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Yesterday was lambing day at Meadowood Farm, an annual invitation to the community-at-large to shower love upon  this spring’s strapping newborns. Aside from baby chicks – my unyielding bias towards them is widely known – baby lambs are quite possibly earth’s cutest invention. Continue Reading

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Thyme Infused Dinner Rolls (with homemade cultured butter)

 
These herbed pull-apart dinner rolls, with their rustic crust and fluffy sweet interior, possess exactly the right density and flavor for sopping up pan drippings and gravies at Thanksgiving. The dough comes together like a velvet symphony when ingredients are allowed to reach room temperature and the mixing bowls warmed before combining. The secret to the light and fluffy interior is to add only as much flour as necessary and not a pinch more.
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Madison County Open Farm Day

bannerYesterday The Husband and I traveled an hour south-east to take part in Madison County Agriculture’s 6th Annual Open Farm Day. The schedule of events showed thirty-six farms participating – 36! – offering free samples, educational interactions, door prizes, and fresh food. We trekked out across some of the most beautiful territory in New York determined to experience as much as we could take in.
Fruit of the Fungi

 On their farm in Lebanon, Fruit of the Fungi owners Kristi and KC Mangine chatted with visitors, answered questions about the mushroom-growing process, and took us on a walk-and-talk through the woods to see their inoculated logs curing in stacks. We bought fresh-picked shiitakes and a bottle of mushroom power that purports to “add a swift and intense wild mushroom flavor to your dish” which curiously possesses the distinct aroma of dark chocolate. Let the possibility-pondering commence…

 

mushroomOnLog

Fruit of the Fungi Shiitake

 

Fruit of the Fungi Open House, July 27, 2013

Fruit of the Fungi Open House, July 27, 2013

Follow Fruit of the Fungi on Facebook.

 

Pewter Spoon Café & Eatery

Jasmin honey tea

Jasmin honey tea

Road Trip Food is an ordeal for us on account of our aversion to places that serve prefabricated-food-like-products — which is most of them — but hunger drove us into Cazenovia. Turns out the village is home to a dumbfounding number of eateries. Eventually The Husband spotted a noteworthy sign: Pewter Spoon Café. A place, maybe, to grab a sandwich for the road. 

Once inside our plan to eat on the fly was forgotten. We were hooked by the jazz on the stereo, the list of nicely thought-out lunch specials written on butcher paper, and the engaging young woman behind the counter. The place was nearly at capacity but we found a fortuitous table by the window overlooking the main drag. We people-watched and sipped iced jasmine and honey tea while we waited. Our order was a pair of paninis, mine a pear, arugula, caramelized onion and brie affair, The Husband’s stuffed with caprese salad. 

Pewter Spoon Cafe & Eatery

Pewter Spoon Cafe & Eatery

A single bite. That was all it took to transform the place from an unknown dot on the map into a destination. Our food was fresh, inventive, delicious. I began assembling a mental list of friends I’d bring with me the next time I visited. When one accidentally stumbles upon the rare gem of an eating establishment the only appropriate thing to do is sing its praises: the Pewter Spoon Café & Eatery is charming and delicious. A MUST if you find yourself in the vicinity.  The Husband and I, quite possibly two of the fussiest fresh-food snobs in all the kingdom, left full and happy.

tablechairs
 

Follow Pewter Spoon on Facebook.

 

Meadowood Farms

sheepdog

sheep
We’ve greatly missed Meadowood Farms at our Skaneateles Farmer’s Market. We haven’t found a replacement for the wonderful meats we used to get from them but also can’t argue with the inconvenience of distance. It was a treat to tour the farm and get our hands on delicious lamb sausage again.

Plus also there were baby lambs.

 

Thorp Apiary

 
honeysamples
It probably will surprise no one that my favorite part of the day was the fresh food samples. The best and most surprising sample came from Thorp Apiary in the form of their basswood honey which contains a rich, lemon flavor. Upon returning home we drizzled copious amounts of Thorp Apiary Basswood Honey over The Husbands fluffy, golden biscuits.  Enough said.

