Friday Misc pt 2
Now I remember that other thing, Painted Hand Farm, which has a booth at the Bloomingdale Farmers Market got a
write up in the Wednesday Food section (hey at least something survived the revamp). The article "Veal, cast in a kinder light," by Jane Black mainly talks about another farmer, but Sandy Miller gets some mention and a photo with two male calves. Also at her stall at the BFM she sells her neighbor's Keswick cheeses and pudding. As the weather cools I'll be making veal stock and I'll be needing Painted Hand's bones.
Labels: farmers markets, food/dining
Can Can
Yesterday at the Bloomingdale Farmer's Market I ran into MVSQ's Si and mentioned I was going to buy 20-some odd pounds of tomatoes to can. On the Eckington Listserv or was it Scotts Bloomingdale list there was an announcement that one of the vendors was selling a box of tomatoes for $12. I started talking about my plans for canning and Si said I need to blog about it. So, here's the first.
Supplies- I picked up my canning kit some time ago at the
5th Street Hardware store. They didn't have it in stock so they ordered it for me and I picked it up several days later. It's the Ball Canning Kit
item # 6096606 and it comes with everything you need for hot water canning and costs about $55 bucks. I also grabbed some 1/2 pint and 1 pint jars from the store as well. The kit comes with the Ball Blue Book Canning Guide, which is how I sort of figured out WTF I'm doing.
So that afternoon I had Mrs.
DC Education Blog, BL, come over so the near sighted could lead the blind. I had already canned a lot of strawberry vanilla fruit spread, some pineapples and some peaches. And so BL came to see how this canning thing is done.
I had already pealed and sorta quartered and sort of seeded the tomatoes when she came. They were of the seedy variety and at a certain point I gave up on trying to get all the seeds. I discovered I didn't have to wait long, or for the skins to crack, after letting them bob around in boiling water and then dunking them in ice cold water. Too long in the boiling water and those puppies cooked in their skins, scalding my hands when I went to peel, core and deseed them.
Okay this post is getting long, so I'll do a part two later.
Labels: farmers markets, food/dining
Shaw Homestead Report
No, that's not my yard, but the amazing front yard garden on 8th Street near the Giant. Comparatively, my yard is sort of disappointing. The tomatoes are just plants. A few sport some small green globes. So far I'm doing very well with arugula and I've been giving away the salad to friends and neighbors. Another salad item I've got going gangbusters in the yard is purslane. I saw it at the Mexican Fruit Stand and found out it is called 'Verdolagas'. But no need to buy it as I have tons of it. I just have to avoid steeping on it, and the arugula.
I also have growing cucumbers, beans, sage and a bunch of other herbs. The cukes are weird. I bought a particular variety of cucumber that formed softly furred baby cukes. The other plant (I swear from the same seed) has fruit with hard spikes.
I, like many it appears, have started experiementing with canning. My excuse is, I'm running out of room in my freezer and would like to remove the things that can be canned. I ordered a hot water canning kit from the
5th Street Hardware Store, then went back later to pick up the last set of 1/2 pint canning jars they had on the shelf. I'm hoping that if and when my tomatoes do come, I can can them. So far I've canned a banana rum jam and some peaches from a neighbor's yard. I'm still looking at the jars carefully to make sure I did it right. 72 hours and so far so good. I would can the cherries, but my favorite form of preservation is to soak them in vodka. I'm trying to see if the drunken cherries are somewhat shelf stable. Problem is I keep eating them.
Speaking of canning there are
a few articles in today's Post's
Food Section. One on 14th & U and Bloomingdale farmer's market vendor,
Stefano Figerio. Stefano's pastas are taking up space in my freezer, which is why I must can.
And some dissappointing news about food,
organic isn't as organic as we'd like. And if you really want to depress yourself (or not, depends on you) here's
a big ole organic agri-business chart. Last word, which makes this mess so sad, I was overhearing a conversation between a shopper and one of the farmers at the farmer's market. She wanted to know if the veggies were organic. The farmer tried explaining that he couldn't use that word "organic" because of the USDA rules and what not, but yes, no pesticides or unnatural fertilizers.
