Food

Holiday in the Home

November 12, 2019 by Spy Desk Leave a Comment

Join the Kent Island Garden Club at the Kent Island Fire House, 1610 Main Street in Chester, on December 7 th from 1:00 until 3:30 for a demonstration of holiday designs by Murdoch’s Florist. Learn from the best, Elese Murdoch. Get some new ideas for decorating your house both inside and out this holiday season.

The afternoon will include door prizes, raffles of the Murdoch designs, vendors, a garden club gift table, and a 50/50 drawing.

Murdoch’s Florist is a family owned business in Centreville and has been a member of the community for over 40 years. Their table and door designs are truly unique and have a broad appeal to their customers from Denton to Kent Island.
Tickets are $15 per person. Space is limited, so please purchase your ticket in advance by contacting Diana Bonner at dbonner@verizon.net.

Food Friday: Duck Fat Alchemy

November 8, 2019 by Jean Sanders Leave a Comment

Cooking with duck fat is a new concept for me. Call me a convert. In my quest for the most perfect and delicious, hot and crunchy potato dishes I have tried corn oil, vegetable oil, olive oil, peanut oil and bacon fat. I have finally discovered magic in a bottle. (Actually, magic in a jar, delivered courtesy of Amazon, but that is a superfluous detail.) With the Waterfowl Festival taking off this weekend in Easton, now seems like a good time to extoll the wizardry that is duck fat.

The other night I parboiled a peeled Russet potato, which I had cut into wedges. Once they were fork-tender, I drained them in a colander, and patted them dry with paper towels. In the large and heavy cast-iron skillet I melted two tablespoons of duck fat that I had scooped from a glass jar that the UPS guy had delivered that afternoon, in the dark, at 5:30 PM. (It is going to take us all a long time to get used to the clock change, we agreed.)

The fat melted quickly at a lower medium heat, and bubbled and began to fill the kitchen with an enchanted aroma. I dumped the potato wedges into the sizzle, and stood expectantly, watching the transformation begin. I turned the wedges carefully, after I saw the bottom edges turning golden sienna. And after a few more minutes of delicate and obsessive fussing, I scooped the potato wedges out of the fat, and onto another paper towel. A mere dusting of Maldon salt was the only seasoning. And I spooned the perfectly golden brown wedges onto the dinner plates alongside the sausages, peppers, onions and garlic bread. (There was a green salad already on the table as well as a couple of glasses of an inexpensive Cabernet.)

The duck-fried potato wedges were divinely light and crunchy, and absolutely deelish. And best of all, they stayed warm through the meal. They were the soothssayingly crisp foil to the soft and slick peppers and onions. They were magical fried potatoes. Not from a freezer bag, or a store, or a fast-food drive-through. They weren’t doused in chemical preservatives. They were adult fries, with spell-binding panache. (Though no truffles.) Go get some duck fat. Right now.

Through my extensive research into the perfect homemade fried potatoes I have experienced many failures, but I think using duck fat is going to ratchet up my game considerably. There is much pleasure to be derived from homemade culinary triumphs; simple pleasures are indeed the best.

This was the impetus for my duck fat experiment: https://www.myrecipes.com/extracrispy/how-to-cook-with-duck-fat which might give you more practical information than my anecdotal paean.

And because fries are delicious, and necessary for a fulfilled life, but aren’t very photographic, I tried them again for breakfast this morning, topped with beauteous eggs for this week’s illustration. Mr. Friday drove away with a smile on his face. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ee3hWLMUvD8

Waterfowl Festival goers: you probably know how to do this already, but here is a short video about conjuring up your own duck fat: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pkWeKp-Elvw

You’ll have more time on the weekend for frying up bacon and tomatoes, and here is an impressive breakfast to prepare before a weekend filled with retriever demonstrations, waterfowl calling, diving dogs, decoy appreciation and beer tasting: https://www.food24.com/Recipes/duck-fat-egg-toastie-20170612

“It is easy to think of potatoes, and fortunately for men who have not much money it is easy to think of them with a certain safety. Potatoes are one of the last things to disappear, in times of war, which is probably why they should not be forgotten in times of peace.”
― M.F.K. Fisher

For all things Waterfowl Festival 2019: https://www.waterfowlfestival.org/

Food Friday: Baking for Downrigging Weekend

November 1, 2019 by Jean Sanders Leave a Comment

You might need light sweaters and extra calories this weekend if you are going to walk around Chestertown and enjoy the spectacle that is Downrigging Weekend. Your mother was right, and breakfast is still the most important meal of the day, so start it off with something tasty. Keep the pencil shavings and twigs for during the week, and gobble up some hearty apple-sultana cinnamon swirls.

