Food Swap Recap - August

This past Sunday marked the latest From Scratch Club food swap. Held at All Good Bakers, I was impressed with the diverse crowd! Lots of new faces ready to roll up their sleeves and get swappin'. I brought some herbed salt in cute wire-latch jars, some carrots from my garden picked just an hour earlier, and some flowers from around the farm.

I spy Becky of The Mixing Bowl Diary, Sarah from Farmie Market, and Chris with From Scratch Club in this picture.

Turns out nobody wanted my carrots (suckers! I ate them myself and they were dee-licious). In exchange for my four pots of herbed salt, I received a batch of rosemary flatbread (which I'm eating right now with some tasty hummus), a jar of local honey from Wind Women Farm, some amazing, perfectly seasoned salsa, and a jar of chile, cayenne, and brown sugar mustard (from Ms. Chris herself). I also won a brick of cultured thyme butter handmade by Nick and Britin of All Good Bakers. I've yet to really enjoy it, considering how much I lurve butter. My flowers were given to Chris and Christine as a thanks for organizing the event. I picked two bouquets: The "pink" bouquet had zinnias, cosmos, and holly hock; the "orange" bouquet had marigolds, zinnias, sunflowers, and chinese lanterns. Chris generously gave me a half-pint of onions pickled with apple cider vinegar, thyme, and brown sugar in return. I made out like a bandit!

We will be holding another swap in September (as well as some fun special events with author Kate Payne!), so check out the From Scratch Club blog or Facebook page for more information. I hope to see you there!

Where to Find Me

I maintain a lot of blogs. Maybe too many. Between personal blogs, collaborative blogs, and ghost-writing for clients, sometimes it feels like my whole day is filled to the brim with blogging! Clearly, you've found me here at Silly Goose Farm, but if you are ever wondering where else to find me, here's a quick sampling:

Lady of the Lake: This is where I post pictures that inspire my "someday" life (honestly, I feel like I do have my "someday" life, but the only thing that would make it that much better is a lake house and vintage automobile, and that's about it).

Marketing and Design: This blog is part of the Times Union community. I was asked to participate and offer my professional opinion and expertise (if you can call it that) on the world of communications, social media, blogging, public relations, marketing, etc...

From Scratch Club: I'm a newbie to this blog, but I already feel like such a welcomed member of the family. From Scratch Club was created by Christina in efforts to connect with other moms who deal with food allergies, but has grown into a hotspot for those who not only enjoy food, but make it a priority to try make as much food from scratch as possible and know the farmers and growers who provide the food we put on our tables. PS - From Scratch Club also plays host to some amazing food swaps. Awesome!!

I hope you'll take the time to check out these blogs and leave me a note! Each highlights a different aspect of my life, and it will help you get to know me a bit better, if you're into that sort of thing. Happy reading!!

Rosemary Simple Syrup

I love to cook and bake, but sometimes my favorite things to make are really simple and easy. Things like compound butters and simple syrups. I love that a few really great, delicious ingredients can come together to create a new ingredient that can be used in so many ways. Most people think simple syrups are good only for cocktails, but I like to use them with club soda, or in dressings, frostings/icings, sauces, and other dips. I always have some in the fridge to perk up my cooking endeavors (I've been enjoying a lemon-coriander simple syrup from Braden lately... it's delicious with Bourbon).

I recently made Rosemary Simple Syrup and Jalapeno Simple Syrup for a From Scratch Club food swap. The rosemary variety is the not-so-secret ingredient to one of my favorite cocktails (see below). Get creative with this syrup recipe or use it as a starting point to create your own.

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Rosemary Simple Syrup
Makes 1.5 cups

1 cup water
1 cup sugar
1/2 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary

In a small saucepan, combine all ingredients and cook, stirring constantly, over medium-high heat until all sugar has dissolved. Reduce heat to medium and allow to simmer to three to four minutes, stirring frequently. Remove from heat and allow to cool for five minutes. The syrup will be slightly green. Strain out rosemary and store in an airtight container. Rosemary simple syrup will last in the refrigerator for up to three months (if you add a splash of vodka, it will last upwards of six months).

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Rosie Collins
Makes one cocktail
Originally posted October 13, 2011 on From Scratch Club

2 ounces dry Gin
1 ounce fresh lemon juice
1/2 ounce rosemary simple syrup
Ice
Club soda
Spring of rosemary (for garnish)

Fill a Collins glass three-quarters of the way full with quality ice. Add gin (I am partial to Brokers, though you could try a local option, too), lemon, and simple syrup. Stir to combine. Top with club soda and garnish with a spring of rosemary. Enjoy!

Where Did September Go?