 

Lucky Moon Farm

 
We spent more than our fair allotment of time at Lucky MoonFarm. I mean we freaking lingered. I fell in love and would have moved in had it not been for The Husband’s gentle reminder that we have lives requiring our attentions. Plus a child.
 

The family-owned farm produces vegetables, maple syrup, eggs, garlic and hay, and they employ a philosophy of land stewardship using sustainable farming practices … Oh never mind, I’ll just show you:

Moonbarrel

MoonchickenyardMoondog

 

 

 

Moongarlic

 

Moonchickenwindow

Moondoor

Moonshack

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October Rose Farm and our Chicken Sensei

Bottom’s up at the water cooler.

Now that the summer is indisputably over and we’ve a mere month to partake in the bounty and friendship that is the Farmer’sMarket, The Husband and I did what we’ve promised ourselves we would do for a long time: we visited our favorite chicken farmstead people in all of Upstate New York: Susan and Brian Underwood of October Rose Farm.
One Lucky Rooster.
Some people venture into farming with well-defined master plans, others with an inherited knack (and/or land) from familial roots. Susan and Brian Underwood of October Rose accidentally stumbled into chicken-raising when their teenage son reared a flock of egg-layers to pay for a trip to the Boy Scout Jamboree and, upon his return, surrendered custody of his 25 hens to Mom and Dad. Since then, Susan and Brian have painstakingly gathered knowledge and know-how to expand their farmstead into a beautiful, orderly, and sustainable spread at the tip of Skaneateles Lake.
Evening chores.
Rotation method.
Since product quality is necessarily tied to quality of life, and October Rose chicken and eggs are delicious, we were not at all surprised when we visited Susan and Brian to find hundreds of beautiful meat and egg-laying birds on pasture in the fresh air overlooking the Skaneateles valley. The Underwoods utilize a rotation grazing method that promotes pasture health and animal happiness. Broiler birds in pasture pens are moved to fresh grass every day; the Eggmobiles, which run a daily average of 50 pounds of eggs apiece, are moved to new pasture every week. Unlike the cringe-worthy living conditions and pollution of industrial farms, October Rose’s animals serve as the Cleanup and Renew Crew: the birds break down and scratch insect larva out of the manure left behind by grazing animals and then enrich the quality of the pasture with their own droppings. This revitalized soil enhances the grassland for grazing animals, and the cycle begins anew.
Turkeys.
It has been widely reported that October Rose turkeys are the best tasting in all of CNY, but should you wish to partake be prepared to plan ahead: orders for the Thanksgiving birds are typically sold out by June. Regularly available are plump, fresh chicken (whole, half and quarters) and fresh-laid eggs at the Skaneateles Farmers market every Thursday and Saturday, or by contacting the farm directly. I wouldn’t dream of making my chicken soup with anything but an October Rose broiler.
Eggmobile.
We’ve been customers of October Rose Farms for years. As a matter of fact, Susan Underwood – with her calm, hands-in-pocket patience – has become our Chicken Sensei. Without our weekly consultations with her at the Skaneateles Farmer’s Market we would not have dared foray into chicken-rearing ourselves. Susan has guided us through pasty-butt and broodiness and when we showed up to market a bit bummed after the unexpected death of one of our hens assured us that sometimes this just happens and, yeah, she knows what its like to regard a farm animal as member of the family.
Try having thatconversation with an industrial factory farmer.
October Rose Farm, twilight.
Watch this very fun and cool video of chicken-life on October Rose Farm.

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Unite Two Design

Unite Two Design Studio, 639 Harlot Street, Elbridge NY
At first glance Keith and Theresa Traub of Unite Two Design appear perfectly normal. Engage them in conversation and you’d never suspect them of being that type – you know, risk takers; convention buckers, people audacious enough to grasp a dream with both hands and trek across the country in pursuit of it. Who does that? Only people capable of bringing into alignment a rare trifecta – the Will to relentlessly pursue an artistic passion, the Gift to create a thing that stirs the soul, and the Know-how to transform the whole affair into a viable business.
 
