Eat First

The CNY Regional Market in … Springtime

Why go to the Central New York Regional Market on a damp and dreary Saturday?

Because it’s spring in Syracuse and it has been rather warm. You’re hoping to find some fresh, robust, locally grown asparagus – instead of the thin, spindly stalks at the grocery store.

No such luck last Saturday, and no rhubarb, either. But soon. Very soon. Still, it was fun to ogle spring flowers and plants, pick up some dairy products and catch up with friends.

Yes, even in the in-between and off seasons, there are plenty of reasons to visit the Regional Market. 

There are vendors selling fresh fish and seafood, grass-raised meats, muesli and granola, jams and jellies, and, God help us, baked goods and homemade fudge. There are pasta and coffee pushers, at least one spice purveyor and a slot in Shed A devoted to kitchen gear and gizmos.

Artisan dinner rolls, 3 for $1, from Heidelberg Baking Co., Herkimer

There are ever more local and regional bread bakers and cheese makers. All look to be delicious, and all would be delighted to send us home with a loaf of crusty bread and wedge of cheese for noshing.

Visiting the market regularly is a great way to have a conversation – and a personal relationship – with the people who grow and produce our food.

When I stopped by the Wake Robin Farm stand in Shed A on Saturday, I learned that Meg and Bruce Schader’s son, Hugh, is now 12 – and noticeably taller since last fall. He helps out on the farm and at the market, lending a hand with tasks like grating the Mona Lisa, the Schaders’ signature Italian-style cheese, Meg said.

That’s not the type of tidbit you’re going to pick up at (enter supermarket name here). And that’s what makes going to the Regional Market special, no matter the season.

The Central New York Regional Market is at 2100 Park St., Syracuse. The market is open 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturdays year round. The Thursday market (10 a.m. to 6 p.m.) resumes in May and continues through the Thursday before Thanksgiving. There is also a flea market on Sundays (7 a.m. to 2 p.m.). Information: 315-422-8647 

CSAs in CNY: Learn about local farms, farmers and farm fresh produce

Grindstone Farm's CSA display at the Pride of New York Harvest Festival, 2010

What does CSA stand for? Coffee Supply Agents? Nope. Guess again. Cake-Bakers Specialty Association? Not even close. 

CSA stands for Community Supported Agriculture. But what does that mean, exactly? If you don’t know, don’t worry. The eat-local and buy-local movement is growing in our region, according to the Northeast Organic Farming Association of New York, but most people are still not familiar with CSAs.

CSA means making an up-front, out-of-pocket investment in local farms and farmers for the growing season – and bringing home the benefits in the form of a weekly box “share” of fresh, local produce, usually from late spring to fall.

To give a shoutout to CSA farmers, encourage investment and promote tasty, homegrown food, NOFA-NY is holding a series of CSA Fairs across the state during March and April.

A Syracuse CSA Fair will be held 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday (March 10) at Erwin Methodist Church, 920 Euclid Ave., Syracuse. Representatives from a dozen or more farms will be there, explaining their programs, growing schedules, pricing, pick-up and delivery options and more.

Investing in and supporting a CSA farm is something we have talked about at our house, but ultimately decided against.

The pros: We love vegetables. And we like to try new things. So we’re certain we would eat all those vegetables and freeze and/or can what we couldn’t get to. Many CSA farmers provide helpful tips and recipes, either with their shares or on their websites – or both.

The cons: Would we get tired of squash and salad greens? We love to go the farmers markets and roadside stands that dot Central New York and the Finger Lakes. Would our friends at the Regional Market in Syracuse wonder what has become of us?

As with any investment, it’s a personal decision. That’s why the CSA Fairs are a great idea. Educate yourself and ask questions. Some CSA farms offer installment payments and half-shares for smaller households. There is bound to be a CSA program to fit your needs and budget and allay any concerns.

