The Wild Maine Blues

I've written before about the joy of climbing a mountain on a summer hike in Maine and taking a break to pick the tiny, sweet wild blueberries off of the bushes.  They're so good.

I just found an article from The Atlantic with more about them.  The writing is a bit convoluted in places, but it gives you some interesting info about these little blue pearls. 

By the way, you can buy wild blueberries in many grocery stores--either canned or (better yet) frozen.  Wyman's is the brand you should look for.  Wyman's jelly is mentioned in the article.

On another subject, I hope to see you at the Ottsville Farmers' Market on Friday from 3-7 or at the Plumsteadville Grange Farmers' Market on Saturday from 9-noon.  I'll be both places whipping up sample of tasty treats made from market goodies! 

Hot! Hot! Hot!

Man, it's hot, isn't it?  Actually, as cliche as it sounds, to me, it really isn't the heat--it's the humidity.  How long could this go on?  The weather reports are the same day after day after day.

I was feeling the heat this weekend, as I cooked up some goodies at two farmers' markets.

On Friday, I was cooking at the Ottsville Farmers' Market.  Wow, it was stifling.  And standing next to a grill for 4 hours made it even more toasty.  Still, it was a lot of fun.  Met a lot of nice people and got to use some of the wonderful stuff being sold at the market: eggplant, zucchini, tomatoes, melons, pork sausage and much more.  I don't know how the heat affects crops, but there seems to be an abundance of incredible produce. 

On Saturday, I joined the folks at the Plumsteadville Grange Farmers' Market for the first time.  It felt much cooler--maybe because it was earlier in the day and because there was a nice breeze for most of the time.  More friendly people, fun activities, crafts, etc.  And again, a bunch of delicious, fresh produce was available for me to cook with.  It's so easy to cook when you have great tasting ingredients.  You don't have to do much to them--just let their flavors shine.

One of the easy dishes I made at both markets was a simple Caprese salad--tomato, basil, fresh mozzarella, salt, pepper and some good extra-virgin olive oil.  Mix it together and enjoy.  To me, that's what summer tastes like--flavorful tomatoes, sweet basil, creamy cheese.  So refreshing and delicious.

Check out my previous post to find out when I'll be doing more farmers' market demos.  Hope to see you there!

To change topics quickly, Mary Beth and I went to see a great (and hilarious) production of The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee at the Muhlenberg Summer Music Theater.  They always do excellent professional shows and this one is no exception.  And, like I said, it is a riot.  Try to catch it if you can. 

We stopped at Carrabba's Italian Grille in Allentown for dinner before the show and was pretty impressed.  I've heard that, for a chain, they have good food and it's true.  We both had a very fresh salad with our meals.  MB got a Caesar and I had a Mediterranean (with olives, fennel, etc).  She had seafood cannelloni and I had 2 chicken dishes (together as a sampler).  Well done, tasty and pretty reasonable.  Our service was good, too.  After MB debated about (and then decided against) getting some of their garlic mashed potatoes--they didn't come with her meal since she had pasta--our server brought us a big bowl of them to share, free of charge.  They were tasty, too! 

Musings

On Monday, I met a college friend, Chip, for lunch.  He lives in Arizona now, but was back east visiting his parents ("Why is everyone complaining about the weather?  This is nothing!").  We were supposed to meet at Pistachio Bar & Grille in Allentown at 11:30.  I got there a few minutes late, but knowing Chip, figured I'd be waiting a while.  So I hung outside waiting for him to show up.  Long story short, after a half-hour of bad cell phone connections, I figured out that he was sitting inside waiting for me.  Jeez.  Decent lunch there--he got some sort of chicken sandwich.  I got a Cuban Pressed Sandwich.  Fairly tasty.  A good place for a casual meal.  They have good hummus for an appetizer.

We walked around our alma mater, Muhlenberg, to see what's changed.  A lot has.  Someone's giving to them--they're not doing all that renovation on my $25 a year!

Boy, the fields must be celebrating with the rain we've been getting.  Pretty humid for us, but for the veggies, it's great.

Went to the Caboose Grille in Souderton yesterday with MB & Jake for lunch.  The menu was pretty nice--sandwiches, wraps, salads & burgers.  The food was fine--nothing exceptional, but good.  MB got a buffalo burger.  I got a special--turkey, sun-dried tomato, fresh mozzarella on a rosemary foccacia.  Jake got a burger & fries--nice size for a children's portion.  The restaurant is housed in an old train station and that gives a neat feel to the place.  It's one of those places that's good, but if they did a few little things food-wise, it would be very good. 