Hi everybody! Thanks for hanging in there with me while I took a hiatus in September. It certainly wasn't a planned blogging break, but sometimes life just throws you curve balls and you have to do your best to hit a homerun and not strike out. How is everyone doing? I'd love to hear about your September and what fun, exciting things happened for you (or even the not-so-fun, if you'd like to share). Here's a quick recap of my September:

First, we dealt with storm clean up. Not fun. Dave (with the help of Edith... kind of) chopped down some of the trees that fell. We will chop up the down apple trees once they have stopped producing fruit (that is going to be a very, very sad day). Good news is that some of the fallen trees can be used as timber to make beams for the barn renovation.

About a week after Irene came through, we had Tropical Storm Lee make an appearance, dumping more rain on the farm (and in the basement). Of course, during that time, we had house guests, so instead of the rounds of bocce and cocktails on the lawn, the farm tours, and chit-chatting on the porch I had hoped for, my poor guests were subject to freezing rain and yucky weather. Bummer.

Speaking of house guests... the wonderful Tara (from The Prippy Handbook) and Liz (from Octavia and Brown) were here at Silly Goose Farm for a few days while they scoped-out the Brimfield Antiques Show. It was such a pleasure to host them, catch up with them, and show them around both the farm and the city of Albany. Fun times! I can't wait to spend more time with those two bundles of fun (both in my city and theirs!). More to come on their visit...

September was mainly spent harvesting. I'll still picking at least a half-bushel of tomatoes a week (that's about 25-27 pounds!), as well as carrots, rainbow chard, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, broccoli, hot peppers and lots and lots of herbs. Corn is pretty much put-up for the season, so that's done. Don't get me started on apples... I could easily pick two dozen bushels a week and still have more picking to do. Grapes are coming in, and pears will be ready to pick soon.

With all the apples, I've made LOTS of applesauce, apple butter, apple relish (delicious with corn fritters) and of course, apple cider! My parents came out last weekend for our first pressing, and I did a small pressing just this week. Many, many more gallons to come. I'm making hard cider this year and I'm VERY excited to share that process with you!

Of course, there is the every day, non-farm stuff, as well. Always plenty of work to do, lots going on with the charitable boards I serve on, and whatnot. Edie is making no progress on potty training (any tips appreciated!) and Eric is more mobile and talkative every day. It's such a pleasure to watch them grow, but their very active imaginations drive me bonkers sometimes (like last week when they got all the wine glasses and champagne flutes out of the china cabinet, poured their cereal in them, and were toasting each other. Funny, but what a mess). I'm scaling back on client/consulting work, and I am continuing to launch and start-up my new business (I can't WAIT to share that with you!). We also celebrated my mom's birthday and my parents' 25th wedding anniversary in September. Yay parents!

I've had some fun posts go live in the blogging world (just not here.. haha!). September brought two posts with From Scratch Club - one being a Locavore's Guide to Booze and the other a DIY Apple Cider how-to with two fun cider recipes. I hope you'll check them out! I've also become the new Eat Local blogger over at the Times Union. I'd love it if you hopped over there and left me a comment (a very special thank you to Michael Huber for giving me the gig!).

I said goodbye to September and hello to October by doing my very first food demo! I participated in Honest Weight Food Co-Op's Third Annual Harvest Festival with From Scratch Club. We had a lovely tent and great food samples and demos throughout the day. I showed attendees how to make apple cider at home. It was a great turnout and I think everyone (including me!) learned a lot that day. Here's a great recap of the day. Can I get some finger-snaps for the lovely gals at FSC, especially Chris, for all the hard work they did to pull this event off? Brava, ladies!

So, that's my September in a nutshell. How was your month? What exciting things does October have in store for you? Thank you again for hanging in there with me in the turbulent month... more yummy sustainable living posts coming your way!

Watermelon Julep

I just contributed a new cocktail recipe for From Scratch Club, if you'd like to check it out. It's called a Watermelon Julep, and it's exactly as it sounds and more delicious than imagined! I hope you'll check it out and make one soon.

You can read my other From Scratch Club posts here, or follow my From The Blogs Pinterest board to stay abreast of the latest posts!

Dessert Pizza

Everyone loves pizza, right? RIGHT?! I certainly do. I also love sweets. So, put "pizza" and "sweet" together and you get the perfect meal: Dessert Pizza. I posted the how-to on this delicious dish over at From Scratch Club. Check it out if you get the chance. Nectarines and black raspberries not your thing? Here are some other Dessert Pizza suggestions:

- Raspberry jam, mixed berries, drizzle of chocolate

- White chocolate, strawberries, chopped pecans

- Lemon curd, candied citrus peel, mint leaves

Enjoy, and for more of my From Scratch Club posts, click here.