I asked my friend Barbara, who got her introduction to CSA life last year, to share her experiences. This is what she had to say:

“We loved our CSA but we aren't doing it again this year. Our schedules are so crazy now that we're often not here at the same time for dinner. … I don't think there's anything negative at all about the experience. It's pricey ($600 this season), but if you love and use all or most of the food, it's worth it. 

“I love pretty much every vegetable, so I never felt overburdened. If I was getting tired of summer squash, I just didn't pick it up that week, but it was pretty rare that I got tired of anything. 

“I know that we had a healthier diet -- I was so determined to not waste that beautiful food that we ate a lot more vegetables than we would have otherwise. And there definitely are things we now eat that we wouldn't have if not for the CSA -- garlic scapes and tomatillos come to mind. 

“I also just liked the experience of driving to the farm every week -- it wasn't an errand at all but something I always looked forward to. (Isn't it funny how I hate, hate, hate going to the grocery store, but I never mind going to the farmer's market or the farm?) 

“Anyway -- it was definitely a great experience, and I'm going to have to kick my gardening up a notch this year.’’

For more information on local CSAs, visit the Community Supported Agriculture of Central New York website. And check out the Farmshed CNY 2012 CSA Directory.

The real deal: Syracuse Real Food Co-Op

It’s not Wegmans or Price Chopper or Tops or Aldi. 

It’s small – not the size of a football field – with creaky wooden floors and narrow aisles. If you’re browsing one of those aisles with your cart and someone’s stocking the shelves and another shopper pushing a cart comes along – well, three is a crowd. 

What this store may lack in floor space it makes up for in content, personality and personable service. 

Welcome to the Syracuse Real Food Co-Op. 

The co-op, located in a residential area two blocks off Westcott Street, in the outer Syracuse University neighborhood, is a largely organic and locally focused grocery store owned by its members. It’s committed to community and community buying power. “Owners” make a one-time investment of $100, and the public is invited to shop there, as well. 

I hadn’t been to the Co-Op in more than a year, but a recent LivingSocial deal (pay $10 for $20 worth of groceries/merchandise) provided the motivation I needed to get over there. 

I happily wandered the aisles and went away impressed by the produce department (which included some local items, like Oswego County onions, even in the dead of winter), the selection of local breads (great selection featuring Heidelberg Bakery, Pasta’s Daily Bread and Patisserie, among others) and local/regional cheeses (Macadam, Cooperstown Cheese Co., Cabot, etc.) 

The prepared foods area includes soups, sandwiches and some packaged entrees, and it would be easy to go to town in the bulk foods department, which stretches across the back section of the store and contains everything from grains and nuts to Mu Mu Muesli (an all-natural cereal made in Sharon Springs, Schoharie County). 

Breathe in the intoxicating aroma of a shelf fully loaded with bags of local coffee (from Recess, Cafe Kubal and others). Ahhhhhh! 

The Syracuse Real Food Co-Op made the news in 2010 when its hoped-for move to bigger digs on East Genesee Street was turned down by the Syracuse Board of Zoning Appeals. 

We wish the Co-Op continued success on Kensington Road – its home since 1973 – until such time a move/expansion is possible. I’m determined to get there more often and encourage you to put it on your local food radar. It’s is a refreshingly real and honest shopping experience. 

Don’t forget your re-usable shopping bag! 

The Syracuse Real Food Co-Op is at 618 Kensington Road, off Westcott Street, in Syracuse. Hours are 8 a.m. 9 p.m. Monday to Saturday and 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sunday. Info: 315-472-1385.

 

A tale of two CNY spicy tomato oils

Central New Yorkers are truly food-blessed. We live in the land of the salt potato, claim bragging rights to the original Dinosaur Bar-B-Q and have not one but two locally made tomato garlic oils for dunking our bread and tossing with pasta. 

First came Pasta’s Spicy Hot Tomato Oil. It’s a classic. If you’ve dined at Pastabilities in Armory Square, you might have dipped some Pasta’s stretch bread (habit forming) in a bowl of glistening red oil before dinner – and liked it so much you ordered it as an entree, too.

Yes, it’s that good. 

