Eat First

Yes we CAN!

 
Maybe you see the shelves of canning jars and lids and assorted gear at your farm market or grocery store and think to yourself: “Canning? No can do! It’s not worth the time and energy.’’

Yes, canning is precision cooking (see Organic Gardening’s home canning basics). And it is a bit of a time suck. Begin a canning project and everything else in life is takes a back seat.

So why do we can when we could buy?

There’s no one answer to that question, but as sure as summer goes by in the blink of an eye, we do it. Every year. It has become a bit of a compulsion. A way to seize the moment – and what’s in season – and make it last.

The question has become: Why not can?

Here are seven reasons you might find us carrying home a flat of late-harvest tomatoes, daydreaming about doing something – but what?!? -- with local apples, bathing cucumber slices in brine and spices for days on end and sweating over the stove:

 

1. Preserving the local harvest 

The same things that draw us to the Regional Market and other local markets in the first place – connecting with farmers for fresh produce, learning about their crops and knowing where our food comes from – inspire us to get out the canning pot and jars.

Last week, while speaking to a friendly farmer from Sodus who proudly showed off the sun-ripened, blushing nectarines he brought to market – I knew my next batch of jam would be nectarine jam.

2. Connecting with the past

The sight of strawberries in June and tomatoes and Concord grapes in late summer takes me back to the days when Mom canned. Boy, did she can: Jams, jellies, pickles, tomato sauce, chili sauce, you name it. Her mother canned, and so did her mother’s mother, no doubt.

A few recreational jam sessions today is a walk in the park compared to the days when, for many women (and men), canning was a ritual born of absolute economic necessity.

3. Eco awareness

The reuse-recycle aspect is part of the appeal of canning – the box of jars we buy today will get lots of mileage: They can be used again and again.

But it’s more than that. Growing something or purchasing something homegrown at the market, bringing it into your kitchen, putting it in jars and storing it for later use reduces “food miles’’ – the distance food travels to reach our plates. Canning is one more way to eat local.

4. Save money, honey

Nine jars of Sodus nectarine jam cost all of $5 to make. That’s the cost of the fruit, essentially. You can’t beat that!

On hand already are the other necessary ingredients (sugar, lemons for juice) and gear (jars, lids and rings).

5. Personal satisfaction

Hearing the “ping’’ of lids as they seal is almost as good as hearing the pop of a wine or Champagne cork.

Seeing the growing assortment of food you’ve made lined up on shelves in the basement? Now that’s food you feel good about. 

6. Good taste

Let’s not forget the appeal of shmearing plum-vanilla or strawberry-rhubarb jam on something hot out of the toaster or oven on a cold winter day. Take that, Smuckers! There is simply no comparison.

7. Gifts from the kitchen – and the heart

Stocked shelves of homemade jams, jellies and pickles ensure we have host/hostess gifts at hand – and something to put a pretty bow on for everyone on our holiday list.

Rare is the person who doesn’t like to receive something you’ve made by hand. Hopefully they’ll give your “product” a positive review – and return to you a clean jar to use again.

Today’s CNY market basket report

This is my basket BEFORE a trip to the Central New York Regional Market in Syracuse this morning. 

 

And this is my basket AFTER strolling through the stalls with my friend, Teri Weaver (who also came home armed with good seasonal and local things).

This was my first foray to the market on a Saturday in a long time. I like to sit out the spring Saturdays when people swarm the place for bedding plants and wait until homegrown produce starts to pour in.

Here’s a look at some of the things in today’s market basket that we’ll enjoy in the days and weeks ahead:

LOCAL PRODUCE:

Strawberries have given way to blueberries, cherries and raspberries. Green and yellow squash and peas are in abundance, too.

LOCAL PRODUCTS:

We planned on a pound of Flour City Pasta, artisan pasta made in Rochester, but a sales associate who shared tips and preparation ideas talked us into two pounds (whole wheat spinach garlic fettucine and bon vivant orzo; $8 a pound or two pounds for $15).

Coffee is a necessity. After exhausting the last of our coffee bean supply before heading to market, seeing the guys at the Forty Weight stall was both a joy and a relief. We’re looking forward  to trying their Number Zero beans ($11 for 14 ounces), similar to espresso, which promise to add spring to our step in the morning. 

Robert requested a container of Wake Robin Farm plain yogurt.

