Scenes from Summer

It was not that long ago that many adventures were had - away, on new turf - exploring bits of beauty in Nature. New York City living offers many gifts, but the "Nature" score is always a bit low. So on trips this summer, I took in boulders, ponds, forests, farms, and the quieting beauty that nature so easily provides.

Blueberry Island - White Mountain National Forest, NH

  

An incredibly large and equally still pond. Frolic and a rowboat trip with friends who showed us the way, to a tiny island inhabited by countless wild blueberry bushes. We brought back almost as much as we stuffed into our mouths. Sweet, tart, out-of-this world flavor. If I had access to a kitchen during this part of the trip, there would have been crostadas for everyone. Alas - fresh, unadulterated, and amazing would have to do...

Diana's Baths, NH

Six-tenths of a mile's walk into the forest. The sight of moss covered rocks, fir trees, and pine needle strewn-soft earth everywhere. A clearing, and then, the soft roar of water. Smooth granite sculpted by all this rushing water, huge stones-turned-incredible-sculptures made for great jungle-gym adventures. Lots of children agreed this was the best way to spend an afternoon. People played on multiple levels throughout the falls, enjoying the refreshing cool of the water, and the smooth stone underfoot.

 World Fellowship Center Gardens - NH

It was a damp, on-again off-again rainy day. It was also my birthday, and I wanted to see where the bohemian retreat space that hosted us sourced its bounty of fresh greens and vegetables. Farmer Andy happily had us along to harvest, and trudging on moist earth, we visited three garden spaces. Modest, beautiful, happy gardens. In the mix of flowers, beans, salad greens, squash, and potatoes, we chased young chickens who, though outnumbered, were incredibly fast and resourceful, and ran off into the brush. They too wanted another day in the wet wilderness.

Look soon for part two in this adventure. 

There are so many photographs to share. It makes sense to simply finish up now and parcel these out, whetting your appetites for what is to come next...  ;)

Bratwurst, Shishito, Panzanella and Pickles - the World on My Plate

I made some food to celebrate the fantastic produce at the farmers market (can I ever get enough?? Noooo!!), and only later did I realize what I had put on a plate together had roots in various nooks around the world. Struck me as funny at the time, and boy was it all delicious.


Panzanella is one of the best - and simplest! - salads around. A great way to make use of old bread (or just bread you feel like frying up, if none old is sitting around) and incredible tomatoes, this recipe originates in Tuscany and has infinite variations. I found inspiration from The Bitten Word when I was pulling mine together, and kept it simple so the star of this show - my tomatoes - could really shine.

While shopping for meat at the Greene Grape - they buy only whole and half animals, as opposed to boxed meat, and butcher the choice cuts themselves - I discovered some delightfully plump rabbit and pork belly bratwurst. I think just hearing that combination made me drool on the spot, and I took home a bunch of sausages to grill. Bratwurst originally comes from a small town in Germany (all the way back in 1313!), but is widely available at butchers and specialty shops these days. Make sure to buy highest quality from small producers, not the run-of-the-mill at a grocery store if at all possible. It will taste better and be a healthier product to feed yourself and your family, and you will have the satisfaction of supporting another family: the small farm that takes pride in what they do.

At the farmers market, the stunning beauty of what's in the stalls pretty much guides my purchasing. Occasionally there's a list to check up on, but it's usually, "what hits me?" To that end, the Japanese-origin Shishito peppers virtually leaped into my arms last week. Their firmness, their sculptural curvy shapes and glossy-green brightness all said "take me!" So I did. From a preparation enjoyed at the Chelsea Basque restaurant Txikito, I simply blistered them in a scorching-hot skillet and seasoned with sea salt. Done, and delicious.

Please let's not forget the humble pickle. Pickles come in all varieties and flavors around the world. Their (sometimes spicy-)salty-sourness stimulate our saliva glands and make for a refreshingly bright crunch, the perfect counterpoint to any food on a plate. Left often as a garnish, but not to be underestimated if done well. Bold and bright, pickles delight.

I hope you will enjoy these flavors served together as much as I did. Recipes to follow - check back once the weekend has passed, once I've gotten more market shopping out of the way. I will be bringing forth a berry dessert to go with all this yumminess.....

In other news, a couple months back I shot a feature for AARP Magazine. It was a treat to work with the photo staff there and the project was a blast. The issue is available on newsstands now. Here is the story, and below, the shot they used -

And, a couple outtakes...

One last bit:

The wonderful Fork Magazine, another sustainable resource, featured my blog as one of their recent favorites (photo from this story). Reading their magazine cover to cover, I need to book a trip to Whales, pronto. Their take on sustainable food is completely speaking-my-language and, they are really nice people, to boot. The fact that I have Welsh blood makes whole thing even more imminent. So let's see what we can cook up. Stay tuned!

Linden Blossom Cocktails and a Salad Farm

Last week I was featured for the second time on Design Sponge (first story here), for their series called "Behind the Bar." I've been making some fabulous and quenching sips of late and it seemed like perfect timing to share these simple recipes - more like guidelines and then a "have at it!" kind of rule. If you haven't seen the full story, I encourage you to visit. Be prepared for temptation - which of course will lead you to refreshment. :)

In other news, I am working on content for the workshop I will be teaching this October, for the 2012 Conference of the Academy of Nutritionists and Dietitians. I'll be leading close to 100 people through the ins & outs of food styling and photography! If you would like to learn more, click here. To register to attend, click here and follow the prompts (member/nonmember, etc.). Will keep you all informed as things progress further....

Speaking of nutrition and refreshment, I visited a gourmet salad farm back in May during my trip home. It all happened by accident when I went on a wild goose chase for a woman and her roving food business called the Pink FlaminGO, but boy am I sure happy I landed at Brother Nature (thanks, Kristyn!). Set on an acre in Southwest Detroit, this prolific little farm even produces its own dirt.

Hay, helping to break down the compost into fabulous dirt

Using composting as a method to salvage would-be trash and also make use of loads of nutrient-rich organic matter, Greg Willerer harvests spent grain from a local brewery, collects aged zoo poo from the Detroit Zoological Society, and adds coffee grinds and their filters, and food clippings from nearby Astro Coffeehouse. And voila, incredible rich, black and dense dirt. Detroit Dirt.

Don't think that just because I was seduced by the dirt, I didn't fall in love with the greens. On the contrary. Between the most peppery and sharp mustard greens to the sweet-sweet flavor of the pea shoots, I wish I lived a little closer. Each tender herb, leaf, and flower is hand-picked by a small crew and the whole operation is a labor of love.

Left, clipping verbena for a customer

Right, the cloth keeps bugs away and insulates the tender greens as they mature

The bees make everything better...

Carrot tops in the tire 'container' garden

That visit was just long ago enough that writing this makes me feel like a return trip is in order. To see what they are harvesting now and hang out for a while with the honey bees, and of course, get my hands into some more of that dirt.

A final parting piece, in case you aren't enchanted already: there are some odds-and-end bits from the time spent soaking up my mother's backyard that are worth sharing. Small moments where time stood still and the only noise was the busy-ness of the insects and birds.

Young garlic pulled from one of the beds, and a birdseed thief