Monday, March 28, 2011

Helpful Tips

When I began this journey 4 years ago with the Bradford's CSA I had no idea I would end up as a "contributor" on their blog. I'm just a homeschooling mom trying to feed my kiddos pure healthy food. And what better way to do that than eating straight off the farm. For this city girl.... that was quite a change! So I thought I would share some tips with you that I have picked up along the way.

First of all, a salad spinner is almost a must. The lettuce isn't like in the grocery store, all washed and cut up in bags ready to dump in a bowl. A little twirl in the salad spinner is just what you need to get it ready to eat.

A food processor is awesome if you can afford one. Some of them are pricey, but worth the investment. Anytime we can't eat something up fast enough before the next basket comes- I puree and freeze it. This doesn't work with everything, but most items. With a food processor you can make delicious pesto, salsa, tomato sauce, shredded zucchini, just to name a few. You can make all these things without them, I have just switched over to the processor because it saves me time and food doesn't spoil.

My last tip for this week is a strong pair of kitchen scissors. I cut everything with them. From lettuces for chopped salads, herbs for soups, and even beef for fajitas! You need a pair that is comfortable on your hands and strong enough to get through the produce.

If you have any questions feel free to leave one in the comments section and we'll be sure to answer it. Thank you so much for supporting local organic farming. Stay tuned for more tips and recipes to come weekly through out the season.

-Megan


Friday, March 25, 2011

This Little Piggie Went to D.C.

Where to begin?  First, a big thank you.  Thank you to the Bradford Family from Leaping Waters Farm who generously shared a break on the Cochon tickets with me and some close friends.  And thank you to my family who gave me the birthday gift of a ticket to the big event.  Without you, this experience would have never been possible.

Second, a little perspective.  Cochon 555 started with artisinal cheeses, French vodka and caviar, and boutique pickles and charcuterie.  We sipped West Coast wines in the late afternoon sun atop of the Newseum's rooftop decks and rubbed elbows with D.C. area celebrity chefs.  This was no average day on the farm.

An average day on the farm is sweaty and dirty and fun, but in a very different way.  Since the Bradford girls enthusiastically crowned Cochon "The Pig Party", I thought you might like to see what the pig party usually looks like on the farm:
 

And when their really hungry, the party looks a little more like this:


But this is what our D.C. pig party looked like:


As much as I love our daily pig party on the farm, I LOVED the pig party that was Cochon 555!  But wait, I need to back up.

Before we got to the party, I got a call from Alec (friend and farmer).  Dina (girlfriend and partner in porcine crime) and I were planning on meeting him and the girls for lunch.  He was going to try and make reservations at the Westend Bistro, Eric Ripert's D.C. restaurant.  We were pretty excited because Joe Palma, the Chef de Cuisine, is a great cook and a great guy to boot.  We had eaten dinner on the pass one night where we discovered that we loved the food and appreciated Joe's willingness to talk with us about what he was serving.

But when we arrived, the restaurant was closed to the public.  There was a private event, but Joe - who buys pigs from Alec - had invited the Bradfords and us to join the festivities.  We sipped mimosas while the girls finished chicken and waffles.  It was the best possible way to start the day!
 
Photo by Kenan Dunson*
O.k., back to the Party.

When we first arrived, there was wine, champagne, and tasty, artisanal cocktails.  An expansive oval of people rotated around the main room, pausing at each of the competing chef's table to sample their various piggie preparations.

Photo by Kenan Dunson*
The first stop was Tarver's table.  I met Tarver King when he cooked at a Guest Chef event at the restaurant - Local Roots - where I was General Manager.  His talent and creativity were impressive.  And so was his warmth and sincerity.  As one of our servers remarked, "After the dinner and the drinking, he remembered my name...who does that?"

He cooked with one of Alec's Big Black's and his food was phenomenal!  Here's one of his dishes: cracklin's with ketchup and mustard powder (think sup'ed up version of a a red & yellow hotdog).  I didn't taste it, but Alec said Tarver's plate to the judges included a homemade buttermilk ice cream that incorporated crispy bits of pig skin.  Goodbye chocolate chips.  Hello pig skin!