Newer to the scene is Cheeky Monkey Tomato Garlic Dipping Oil. You might have seen it at the Regional Market in Syracuse, where samples are offered with slices of stretch bread from Patisserie, a bakery in Skaneateles. It originated at Syra-Juice, a small takeout restaurant in Marshall Square Mall near Syracuse University, and is sold there. 

Taste is subjective, so we wouldn’t presume to pick a  “best of the CNY tomato garlic oils.” We’ll just tell you a bit more about each of these fine products made in our own backyard.

Pasta’s Spicy Hot Tomato Oil: The name pretty much says it all. It’s spicy, but not ripping hot, with a slight sweetness in the background. It’s not thin and it’s not thick; it’s somewhere in between, just right for coating your pasta of choice.

Pastabilities owner Karyn Korteling and her late husband, Pat, sampled and fell in love with a spicy tomato oil on a trip to Italy and were inspired to create their own version at Pastabilities. It contains oil, San Marzano tomatoes and garlic – lots of garlic, slivers of it floating in the oil.  We can't go to Armory Square without picking up a container of it. 

Cheeky Monkey Tomato Garlic Dipping Oil: This one comes in two varieties – regular and extra spicy. We’ve sampled the extra spicy oil on several occasions now and find it to be super-duper garlicky with a noticeable sweetness. It’s sold in soft-sided containers with a pour spout, which allows it to be shaken – clever packaging, as the oil and tomatoes tend to separate. 

The spicy tomato oils are versatile. We use them as a dipper, a pasta sauce and pizza base. They’re also dynamite in paninis – spread bread generously with spicy oil before piling on your other ingredients. The oils can also be stirred into soups and salad dressings to add a bit of zip, and drizzled on eggs and omelets. 

Pasta’s Spicy Hot Tomato Oil can be purchased at Pasta’s Daily Bread, 308 S. Franklin St., Syracuse. A small container (7 ounces) costs $3.50. Cheeky Monkey Tomato Garlic Dipping Oil is available at Syra-Juice, Green Hills Farms, Syracuse Real Food Co-Op and other locations in Central New York. A container costs $7.60.

Take one – or both -- home soon and put them to creative, delicious use.

 

More Finger Lakes cheese, please!

On this Finger Lakes trail, there is no need for a designated driver. 

The Finger Lakes Cheese Trail spotlights about a dozen farmstead creameries that make hand-crafted, artisan cheeses and other dairy products. You’ll find everything from the familiar – like cheddar, gouda and Jack-style cheeses – to less familiar varieties, like chevre, a soft cheese made from goat’s milk. 

Hitting the cheese trail is a great way to taste new varieties and expand your knowledge base. Bring a cooler – and your sense of adventure. 

A sunny Saturday earlier in October brought me to the King Ferry Farmers Market and to Keeley’s Cheese Co. at McGarr Farms, on Route 34B just south of Route 90, near Cayuga Lake. 

There, Keeley McGarr takes milk from her family’s Holstein and Jersey cows and turns it into out-of-the-ordinary, Irish-style cheeses, including this lovely little wedge, called Across the Pond. 

Across the Pond is a washed-rind cheese made from raw milk, which gives the cheese depth of flavor. Its taste is slightly assertive and somewhat nutty – some might call it a stinky cheese – and its exterior is brown and nubby. The cheese is bathed in a salt brine as it ages in an underground cellar.

I’m sorry I didn’t pick up a couple wedges of Across the Pond at the Keeley’s self-serve cheese stand, because it didn’t last long at our house and I don’t know when my travels will take me back that way again.

Keeley’s Cheese Company is at 539 Route 34B, King Ferry. For hours and information on where to purchase Keeley’s cheeses, call 315-730-6872. 

The members of the Finger Lakes Cheese Trail hold open houses four times a year. The last one for this year will be 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Nov. 19. Find out more here.

Lastly, a group of food lovers, CNY Foodies Feast, plans a trip to Muranda Cheese Co., Waterloo, on Nov. 19. Click here for more information on the group and this cheesy-good outing.