Labels: farmers markets, food/dining, gardening
Fun with booze and farmer's market
I'm running out of "drunken cherries" for my chocolate ice cream with drunken cherries. My 'drunken cherries' are cherries that have been soaking in sugar and vodka for 3 months. The purpose of which is to make a cherry liquor. Depending on how it turns out, because the two batches I made several months ago tasted different. One tasted more like a cherry sugar syrup, the other like a upscale NyQuil. I blame the bottle and not so tight cap (and spill) and the off season supermarket cherries.
Anyway, this time around cherries from the farmers market! And Stoli! I have two new batches waiting to sit around for 3 months. I hope to make a small 3rd batch, using the farmer's market cherries, the organic vodka I got from Bloomingdale Liquors sometime back, and maybe some Florida Crystals, depending on how much those crystals cost.
The basic recipe, should you want to make some is:
1/2 pound of Bing cherries, unblemished and stems removed
1/2 pound of sugar
2 cups of vodka
Place cherries in quart (?) sized jar, pour sugar on cherries, pour in vodka. Cover, seal, whatever, and label. Leave on top of refrigerator for 3 months without touching or shaking or messing with.
If there are strawberries still available I will play with the idea of making a strawberry liquor. I have a blueberry liquor that I have yet to strain, and decide if it worth trying to make again when blueberries come into season.
Labels: farmers markets, food/dining
BFM on NPR's Morning Edition
This morning I awoke to the sound of thunder and went back to sleep. Then the clock radio clicked on, and I tried fighting not going back to sleep, and then a story caught my groggy attention. Listen to local resident and NPR reporter, Neda Ulaby's
report about our dear Bloomingdale Farmer's Market. You'll hear the voices of other locals Ted Mcginn, Robin Schuster, and Scott Roberts.
It is amazing how the area (though not in the TC I'm claiming it) got this wonderful market. It's got kids and dogs and so far so good with that. I've said it before the market has a great atmosphere, that I haven't experienced at some of the other DC markets. Dupont has a lot of great stuff, but OMG is it crowded. I ran into one in Georgetown it was rinky-dink, but then again it was closing down when I showed up. and the farmer's market (this was a while ago so it may have changed) near the Department of Ag, felt lacking. And Penn Quarter's farmers market, where I'm heading to after work, is good, but not the same.
I'm still loving the strawberries that are in season. I still have some waiting for turning into a strawberry spread, loosely based on
Copper Pot's recipe
seen on Fox 5. I halved all the ingredients, including the time but except the vanilla, and use the spread to make strawberry ice cream. The jellies Stefano Frigerio (Mr. Copper Pot) sells is firmer, more jell-y. Didn't see him last week at BFM, so I'll be keeping an eye out for him this weekend as his pasta sauces are wonderful.
Labels: Bloomingdale/Eckington, farmers markets, food/dining, media
Duck eggs
Sadly there were no duck eggs at the Bloomingdale Farmer's Market today when I showed up. They were available yesterday at the 14th & U market, but I didn't buy any there.
So what's the deal with duck eggs and how are they different from the chicken eggs?
When I first bought them all I was told was that bakers love duck eggs. Ok. When cooking with them, when I made scones, the only difference I noticed was they were bigger and seem to have more yolk. When I made straight scrambled eggs, I didn't care for them. But when I made ice cream, and I primarily used duck eggs there was a noticeable difference.
The ice cream recipe called for 5 egg yolks. I used 1 chicken egg and 4 duck eggs. When separating the white from the yolk, the egg was thick like a hair gel and the white didn't separate easily. I had to run my finger down the side of the broken shell to get the white to drop. After the duck eggs, I did the chicken egg, and it was like water. I followed the rest of the recipe and set the mix in the fridge overnight. When I took the mixture out and poured it into the ice cream maker it was like pudding. Really thick pudding. The finished product, chocolate ice cream, was like a frozen brownie that melted in your mouth.