Halloween is over, and you have managed to avoid eating too much chocolate, for which we in the Spy Test Kitchen salute you. I gave out more Snickers bars this year than I inhaled, for once. I think I am still conditioned by my otherwise pleasant childhood. My mother was the strange one on the block who handed out boxes of raisins. Can you imagine the shame? While Mom was imposing her sensible vision of order on the neighborhood, I was dancing from house to house, scarfing up as much exotic candy as I could get. Other households doled out wonderful candy bars unfamiliar in our house: Baby Ruths, Butterfingers, $10,000 bars, Dark Hersey bars, Clark bars, and Three Musketeers. Such loot! And I lived in a home where boxes of Sun-Maid raisins were the Halloween treat. My mother should have just handed out toothbrushes. If she were still alive, she probably would be enthusiastically giving out bags of organic kale chips to all the little ghosts and alligators and Hermione Grangers who would have come knocking on her door.

I do not mean to disparage raisins completely, but every once in a while, it seems perfectly reasonable to enjoy a kid holiday; something extraordinary and special. But Halloween was yesterday. And now it is November. It’s time to sail forward on the healthy and homebaked path to righteousness and good health. And to enjoy the Schooner Sultana and downrigging. http://downrigging.org There will be tall ships and blue grass music, and all that Chestertown has to offer.

I cannot find sultanas in our grocery store, so I substituted golden raisins, but you can use raisins, golden raisins, sultanas or currents in these recipes. https://www.thekitchn.com/whats-the-difference-between-raisins-sultanas-and-currants-223285 Do not substitute those leftover Snickers bars. Pass them this way.

Your kitchen will smell wonderful and autumnal while you are baking apples, raisins and cinnamon. This is excellent preparation for Thanksgiving, which is just around the corner. http://www.pbs.org/food/recipes/apple-sultana-cinnamon-swirls/ Mary Berry will approve, and if you do a good job, you might even get to stay in the bakeoff tent for another week.

I just love the mechanics of rolling and cutting the dough for these cinnamon rolls. I scarred my children with store-bought Pillsbury cinnamon rolls that popped out of a canister. These are much more delicious, and haven’t been hermetically sealed and are not doused in preservatives. https://www.recipegirl.com/no-yeast-apple-cinnamon-rolls-with-maple-icing/ Mom might approve.

Of course, Food52 always has good ideas: https://food52.com/recipes/24943-grandma-bercher-s-cinnamon-rolls Have a couple of cinnamon rolls, don your sweater, and take to the Chestertown streets. Watch out for the geese.

“We are tied to the ocean. And when we go back to the sea – whether it is to sail or to watch it – we are going back from whence we came.”
-John F. Kennedy

The Federal Brewing Company

October 28, 2019 by Val Cavalheri

It’s not something she talks about, but it’s never far from her mind. It was 2016, she says when it all changed. “When you’re given a second chance, everything has to change, and you get a new perspective on it all.”

Until then, Gayle Galbraith thought she knew what she wanted: she had decided to invest in the town of Federalsburg, a place that had the potential for a significant upswing. “I got to know the town a little, and I thought the thing that typically turns towns around is craft brewing. And so initially my desire was to put a combination craft brewery with a little coffee shop kind of thing.” In 2013 she purchased a historic 100-year-old, 3-story former bank building, naming it The Federal Brewing Company.

But this would not be just any type of brewery, she though. With a background as a certified health coach, Galbraith was envisioning an ancient herbal kind of beer, more health-focused than the drink-to-get-drunk IPA variety. That was the plan. Until Galbraith had her first taste of kombucha. This slightly sour, lightly effervescent, fermented tea had been used as a health tonic in Asia and Eastern Europe due to its nutrient and probiotic qualities. It was first popularized on the West Coast and was beginning to gain popularity locally. Loving the taste and the benefits, she started brewing kombucha at home, just for the family.

At around this time, Galbraith had been consulting with Easton’s SCORE group (volunteers who provide free and expert business mentoring). During one meeting, she brought in some of her kombucha to thank them. Their response was unexpected: “The two gentlemen looked at each other and looked at me and said, ‘why are you not brewing this? This is what you should be doing’ It never really occurred to me that maybe there was a market for kombucha in our area.”