He got that and more – an 8-ounce bag of squeaky-yummy cheddar cheese curds, too. Next time, I'll take home  a wedge of  Wake Robin’s blue cheddar. Co-owner Meg Schader shared a sample. It has a creamy yellow color and delightful, tangy bite.

Marketing 101: The Regional Market is open 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturdays year-round. The Thursday edition, one of Central New York's best-kept secrets, is open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Thursdays, through November.

 

Robert's ratatouille: Ooh-la-la!

Photos courtesy of Robert Poormon

My other is an excellent cook with a wide-ranging repertoire.

He's probably best known for his Cuban black beans, Pad Thai (haven't had that in a while, come to think of it!), loaded meatloaf (as in loaded with vegetables), California pot roast (with zucchini and prunes, of all things), pasta e fagiole, six-ingredient pasta ... I could go on and on.

Sometimes, when I'm not monopolizing the oven, he even bakes. I'm talking banana bread packed with nuts, pecan butterball cookies and blonde brownies with pecans and raspberries. Did I not say wide-ranging repertoire?

At summer's end, it has become a tradition for him to can both a long-simmering, meat-infused tomato sauce and a quick marinara sauce.

He also goes to the trouble of grilling a melange of vegetables over a charcoal fire, letting them stew and steep and then canning them in quart jars.

The end result is Robert's Ratatouille.

Ratatouille is not something you see on grocery store shelves, and Robert (and his sister, Roxanne) are the only people I know who goes to the time, trouble and labor of canning it. But I'm glad that he does! It's wonderful to reach for a jar of it when it's cold and snow is swirling outside. It makes you think of summer.

Never had ratatouille (ra-tuh-TOO-ee)? It's a dish from sunny (I'm told) Provence that combines eggplant, tomatoes, onions, bell peppers, zucchini, garlic and herbs, like basil, bay leaf and oregano, all simmered in olive oil. Robert added a few carrots to the mix this year, as well as some capers and oil-cured olives for added flavor.

Some people make ratatouille in a big Dutch oven on the stove or roast it in the oven. Grilling the vegetables, as Robert does, makes them all the more delicious.

Ratatouille can be served as a side dish, but we usually enjoy it as a main course, ladled over angel hair or penne pasta and topped with grated Parmesan cheese. It's also delicious with a link of spicy Italian sausage on the side.

Robert gathered all the ingredients for ratatouille at the Regional Market in Syracuse (open Saturdays, year-round), spending about $40 for a yield of 12 jars.

I wanted to share his photos of late-summer produce with you and will share some ratatouille with one lucky LOCAL reader, selected at random, who leaves a comment below (click on the word "comments" at the bottom of this post).

The winner can come over for dinner. Afterwards, maybe we'll have a screening of the movie "Ratatouille.''

A fresh find at the Regional Market

This time of year, I go to the Regional Market for things like this:

$2 for a bag of fresh, local apples. You can't beat it.

Now that the Thursday edition of the market has wrapped up for the season, I'll be heading over to the market time and again for this fresh find:

 

This, my friends, is the Greek Salad with Grilled Chicken served at Mediterranean Specialty Foods in the Regional Market Commons. I was overcome with hunger on my last visit to the Thursday market, and, drawn by the smell of fried haddock, followed my nose into the food store.

In addition to grocery items, like olives and a nice selection of olive oils, the store is a restaurant, with an open kitchen and seating for a couple dozen people. The menu features pizza, soups, salads, sandwiches and wraps, and a chalkboard lists hot specials, like turkey with the trimmings.

My salad was a medley of lettuce, tomatoes, onions, olives, roasted red peppers, pepperoncini and feta cheese, topped with the grilled chicken and garnished with a couple dolmades (stuffed grape leaves).

For dessert, there's baklava, kataifi, nut rolls and Greek cookies. I know where I'm going for a honey-drenched treat until it's Greek Fest time again at St. Sophia's Church in DeWitt!

Meanwhile, at the Regional Market itself: You can find fresh, local produce year-round on Saturdays, when the market is open 7 a.m. to 2 p.m.

The pickings get kind of slim this time of year, but if you like turnips, rutabagas and other root vegetables you're in luck.

You'll also find:

Brussels sprouts -- cabbage in miniature -- for $1 a bunch.