Labels: farmers markets, food/dining
A mix of cheap and pricey
Maybe I would make sense to a marketer, or not. I love the Bloomingdale Farmer's Market (
this week's info at BACA Blog) and I will buy several items from the vendors there, even though they are more expensive than products I'd get at a regular supermarket. However, the quality most of the time is superior to the Giant or Safeway and neither of those places give me the experience of chatting with the producers.
On the other end, I shop at the messy and chaotic
Florida Market where I get items from the Mexican Fruit Stand. I complained to my roommate that the avocado I bought there cost me a whole $1. Last week it was 50 cents. It seems that avocados are supposed to be more than $1. I've been spoiled. The fruit stand is where I get my onions, garlic, potatoes, pineapples, bananas, mangoes, lemons and limes. I go through a lot of lemons and limes. Sometimes I do spot organic items at the fruit stand, most of the time, not.
Where quality matters I may go with the local and organic items. When I'm probably going to boil the bejeezus out of them or they will get lost in the background of other flavors, I'll go with the cheaper items. But the way I see it, the cheaper stuff saves me money so I can buy the higher quality items.
Labels: Capital City Market, farmers markets, food/dining
BFM and a teaspoon of Rolling Thunder
Besides the bikes that a few of my neighbors have, I figured the rumbling I'd hear would be limited to them and a few of their friends. Nope.
Sunday at the Bloomingdale Farmer's Market, where I wandered over to get pasta and strawberries, I saw a parade of motorcycles lead by the police. This is not a good picture, but back on Florida Ave is where a small portion of the bikes can be seen. It was a good bunch, men, predominately Afro-American, on shiny big bikes, waving to the people and honking their horns. Traffic was blocked for several minutes and it went on long enough to make me wonder if I could get back to the other side of Florida.
The mini parade went on long enough that as they were passing my attention went back to buying things. I really like the
Copper Pot's pasta sauces and meat filled pastas. I'll admit, I'm not that big of a fan of the spaghetti, but I like very, very, very thin noodles. Last night I had the lamb angelico(?), the lamb stuffed pasta,with a cream sauce I made from cream, white wine, garlic, a bit of lemon juice and some sage growing out in the yard. OMG that's good. The week before I had the rabbit pasta, which is very delicate and requires a delicate sauce. So far the lamb is my favorite.
And there were two vendors selling strawberries. Last week I made strawberry frozen yogurt with those strawberries and that very smooth yogurt found at Timor's. That was very good and no I didn't give any of that away, like I normally do with a lot of my ice creams. So this week, I bought some more strawberries, from both vendors and once again made strawberry frozen yogurt, and pina colada sorbet. Both have booze in them so that limits who I can give them away to.
Unlike store bought strawberries, these in season, local kind, don't have that tasteless white center I often find. The farmer's market strawberries are tasty throughout.
Labels: Bloomingdale/Eckington, events, farmers markets, food/dining
Bloomingdale Farmers Market Starts
The Bloomingdale Blog has the long
description of all the old and new vendors coming to my favorite little stretch of R St NW this Sunday. I'm excited. Aren't you?
Labels: Bloomingdale/Eckington, farmers markets
I really like the Bloomingdale Farmers Market
I don't care that it isn't in the TC. Nor do I care that it isn't in my single member district or whatever political or government designated boundary. All I know is that a 5 minute walk from the house brings me to a small collection of tents where I meet neighborhood friends and see familiar faces.
But you know what I really love about the market? The vibe. It is a vibe that everyone contributes to. The vendors give samples and talk about their produce and it isn't always busy so they can take the time. There are the visiting and occasional vendors mixed with the vendors that are there every week. There aren't that many vendors, and the market succeeds despite or because of it. At one point this year there may have been just 4 vendors, yesterday there ware about seven. The vendors, what they sell, where they sell, that can be planned.