That was a turning point for Galbraith and her partner Stan Nowak who, encouraged by the response, agreed to change their focus to brewing kombucha instead. “It was a tough decision for me,” said Galbraith, “because I knew that it went against what people were expecting. I didn’t want to disappoint everyone, and yet, I didn’t want to put myself in a business that I did not enjoy.”

Once the decision was made, they began to study from brewmasters, attending various conventions, and testing and re-testing their product. Nowak, a Marine Corps veteran with a background in construction and engineering, also began to plan the conversion of the bank into a small brewery.

That was the plan. Until a day in October of 2016, when Gayle Galbraith died.

It started with a stroke that led to sudden cardiac arrest. It was then that she flat-lined, multiple times. Although the doctors were able to bring her back, Galbraith was left with cognitive and physical damage from the ordeal.

Putting into practice her experience in the health field, she began the long process or regaining her strength and mental ability, focusing on diet and physical therapy. Her business, though, was never far from her thoughts. “I spent the time I was recovering studying the industry and seeing what was going on,” says Galbraith. I learned what the trends were, saw what the possibilities were for us, and what the most efficient way of entering the market would be.” A year later, Galbraith felt better and her business was licensed by the State of Maryland.

But even as construction of the brewery slowly started, a rumor began to run rampant in the town: a strip club was opening at the old bank building. The concern was so deep that a pastor from a local church was sent to try to persuade Galbraith and Nowak to re-think their business idea. “I told them the only kind of poles that would be in there would be bean poles because I planned on bringing in hydroponic tower gardens into this brewery to oxygenate the room and to provide fresh herbs,” says Galbraith. “After that, I heard their prayers changed from prayers for my failure to prayers for my success!”

Whether it was the prayers or the planning, or a combination of both, Federal Brew Kombucha began appearing at the Easton farmers market, then in Kent Island, St. Michaels, and Annapolis. Says Galbraith: “At first, people were like ‘what the heck is this?’ But within, a few weeks, it went on fire, and everyone had heard about it and were happy that we had local kombucha because of the different health benefits that are available in an authentic local fermented beverage.” Like local honey is good for allergies, she told us, local probiotics are good for the immune system. Galbraith and Nowak were soon selling out of the four to six cases they were bringing to the markets. Retail establishments, such as Sprouts, Out of the Fire, Piazza Italian Market, and Vintage Book Store, began to carry their brand.

They now brew about nine barrels a month, with each barrel the equivalent of 10 cases. Galbraith feels that the authenticity of their product is what makes the product different from what can be bought at the store. A lot of brewers use pre-formatted tea powder, a strong starter culture, water, probiotics, and then call it kombucha, she said. “We start with sweet tea. We add a starter culture and just let it do what it does. And there are some times that we do a secondary fermentation where we will add fruits and sometimes vegetables.”

Galbraith feels that as more people understand what kombucha is and what it can do, their taste palates are adjusting to exploring less sweet varieties. Their best-selling kombuchas at this time include Green Garden Chamomile, made of chamomile, calendula, cornflowers, hibiscus, and a little cinnamon. “Another one that we can’t seem to brew fast enough is our Red Roses Kombucha,” says Galbraith, “which is not necessarily real red because we’re not using any artificial colors or anything in it. But it is made with an organic white tea, rose petals, and hibiscus.”

Listening to Galbraith talk about her business, it’s quite clear that if there are any residual effects from her health crisis, we can’t tell. Her enthusiasm, energy, and vision are strong. She has plans to open the brewery to the public once a week, sometime in the near future. She wants to have more kegerators (refrigerated kegs) available for retailers. She envisions that their success in Federalsburg will open the door for other entrepreneurs to take advantage of available opportunities. She’s looking forward to a 50-barrel brewhouse.

That the plan. At least for now.

“I often say that God did not bring me back from the dead to live a mediocre life,” says Galbraith. “So, look out. It’s going to be good.”

Food Friday: Magic Spirits

October 25, 2019 by Jean Sanders

At first I was going to put together my usual compendium of disgusting Halloween-themed cocktails that involved pumpkin flavored vodka, and chocolate martinis, olive and lychee eyeballs, and a lot of dry ice for special effects. Nonsense. I finally came to my senses. Instead I wondered about what we could offer to our favorite dead writers, should they come a-calling this Thursday night. This is a broad survey of some writers I think would be amusing at a ghostly Halloween cocktail party.