Butternut squash, $5 a box. Enough to feed family and friends for Thanksgiving, with plenty of leftovers for the freezer and winter meals.

Beets, $2 for small carton. Wash them well and roast them to bring out their sweetness.

Broccoli, $2 for two nice bunches of it.

Cauliflower, $1 for a HUGE head.

Oswego County cranberries: Bigger and better than Ocean Spray berries.

Give thanks for our local bounty. 

Market days: Going, going but not gone

Sunshine, blue skies and 60-something temperatures lured me to the Regional Market Thursday afternoon. And I was surprised by what I saw there.

I guess I shouldn't be surprised by continued presence of summer produce, like zucchini, peaches and watermelon. There hasn't been a killing frost yet -- depending on where you live and grow.

Without further ado, here's a little "show and tell" from yesterday's visit:

Juicy fruit: The fragrance of locally grown grapes filled the air in Shed A.

Go orange: A trunk-full of gorgeous carrots. 

A rainbow-riot of peppers. Hot, medium or mild?

Cabbage so huge they're almost scary.

Ditto the hubbard squash. Do you need a saw to cut them open?

Ear ye, ear ye! You haven't seen the last of butter and sugar corn.

And Roma tomatoes.

 

There are corn stalks for seasonal displays.

And gourds in all shapes, sizes, colors and degrees of nubbiness.

The vendor gave me late-in-the-day deal: 10 for $2. I took them home and did my best to artfully arrange them on a vintage platter with a border of tiny apples.

The CNY Regional Market will be open Thursdays until the week before Thanksgiving (the hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., but many vendors are packing up by 3 p.m.). It's open 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturdays, year-round.

For seasonal design inspiration, stop in and say hello to my friend Linda O'Boyle at Metro Home Style, in the Regional Market Commons. She's got lots of great stuff (and reasonably priced!) like ceramic pumpkins, bunches of cattails and beautiful decorative leaves for hanging wherever your imagination allows.

Seeing red: It's tomato time

There is nothing more pleasing than the sight of a red, ripe tomato on the vine -- or of a whole bunch of red, ripe tomatoes at the farmers market.

In Central New York, we spend too many months eating inferior grocery store tomatoes raised in hothouses somewhere. Local tomatoes simply taste like summer.

Here are some easy and tasty ways to put tomatoes to use:

1. Slice a tomato or two, put the slices on a plate, sprinkle with a little black pepper and add a dab or two of mayonnaise. That's how my mother and grandmother liked to eat tomatoes when I was a little girl.

2. Got cucumbers, too? Make a big bowl of Tomato-Cucumber Salad, a side-dish staple at the Dinosaur Bar-B-Que. The recipe is in the Dinosaur cookbook.

3. Make insalata caprese. Start with red-ripe, but not soft, tomatoes. Slice them, arrange on a plate or platter and top each slice with a basil leaf and a slice of fresh mozzarella cheese (not the melting mozzarella you use for pizza). Drizzle with olive oil (and a little fruity vinegar, if you like) and garnish with slivered basil.

Serve the caprese salad as a salad course. Or, add a loaf of bread and a glass of wine for a cool supper on a hot summer evening.

4. Clean out the veggie drawer and make gazpacho, a chilled soup that's usually also made with cucumber, onions and bell peppers. I'm going to try this recipe, from Epicurious.

The seasonings sound interesting. Plus I've heard that leftover gazpacho can be used to make kick-butt Bloody Marys. Not that I would ever try such a thing!

5. Pick up some fresh bacon from Liehs & Steigerwald, a family owned butcher shop at 1857 Grant Blvd., in Syracuse (and on Route 31, in Clay) and treat yourself to possibly the best bacon, lettuce and tomato sandwich you've ever had.

Got green tomatoes? Check out the recipe for fried green tomatoes, served with buttermilk-ranch dressing for dipping, also in the Dinosaur Bar-B-Que cookbook.

They are way too good!

Market watch: A profusion of produce

This is the time of year you want to head to the Regional Market with empty produce bins in the fridge at home and a wallet full of small bills for multiple purchases.

A trip to the market on Park Street in Syracuse earlier today turned up:

A bumper crop of corn, 12 ears for $3.50 at this stand. We've eaten corn twice in the last week, and both times it was the tender, sweet, pop-off-the-cob kind of corn.