Photo by Kenan Dunson*
Next we visited Adam Sobel's table where I dove into the dirtiest martini ever.  Somehow they got fat back and truffles into the vodka and they stuffed the olives with pickled pig knuckles.  Pulled pork cupcakes, pork belly ramen, a nacho bite built on a chicharron - dear God!

On to Bryan Voltaggio's table where we were wowed by his well-oiled-machine of a team and his flawless food.  Among other impressive feats, he had lodged a touch of soft pork pate inside of a crispy meringue and coaxed bourbon and smoked ham hock into a chestnut cream soda.
Photo by Kenan Dunson*

Along the way, Tallulah and Sadie - Alec's two youngest daughters - would get bored and tear off into the crowded sea of pig party goers.  At one point Tallulah unknowingly backed into Bryan Voltaggio who greeted her cheerfully as she apologized.  Dina, who was doing the chasing at that point, said, "Hi Bryan, you've met Tallulah, haven't you?  From Leaping Waters Farm?"  We laughed about it later...I mean, she may not have been on Top Chef, but Tallulah is a pretty big deal.

Although we missed most of it, Dina and I managed to catch the tail end of the butchery contest.  Pamela Ginsberg of Wagshal's Market rocked the competition.  As we approached, it was clear that there was no chance the poor guy from Whole Foods was going to catch up with her.  In the video below, you can hear the chant: "Jason! Jason!"  But what I didn't catch on film was Pamela throwing down her last cut of meat as rally chant gave way to victory cheer.  Pamela, if you're out there, I've decided I want to be you when I grow up!


Photo by Kenan Dunson*
By the time we got to Scott Drewno's table - who also cooked one of Alec's pigs, this time a Berkshire - much of the food had run out.  We were delighted, however, to taste his PBR Squared...so delighted, in fact, that I had to go back for seconds.  When the desserts came out, we also got to try his bacon-almond brittle which was a matchless marriage of savory and sweet.

If you've made it this far, thank you.  This has been an unusually long entry, but the day was unusually spectacular.  Let me finish with one last video clip:



Scott won!  Which means that the farm won too since he was cooking one of Alec's pigs.  Alec and another heritage breed pig will accompany Scott to Food and Wine's Aspen Classic for the final Cochon cook-off.  The ex-Californian in me likes to occasionally indulge in the power of positive visualization.  Please join me in imagining a Food & Wine magazine cover featuring Scott in his chef's whites, Alec in his farmer's flannel, and a big old pig carrying a trophy in between them.

- - -

*I had some trouble with the camera I brought to the event.  Although the videos are mine, the photos were taken by Kenan Dunson and can be found with others on the Examiner.

Please check out the chefs, the farms, and the vineyards…

Chefs & Pigs

Scott Drewno, The Source – Berkshire from Leaping Waters Farm
Tarver King, Ashby Inn + Restaurant - Large Black from Leaping Waters Farm
Jamie Leeds, Hank's Oyster Bar - Gloucestershire Old Spot from Ayrshire Farm
Adam Sobel, Bourbon Steak DC - Tamworth from Gryffon’s Aerie
Bryan Voltaggio, VOLT - Farmers Cross from Eco Friendly Foods

The Five Wineries


Tuesday, March 22, 2011

Turning the Earth


We have officially turned our soil over and began planting outside of the greenhouse. Nearly one hundred pounds of potatoes are in the ground and we have a few hundred more to go. Our new raised beds are already full with Spanish chard, red and green cabbage, and strawberries (those are strawberries pictured with Sadie below).

Sarah planted peas along the creek this weekend as well as transplanted rhubarb (pictured below) to a more suitable home. I can already taste rhubarb pie and oh how my mouth is watering!

The next thing that will need to be planted are things that will go straight into the ground, like corn and beans. If all goes well, our rows will be marked and laid out on Thursday and planting will begin on Friday. As soon as the remaining seed potatoes arrive, they to will go into the ground. (potato patch pictured above).

We have a lot of work to do in the following weeks to ensure we are ready of our weekly Organic CSA Baskets.

Tuesday, March 1, 2011