 

How do you like them apple fritters!

 
For those who like their apples a little more dolled up and calorie-laden, we recommend a Saturday or Sunday excursion to O'Neill's Orchards, in LaFayette.

The U-pick orchard and retail store are open Monday to Friday, but the kitchen at O'Neill's is open on Saturday and Sundays only. It turns out some of the best fritters we've ever had: brown and crispy on the outside, soft and moist on the inside and not too sweet, despite a generous dusting of cinnamon sugar.

Sort of like fried dough, with apple chunks inside.

Also on the menu:  apple cider donuts, hot mulled cider and applewood smoked BBQ.

Get yourself to 4872 Route 20, LaFayette. Information: 315-677-9407.

Adams Acres: How do you like them ORGANIC apples?

 An apple a day keeps the doctor away. We’ve heard that old adage all our lives.

Health and medical researchers say a diet that contains apples can help protect post-menopausal women from osteoporosis, lower our cholesterol, aid in weight loss and reduce the risk of breast, lung, liver and colon cancer and Alzheimer’s disease, among other things.

Is it true, that old adage? Who knows. What we DO know is that apples are crunchy and juicy and fun to eat. They taste great and are one of the most versatile fruits around. Eat them out of hand. Slice them into salads. Bake them in a classic pie or tart. Mill them into sauce. Saute them and serve them on the side of pork and other meats.

Eve knew what she was doing when she tempted Adam with an apple!

A nice day, changing seasons and appetites – and the desire for something healthy and easy to toss into our lunch bags – lured us to Adams Acres Sunday to pick apples, specifically Honeycrisp apples. 

Adams Acres is family owned and operated orchard specializing in organically grown apples. Owner Bill Adams described to us the varieties available – Liberty, a tart baking apple; Spartan, a sweet eating apple similar to McIntosh; and Honeycrisp, which needs no introduction. “Everyone loves them,’’ Bill said, pointing us to the Honeycrisp trees.

Trees towards the front of the orchard tend to be picked over, so we made our way to the back of the orchard. There, we found trees laden with big, beautiful apples – and branches so heavy with them that some had fallen to the ground.

The Adams have about three acres of apples, planted in 2008. The varieties they selected thrive in Central New York’s fickle climate and under organic farming practices.

Adams Acres is one of just a few farms in New York State to offer organic U-pick apples. Bring your reusable shopping bag and fill ‘er up! A retail stand is under construction on the premises.

All varieties cost $1.25 per pound – a small price to pay for food that originates so close to home and is so thoughtfully grown.

Adams Acres is at 7047 Sevier Road, Jamesville, between Route 91 and Sweet Road. Take Route 91 three miles south of the village of Jamesville and watch for signs. Orchard hours are Saturday and Sunday only, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.  Information:  315-498-6654.

 
 

 

 

 

A fresh take on tomato sauce

“What are you making, hon?,” my other half asked, passing through the kitchen on his way to the basement. “Salsa?”

His question was understandable.

In a bowl sat a small pile of diced, peak-of-summer tomatoes, wearing nothing but a pinch of salt and sugar to pull out their juices.

In another half hour, the tomatoes would be tossed with olive oil, minced shallots, a bit of red onion, a handful of chopped kalamata olives, capers, garlic, a few snips of fresh basil and Italian parsley for a fresh take on tomato sauce.

There is nothing like a long-cooked red sauce, reduced for days to render it thick, hearty and smooth, with the depth of flavor that slow, back-burner cooking yields.

But fresh sauce is a nice change of pace, especially when the heat is on. Throw together a batch using what you have at hand and heat the pasta water outside on the grill.

Your kitchen will stay cool and so will you.