Noel Coward said that the perfect martini could be made by “filling a glass with gin then waving it in the general direction of Italy.” Fill your glasses and join me on our ghoulish visit to a moonlit cocktail party. No enchanted cocktail hour would be complete without Ernest Hemingway, who tops every dead-writer-cocktail-survey I encountered. His poor mother. I have been to his house in Key West and skritched some of his cats with their many toes. The house has some admirable verandahs, which shriek out for a séance and Coward’s Madame Arcati inviting our favorite roués and decorous dead to join us once more for some ocean breezes and Bloody Marys. http://www.hemingwayhome.com/

“To make a pitcher of Blood Marys (any smaller amount is worthless) take a good sized pitcher and put in it as big a lump of ice as it will hold. (This to prevent too rapid melting and watering of our product.) Mix a pint of good Russian vodka and an equal amount of chilled tomato juice.Add a tablespoon full of Worcestershire Sauce. Lea and Perrins is usual but you can use A1 or any good beef-steak sauce. Stir. (with two rs) Then add a jigger of fresh squeezed lime juice. Stir. Then add small amounts of celery salt, cayenne pepper, black pepper. Keep on stirring and taste to see how it is doing. If you get it too powerful weaken with more tomato juice. If it lacks authority add more vodka.” https://www.thrillist.com/vice/ernest-hemingway-s-favorite-drinks-with-quotes-whiskey-wine-absinthe-bloody-marys

Bob your hair, rouge your knees, and get out your ropes of pearls. Scott and Zelda have arrived in Key West. The Fitzgeralds were very fond of Gin Rickeys. We can swoop around the porches, imagining our own jazzy music, swaying with the palm tress, drinking these sweet concoctions: http://on.aol.com/video/f–scott-fitzgeralds-gin-rickey-recipe-and-bukowskis-boilermaker-517940317 Whatever gin they have not reserved for their infant daughter’s night time bottle, we can spirit away to make Gin Rickey cocktails.

John Cheever’s specter conjures up a solemn progression of cocktails. Avoid him, because he will want to go swimming. Instead, let’s look for Evelyn Waugh, who is merrily mixing some of his favorite stingers at the bar. I can summon up the image of the angelic Cary Grant, ordering a round of them for the flock of church ladies, crowding his tête-à-tête luncheon with Loretta Young in The Bishop’s Wife. Stingers are deadly. Trust me.

Evelyn Waugh’s Stinger
2 ounces brandy
¾ ounce crème de menthe
½ ounce dry vermouth or bourbon
Directions: Shake with ice. Pour into a chilled martini glass or Old Fashioned glass.
http://www.cheatsheet.com/culture/drink-like-hemingway-5-cocktails-famous-writers-loved.html/?

Sad wraith Carson McCullers has been hard at it since breakfast. Her tea packs a deadly punch:

Long Island Iced Tea Recipe
1⁄2 ounce gin
1⁄2 ounce vodka
1⁄2 ounce tequila
1⁄2 ounce. light rum
1⁄2 ounce Cointreau
3⁄4 ounce lemon juice
Top with cola
Lemon wedge
Pour all ingredients except cola and garnish into a cocktail shaker filled with ice cubes. Shake, and then strain into a Collins glass filled with ice cubes. Add cola until color of tea. Garnish with lemon wedge. Serve with two straws.
http://www.npr.org/2006/12/15/6624971/great-american-writers-and-their-cocktails

Edna St. Vincent Millay was very fond of the Between the Sheets cocktail. This party could be getting interesting.

