For October 2013 my sure fire wine recommendation is the nearly perfect Block Nine 2012 Pinot Noir from the small production winery, Caiden’s Vineyard. Many vineyards make several varieties of wine, perhaps dispersing their focus, not Caiden’s. Pinot Noir is all they make, therefore allowing them to ensure “getting it right.” The aromas are fruity with a mix of strawberry, violets, dark cherry and a hint of toasted French oak to complete its classy finish.
Cost? I paid $18.00 at the Barryville Bottle in Barryville, New York. I paired it with our Autumn pig roast which included my wild rice, bacon & edamame salad, roasted Brussels sprouts and cheesy balls. This wine is light yet has a distinct personality. Bravo!
Editorial: The Ultimate Find - Copper & Chocolate
As seen in Green Door Magazine Winter 2013 Issue
I’ve always dreamed of owning a set of shiny copper pots hanging in my kitchen. Well that dream came true when I recently went to a sweet little auction of cookery from the kitchen
of the Sally Darr estate (former food editor for Gourmet Magazine) in High Falls, NY. It was a crisp sunny day with a crowd of well-spirited go-lucky bidders.
Sometimes auctions can be more miss then hit, but this one was a winner on all fronts. The seven copper pots I ended up winning only cost me $22! When I arrived back at the farm I eagerly rolled up my sleeves and started to attempt to clean my winnings with soap and water.
These pots had years and years of lovely crusty kitchen history baked on to them. Nothing I did was working! Turns out there are many approaches to cleaning up copper pots. I tried vinegar,
baking soda and lemon, acids and bleach.
The white vinegar certainly shined up the less needy pieces, but my approach on the super crusty ones failed miserably. When my fingers started to look raw and scabby, I buckled and bought Wrights’ Copper Cream and used an industrial stainless steel scrubbing brush. Each pot required at least three cleanings but they were clearly improving with each pass. I then
finished them off with the white vinegar for that sparkly sassy shine.
One thing I failed to consider was the need for re-tinning of the interior of my vintage copper cookery. You see, ingesting copper can be toxic, so when using copper pots and pans you need to have a solid tin lining that prevents the toxic copper from leaching into food. Do I need to have my seven vintage pieces retinned? Answer: Yes.
I ended up sending my copper pieces to Jim at EastCoastTinning.com where I paid $8 per piece for shipping, and $5 per measured square inch for re-tinning and polishing. GULP! So, I sucked it up and sent my money, as I had strangely developed this unrelenting attachment to these old copper pots. They deserved to be saved and passed down to future generations!
The day my refurbished copper collection arrived felt like Christmas. As I opened my salvaged shiny treasures my heart was full. Well, it just so happens I was prepping for a dinner party that day. Tripping with excitement, I decided to bake my Chocolate Yogurt Zucchini Cake in one of my newly reconditioned pans and served it for dessert, cradled in the copper pan. My original recipe for this cake is the perfect combination of rich dark chocolate paired with creamy local
yogurt and grated home grown zucchini for added moisture. A real blue-ribbon winner. As I placed the cake on the table in the shiny copper pan I secretly smiled knowing this cake had layers far deeper then the eye could see. All was well.
Ingredients:
4 oz of unsweetened dark chocolate morsels
½ cup canola oil
2 cups all-purpose flour
½ cup unsweetened Cocoa powder
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
½ tsp ground cinnamon
½ cup softened organic butter
2 cups sugar
3 large eggs at room temperature
2 tsp vanilla
½ cup yogurt
3 cups grated zucchini (with skins)
Instructions
Pre-heat oven to 350. Grease and flour two 9-inch cake pans. On medium heat, combine chocolate and oil and mix until thoroughly melted and set aside. Sift dry ingredients (except for sugar) and set aside. Cream butter and sugar in a mixer on medium speed until fluffy. Add eggs one at a time. Add melted chocolate mixture followed by yogurt. Add dry mixture 1/3 cup at a time. Fold zucchini until fully combined. Bake for 40 minutes on center oven rack. Insert metal knife into one of the cakes, it should come out clean. Cool on racks then frost with your favorite frosting.
I’ve got a secret to share with you.
If we are as sick as our secrets than I am screwed because I’ve had a secret that I’ve not shared with you. What is it? It’s my secret greeting card source Austin Press Cards. Gotcha! Dang that felt good! Please don’t roll your eyes and judge my secret. Now that it’s out in the open I need to tell you more about these old fashioned cards printed on SUPER heavy card stock.