That type.
They are an uncommon couple: fierce; artistic; wildly inventive. And utterly unassuming.
Farmpunk coffee table
Theresa Doddona-Traub and Keith Traub
We meet them in Elbridge in their design studio on Harlot Street – the former Vanderveer Coleman bean processing plant – where they’ve spent the past year and a half renovating the workspace. Artistry in the smallest detail suggests the creative impulse is instinctive, subconscious. Sunlight pours over materials piled on long work-benches. It is space arranged for possibilities.
Keith takes us to his latest project: a coffee table constructed from old barn boards and a slice of metal fuel tank. The table’s surface has been oiled to a fine patina. “Oh, I haven’t seen this one yet,” Theresa says, running her hand along the grain. “It turned out great.”
We concur. The couple has spent years refining their style: “Farmpunk,” a romance between repurposed antique artifact and modern iron-work. It is a study in contrasts, sometimes quirky, sometimes whimsical, often drop-dead gorgeous.
Take the coffee table for example. A sculpture, really.
 
What makes this couple and their art a symbiotic union – a relationship of balance wherein objects of daily usefulness are immixed with functional art thereby nurturing the body and the soul – is that their work resurrects the ancient tradition of oral lore. Every piece has a back-story, a former life, and they take care to tell it. They take us on a tour and share the history: eclectic benches constructed from beams of former nearby barns; wine-racks revived from machinery sprockets left over from local construction sites; tables made from extinct chestnut salvaged from a turn-of-the-century schoolhouse.
The easy hour we share with Theresa and Keith at UTD leave us feeling wistful; inspired by those who relentlessly pursue artistic passion, who dare to buck convention.
You know, thattype.
Reclaimed, fabricated and found object jewelry
Meet Theresa Daddona-Traub and Keith Traub of Unite Two Design at the grand opening of their gallery in the village of Skaneateles on Friday, September 7, 2012 from 6 – 9 pm. See and purchase UTD Farmpunk fabrications and jewelry. Gallery location: 37 Fennel Street, Skaneateles New York.


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Yummy Grub

An October Rose broiler.

“Is that all you get to eat now?” a colleague asked me the other day as I munched on my customary jar salad lunch in the break room. I don’t volunteer updates about our 10-mile challenge outside this blog on account of people’s circumspect reaction, like they’re afraid I might share an un-flattering opinion about their food choices or worry I’m on the cusp of selling them Amway. But as my own eating habits have changed conspicuously and food is something people are oddly inclined to notice and inquire about, word has gotten out. “I couldn’t do it,” she added. “Bland food just isn’t my thing.”
Bland food isn’t my thing, either.  I think the biggest shortcoming in the buy-local-and-fresh movement is that its evangelists often fail to give flavor equal billing with the health and economic benefits, especially when flavor — more than any other value — will ultimately win over the masses. Me, I ignore these overplayed topics. Nobody likes being told what to eat or where to shop so I focus instead on what truly matters: yummy grub. Simply put, eating local and in-season is very delicious.
Byrne Angus beef plus green bean 
salad and cornmeal squash croquettes.  
But there are hazards.
Take last Saturday for example. I arrived late to the Skaneateles Farmers Market to discover all that was left were summer squash, green beans and radishes. That’s it. In season, sure, except I’ve hated summer squash and green beans since childhood and I don’t even know what radishes are good for except to be carved into little veggie tray roses that everyone thinks are cute and nobody actually eats. But the market is where I acquire most of my food so in desperation I bought all one vendor’s remaining summer squash and a quart of green beans from another; I passed on the radishes because a girl’s got to draw the line somewhere.
Meadowood Farms lamb kobobs
As I drove home it dawned on me that maybe this eat local idea was crap and dinner was definitely going to suck.
I should have anticipated The Husband’s unflinching acceptance of my paltry offering. He pulled a couple Byrne Angus steaks out of the freezer, consulted the Internet, and whipped up a summer green bean salad and a batch of cornmeal squash croquettes. Delicious. Saving the day. Reminding me not to judge food by past mutilations.
The Husband’s lamb, spinach and
homemade pasta dish made with
Meadowood Farms lamb sausage.
So yeah, my colleague was right: my family is eating lots of salad this summer. Lots. But tons of other stuff, too. Turns out this experiment has nothing to do with depravation or returning to some romantic time of old. It’s about luxury – making fresh, delicious food in good company; working together in a space that now serves a greater purpose than propping up the night’s pizza box.
I’m convinced no girl in the history of humankind has ever had food so good.