Between the Sheets
3/4 ounce brandy
3/4 ounce light rum
3/4 ounce triple sec
1/2 ounce lemon juice
Lemon twist for garnish
http://www.thekitchn.com/great-american-writers-and-their-cocktails-170969

Dorothy Parker and the Algonquin set are cackling over a hot Ouija board in the corner. Their Whiskey Sours have been evaporating by the pitcher-ful. “I wish I could drink like a lady. I can take one or two at the most. Three and I’m under the table. Four and I’m under the host.” http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/fresh-whiskey-sours-recipe.html

Rushing out from the eternal New Yorker magazine offices in the sky, Mr. E.B. White shares his favorite Martini recipe: “Equal parts lime juice, apricot brandy, honey, and dry vermouth. Stir this all together (you only need a tiny amount of the whole business), then add 4 times the amount of gin. Plenty of ice, stir, and serve.” Wowser. Three martini lunches, indeed! http://paperandsalt.org/2012/03/08/the-cocktail-hour-e-b-white/

There is a whole lot of gin going on at this imaginary party. Since Halloween falls on a Thursday this year, Mr. Friday and I will just have a couple of glasses of cheap white wine with dinner. I hope you are able to join up with the ghostly writers and their little shindig at the cemetery if you’d like to go out and meet them. They are just dying to see you.

“I began to think vodka was my drink at last. It didn’t taste like anything, but it went straight down into my stomach like a sword swallowers’ sword and made me feel powerful and godlike.”
― Sylvia Plath

Food Minute: A New Sprout Sprouts Up in St. Michaels

October 22, 2019 by The Spy

Nothing makes a Spy happier than to hear there is a new place in town for good food, so it’s no surprise that we were delighted to see the Sprout has opened in St. Michaels last week.

The local, prepared food service, founded in Trappe only eight years ago, has shown its entrepreneur chops by establishing home delivery and self-service outlets (Sproutlets) throughout the Mid-Shore, followed by establishing their first cafe and main kitchen in Easton last year. Now they are joining the robust food scene in St. Michaels with their eat in-take out format certain to please the locals as well as boat crews needing “real food” during the season.

The Spy took some surveillance footage to share.

This video is approximately one minute in length. For more information about SPROUT. please go here.

Food Friday: Meatloaf for Fall

October 18, 2019 by Jean Sanders

Suddenly the weather is in sync with the calendar, and we are enjoying a soupçon of cool October weather. I pulled a turtleneck out of the closet to wear when Luke the wonder dog and I went for our first walk this morning. He is feeling a little friskier in the coolth, and tugs on his leash when he thinks he has a good change of catching one of the many squirrels we trot past. To date the squirrels are still winning. But the odds might change, as they are distracted and are concentrating on gathering up acorns and pecans. I found a dozen acorns in one of the window boxes the other day, when I was attempting to tidy up after a long, hot summer of prolific weed cultivation. We now look a little more respectable with window boxes full of cheerful yellow mums and fresh-faced pansies. It is cool enough to be out in the garden again, instead of wistfully looking out at it from the air conditioned house. Soon the spring tulip, daffodil and grape hyacinth bulbs will be delivered. We have lots of gardening to look forward to.

Another pleasant surprise was rediscovering meatloaf. Since I stay as far away from the stove as I can in the summer, there is never a chance that I’m going to wander into the kitchen to whip up a tasty meatloaf meal when it is hot outside. Mr. Friday likes a hefty meatloaf sandwich for lunch, which uses up all the leftovers in a very efficient fashion. We are trying our level best not to waste food.

But still I got a couple of odd reactions when I mentioned that I was going to write about meatloaf this week. My daughter, the former Pesky Pescatarian, was horrified at the thought of covering meatloaf with bacon, until I told her I had found a recipe that used turkey bacon and ground turkey instead of the greasy, but delicious, pork bacon and ground beef of her childhood. And my brother, who speaks for the trees, assured me that he hardly ate beef any more. (Although our discussion reminded him that he hadn’t had a good steak in a long time. I wonder what will be on his grill this weekend?)

The reason I found a recipe with bacon carefully woven over the surface of a meatloaf was purely artistic. A meatloaf is not very visually arresting – it is a dark brown lump, rather like a deflated football. Perhaps I could have added a garnish or two, but I never garnish my meatloaf, do you? I suppose I could have made some radish rosettes, but I do like verisimilitude. And a bowl of mashed potatoes! How inspiring is that? A field of beige blandness, with a glistening golden pat of melting butter! You can see it in your mind’s eye, and it will make you think fondly of a steaming mountain of mashed potatoes with Richard Dreyfuss cackling madly, but if you saw one of my watercolors of mashed potatoes, you would avert your eyes straight away to the Letters to the Editor and not bother to read Food Friday.