What can't be planned is the turn out. That's you and me. People come from near by, from way over from central Shaw (in my lazy moments I consider 9th St far away), they bring pooches, or leave the can't play well with other pooches home, and kids. The toddlers aged kids are really entertaining. It's amazing how the 5 second rule gets applied with them.
In all this people come together. Dog owners chat with other dog owners. Maybe they've seen each other walking around but this is their first time to actually introduce themselves and say hi. Parents, sort of the same. I overheard some parents talking about pre-K and the process, one set was telling about their experience while the other set asked questions. The non-crowded-ness of the market allows the kids a little bit more free reign. Freer than what I've witnessed at Dupont, where a kid can easily be temporarily lost.
All this, and the adjacent Big Bear Cafe, contributes to a wonderful casual vibe.
Addendum- I couldn't figure where to put this above, but I need to mention a failed market in Eckington/Bloomingdale. Back in 2003 there was the short lived North Capital Farmers Market that operated at North Capitol St and Florida Ave in the unpaved dusty parking lot. There were like 2 vendors and the produce was sad and pitiful looking like something left in the refrigerator too long. It wasn't welcoming as I remember it. We learn from failure as well as success, and we need to remember that farmer's markets can fail too.
Labels: Bloomingdale/Eckington, farmers markets
OMG! CHEEEEEESE @ the Bloomingdale Farmer's Market
Scenic Artisan
has it up on the Bloomingdale Blog, but this Sunday.... rain or shine, cheese comes to the BFM. I'm so happy. What makes me even more happy? It's
Keswick Creamery. I love-luv-love their cheese. When at the super crowded
Dupont Circle Market, I would buy their yogurts and sometime the bovre. Love the bovre. Especially the bovre with herbs. I'm so happy I may burst. No, I'll just squeal in delight like an oversugared 2 year old.
Also coming will be humanely raised veal, some beef, 'shrooms, and eggs.
Labels: Bloomingdale/Eckington, farmers markets
Bloomingdale Farmers Market Better
Yesterday I stopped by the
Dupont Circle market sometime after I had picked up fruits and corn from the
Bloomingdale Farmers Market. I like BFM a bit better than DFM, and just as much as the
PQ(Penn Quarter)FM.
Yes the Penn Quarter and Bloomingdale Farmer's markets are smaller, but not as frigging crowded. Maybe the vendors like crowds, but I don't. There just doesn't seem to be enough room. Besides, I like the 'crowd' at BFM, as most of the time I run into a Truxton neighbor there.
Second, Bloomingdale is cheaper. I saw corn at Dupont for .70 cents an ear. Bloomingdale it was .50 cents. I know you don't go to farmers markets to save money, but when you can, do.
Labels: farmers markets
New Vendor at Bloomingdale Farmers Market
This is just too good to throw on the announcements page (from the BFM organizers):
I am VERY excited to tell you that we are adding a NEW vegetable
farmer to Bloomingdale Farmers Market starting THIS Sunday. I just came back from a farm visit where I saw all their fields including these tomatoes plants that are growing healthy and tall ( field -ripened tomatoes coming soon!)
Their Virginia fields are in a warm, sunny microclimate so their crops ripen early -- and they will add a LOT of variety to the market. (think sweet corn in late June)
This Sunday they will bring: quarts of mixed baby squash (zucchini, one ball, 8 ball, sunburst, pattypan, Kousa), mixed summer squash, squash blossoms, broccoli, baby new potatoes (red Pontiac and Yukon Gold), asparagus, vidalia-style sweet onions, spring onions, english peas (shelled and unshelled), sugar snaps, purple top turnips, Choggia beets, red beets, swiss Chard.....and the first raspberries
of the season (come early, they will go fast)
And Flowers,too. They will bring their field- grown flowers (lilies, yarrow, zinnia) and their beautiful hanging baskets on Sunday. (They will also have bedding plants and flowers.)
Please stop by and welcome Garner to the Bloomingdale Farmers Market.