Evenings in the kitchen with The Girl have been plain awful.
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The Worldly Ways of Backyard Hens

The Great Divide.

Saving the world from an Internet sorely deficient in cute-baby-animal videos, I offer the following 52 seconds of baby chick adorableness for Earth’s viewing pleasure.
On Saturday all indicators pointed toward lovely weather so we sectioned off an area adjacent the hen yard to let the silkies out for a first fresh air excursion. Initially they sat in an astonished heap as our fat hens patrolled the dividing fence. But grass seed is considerably tastier than chick chow and in short order they forgot the seething flock and went about a chicken’s business of scratching and pecking.
Three’s company. 
Death stare to no avail.
As for the Ladies, well, you cannot imagine the irreparable disruption we caused to their strict dust bath and compost-picking regime. They gathered at the fence in disgust – what could these awful things be? A threat? Mobile ottoman? Flavorful afternoon refresh-ments? As far as Chuck Norris was concerned (you may hold The Girl accountable – as do we – for the names of our chickens) – a former flock queen dethroned in late adolescence after her comb was disfigured in a failed yard-break attempt – the whole thing was scandalous. She leveled baby Lavender a one-eyed stare designed to reduce the child to ruin, but our little chicklet wobbled up to the fence and gazed right back, oblivious.
Incredulity. 
Chunky, the current reigning queen (of Halloween fame), took a slyer approach. She called a conference at the far end of the yard were conspiratorial glances were cast over shoulder and mean words mumbled under breath. After that the hens ignored the babies altogether as popular girls often do, but it suited the rest of us just fine. The little ones were left to explore in peace, glancing over only occasionally to mimic the worldly ways of backyard hens.

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10-Mile Meals

Our bounty from Saturday’s Farmer’s Market run.