Meatloaf is prosaic stuff. And deeply personal. Mr. Friday didn’t care for my mother’s recipe, which is the game I brought to the marriage. And I didn’t like his mother’s meatloaf, which called for ground veal and ketchup. My word! We eventually fashioned our own meatloaf formula, and all is good. But he did enjoy the novelty of the basket-woven bacon version for dinner one night, and then for his next three lunches. Experimentation is good. And as we are not flying in private jets to go on a royal tour, I feel secure in having a little beef every once in a while this fall, since it warms our souls for dinner, and for so many lunches.

https://www.markbittman.com/recipes-1/bacon-wrapped-chipotle-meat-loaf-on-the-grill

https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/meat-loaf-recipe-1921718

https://emilybites.com/2013/05/bacon-wrapped-bbq-meatloaf.html

“We even talked like Hemingway characters, though in travesty, as if to deny our discipleship: That is your bed, and it is a good bed, and you must make it and you must make it well. Or: Today is the day of the meatloaf. The meatloaf is swell. It is swell but when it is gone the not-having meatloaf will be tragic and the meatloaf man will not come anymore.”
-Tobias Wolff

It’s All About Allicin

October 14, 2019 by Val Cavalheri

It was 2014, and Jim Reinhardt, who had retired from a demanding job, was ‘bored out of his mind.’ So, he traveled, spending some time in Upstate New York, and met a Hardnecked garlic farmer who showed him around his farm. Since his wife wasn’t a fan of the bulb, Reinhardt’s experience with garlic, at that time, was scooping it out of a jar. He had no idea that there were even different varieties of garlic. Almost as if the universe was trying to tell him something, he kept running across other growers, including an uncle who cultivated a small garden of garlic. “Why not,” he finally thought. “It doesn’t seem that hard. Let me try growing an acre.”

Reinhardt brought 500 pounds of bulbs and took some lessons from a Cornell Agricultural program. There were challenges, but that one acre became three the following year, and the rest, as they say, is history. Today, Nature’s Garlic Farm grows approximately 1.2 million Hardnecked garlic bulbs right here in Easton, providing restaurants, CSAs, grocers, produce stands, farmers markets, wholesalers, and all the Wegmans in Maryland and Virginia.

In case this is not clear yet, Hardnecks are not your ordinary garlic. They are easy to differentiate from the Softneck variety, which is typically seen as the grocers. Primarily, one has a stiff stalk attached to the bulb, and the other does not. You can also blame the Hardnecks for the popularity of the serpentine green stems, known as scapes. Scapes, which have sparked and inspired the gourmet scene are actually the flower bud, which is removed to encourage the bulbs to thicken. If allowed to mature, the scape will form a bulbis, which can be eaten raw or used in cooking.

Bulbis can also be used in cooking

Which brings up a question: aside from these culinary extras, isn’t this garlic…. well, just garlic? Listen to Reinhardt: “It’s all about the flavor profiles,” he says. The minute you have it, you’ll never ever, ever eat the garbage from the grocery store again!” Besides, he explains, the ones purchased at the store are dipped in bleach until the roots are burned off and the bulb turns completely white all the way through the plant. This is not what you’ll see at his farm.

And it’s not just only about the taste. If you’re into the health aspect of foods, the Hardneck garlic is, as Reinhardt explains, the ‘original penicillin.’ It was carried into battle since the beginning of time, used to cauterize wounds, and treat intestinal infections, among other things. Search for Hardneck garlic on the web and see that much has been published about the therapeutic benefits of using it to treat a variety of ailments from high blood pressure to cancer to diabetes.

That’s because garlic contains allicin, an oily, yellowish liquid which gives garlic its unique odor, and is produced when garlic is crushed or chopped. Allicin has numerous health benefits, and the Hardneck contains up to 3 times more allicin than the Softneck variety, making it a true ‘superfood.’ Raw garlic is also a source of vitamin B6 and C, manganese, selenium, and other minerals, including phosphorus, calcium, potassium, iron, and copper.

It’s not surprising that Reinhardt finds this bulb so fascinating. His excitement is contagious, and he’s willing to share it. Nature’s Garlic Farm offers two programs for anyone looking to expand their knowledge: renting a “row foot” or attending a workshop.

Rent-a-Row, Watch it Grow: For $9.95 per row foot, people can ‘virtually’ experience the various stages of growing the garlic plant, and they get two garlic bulbs when it’s harvested. “It’s just a fun way to get people to try a different garlic than the one they’re used to,” he says.