They are very excited about becoming part of BFM!
Robin and Ted
Labels: Bloomingdale/Eckington, farmers markets
This sunday
I ran into
Timor Sunday after getting a few things at the Bloomingdale Farmer's market because the line for the bacon was too long. Oh, and there weren't any eggs at the market. Too long, as in it was raining, and the line at the salad/ pork products tent was a little past the canopy. So it was just easier to walk over to Timor. While I was there I noticed Kim has some cleaning and other products from
Seventh Generation.
Anyway, the market was good to have back. I don't know what's going on with the seasons but the only fruit in abundance I saw were apples. I've noticed the same problem at the Penn Quarter market. The 7th Street Garden had one little pint of strawberries that got bought up while I was wandering around. I thought May was strawberry season. Well I'll wait for the cherries and berries that make the markets a joy.
Labels: Bloomingdale/Eckington, farmers markets
Bloomingdale Farmers Market Back This Sunday
Are you excited?
I'm excited.
This is the message from Ted from the other side of Florida Ave:
This Sunday May 18th the second season of the Bloomingdale Farmers Market will start at 10am on R street NW between First street NW and Florida Ave. (same location as last year)
The market will run from 10am till 2pm each Sunday rain or shine, May 18th through November 23rd.
We welcome Senior and WIC GET FRESH checks.
Our theme this year is act Green, lets try to have a plastic bag free market. Please bring reusable bags or recycled store bags to haul the bounty of the Good Earth home. Buying locally grown or raised foods will help to reduce your annual carbon footprint by 11%. Using your own bags will reduce that amount even further. Ask about the new line of compostable single use cups and plates that the Big Bear Cafe plans to use. We are going to start a demonstration composting project at Emery Elementary school using the post consumer waste from the Big Bear.
Reid will have herb plants for sale
Truck Patch will have free range Pork and great spring salad greens
Bread Line -Fresh baked breads
See you all there.
Labels: Bloomingdale/Eckington, farmers markets
Bloomingdale Farmers Market not a given for next year
RED ALERT! According to the Eckington Listserv there is some opposition from residents of the little section of the 100 block of R St to the market so, it is not a given for next year. I can't begin to describe the range of emotions I feel. This market is such a part of my week and a part of my life now. It's where I run into my neighbors, it's where I get my seasonal fruit and salad and eggs. The market make the Mari(e) happy, and my heart sinks at the idea of it not coming back in the Spring.
ANC commish Kris Hammond made the comment, "Naturally, residents adversely affected should be heeded; we should be open to alternatives that minimize the negatives." So people of Bloomingdale and Truxton I know we have the brain power to think of solutions to affected resident's parking woes. Please don't let the market be a one hit wonder.
Correction: Not 200 Blk but 100 blk.Labels: Bloomingdale/Eckington, farmers markets
Buncha Bloomingdale Stuff
Ya know there are like 2 or 3 Bloomingdale blogs.Farmers market still the neatest thing since sliced multi-grain bread. Every time I go there I think, damn, this/my neighborhood is so cool. Yes, technically in Bloomingdale, but right on the TC/Shaw border. It’s the vibe. You run into neighbors and people with kids, people with dogs, people with people. Some of the
vendors at the market take WIC so there is an income mix and fresh food goes to the people. The market goes on until sometime in November, so if you haven’t experienced it, go.
Friday, North Capitol Main Streets had a beer and wine tasting at Bloomingdale Liquors. That was an interesting social experiment. ‘Cause you get a mix of people going in and out. There was a beer table and a wine table, and a big crowd. I only got one little cup of wine, and the merlot wasn’t that great, but I was told the other higher end but lower priced red was much better, Unfortunately, they were out of the better red by the time I made my way back to the table. The store seemed to be doing some fairly brisk business. Of course it was Friday night. Before I bought my tequila (for a great shrimp tequila cerviche dish) I was asked if I was going to bother reporting about the ‘secret meeting’ that occurred two days before. Not a secret meeting, because I posted it in the
announcements.