A few years ago The Husband read The Omnivore’s Dilemma and it got us thinking about the seriously weird stuff we humans now pass off as food. It also got us thinking about the politics of food and life back when people were self-regulating, counting on their own — and the local community’s — enterprise to fill basic needs. Food wasn’t convenient or fast but people could pronounce the ingredients; and hardly anyone was compulsively hoarding useless chachkies from a local megamart.
Signs of Summer.
About that time The Husband and I also started noticing other things: the bunches and bunches of local food farms, farmer’s markets and little road-side veggie stands surrounding us; the fact that we felt better after eating fresh food rather than crispy chicken strips out of a cardboard box; that our food choices appeared to be damaging our health. We started talking about raising chickens and planting a garden and several times even toyed with the idea of making local farms our primary food source for a summer. Just for the fun of it.
It took a couple years of gradual toe dipping into the proverbial sustainability water but when spring rolled around this year The Husband and I felt ready to revisit the local food idea. In May we issued ourselves this challenge: make farmer’s markets, local farms and our own garden our family’s primary source for food this summer. We decided to try and ‘make do’ with Thursday/Saturday trips to the Skaneateles Farmer’s Market, visits to Wake Robin Farm’s store and an occasional trek to the Regional Market.
The Husband’s Lamb, Spinach and home-made Pasta dish
from Farmer’s Market sources.
This game of Make-Do has unexpectedly turned into something fun and delicious. We’re making friends, learning how to cook with fresh ingredients, and discovering a rich food culture in our region.
Now that we’re about a month into this thing I figured I’d share what I/we’ve learned so far:
Scape and asparagus.
We Don’t Know Much: There are a whole bunch of edible plants growing in the region that I’ve never heard of. What the heck is a scape? Or a rabe? Or rocket? And how do you prepare these things? Turns out the people who grow and sell food are also very willing to share family recipes. We’re trying new foods constantly.
Variety Abounds:We get our whole milk, cheeses, and yogurt at Wake Robin Farms; at the Skaneateles farmer’s market we get fresh local lamb, beef, chicken, goat cheese, canned goods, breads, herbs, and all manner of vegetables, both known and unknown. The flavor is worlds, worlds better than the processed stuff. No comparison.
Eating Local Makes You Loco: I thought this challenge was going to be too difficulty to stick with but the opposite is true: we’re energized, maybe because of the better food choices we’re making, and motivated to permanently cut out as much imported and processed food as we can. We’re looking into canning and charcuterie, pickling and salting, smoking and drying, to preserve our food for the winter.  
These Andy’s turnips are delicious
blanched or candied.
A New Kind of Saturday: Saturdays have become a new kind of day – one of food preparation for the upcoming week. Delicate, leafy produce spoils quickly unless thoroughly washed, dried and wrapped; meats and veg bought in bulk have to be separated and frozen or canned; we’ve learned to cook en mass and to anticipate future need. Saturdays have become the food-prep and preserve day for the upcoming week.
You Just Never Know: We’re dependent on what is in season, and weather, and temperature, the health of the farmer — all things we never gave a thought to before. We just never know exactly what will be on our plates in any given week, and we’ve learned not to freak out about it. We’ll figure it out. This is a diabolic shift in our food consumption and our attitude about food in general. It requires us to succumb to the process of cooking what we have on hand, even if those ingredients are the same ones we made our meals out of yesterday. Developing a robust recipe collection has been key to keeping us on track.
Beans from Ethiopia. El Salvador and Guatemala
roasted in The Husband’s  Behmor 1600.
Buying Local is Socially Gratifying: Building relationships with the people who grow and raise our food has been the single most enjoyable aspect of this challenge. These people are passionate. They are knowledgeable. And, frankly, in an apocalypse these are the folks you want to know.
Exceptions: There are certain things we cook with and consume that are not and never will be produced locally:  olive oil; coffee (The Husband is a home roaster and buys his green beans from Sweet Marias. He roasts in-house with his Behmor 1600 – this isn’t going to change); bananas (I love them – don’t judge).
So where do we get our food these days?
Good Karma Garlic
Susanville
Navarino Orchard– Sweet onions and potatoes, apples, strawberries, peaches, canned goods, fruit pies. (they also make barley and peanut butter doggie treats that our mutt loves.)
Byrne Black Angus
Byrne Black Angus– These guys do one thing: natural, grass-feed black angus beef.
Wake Robin Farm – Yogurt, artisan cheeses, and milk. Visitors usually get to see the cows just outback in the pasture.
Meadowood Farms Lamb sausage and a sheep’s milk brebis.
Susanville Good Karma Garlic – A large variety of garlic and tomatoes, and seasonal vegetables. The Good Karma Garlic keeps the fresh veg coming well into the cold season.
An October Rose broiler smoked on
The Husband’s grill.
October Rose Farm– Free range and antibiotic free eggs, chicken and turkey. 
Other Seeds of Change that got this Fat American thinking:
Food, Inc. documentary
Fresh documentary
The Future of Food documentary
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Why I Joined the Mob

