August 31, 2007

Preservation Meditation



So I've been canning like a crazy person for the past few days, all with the help of my wonderful friend and canning partner Dayna. We've put by almost 100 jars and this is only just the beginning. This was my first time making chutney and I love both that we made, peach and plum. Not only do their colors look beautiful in the glass pint jars, they are delicious! They will be paired with many a meat and vegetarian dish on the kitchen menus come late Fall and Winter, their flavors only deepening over time. We also canned many jars of colorful heirloom tomatoes, red, orange and yellow so far, and later today I will can the remaining box of "Aunt Ruby's German Green's", adding another color to the ever growing rainbow of goodness filling my pantry. Preserving is a meditation for me, I truly enjoy the entire process and sharing the whole experience with a close friend makes it that much better. At the end of the day, when I see the stacks of colorful jars, the fruits and veggies of our labor, I can't help but feel good, deeply satisfied and find myself looking forward to the cold days of Winter when these jars of goodness will be opened, bringing back the memory of the harvest past and the love that went into preserving it.

August 27, 2007

A Perfect Summer Dinner



A sliced "Rose" tomato from Four Winds Farm, mozzarella from Popovich Provisions, fresh basil from my herb garden, a drizzle of olive oil, balsamic and a touch of sel gris, perfect!! This and a burger made from the grass-fed beef of Heather Ridge Farm, simply seasoned with salt and pepper and served on crusty Italian bread, so simple, so delicious. This was dinner tonight, I'm full and smiling! The kitchen is closed for another two weeks due to renovations, so I'm on a crazy canning mission to preserve the harvest in all its glory. My new pressure canner arrived today and I cannot wait to start using it tomorrow, I'll christen it with a batch of plum chutney and the rest of the heirloom tomatoes I have in the kitchen, my true loves of Summer. I had the pleasure of meeting a new amazing farmer today, Cheryl Rogowski of W.Rogowski Farm in the black dirt country of Pine Island NY. The dirt is so unbelieveably rich and loamy and so black, hence the name, I want to roll around in it, I can't help it, it's the most amazing soil I've ever seen! Cheryl's farm will provide an amazing new edition of produce, edible flowers and herbs to the kitchen and I'm so happy to add her to my growing network of local sustainable producers. Eating locally really does matter, more than most people know or want to know, but it's time to wake up and smell the petroleum in the food, if you can call it that, of industrial agriculture.

August 26, 2007

Heirloom Vegetables



So this is the beginning of the Erica's Kitchen blog. I'll write as often as I can about anything and everything having to do with local food and whatever else seems appropriate. After coming home from the Piermont Farmer's market a few Sundays ago, I couldn't help but snap this picture of the heirloom eggplants, peppers and tomatoes I had gathered from Yuno's Farm, so beautiful! I often photograph the fruits and vegetables that I gather, before they move on to the kitchen to be prepped and turned into a dish whose flavor and character will depend highly on their freshness and the fact that they were produced sustainably.