Papa & Grandma Down at the Farm

On of the many upsides of living in Vermont was how close my family was to me.

My maternal grandparents lived just down the road on the farm.  I was blessed with my grandmothers green thumb memorable cooking ability.  From my papa i received his dedication, endurance, charm, and hard work ethic, but that's another story.

Growing up on the farm i drank milk that was milked earlier that morning at every breakfast.  Of course it was always paired with a delicious home cooked meal.

My favorite will always be my grandmas fried dough.  When i would arrive in the morning for the first milking, before leaving the house grandma would already have the dough rising in a bowl.  She would leave the milking half an hour early to go back to the house to begin breakfast.  When papa and i got back we would sit down together at table and read the Rutland Herald.  Looking at my grandmother from behind the paper i would see her fist in the air and then hear "wapp", she was punching the dough like a punching bag. After the dough was punched down she placed it on the floured marble counter top.  Then she would ever so elegantly and easily roll the bread into the perfect shape. She would then cut them and let it rise a second time. Once they were finished rising she would fry them in her cast iron pot.  Papa and I would set the table. All we needed was a bowl, fork, napkin, and glass for each setting.  We poured ourselves milk that we had milked from the cows that morning. Of course I would grab the Vermont maple syrup from the fridge and place it on the table.  Then the first batch of dough would be ready.  I place the hot dough into my bowl.  When I split it open the steam would pour out like an old locomotive.  Once cooled, I would dip it into my cold maple syrup and take the first highly anticipated bite.  The cool sweet taste of maple syrup hits my mouth.  The crunchy texture of the outside with the buttery inside was enough to make me shiver.  I swoon as the flavors melt in my mouth as I washed it down with farm fresh milk. Maybe not the healthiest, but definitely one of the most memorable meals of my life.

Last Weeks Produce Quiz Answer:  Enoiki Mushroom

Community Supported Agriculture

Last week i was reading the new Bon Appetit-Feb. 09.  There was a very interesting article about 50 ways to go green.

In this article, yes there was alot of great ways to go green, and yet there was one thing that stood out to me the most.  A website, localharvest.org.  There is a link to this page on the right hand side of this page.

I myself was absolutely floored with this website.  There was so much information on this website that i did not know even existed.  I clicked the CSA tab, put in my zip code and up popped about 12 farms within 100 miles of my place.  These farms are either organic or use no kind of pesticides, hormones or antibiotics while raising there fruit, vegetables or animals.

With a subscription to these farms, you can receive produce baskets at your door step or at a designated pick-up spot.  That's right, produce directly from the farmer, and its "green" and local.  These produce baskets can have anything from fruit, vegetables, cheese, eggs and maybe meats. 

When you sign up for this subscriptions there is a few.  You might be asked to work on the farm for a weekend.  You also pay anywhere from 3-400 dollars for half a season. 5-600 dollars for the full season.  The contents of the basket all depends on the growing season and or what the farmer has available.

There is much more you can do on this website.  You can find Co-Ops and restaurants in your area that help support these farmers and there mission.  

If you cant afford the subscription to the farmer, you can still by products from them at your leisure, like cheese, eggs, heirloom seeds, vegetables and meats to name a few.

If you are into getting fresh and i mean fresh products, you want to support your local farmers who believe in the simplicity of growing or raising "green" products then this website is just for you.

Produce Quiz:

This vegetable comes in clumps of long, spaghetti like stems.  I have a appealing crunchy texture that works well in salads.  I am available year round in Asian markets and supermarkets.  I can be purchased fresh or canned.  I am used to garnish soups or other hot dishes.  I am a good source of vitamin D and B-complex vitamins.  I am also called the velvet stem...what am i?

Answer will be in my next blog post.