The ‘Cuse Mob throng at Craft Chemistry
Andrew Greacen rocked it

I’ve never participated in a flash mob or a cash mob before but when Syracuse First put the call out over the twittersphere for a ‘Cuse Mob The Husband and I agreed come Saturday that’s exactly where we’d be. The goal of this exercise was to convene with random people at a locally owned, independent business, spend a few dollars to support the local economy, and discover a cool shop we probably never knew existed. How fun it was to join the Syracusan mob at Briana Kohlbrenner’s Craft Chemistry shop on 745 North Salina Street. The problem wasn’t finding something to buy, but choosing which of her super cool merchandise we were going to bring home. We caught up with some old friends and met a few new ones. And that long line at the checkout? It was a breeze thanks to Andrew Greacen’s soulful funk for entertainment.
Our new “Salt City” print
The obsession continues
We think our new “Salt City” print by local artist Jason Evans looks pretty awesome hanging in our kitchen, don’t you? After checking out his very cool website, [re]thinkSyracuse, we love it even more!
Anyone who follows my blog will not be surprised by my “Good Ideas” notebook purchase. I came clean on that little obsession here.


So how about it, Syracuse First: will the ‘Cuse Mob become a once-a-month tradition? Count us in.    

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Yogurt of the Gods at Wake Robin Farm

When I stopped into Wake Robin Farm this morning I found the Jersey cows out to pasture and Megan Schader darting about the store with the speed and precision of a hummingbird. I asked if she was getting ready for the Regional Market. “Always,” she replied without hesitation.
She ushered me into the creamery were we talked while she busily labeled and crated Wake Robin milk. What I wanted to discuss was the yogurt – my favorite on the planet – and find out why they pulled it from a major area grocery store chain last year. As anyone who knows her might expect, Meg was open and direct.
“See how I’m preparing this milk?”
“By hand?”

“Right. We do the same with our yogurt. We were preparing it here then loading it up in our truck and delivering it ourselves to each store. We were spending hours and hours on the road and putting hundreds of miles on the truck. We went back to the store and told them it just wasn’t working for us. We asked if we could deliver the yogurt to their central warehouse. They said, ‘no, this is how you have to do it.’ It was hard because they were a major revenue source for us. But we realized we had some decisions to make.”
“That must have been scary.”
“Very.”

Sometimes when you buy local it isn’t just because buying local is a good thing; sometimes you buy local because the product is, literally, the best on planet Earth, and even if it wasn’t the cool thing to do you’d still go out of your way to get it. That is the case with Elderberry Pond’s basil; it’s the case with the truffles at Lune Chocolat. And it’s the case with Wake Robin Farms yogurt. I’m a yogurt person. I used to be loyal to a national brand you’d recognize, oblivious to the high fructose corn syrup, artificial flavor and coloring it mostly was (go ahead, check your own fridge). One taste of Wake Robin yogurt and I dumped it like a bad habit. It’s not just that WRF’s yogurt contains just a few simple ingredients, or that you get to see the happy, healthy cows responsible for it grazing in the pasture when you buy it, or that the people who make it are committed to quality and love what they do; what hooks you and keeps you coming back is the gorgeous flavor. Creamy. Buttery. Delicious.
I’m glad the Schader’s decided to continue their dairy farming endeavors rather than pursue a career in truck driving.
Their yogurt is of the gods and you can get it for yourself in these four places: the Wake Robin Farm Store on Brutus Road in Jordan, the Skaneateles Bakery, the CNY Regional Market, and the Syracuse Real Food Co-op. If you visit the Farm you can pick up some Wake Robin milk, their award winning artisan cheese and a variety of other regionally produced foods. And if you’re lucky you might also get to see the cows.
Oh how I enjoy the Wake Robin Jerseys. Watching them in all their glorious cowness is a mesmerizing affair. I confess to gawking impolitely which is probably why they weren’t especially impressed with me this morning. I stared; they chewed; stared back. Then one shook its head in disapproval and trotted off. I swear I heard it mutter under its breath, “Why don’t ya’ just take a picture, it will last longer.”
So I did.
The color you see is natural; not a drop of bronzer needed on these Jerseys.

The Husband enjoys Wake Robin Farm plain yogurt for his savory dishes; The Girl likes Wake Robin Farm vanilla yogurt for her smoothies; I prefer Wake Robin maple syrup yogurt to top off my morning granola, pictured here with Mu Mu Muesli cereal, sold in the Wake Robin Farm Store, topped with dried fruit and nutmeg.
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