Good Food...It Really is Out There, So Go Look!!

Greetings on a happy 4th of July! Well the title pretty much sums up what I am writing about today. Since beginning my journey on the cookbook, I have begun to travel to different Farmers Markets. Each one is located nearby to home and it has been such fun taking the time to talk and meet many different people. This past Wednesday I paid a visit to the market in Dedham and I have to say that it was a great time with lots of energy and enthusiasm. My oldest son was with me and he had a blast talking to people, grabbing a few samples and watching videos of caramel being made!! An addition to the cookbook that he insists should be included.

Before we get into the fun stuff and learn about the vendors and people at the Market...I have to give you a fair warning that I used my phone for taking some of the pictures and they may not look that hot! I am also going to be going away from the book at the end of the blog because I want to send some love out to Pirate Lemonade...Arghhhhh (that last bit should be read with a pirate voice in your head)

The Dedham Farmers Market is home to many different vendors and I was really impressed with the variety and quality of the products and people. Everyone I spoke with was more than willing to discuss their products and offered suggestions and encouragement for my book project. The ideas and inspiration were flowing all the way around and if you are in that neck of the woods or just want a few hours to visit the downtown area, you  are in for a good time! Visit the Facebook page for the Market by clicking here.

After grabbing some fresh produce and other goodies I would also suggest a trip down High St. to the Dedham Square Artist Guild. You can find one of a kind items at the small store including stunning photography, hand-made pottery, jewelery and glass works! Supporting local artists and craftsmen is something that we should all do and the products are ones which will create memories and last a lifetime. Visit them at www.dedhamguild.com

It is a well documented fact that my sweet tooth was captured a couple of years ago by my friend Maureen and the team of Cupcake Mojo. I came across perhaps the only person who might be able to say that she could match Mojo and pull me away from the cupcakes I love so much! Meet Nancy from Pie on The Fly, this was one of the most interesting ideas I have seen in a really long time! Nancy uses all top notch ingredients to make delicious pie fillings, chills them down and serves it all up inside of a waffle cone! If you want she will even dip the cone into chocolate and coat it with crushed cookies or candy pieces. This is a new idea for Nancy who has only been in business for a short time and she sells out in short order as well. With flavors like Key Lime, Fresh Strawberry, Banana Cream, Chocolate Banana Cream and traditional Apple it is surprising to find anyone who can resist the lure of this tasty treat. Before I forget though, she also has fillings made so that it doesn't stretch the waistline either...because for all you calorie and point counters...it is only 2 points! Feel free to reach out to Nancy with this email address nancy@pieonthefly.net


This wasn't the only sweet treat to get my attention though. I have a few recipes that use caramel as an ingredient and my favorite one, which is slotted for the book is Caramel Crumb Apple Pie!! So imagine my surprise when I came around the corner and found my jaw dropping to the ground at the sight of McCrea's Candies. It is seldom that I am at a loss for words, sadly this is the case here! I find it difficult to express the devotion that owner and Caramel Scientist Jason McCrea has for his products. I spent some time looking over the website (find it by clicking here) and the passion, commitment, and quality is evident on each page. While standing and trying to get my son to stop drooling and rushing forward with a mad gleam in his eye, I met Celia Ho who is described as the companies Caramel Evangelist. Celia explained how the caramel is made from scratch by hand and is carefully rolled out and flavored with some of the finest ingredients around. She wasn't kidding either...with flavors like Ginger Fusion, Highland Scotch, Rosemary Truffle Sea Salt, Basil Cayenne and Vanilla, you are guaranteed to find a flavor or three that will satisfy your taste buds. I am very much looking forward to a chance to visit this particular candy making slice of heaven and exploring the rich and tasty story of their journey to caramel happiness.

Next on my trip through the market was a good sized spread of produce from The Neighborhood Farm. This is not an ordinary farm stand though, describing it is a little difficult so here is an excerpt from their own website which can be found here.

"2008 was our first growing season.  We grew produce in 5 garden sites located in private yards in the  Needham area.  We started The Neighborhood Farm because we wanted to grow local, healthy food for our community and we wanted to encourage others to do the same. However, the lack of undeveloped, reasonably priced land in the Boston suburbs forced us to think of a different way to farm. We were inspired by the victory gardens of WWII and felt that many market gardens might be the most practical way to bring a new “farm” to the suburbs.

Currently, we have about 4 and a half acres of gardens spread across 7 sites stretched in a ribbon through Needham, Dedham, and Medfield.  6 of our sites are located in private yards, and the 7th site is located on land owned by the Trustees of Reservations."