The other night I made a stir-fry with Jake's Chinese long beans.  Pretty much like regular green beans except they do taste a little different.  You can taste the difference more raw than when they're cooked.  I'd say they have a little more "herbal" taste to them as opposed to the "grassy" taste of a raw green bean.  They're pretty cool, though.  We've been eating a lot from our garden: squash (of course), eggplant, beans, broccoli.  A few grape tomatoes have ripened, but we're waiting for the loads of other tomatoes to do the same.  They're going to hit all at the same time.  There are a few watermelons growing bigger and bigger.  Peppers aren't doing so well this year for some reason.

Getting ready for my cooking demo at the Ottsville Farmers' Market on Friday from 3-7PM and the Plumsteadville Grange Farmers' Market on Saturday from 9AM-12PM.  I'll be cooking up some nice dishes using the great things offered by the vendors at the markets.  Stop in, say hi and try some samples!

I'll also be cooking at Blooming Glen Farm on Tuesday afternoon.  So if you're a member there and pick up your shares that day, check out some of the dishes I'll be making using the things you'll be taking home.

Great Stuff on your FM dial!

Have you been to a farmers' market yet this year?  If not, what's keeping you?!  It sure isn't for lack of choices--there are markets all over the place these days.  And for good reason.

As you know, eating and buying locally grown and produced food is becoming more and more trendy.  And farmers' markets are the perfect places for farmers and producers to sell the fruits (and vegetables) of their labors.  The fun thing is, as you keep coming back to your favorite markets, you'll see the variety of produce throughout the growing season--from strawberries, asparagus and spring greens in the spring to tomatoes, peppers and melons in the summer to squash, Brussels sprouts and fall greens in the autumn. 

Farmers' markets aren't just for farmers anymore either.  You'll find painters, potters, bakers, makers of jams and jellies, seafood purveyors, chocolatiers, weavers...you name it!  That's why going to a FM is such a relaxing and relatively inexpensive family outing.  It's a great educational experience for kids, too.  Teach them about farming, let them meet all sorts of different people and expose them to many delicious and nutritious foods.

 

Oh, did I mention that many FMs have cooking demos?  (Nice segue, huh?)  Here are the dates that I'm scheduled to appear at three different markets through September:

Ottsville Farmers' Market     Linden Hill Gardens, 8230 Easton Rd (Rt 611), Ottsville     3-7PM

Friday, June 18

Friday, July 16

Friday, August 6

Plumsteadville Grange Farmers' Market     5901 Easton Rd (Rt 611), Plumsteadville     9AM-12PM

Saturday, July 17

Saturday, August 7

Saturday, September 4

Indian Valley Farmers' Market     Marketplace at Telford Station, Main St & Penn Ave, Telford     8:30AM-12:30PM

Saturday, July 31

Saturday, August 28

Saturday, September 11

So come on out and enjoy all the bounty that our wonderful area provides for us, meet the people who work so hard to give these great products to you and stop and say hi to me!  (Get some free samples, too!)    

Musings

Hi.  Sorry it's been so long since I've posted.  I'm sure all 4 of you readers really missed it.

Monday was Mary Beth's birthday.  We had ordered some arbors to be made out in Amish country when we were there in May and decided that since we had to pick them up, MB would get her free Shady Maple Smorgasbord birthday meal while we were at it.  We made it with about 6 minutes to spare for breakfast.  We brought a camera to take a picture of our overflowing plates, but to be honest, we forgot.  I believe that there's actually cholesterol floating in the air there and that impaired our thought process. 

The food is pretty good, though.  Just not very good for you.  I had a western omelet; bacon; some sort of quiche thing that looked somewhat healthy (had veggies), but hidden inside was a sausage patty; lotsa bacon; French toast strips; turkey and pork sausages; turkey bacon; creamed dried beef (SOS) over hash browns; and more, I'm sure.  Oh, did I mention bacon?  MB had 2 huge plates of SOS & chocolate chip/blueberry sweet potato pancakes and other sundry breakfast foods.  It's a wonder we didn't just keel over right there. 

We did find a bunch of nice local veggies for us and for the cook day I did yesterday.  One guy even had his own tomatoes!  I've waited so long for real tomatoes. 

I'll be doing some cooking demos at the Ottsville Farmers' Market on Friday from 3-7PM.  Lots of great stuff there--including a great chocolatier, some incredible seafood, veggies from Blooming Glen Farm and others, and much more.  I'll be making some stuff using the things being sold at the market.  The market is located at Linden Hill Gardens, 8230 Easton Rd (Rt. 611) in Ottsville.  Come check it out.  I'll also be appearing at the Indian Valley and Plumsteadville Grange Farmers' Markets throughout the summer (3 dates at each, including Ottsville).  I'll write a post with those dates soon.

Don't forget the screening of Fresh: The Movie at The County Theater in Doylestown, June 24, 7PM.  Check out my previous post for more information about the film, our discussion panelists and how to register for the event.  It'll be an enlightening, fun and energizing evening.  Tell your friends!  We want to fill that theater!