Beautiful cranberry beans, $2 for a quart. Pop 'em open, steam the cream-colored beans inside and serve them with a little butter or olive oil and garlic, the vendor suggested. I've never tried  them before.

Zucchini, yellow squash, green peppers, garlic. 

 

Kale and collards and every imaginable salad green, for $1.50 a bunch, or less.

Tomatoes, $2 a basket. Nothing tastes better than a homegrown tomato.

H-U-G-E melons, $3 each,  ready to eat now or a couple days from now, depending on your preference. Sniff them if you like, but no need to thump them. If they're still green at the stem end, they'll ripen in a few days, the grower noted.

Cabbages large enough to feed a family of 12 and bunches of purple cauliflower. The cauliflower turns a shade of blue when it's cooked, according to the grower, and would look awesome on a vegetable tray. Wouldn't it?

 

Two things at the market gave me a slight startle today: the arrival, in abundance, of mums and early apples.

I have nothing against mums and apples, but they remind me of autumn. And it seems like summer is just getting cranked up.

I still want to eat peaches morning, noon and night. And make a peach cobbler or tart.

And I'll take sunflowers over mums any day. What could be  more cheerful and summery?

The same goes for  glads.

One last note: If your market day is Wednesday, check out the farmers market that's been growing in the Bayberry section of Liverpool.

It's held 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. each week in the parking lot of the Bayberry Plaza, at the corner of Route 57 (Oswego Road) and Blackberry Road.

About a dozen vendors set up there each week, including a couple selling jewelry, handbags  and Avon products.

But yesterday it seemed that most people came for the fresh-picked peaches rather than the fresh-picked purses.

Fresh pesto: Basil and garlic goodness

One can only eat so much insalata Caprese, the Italian salad made with fresh tomatoes, basil and mozzarella cheese.

So if you've got basil in the garden, or come into a big bunch of it at the market for a good price, there's only one thing to do: Make pesto.

Myriad varieties of pesto are made these days, with ingredients ranging from artichoke and lemon to cilantro, parsley and even mint. But pesto in its traditional form is an uncooked sauce made with basil, garlic, pine nuts (or walnuts, optional), olive oil, salt and grated Parmesan or Romano cheese.

Like so many good things, it originated in Italy. The word "pesto" is Italian for pounded. You can make it the old-fashioned way, with a mortar and pestle, or with a food processor.

I prefer the latter method.

The first thing you need to do is cut your basil, give it a good washing with the garden hose and let it dry for a while. Speed the process of drying with a salad spinner, if you have one.

While the basil is drying or being spinned, toast a quarter cup of pine nuts or walnuts in a dry pan over low heat until just slightly brown.

 

For this recipe, adapted from an old-favorite cookbook, Patricia Wells' "Trattoria,'' you will need a generous 4 cups of basil leaves. You can also throw in the little spikes on the plants, and even the flowers. You'll also need 4 plump cloves of garlic, sliced;  1 teaspoon salt (or to taste), 1 cup of olive oil and 1 cup of grated Parmesan cheese.

Begin by putting a couple handfuls of the basil leaves, the sliced garlic, pinenuts and salt in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse until the basil, garlic and nuts are finely chopped. Add basil leaves a handful or two at a time and continue pulsing.

The mixture can be made as coarse or as fine as you like. Then, with the processor running, add the olive oil in a slow, steady stream. Dump the mixture into a bowl and add the grated Parmesan cheese by hand, stirring it well to combine.

Taste the pesto and add more salt, if needed.

The recipe makes enough to sauce two pounds of pasta. Serve half of it for dinner on your favorite pasta and stash half of it in the freezer. I freeze pesto using a pair of old ice cube trays devoted exclusively to that use, then transfer the frozen cubes to freezer bags or containers.

Pull out pesto cubes as needed and enjoy all winter on pasta and pizza and in soups, sauces and salad dressings.

Bueno appetito!

Wasted away again: One margarita won't hurt you

There's a magnet on my refrigerator that reads, "When life gives you lemons, make lemonade. When life gives you limes, make Margaritas.''

Either way, it's good advice.

When lemons are 3 for $1 at the Regional Market, we like to make 6-6-1 Lemonade: 6 lemons (juiced), 6 cups  water, 1 cup sugar. Shake it up and pour over a tall glass of ice, or mix with iced tea for an Arnold Palmer. Add a splash of ginger ale if you have it, like my friend Jay Bonfatti used to do.