Melon Daquiri

I'm over at From Scratch Club today talking about the Melon Daquiri (bonus - DIY melon rind drinking cups!!). Check it out if you have a chance, and be sure to check out From Scratch Club over the next two weeks for drink inspiration.

Hip Girls Party

I attended the most wonderful party on Friday night, hosted by From Scratch Club. It was part dessert potluck, part food swap, part book signing, and entirely awesome!

My orange biscotti is in the giant mason jar in the top-left of this picture

The dessert potluck part highlighted many gluten-free and dairy-free offerings. I made gluten-free biscotti, then dipped them in chocolate (which probably wasn't gluten-free, oh well). To be honest, I'm not very familiar with cooking or baking with special dietary needs in mind, and I'm very lucky I don't have to typically be conscious of such things. I love milk and wheat too much.

"The Hip Girl's Guide to Homemaking," by Kate Payne

The book signing portion of the evening was to celebrate the release of Kate Payne's "The Hip Girl's Guide to Homemaking." I had the chance to speak at length with Kate and learn about her writing process and why she chose to pen this how-to. She is one of the most genuinely sweet, nice people I've met, and still seems so grounded despite all her success!

The food-swap was the brainchild of From Scratch Club (who also hosted this soiree). I brought homemade sweet and sour salad dressing, and received macaroni and cheese, hummus, spinach tarts and paneer palak. Yum!

For more info on the wonderful party, please head over to Christine's amazing blog, Unspeakable Visions. All pictures are courtesy of this lovely lady!


Where I Get My Groceries

Today, I’m doing a multi-post series chronicling how I actually eat (everything from what I typical feed my family during the day to how I maintain a garden). You can read more on From Scratch Club and Eat Local.

I thought I would talk about the places that I shop and source from. Even though I live in a small town (population: 377), I have a bevy of options when it comes to groceries.

In the warmer months (and with stuff that can be over-wintered), I love “shopping” in my backyard. Having sustenance from one’s own efforts is a luxury I wish more people had. I’m talking about my garden over on the Eat Local blog.

Mildred’s Meadows

I get a lot of produce and cheeses from Mildred’s, which is run by Jessica. It’s right in town and I try to go over once a week. Some of the items I buy at Mildred’s include cheese, berries, tomatoes, onion, potatoes, seeds and plants. I even get my Christmas tree, topsoil, and mulch here. Jessica is great and I know I can shoot her a message on Facebook anytime and she’ll do her best to accommodate my requests.

Echo Pond Farm

My neighbors own Echo Pond Farm and run a small farm stand at the end of their driveway. I get delicious sweet corn, peppers, squash, grapes, and pumpkins. I have great neighbors who are always happy to help me with gardening advice, and even gave the kids a giant pumpkin last year for Halloween (same neighbor with the great homebrewing advice!). It’s great to see much of what I eat grown just up the road, too.

Western Turnpike Spices and Bulk Food

I get my spices and many baking supplies here (and sometimes junky stuff like candy and chips and such). Rice, pasta, local honey are also available. They now offer freshly milled local flour – score!

 

Stewarts

I run here to get milk and ice cream as needed, and that’s about it (and my favorite flavor of ice cream, Dark Chocolate, just won the top prize at the 2012 World Dairy Expo!)

Syron’s Meat Market

I get deli items and meats here, especially sustainably-raised beef from just up the road. Local sausages are available, as is the most delicious hamburger, named after our town.

Hannaford

I don’t buy much pre-packaged food, but I do still buy “essentials” (vinegars, oil, salt, baking products, hummus, milk, any prescriptions (when needed)) from my local grocery store (Hannaford). They also have racecar shopping carts, which make the kids super-happy.

Other Items

Since I also do a lot of home preservation (aka: Canning and “putting up”), I can typically turn to my pantry to find lots of jams, jellies, sauces, relishes, and other items to build meals from.

If I’m in that neck of the woods, I’ll stop into the Fresh Market or Honest Weight Food Co-Op for gourmet or specialty items. I try to hit up the farmers market when I can, but because I can get most of what I need locally or from my own backyard, I don’t need to visit as often as others might. Sometimes I'll hit-up the little liquor store in town or grab take-out from the small restaurants in town.

Where do you grocery shop? Are you a “one-stop-shopper” or do you go to several smaller markets? Share your “shopping strategy” in the comments, if you’d like!

Perfect Salted Caramels

I met Lauren from Craft My Life Away at the From Scratch Club food swaps. As a first-time swapper, I was eager to get to know Lauren... especially since she brought these insane salted caramel bars that were a hot-ticket item at the swap. Seriously, they were soooo good.