The other program is the one-day, four-hour Garlic Growing Workshops held on Saturdays and Sundays in September and October and again in the spring. Attendees learn how to prepare the soil, plant, maintain and harvest the Hardneck garlic scapes and bulbs. They also get a pound of garlic cloves to plant at home.

For someone who hasn’t been farming his whole life, Reinhardt is good at what he does. His farm is a USDA certified facility, and he uses no pesticides or herbicides. “So, look,” he explains, “I don’t care how safe pesticides are. I don’t care how safe herbicides are. I don’t want it in my gardens. I use plenty of Roundup on my driveway. But, I’m not spraying it on what I eat or where I’m physically walking through or working.”

Quality control is also a crucial component in his cultivation. Size matters, and each bulb is measured and must be two inches or larger before it is sent to a grocer or to Wegmans. CSAs prefer the smaller bulbs, he tells us, and he saves the 1 ½ -2 inch bulbs for them. Smaller than that, he doesn’t want his name on it.

This attention to detail makes a difference. Reinhardt mentioned how he hears from people who took the time to contact him about his produce. “It’s not like they have our phone number,” he says. “The label just says ‘Natures Garlic Farm, Locally Grown, Easton, MD.’ They’ve taken the time to find my phone number to call, not to buy, just to call me up and say ‘thanks.’ That’s pretty rewarding. That makes your bad day, a good day. All of a sudden, you’re smiling again. Right?”

Right.

By the way, despite it all, his wife still doesn’t like garlic.

For more information about Nature’s Garlic Farm please go here.

Food Friday: It’s Time to Visit the Pumpkin Patch

October 11, 2019 by Jean Sanders

You really should go visit a local pumpkin patch. Don’t get lazy and just buy one at the grocery store. I had a charming morning encounter with a couple of sprightly old men when I walked into the Episcopal church pumpkin sale in our town. The pumpkins were grouped by size and shape on several of the flat gravestones in the 18th century churchyard. I wandered around, enjoying the views of exotic gourds and enormous pumpkins before I bought a couple of decorative white pumpkins to put on the kitchen table, and a small pumpkin for making my own pumpkin purée. I’m sorry, Libby’s, but we are going full homemade for baking this week.

Pumpkins are not just for Halloween decorations and Thanksgiving pie. It’s time to expand our repertoires and use some of our local produce with seasonal gusto. I love a nice spicy pumpkin cake, and even though I have it all gussied up as a fancy cupcake in this week’s illo, it tastes just as deelish when baked as a utilitarian sheet cake, slathered with un-photogenic swathes of cream cheese icing. Behind-the-scenes homely sheet cakes are every bit as wonderful as the fancy shop cupcakes, and easier to pack in lunches, too.

You will need to make pumpkin purée. It is messy and fun, and for your first batch you can employ child labor. After that they will be wise to your ways, so enjoy yourselves for an afternoon. It is an early lesson in farm-to-table. They can pick out the pumpkin, bring it home, carve it up, bake it, purée it, and bake a pumpkin cake. So artisanal! So Union Square Greenmarket!

Be sure to choose smaller pumpkins, weighing 2 to 4 pounds, for making purée. Larger pumpkins tend to be dry and stringy. An ice cream scoop is a handy tool for removing the seeds and membrane from inside the pumpkin – but I once used an electric jig saw for jack-o-lantern carving, so use whatever makes you happy. You can store the purée in bags or in freezer-proof dishes, which means you can whip out homemade purée for almost any occasion. I know some people use it for making homemade dog treats, but Luke the wonder dog is just going to have to be happy with store-bought kibble!

The Pioneer Woman has a nice and easy step-by-step post about making pumpkin purée: https://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/make-your-own-pumpkin-puree/

Pumpkin Cake from Sally’s Baking Addiction

Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
1 cup vegetable oil
4 large eggs
1 cup packed light or dark brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 cups pumpkin purée
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Cream Cheese Frosting
8 ounces full-fat block cream cheese, softened to room temperature
1/2 cup butter, softened to room temperature
3 cups confectioners’ sugar, plus an extra 1/4 cup if needed
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon salt

Preheat the oven to 350°F and grease a 9×13 inch baking pan. I always use this glass pan.
Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and pumpkin pie spice together in a large bowl. Set aside. Whisk the oil, eggs, brown sugar, granulated sugar, pumpkin, and vanilla extract together until combined. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and use a mixer or whisk until completely combined. Batter will be thick.

