Anniversary Apples

I haven't meant to be away so long. There have been all kinds of wonderful things happening, like an ICE pasta course I have been invited to take (and will be documenting, mmm I can't wait). Look for that soon. And the Brooklyn specialty foods line I am helping to launch. And stories I've shot for the holiday issue of Sweet Paul magazine! I could go on. But I am here to instead share with you - now almost a month ago - the enchanted time J and I had on our anniversary.

We rented a car and drove to an orchard just beyond Beacon, NY. We chose Lawrence Family Orchards because they seemed to have the most variety, and I was hungry for a farm experience in all its glory. As it turns out that wasn't exactly so, but we dove in and made the most of it. Here is the fruit from our labor... :-)

 

 

 

 

 

Orchard views, down the slope

We happily stumbled upon some raspberry bushes - too ripe to take home, we ate our fill while picking

 

Looking for broccoli

 

Our wagon full of goodies

I hope you experienced a little of the enchantment from our special day. We brought home broccoli greens (for stews and soups, since the florets were mostly harvested), kabocha and pumpkin squash, purslane, some sad tomatoes that I have since made incredible preserves from, and over 20 pounds of apples! Look for a part two story (with tasty recipes) coming very, very soon.

Recent Features

There have been a lot of things recently underway. One of the most exciting is - I have a new website. It has been many, many weeks of editing, retooling, and trouble shooting.... and finally, I have a great new - and vastly improved! - online portfolio. Have a look and leave a comment below if you like. :)

In other news, I've had bits collecting here and there of work I produced in the past month or so. The lovely people at Gotham asked me to shoot a another story, this one about the new Ladurée boutique opening up on Madison Avenue. The little sweets were shipped directly from France, and Asprey lent some of their fine pieces for the shoot. Here is what my editor selected, followed by some outtakes.

 In other news, my editor at The New York Times had me photograph this lovely story, when berries were still in abundance. *Sigh*. Summer really did fly.  As it so happens, I heard from a friend who made the recipe, that it is totally delicious.... ;-)

Here are two more delicious items recently in print. If everything else hasn't gotten your stomach gurgling, these certainly will.

 I am on to shooting glorious stories made for campfires and cabins... look for news of this soon! Happy fall everyone. ;-)

The Shapes of Summer

The days are changing. I looked at the sunlight in my studio just the other day and I saw new directionality in the light streaming in. With the added milestone of Labor Day behind us, schools are back in session and people have returned to their full-swing things, signifying Change. I will volunteer and say that I am not ready for autumn, as much as I love its crispness and soft, worn hues. Autumn is actually my favorite time, but I am stuck in love with the heady ripeness of summertime's flavors and shapes - bright and bold, each so easy to love.

Here is a collection of amazing-tasting things I managed to prepare in recent days. Thankfully, much of the bounty of the season is still available at farmer stands, so you still have time! I hope that once you pour over the images, you will be inspired to try your hand at one (or all!) of these. They are - almost entirely - surprisingly simple to make, and the return on flavor is well worth it. Enjoy!

                                                                                                                                                               

 

 

Please let me know if you try your hand at any of these. I'd love to answer questions should you have any, or just hear how much you enjoyed a recipe you shared with loved ones!

Birthday Celebrating

Now a little while ago already (where does the time go??), I made sure to celebrate my birthday this year properly, by making trips to two of New York's most fantastic and specialized markets, back-to-back! Smorgasburg on Saturday, and The New Amsterdam Market on Sunday, my special day. Smorgasburg was with my dear friend D. In the sultry sun, I didn't want to make a big deal of taking pictures so the series is shot completely on my iphone. Sunday was with my sweet man, and he was kind enough to be the official camera chaperone when I didn't feel like shouldering it. :-)  As you'll see there was lots of good eating to be done between the two. I am so lucky to call New York my home with this incredible bounty of interesting foods.

The most incredible avocado ice cream (really!) from La Newyorkina

 

Neill with the goods at Bon Chovie

The lawn, looking out onto the East River

Toothsome organic pastas from Flour City

The impressive menu from I8NY - seriously tasty

It was a bright, sultry day

New Amsterdam Market, at the old Fulton Fish Market in lower Manhattan

 

Heirloom fruits at Flying Fox Fruiterer

We took home a wonderful sunflower rye loaf from Nordic Breads

 

Stone Barns' vegetable harvest

The Dumpling Diva and her poffertjes

poffertjes, with a smear of butter and confectioners' sugar

Pour-overs from Blue Bottle Coffee

The ice block at People's Pops

Sampling the hay (earthy, honey, yummy!) and basil ice cream from Early Bird Cookery