DC GOP hold meeting in back of the St. George's Episcopal church basement to meet with 3-4 Ward 5 Republicans and an Independent. The goal, as I’m remembering this off the top of my head, is to hear what the people want. Lower crime, lower taxes, and better support for small businesses, which this city seems so hostile to, seems to be desired.
And lastly, circling back to the market area, check out the
Big Bear if you haven't been there lately. There is a thing in the corner, which was supposed to be there till Oct 14th, was still there when I passed by Friday, so hopefully the Bear got the extention for this installation piece.
Labels: Bloomingdale/Eckington, events, farmers markets, politics
Les Petit Chanteurs
Know know I get emails about events, and since I don't really post well on command I just copy & paste them to the main
InShaw.com site (provided I actually read them on time and they don't get caught by the filter). So I'm back reading the post about the event I've attended today and wondering if the wonderfulness of it all appeared in the announcement at all.
I attended St. George's on the 100 block of U, because I didn't get up in time to bike to my usual church, and to my surprise Les Petits Chanteurs, musicians from Haiti, where going to be there. It shouldn't have been a surprise, because it was posted, and in theory I did read it.
A person of note appeared there, and I'm being vague because when notable person left, said person said something to me on the way out and I have no clue what was said because I was busy reciting. My mouth was open and the ears were closed. So I'm going to cover myself on the oft chance the person said, don't post this.
The choir of Les Petits Chanteurs was great and really made my worship experience awesome and after church when they arrived at the market, they made my neighborhood experience even more so awesome. Also making the market experience awesome, Carolina BBQ. Free Carolina BBQ. You guys said BBQ, but I wasn't clear on what kind. Chopped vinegared pork is some of the best kind.
I guess credit for this wonderful Sunday morning and afternoon should go to Councilman Harry Thomas Jr., the organizers of the Bloomingdale Farmer's market, and the gaggle of Davenports (Lana, ANC Stu, Stu's dad, and Stu's Grandma) who made this cultural event possible.
See my
flickr page for more pix of the event.
Labels: events, farmers markets
Three who improved my Sunday
Let's start with Peter. I made a 2nd run over to the Bloomingdale farmer's market to pick up snacks for the weekend painting. While I was there I noticed some guy in front of the Big Bear playing guitar. His back was to the market, facing the R Street entrance of the Bear, but I knew who it was, it was Peter, a neighbor. He and his wife live a block from my house and it was great to see very local talent. The thing that made me feel good was, I asked Peter to play some blues to enhance my shopping experience, he did, and that made me happy.
Right after leaving the market with a bag of cherries, I ran into another neighbor and gave him a house tour. He validated some of my decisions about painting the brick and the new layout which made the place unique. If you count the kitchen that was done several years back, the renovations have been quite customized and geared towards pleasing me and not so much a future buyer. I don't/won't have the stainless steel, granite countertop, oak/maple floor, CAC, bricky exposed brick, standard tub, marble tile set up that has become quite common in many renovations. There is nothing wrong in liking and wanting those things, but they don't reflect me and my desires. I like my counter tops to be forgiving with china and glass. I love my heated floors and I love my radiators. The living rm floors were recycled from what was under the carpet. The tub, a used and now repainted clawfoot, promises me some soaking enjoyment with showering utility. The house has character, now hopefully, the good kind.
Then later that day I met up with a colleague at a mixer (the American Library Association was in town, did you notice?). We were talking, and I mentioned this blog that I'm going to semi-retire and spin off something else that excites me, neighborhood history. Then he and I got to talking about historic districts and preservation and realized we were of the same mind. I can't explain this joy that rushed over me, to encounter someone with a strong academic background in history and a true understanding that not every d*mn thing can be preserved. Then he mentioned that somewhere out there there is some data that recently shows that houses in historic districts do less well in the real estate market because of the restrictions. He also explained the difference between antiquarians and historians.
Labels: farmers markets, historic districts, neighborhood history, renovation
