Unleash Your Inner Locavore!

Making a difference, one bite at a time!

I dedicated August to the locavore that lurks in all of us.
Living in New England, southeastern Massachusetts to be specific, we have lots of opportunities to buy local. A literal rebirth of farming in this area is going on right at this moment. Brave farmers, willing to weather the storm.... the blight.....the insects...... are banning together to bring back this once thriving industry.

Eileen at Lucky Field Organics in Rochester, Ma hooked me up with some serious Beet Greens for my August cooking classes and took me on a personal tour of her working farm. Typically tomatoes rule in August, but with this summer's weather.. or lack there of... beautiful lettuces are taking the helm of this organic wonderland.

Eileen and her husband Wes have been farming in this area for 6 years. They have a CSA membership upwards of 100 and are constantly looking for creative ways to extend their season.

Here are the remains from the beet patch Eileen freshly picked for me. The beets made their way into happy CSA bins!

Visiting Lucky Field Organics is like going back in time. As I walked through the fields I felt an overwhelming urge to camp out under a big tree and watch the wind comb each crop.

Andreas, a friendly farm hand, was hard at work tying tomatoes. He is 1 of 18 employees that keep the farm running.

Eileen is a hard working woman setting a great example for her kids. We talked a lot about the pressures involved.... farming ain't easy... one must be persistent and have patience... her biggest complaint is that she has little time to cook the delicious wonders coming off her property.

I left Lucky Field with a big bin of beet greens, 5 lbs to be exact. They were DELICIOUS!

In my class, curious cooks enjoyed them in several ways. Gratin (who knew!), Braised with Bacon and Port Wine, and as a simple salad with goat cheese and roasted beets!

The results were divine.
Locavore! Make a difference, one bite at a time!

Visit Lucky Field Farm and find out how to become a CSA member. http://www.luckyfieldorganics.com/

For more info on Southeastern Massachusetts farmland vist http://www.howonearth.net/

Chow!

Unleash your inner Farmer

This is me this past May.... Carrying on my own personal legacy. See I have farmer's blood running through my veins. Literally. My maternal grandmother 'Damma' (born Doratha Stone) was born and raised on a family dairy farm. The oldest daughter of 11. Life was simple, hard but simple. Love and aspirations swept her away from the farm, but the little farm girl within lives on.
My young summers were spent with Damma (and Pops) in Sudbury Massachusetts. She shared her spectacular garden with me each year. She went over every square inch of dirt. Making sure I inspected each growing specimen with a keen eye and a gentle hand while she went over each garden beauty, ranging in dozens of varieties from squash to onions to Brussels sprouts, fine tomatoes and hearty lettuce, sweet carrots, peas and peppers. Many plants were started from seed, harvested from the farm - talk about heirloom - it thrilled me - thanks Damma!
With the help of my husband and sometimes interested son, I take the time to capture the thrill of the garden. Here are some luscious results.

Honestly, I don't even know what type of squash this is. I think a stow-away made it into my pack of zucchini seeds!

The harvest is light this year with heavy rains and cool weather. But in time, the garden always produces. I promise a zucchini recipe soon!

This little ornamental gourd will be a sweet addition to my festive fall mantel

Rainbow Swiss Chard is super delicious sauteed like spinach in olive oil with garlic and a tiny swirl of butter at the end. Or simple chop and toss into soups, stews and sauces.

We've come a long way from May!

My Grandmother is unable to garden at 92, but loves to revisit that rich time in her life.

She now cheers me along and consults like a pro.

Unleash YOUR inner Farmer!

CHOW!

Mozzarella Maven

Mamma Mia!
Mozzarella!

The Mozzarella Maven Has done it again!
Thank you Paula Harris for demystifying the makings of Mozzarella! Right Before our very eyes!

Powell & Company Cooks! received first hand look at this old world art.

Who new that a gallon of milk could be transformed
into stringing delicious cheese in less than 40 minutes!

The results were divine. Contact me for more info on Homemade Mozzarella!

wendy@powell-co.com

Chow!

In Search of Sun

Where the Grubber Meets the Road

It was 9:00 am the Thursday before the 4th of July when my husband proclaimed, 'I just can't take it anymore!". We hadn't seen the sun in over 3 weeks, it was pouring buckets and the forecast was calling for worse. Known for our 'spontaneous adventures' - which some like to refer to as insane and irresponsible - we found ourselves pulling out of our driveway at 3:00pm heading south... destination sun.

Upon our departure my IPhone was telling me that in order to feel the sand between my toes and the sun on my body we were bound for Virginia. A long drive, but we were in mad-mode and it seemed like a good landing spot. We rested our heads in Delaware, checked on the weather before turning out the lights and saw clear skies just 3 short hours away.

Ocean City, Maryland; think Atlantic City without the gambling. Short on culinary delights, but rich in local flavor. We found a 50's beach bungalow smack on the boardwalk and quickly got into the groove.

Independence Pride

Lots of Local Flavor

What did we find in Ocean City on our quest for sunshine? One Enormous Sunny, Sandy, Beach.
Warm waves crashes on a clean coast line. Awesome Lifeguards. Lots of people.
Fantastic Food Finds? Zero - Cheap Eats? Plenty

The "Hungry Surfer" keeps beach bums going with ice cream cones, huge slices of surprisingly good pizza - we found ourselves with a 16 inch in our room at midnight - and cold cups of lemonade.


Margaritas are a must during a spontaneous adventure. We found expertly mixed margies at, fittingly, 'Hammerheads'. Cool female staff, decent looking ribs and wings.



Skip Jacks is the place for Cold Coronas, Crab Dip and prime people watching from the deck - which overlooks the boardwalk which goes on for something like 100 blocks.



Phillips Plaza provided an efficiency from the 50's. Clean and comfy. We really got lucky!