Anyway.

Lauren is a pretty nifty lady, as she is a excellent baker/confection maker and crafter. Since each year I try to send my friends and loved ones a little treat for the holidays, I thought I'd ask Lauren to share her Salted Caramel recipe with me (us) - they'd be perfect to send in the post! So, Lauren, have at it. School us in all things caramel!

Food Swap Recap

On Sunday, I attended my second food swap held in collaboration with From Scratch Club (a blog and food community I write for - amazing stuff!). I have to laugh sometimes - where I grew up, food swapping wasn't a thing, it was something you just did. I think it's funny that many of the principles I grew up with are now en vogue. It's something I've grappled with, and I'll admit, I have had a bit of a chip on my shoulder about the whole thing until recently. The foodie and local/farming/homesteading movements that have become popular over the past several years adhere to the old-timey practices I was raised on. Sometimes I still get upset when people take an old notion and act like it's totally revolutionary. I definitely fit into the "First Adopter" role in many of these cases (to through some fancy marketing terms around), and sometimes I want to hop on my high-horse and say, "Listen, idiot, that's something people where I grew up have done for generations. Just because you're doing it while wearing skinny jeans doesn't make your method new, better, or hip." Instead, I've learned to embrace a different role. I'd be putting my parents, my aunts and uncles, my grandparents, my great-grandparents, and the rest of my ancestors to shame if I didn't take my knowledge and try to help others with it. Instead of competing over each other, it's my job to offer ways of collaboration so that these roots of my exsistence carry on for future generations. I'm trying to bolster what other people are doing, because I believe that what they are doing (well, most of them) is the right thing to do. Besides, I'd rather be seen as a becon of knowledge rather than a bully of originality.

Okay, enough ranting already!

Where was I? Oh yes, food swap. So, the food swap was held at All Good Bakers and organized by Christine (yes, that Christine, the one I'm forever raving about - she's awesome!!) and Chris with From Scatch Club. I was late (as per usual), but I was so excited to see all the new faces in the crowd and watch them get jazzed for their first food swap. Food swapping is quick and dirty: First, you set out what you brought (samples are always a good idea), and fill out a handy little swap card detailing your item. Second, everyone goes around and takes notes on what they like. Next, we all write our names, as well as what we can swap for, on the card of the item(s) we desire. Finally, we look at our own cards to determine who wants to swap with us, and if we want to swap with them. Swapping is based on a 1:1 ratio. For every one item you bring, you swap for one item. For more on how food swapping works, check out this handy recap.

via the FSCSwappers Facebook page

I made a Herbal Digestif for my swap item. Great on its own or in a cocktail, it is easy to make and can be used in many ways (recipe to follow). I included a recipe card in the form of a "Cootie Catcher," because who doesn't love alcohol paired with silly games? I made four jars of the digestif and swapped it for garlicky pesto (which we paired with bacon and linguine for a tasty pasta dinner), a jar of corn relish, a jar of salsa, and a bar of rosemary soap (yep, soap is techincally allowed at a food swap, the main rule being you have to swap something you made/grew yourself. No store bought items!!).

I had a great time at the swap, and look forward to the next one soon (and here's the recap of my first food swap). If you are in the Albany area, contact me for more information about the whys and whatnots of our next swap! Food swapping is a great way to lead a sustainable lifestyle because it keeps food production local and helps create a community of like-minded individuals. I hope you will give it a try!

Choosing a Dehydrator

(this is my model, the 5-tray with a Timer, in black)

My Christmas wishes were answered! I'm pleased to say I'm now proud owner of a sparkling new Excalibur dehydrator. And I've got to tell you... this thing is a champ. I can't wait to share with you the results of my efforts. Before embarking on my dehydrating projects, I asked a few friends who are experienced food-drying pros what they look for in choosing a dehydrator.

My pal Pirate Jeni (of, "I turned my old Papasan chair into a container garden" fame) said that she had a lower-end model once that had a heat source "that looks kind of like a hair dryer shoved into the stack of trays." It didn't dry her food evenly. The model she has now did not cost a lot of money, but having a top fan heat source made a ton of difference for her.

My From Scratch Club buddy and all-around superwoman, Heather, is also a fan of Excalibur (she uses the 9-tray model). She said she had a plastic dehydrator of a different brand that someone gave her, but found that upgrading to a more serious model was a great investment - the plastic model became brittle and broke apart after continued use. Heather really likes that her Excalibur allows her to adjust the shelves so she can dry things like kale (which doesn't lay flat when raw) and that she can lower the temperature and maintain a level of "rawness" in her dehydrated items.