“Austin Press is located in the historic shipyard of San Francisco, Kimberly Austin creates beautifully crafted ephemera on her vintage presses. Inspired by a collection of rare books and alphabets, AP offers a rich assortment of ready-to-write and custom tailored note cards.
If Austin Press had become a farmer, they’d probably be taking six foot green beans for granted! Fortunately, for a couple of million fans, Austin Press decided to forsake the farm fields and traded in that old pistol to buy a Chandler & Price press.
A technician with soul. A stylist with genius. A true artist. Austin Press, is the finest ephemera coming to you from San Francisco.”
There you have it! Besides sending them, I also like to put use them as Christmas ornaments or frame them as a collection. Recently, I took an old rusty baby bed spring and mounted it on a wall and added my Austin Press cards with wooden clothes pins. I am really digging this one! Thoughts?
Don’t Judge A Junk Sale By Its Cover
I have a deep love for junking. Some might call it a cray cray obsession. Okay okay, I just can’t resist a good garage sale, tag sale, flea market, junk shop or stoop sale. I’m always having some sort of outburst while me and Mark are driving along “STOP!” I blurt out in a rather Tourettes fashion. He smiles, slows down and patiently pulls over knowing “the deal.” “Do we have cash?” is the first question I ask. He smiles again, “yup we’re good.” I then dash out of the truck leaving him in the dust to catch up. Bless bless bless him for putting up with me!
Like many things in life, the key to being a good “junker” is patience. What might appear to be a pile of crap can often house a hidden treasure. This past weekend was proof of that theory. I happened upon a yard sale in Port Jervis, New York. At first glance it looked like a lot of plastic stuff I had no use for. Crap everywhere. That was until I spied a set of old chicken measuring cups. I got a rush and a flush. Can I now say OMG?! For three bucks I scored these ceramic measuring cups (circa?) that had no cracks or chips. Even if they are not old, I still love them. SCORE! Just looking at these cups makes me wanna bake, and junk, and bake, and junk and bake and junk. Oh stop me please!
Raw Milk and Jesus. What A Find!
When Mark told me he found a dairy farmer in the area that sold raw milk my heart skipped a beat, and then another beat. I had not had raw milk since visiting Sissy Kaset in Vermont a few years ago. In fact, I thought it was illegal in New York State to sell raw dairy. I was happily mistaken. This is the skinny. As long as you sell directly from your farm in New York State and you have a license to do so it’s cool. So, we went online, emailed our order then headed down the next morning to Freedom Hill Farm in Otisville, New York.
Pulling up in the truck we were both taken aback by how pristine this farm was, almost like it was out of a movie. When we walked up to the retail side we were greeted with a large chalkboard sporting a biblical scripture of the day, “Keep me safe, my God, for in you I take refuge.” Psalm 16. I strangely found comfort in this seeing this. They embrace who they are proudly. I love that.
We entered and looked around finding the refrigerator where our order was housed and there it was, my very own raw milk jar with C. BOONE written on it! It was like a Dairy Christmas! Ummmm….so, where was the cashier? “HELLLLOOOO???? Anybody?” Nobody around. That’s right baby…it’s an honor system. Can you believe it? A business that trusts the customer? Dumfounded, I ended up paying more b/c I didn’t have change. Oh yeah, you can also meander over to the milking barn at your leisure and take a look at the milking “Jersey” ladies. Not for nothing, but I’ve ALWAYS wanted a Jersey Cow.
A word about Jesus. Just know, the farmers might ask you to join them in a Christian prayer circle while you are walking around. It’s not freaky in any way. They ‘re not heavy handed about this and were cool with people who declined. Just wanted you to be aware of that.
Deets on Freedom Hill Farm:
Pricing:
Milk is $5.00 a gallon
$6.00 in a new one gallon plastic jug
$3.50 in a new half gallon plastic jug
$5.50 in a new 2 quart glass mason jar (includes $3 jar deposit)
$3.25 in a new 1 quart glass mason jar (includes $2 jar deposit)
Plain yogurt @ $4.50 a quart (32 ounces)
or $3.00 a half quart (16 ounces)
Kefir $4.50 a quart
Address: 115 Grange Road, Otisville, NY 10963
Phone: 845-386-5798 Please no calls after 8pm
Email: julievreeland@frontiernet.net
http://www.freedomhillfarm.net
www.raw-milk-facts.com