Spread batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 30-36 minutes. Baking times vary, so keep an eye on yours. The cake is done when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. If you find the top or edges of the cake is/are browning too quickly in the oven, loosely cover it with aluminum foil.

Remove the cake from the oven and set the entire pan on a wire rack. Allow to cool completely. After about 45 minutes, I usually place the cake in the refrigerator to speed things up.

Make the frosting: In a large bowl using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle or whisk attachment, beat the cream cheese and butter together on high speed until smooth and creamy. Add 3 cups confectioners’ sugar, vanilla, and salt. Beat on low speed for 30 seconds, then switch to high speed and beat for 2 minutes. If you want the frosting a little thicker, add the extra 1/4 cup of confectioners sugar (I add it). Spread the frosting on the cooled cake. Refrigerate for 30 minutes before serving. This helps sets the frosting and makes cutting easier.

Cover leftover cake tightly and store in the refrigerator for 5 days. https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/best-pumpkin-cake/

Pumpkin cake from Martha – she calls for canned pumpkin purée: https://www.marthastewart.com/1128115/pumpkin-bars

Grown-up pumpkin bundt cake (no frosting!):
https://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/moist-pumpkin-tube-cake/

Pumpkin cupcakes: https://beyondfrosting.com/2018/09/17/moist-pumpkin-cupcakes/

Luke insists that I include this recipe for dog treats: https://www.spendwithpennies.com/pumpkin-dog-treat-recipe/

I found this recipe at the Redman Farms Facebook page: https://www.cookingwithmaryandfriends.com/2012/09/oooo-i-just-love-fall-and-all-yummy.html?

“Like many indelible family memories, carving a pumpkin begins with someone grabbing a really sharp knife.”
– Dana Gould

Simpatico, Italy’s Finest Celebrates Annual Wine & Food Fall Event

October 11, 2019 by Simpatico Italy's Finest

Simpatico, Italy’s Finest celebrates Italian Wine, Food, Music & More over Columbus Weekend with the 10th Annual “Simpatico Italian Wine & Food Festival at St. Michaels MD” of Italian Wine, Spirits, Food, Music & Games on Saturday October 12^th from Noon to 5 PM. The event will be held rain or shine in the tented lot “piazza” adjacent to Simpatico at 104 Railroad Ave. Stop by and transport yourself to Italy for the afternoon!

This not-to-be-missed event will feature the following activities to the public at a cost of $35 per person in advance, $10 Designated Driver, kids under 12 free:

Tom Columbus

– Italian Wine & Spirits Tastings of over 70 wines, Limoncello, Spirits, Prosecco, Bellinis, Amalfi Coast Liqueurs! Many wines being introduced to Maryland for the first time!
– Italian Food Served throughout the afternoon including Cipriani Pasta with Wild Boar Sauce, Antipasti, Chicken Pesto, Caponata, Tuna & White Bean Salad, Caprese Salad. Tiramisu & more, plus Tastings of Truffle products, Pasta Sauces, Pates, Pestos, Olive Oils, Balsamics, Biscotti and more!
– Wonderful Artisan Cheese Tastings of Cow, Sheep & Goat cheeses directly flown in from Italy every 2 weeks.
– Live Italian Music – with Mario singing your favorite Italian songs!!
– Italian Trivia, Bocce Ball & Pasta Game – Answer all the questions and you win a bottle of wine!
– Meet Columbus and hear about his adventures in exploration, and have your picture taken with him!
– Special pricing promotions for wines and other items in the shop.

Simpatico is excited to continue to bring this event to the community; Bobbi Parlett, owner of Simpatico, comments “Everyone has such a good time at this fun annual event, it is like being in a piazza in Italy for the afternoon, and combines so many things we love – food, wine, music, history, games for all ages, and fun.“ To purchase tickets, go to Events on www.simpaticostmichaels.com, or localwineevents.com or call 410-745-0345.

Simpatico is a locally-owned, independent retailer and wholesaler specializing in exclusively Made in Italy items: a fabulous selection of Italian wines & spirits, plus foods, cheeses & meats, ceramic dinnerware & accessories, kitchen linens, ornaments, Murano glass jewelry & glasses, home accessories, wall art and more. Locals receive a discount every day on all items in the shop. Simpatico fall store hours are Monday through Thursday 10 AM to 5 PM, Saturday from 10 AM to 6 PM and Sundays 10 AM to 5 PM.

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