I also asked the lovely folks at Excalibur what I should look for when choosing a dehydrator. The most important things to look for, according the Excalibur, are good air circulation paired with a self-adjusting thermostat to create a "dried from the inside-out" environment. If you plan on making jerky or dehydrating other forms of meat, be sure your dehydrator says it is approved to dry meat. Some models may not have high enough temperature levels to kill the bacteria in raw meat, so look out!

So if you are also thinking of buying a dehydrator, look for the following features:

- A top fan to create an even dehydrating environment

- Adjustable shelves so you can dehydrate bulky things

- Multiple temperature settings to create different levels of dryness (things can be "dried" but still "raw")

- "Approve to dehydrate meat" language in the model description

- Horizontal airflow to ensure that each item in your dehydrator has proper air circulation

Thankfully, my model has all these features! Stay tuned for more dehydrating posts! Do you have a dehydrator? What model do you have? Any suggestions for buying a dehydrator?

This post is sponsored by Excalibur. To check out their complete line of products, please visit their website.

It's Peach Week!

Peaches are in season here in Upstate New York (yep, peaches grow up here!) and so I thought I'd dedicate a whole week to the lovely fruit. I recently picked two bushels (about 65 pounds) of peaches with some friends with From Scratch Club. Since then, it's been peach-mania here on the farm. From jams to pies to cocktails, the peach has been the shining star of the kitchen. I'll be sharing some recipes and tips with you here this week, and I hope you'll enjoy some of them and report back on what you think! Are you a peach fan? Do they grow where you live? PS - Peaches kind of have a nostaglic touch for me. The restaurant/cafe I worked at in college was called Peaches, and it's where I met Dave (he was a patron and I was his waitress :-).

Weekend Update

Hello friends, how was your weekend? Mine was busy busy busy! We held our 2nd Annual Barnside Movie party on Saturday, and on Sunday I attended a food swap held by the amazing From Scratch Club. I'll have pictures and recipes coming right up, but in the meantime, I thought I'd share some photos from around the farm over the past few days.

Herbed Salt

Get ready for one of the easiest, most useful recipes ev-ah. Herbed salt takes less than 5 minutes to make, but has myriad applications. Try a little on homemade french fries or potato chips. Or try a lot, a la salt-crusted fish. It's a simple touch that makes the dish just a smidge more special. It's also a great way to use up an overflow of garden herbs. I recently brought this to a From Scratch Club food swap and people clamoured for it!

Have any other suggestions for herbed salt use? I'd love to hear!

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Herbed Salt
Makes Approximately 2 Cups

2 cups Kosher salt
1/2 cup finely chopped herbs

1. Wash and thoroughly dry your herbs (you can use any herbs you like - I went Provençal and used thyme, rosemary, tarragon and sage). Finely chop herbs.

2. Combine herbs and salt together. Store in an airtight container (you can use immediately, but I like to let it sit for a day or two to let the flavors marry). Keep in the refrigerator for up to one month.

SWILLED: Peach Cocktails

Today's peach-fix comes in the form of a summery libation (or two). Peaches are surprisingly versatile when it comes to cocktails and work well with several types of alcohol and mixers. I'm over at From Scratch Club today talking about two peach cocktails (and a mocktail substitute), the Positano Peach and the Sweet Savannah Sipper. Make them tonight to help kick-off your Thirsty Thursday and prepare for the weekend!

PS - Eric really liked the non-alcoholic version of the Sweet Savannah Sipper, and here's proof (he just learned "Cheers!" too, so he likes to clink glasses with Dave :-)

Elderberry Cordial

I'm over at From Scratch Club today talking about finding elderberry trees on my property (awesome surprise!) and how to forage for your own elderberries. I also offered up two recipes: One for making an elderberry cordial, and another on an awesome champagne cocktail using your homemade cordial (picture above). Definitely check out the post, if you can!

Host Your Own Cheese Night

The Night of Cheese wrap-up is complete! In case you missed a course, here is the rundown:

Decor and Overview

First Course

Second Course

Third Course

Fourth Course

Fifth Course

Sixth Course

Maybe you are completely tired of cheese at this point (shame on you!), or maybe this series has inspired you to throw your own cheese tasting. If you are looking for any easy place to start, you can refer to the ideas and tips in the posts above, or you can check out this post I wrote for From Scratch Club about De-Mystifying the Cheese Plate. Learn about how many cheeses you should put on a cheese plate (three or five), what type of milk to choose, mixing textures, appropriate serving sizes, how to arrange the plate, adding accouterments, and much more! If you have any more questions about cheese (how to use it, how to buy it, what to do with it), email me or leave me a comment!