Fresh Tomato Sauce for Two

2 medium-large tomatoes, cored and diced

Salt

Sugar

Olive oil

2 tablespoons minced shallots, or to taste

2 tablespoons minced red onion, or to taste

2 plump cloves of garlic, minced

Handful of kalamata olives, chopped

1-2 tablespoons capers, chopped

About 20 leaves fresh basil, snipped

A few sprigs fresh Italian parsley, snipped

Grated cheese for garnish, optional

6 ounces pasta, cooked according to package directions

Place diced tomatoes in a bowl and add a pinch each of salt and sugar to extract their juices. Cover with plastic wrap and leave at room temperature for a half hour or more.

Drizzle tomatoes with olive oil. Add shallots, red onion, garlic, olives, capers, basil and parsley. Toss gently. Add a lit more oil. The sauce shouldn’t be very oily, just oily enough to cling to the pasta a bit.

Serve on hot pasta, toss gently and garnish with cheese if you like. Serve with a green salad tossed with something other than tomatoes.

Eat…and enjoy!

 

Central New York strawberries: Get ‘em while you can!

The season for strawberries in Central New York is short, but sweet – over in four weeks or less, usually. So grab life by the basket-full and eat as many as you can.

Here are 5 ideas:

1. Pick your own strawberries. Your back might be a little sore, in the end, but do the work yourself and could end up with the cream of the crop.

Click here for a detailed list of U-pick farms in Central New York, sorted by county. A word of warning: Call ahead to verify produce availability, days and hours of operation, etc.

2. Get out a fancy dish and make a strawberry-yogurt parfait (above) for breakfast. Wash, hull and slice as many strawberries as you care to eat. Layer berries in parfait dish. Top with a half-cup of your favorite yogurt. Top with more strawberries, a drizzle of honey and a sprinkle of granola if you like.

3. Shortcake is heavenly, but for something more healthy, how about a salad of mixed greens topped with almonds, goat cheese and strawberries?

The salad (above) is from Cafe Kubal, on James Street, in Syracuse (Eastwood). Make your own at home using local field greens, goat cheese and CNY strawberries. Mix up some vinaigrette dressing with strawberry vinegar or strawberry-balsamic vinegar from Tassleberry Farm, Westmoreland. We’ve purchased these vinegars at Lombardi’s on Butternut Street in Syracuse, or you can order them online.

4. Strawberries and rhubarb: So different, but such excellent partners! Make some strawberry-rhubarb jam, or for something less time-consuming, try my recipe for Strawberry-Rhubarb Crumble Top Muffins (above; from the archives; June 2010).

5. Horde CNY strawberries and freeze them now for enjoyment later. Wash, dry and remove the green tops from firm, plump strawberries (avoid soft-mushy ones). If possible, let berries air dry in a colander. Carefully transfer berries to a 13-by-9-inch pan and freeze them in a single layer, several hours to overnight. When frozen, transfer berries to freezer bags.

Use in cobblers, muffins and salads – or surprise dinner guests with a dessert of strawberry shortcake in the middle of the winter.

 

 

Pascale Bakehouse: Fayetteville's gain

 

What's my favorite thing about the new Pascale Bakehouse Cafe in Fayetteville?

Is it the freshly baked artisan breads, like baguettes, ciabatta, cracked wheat, semolina and raisin fennel?

Is it the biscotti, scones, muffins, croissants and oversized cookies?

Is it the cafe lunches, like sandwiches (on the homemade bread), soups, salad and quiche?

Bakehouse lunch: Chili topped with cheddar and a side of bread, $4.27.

Is it the open, relaxing space, with sunshine pouring in the windows?

The welcoming staff? The WiFi?

All of the above.

One of the things I like best about the new Pascale Bakehouse is the expanded offerings in the dessert case. You'll find everything from slices of cheesecake and carrot cake to full-size bette noir cake and rustic apple crostata.

Good things come in small packages, too: Witness the caramel shortbread square and Neapolitan (also known as Tri-Color), above. They're a sweet ending for a sweet price: $1.

Sweet!

Pascale Bakehouse Cafe is at 210 Brooklea Drive, Fayetteville (315-632-4242). Hours are 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday to Friday and 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Lunch is served 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.