Conservancy community gardeners, just to name a few. If you go during the first few days, you can score things like:

Chocolate Stripes
Legend
Paul Robeson

There are others. I forget how many. I believe they planted 35 varieties of heirloom tomatoes from seeds. They also have standard tomato plants, like Early Girl and Supersweet 100s.

I love the farm. I could wander around for hours.

The greenhouses are open Tuesday through Sunday. Check the hours on the web site. As I was leaving, school buses were rolling in for a field trip.

I came home and messed around a little with the heirlooms and put a few plugs of the herbs in a planter. I will be getting more once I check with my neighbor who wants what.

These plugs are Legend, Hillbilly and Chocolate Stripes, all will be put in the ground in two weeks. Right now, I will keep them out in the day and protect them in storms and wind.

It truly is spring when I get my tomato fix. Just brushing the leaves and getting the scent of tomato plants makes the anticipation of the coming harvest, two months away, even more exciting. Just think. All this waxing poetic about little green things that go in the ground.

When I came home, I harvested three wild asparagus stalks. Two more tomorrow and there will be asparagus on the menu tomorrow night.

If you want affordable plants, and can grow from plugs, you can’t beat going to Sharp’s. Or, get the pots. I got eight basil plants to go in the herb garden. All sorts of varieties. Great place to visit. And, don’t trust the sign. They hadn’t gotten up to change it at 10 am, when they opened.

hocofood@@@

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Posted in Food, Gardening, Howard County, Local Businesses, Locavore, West HoCo and tagged Food, gardening, heirloom tomatoes, hoco loco, Howard County, local businesses, Locavore, tomatoes, West HoCo. Bookmark the permalink.

Simple Pleasures: A Local Dinner

Posted on April 9, 2012 by AnnieRie

After the holiday meals, sometimes a simple dinner is the best. We wanted a quick meal before my husband went off to his evening teaching position. Even though the Dark Days Challenge is over, I am still cooking locally when I can.

Today was a simple meal from almost 100% locally sourced items. Only the white chard, Herbs de Provence, salt and pepper were not from MD or VA. The chard was bought at Roots, though.

We had stopped at Roots so I could get free range chicken to make soup tomorrow, and some Aranciata to make Meyer Lemon Basil Fizz cocktails for a get together this weekend. Roots didn’t have Meyer lemons though. I need to find a source, maybe Harris Teeter or Trader Joe’s.

I had scallions and garlic from the CSA. Leftover VA country ham that my brother sent home with me as a care package last night. Eggs run wild, from the CSA, that need to be used. Goat cheese from Firefly Farms. I roasted beets from the CSA the other day. And, I bought some local hydroponic tomatoes at Roots, from Hummingbird Farms.

The makings of this meal.

Served with an award winning Viognier from Breaux Vineyards just south of Harper’s Ferry (but in VA not WV). Lovely restrained Viognier, which is one of those wines that just does very well in this part of the country. Crisp, acidic, but not too much, a perfect glass to accompany a rich omelet.

Later this evening we may indulge in another local treat, Rhebs Easter candy. My mom always gives us a box of Rhebs, from Baltimore. Their butter creams are to die for.