As for the limes: Here's a "recipe" for Classic Margaritas from Real Simple magazine we tried on a recent Friday (and probably will try again tonight, just to make sure it's right).

Select  4 to 6 limes that look plump and feel heavy for their size. You'll need a half cup of lime juice, lime slices and:

3/4 cup tequila

1/2 Triple Sec or Cointreau

Kosher salt

1/2 cup cold water

Combine the tequila, lime juice, Triple Sec and water in a pitcher. Rub the rims of 4 glasses with a lime slice and dip in salt to coat. Serve the margaritas over plenty of ice and garnish with lime slices.

A note on to-kill-ya tequila: We made the margaritas using Patron Silver, a  top-shelf tequila in a beautiful bottle we received as a gift and are now quite sold on. It's clear and unbelievably smooth -- nothing like the nasty, gasoline-like tequila you might remember from your days as a lush college days.

Drink sensibly. And TGIF!

Don't drink? Here's something else to do with fresh limes: make a Chili-Lime Vinaigrette.

In a jar with a tight-fitting lid, combine 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice, 1 tablespoon honey, 2 tablespoons olive oil, 4 tablespoons canola oil, 1/2 teaspoon crushed red chiles, 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin, 1/4 teaspoon minced garlic, 1 tablespoon fresh cilantro (optional) and a couple pinches of salt. Shake well. 

The dressing works well on a salad made with romaine and tomato and avocado slices.

Staycations 2009: Ithaca Farmers Market

Ithaca is a college town (a small college city, actually)  known for its gorges and gorgeous setting on Cayuga Lake. It's somewhat isolated, about an hour from Syracuse and four hours from New York City, but it's also a major destination for food lovers.

The presence of the world-famous Moosewood Restaurant alone makes it a draw for some foodies, but there are dozens of great restaurants.  In the summertime, Upstaters like us like to grab a market basket and cooler and hop in the car on a Saturday or Sunday morning for a trip to the Ithaca Farmers Market.

The market, open on Saturdays through mid-December and Sundays through October, features more than 100 vendors who set up shop in the wooden pavilions at Steamboat Landing on the lake.

You may never see the words "organic'' and "natural" with as much frequency as you do at this place. In addition to fresh produce, like the chard, rainbow chard and other greens, above, you will find flowers, wines, vinegars, honey, pasture-raised meats and cheeses, clothing, jewelry and art.

There is also an amazing array of international foods available for purchase, including burritos, sushi, samosas, just to name a few, and all-American favorites, like homemade ice cream. Enjoy a little picnic on the waterfront, listen to some music and watch the parade of people. People-watching is part of the fun.

Here, you're looking at a display of blueberry vinegar from Cherry Knoll Farm, Marathon.

The "Bergere Bleue'' cheese made by Northland Sheep Dairy, also in Marathon,  

is some of the best blue cheese I've ever tasted. A small wedge costs about $8, but it's worth it.

If you can't get to Bloomer Creek Vineyard in Hector, on the east side of Seneca Lake, for a tasting any time soon, you can taste some of their wines at the market.

Macro Mama features peanut lime noodles, tapioca pudding topped with fresh blueberries and other macrobiotic foods and snacks.

I carried home a pound of bacon from Kingbird Farm in Berkshire and put it in the freezer until local tomatoes come into season. The farm tries to sell everything it raises within 30 miles of the farm, according to the Web site. Something tells me that bacon is going to make the best BLTs ever.

A pound of baking lard from The Piggery will be used in a Pie-Making 911 session with my mother, who makes the world's best pies the old-fashioned way. With lard.

As if a trip to the Ithaca Market isn't enough, here are two worthy side trips (thanks, Lillian).

A stop at Ithaca Bakery on Meadow Street yielded this beautiful French bread round, which was surprisingly light and delicate beneath its crusty exterior.

And Red Feet Wine Market, across the street from the farmers market, is a REALLY  nice alternative to your wine superstores, offering a selection of vintages from the region and the world that won't overwhelm you.

Last stop (thanks, Gloria): The Plantsmen Nursery, in Groton, which specializes in native shrubs, perennials, ornamental grasses, etc. 

Ithaca is a great place to visit, especially if you're hungry.