Flavor with room to spare!! Brandywine Heirloom Tomatoes

What really caught my attention was the selection of heirloom tomatoes that were out on display. Heirloom tomatoes are dramatically different from their distant supermarket cousins, who for years have been cultivated and grown to fit a perfect red and round mold. Those same tomatoes, have had over the year the natural flavors diluted and suppressed. A more simple way to define Heirloom Tomatoes would be that they are generally considered to be a variety that has been passed down, through several generations of a family because of their flavor traits. When making traditional sauces, soups, salads and even fresh salsa...the addition of one of these all natural flavor packed tomatoes can make a significant and vast difference in the finished product. I have SEVERAL recipes where I am really looking forward to trying out some of the more than 30 different varieties that are available. When you include some of the other produce that is grown including Heirloom Garlic and several varieties of hot and spicy peppers, The Neighborhood Farm have certainly reached for the stars and grabbed hold with both hands. This should make for a great story and I am hoping that they will also let me grab some fantastic photos as well!

So I think that it is time to wrap things up for today!! Before I leave the blog, I have one more item/place/idea that I want to share with everyone. I head to the different Farmers Markets to talk with people, sample different foods and gain some valuable inspiration for what I love to do. At times though you run into someone who will make you pause and listen. In the case of this next vendor, it is more of an endorsement and a salute to human spirit. Jack & Eric's Pirate Lemonade, a fixture at
the Dedham Farmers Market, this small non-flashy little stand wasn't selling anything...in fact they were giving out free lemonade and looking for any donations both big or small. Two young boys age 12 and 9 are working to raise money for the Dedham Toys For Tots along with helping local families. They give up their time to give back to a community they are obviously very proud of. The reason they do all of this...simply put "because it is the pirate way". Please visit them over on Facebook and give their page a like. If more people cared and followed the pirate way, this world truly would be a different place. Fantastic job guys!! I was both proud and impressed!

That's all for today! I have a bio coming up of the Kitchen Time cookbook photographer, Shannon Libby as well as postings from my upcoming trips to the Weymouth, Falmouth and Roslindale market's!! Much love and get ready for the big launch of our Kickstarter Project.

Find us at the Kitchen Time website www.teachingyoutocook.com or over on Facebook, just click on the link

-Chef Sean

A View From The Market

We are currently rocketing through the month of June and this past weekend I paid a visit to the Farmers Market in Hingham, MA. I wanted to see what was available for produce this early in the season and I also wanted to the chance to start doing some research into my book. Making that initial contact with people was making me pretty nervous and as I got out of the car I had a few doubts crowding around inside my brain. I met several people, all of whom were amazing and they each seemed to really like the idea I had come up with for the book. In fact most were openly supportive of the idea that a cookbook should tell a story and promote what I feel is the best way for us all to be eating. Real food, being produced by real people...what else could be better than that? I wish that time and funds would allow me to travel all over the country to experience what different Markets have to offer...but for now I will have to limit myself to being local and hopefully when the Kickstarter project is given the final green light, I will be able to travel throughout New England to see what is really happening and to see what people are really thinking!!

I think that it is important to keep a running record of the people and places that I am able to visit. It gives me a clear picture of what my goal is and allows me to share with everyone just where I am on this journey. It may in fact change as time goes on, I am not really sure of the format that I will be using here on the blog page, inside of the book I plan on linking stuff with lots of recipes and pictures...unfortunately I don't have pictures yet for the people and places I was just talking to and about. Today, we are just going to wing it and I will make some improvements as I go along!!

Fresh Vanilla is something nobody should
ever miss out on!!

Authentically You Powersnacks- Allow me to introduce Lara D. Amaral, Certified Holistic Health Coach and the founder of Authentically You Wellness, LLC. I was able to spend some time talking with Lara about her line of Powersnacks and was even able to try one out. I have to say that I was impressed with the flavor and texture. Lara has gone and combined several all organic components into a very healthy and tasty snack that is bursting with energy. In all my years I have never seen a power or granola bar that could match this. The genius of this product comes from the ingredients which are organic, sugar free, gluten free, dairy free, vegan, soy free, trans fat free and the best of all...they are GMO free!! Take a look at this line-up of good health, taken directly from Lara's own website.

"The Authentically You! Powersnacks which are coconut based and are essentially raw macaroons, come in varieties such as Vanilla, Almond, Banana, Lemon, Ginger Blueberry, Nutty (which tastes like a peanut butter, but it's not!), Chocolate Cinnamon, Chocolate Vanilla, Spicy Chocolate, Ginger Chocolate, Pinacolada and coming soon...Pumpkin!  Of course all chocolate varieties are made with Organic Raw Cacao Powder!

The Authentically You! Powersnacks which are fruit and nut based come in varieties such as Blueberry Pecan, Blueberry Cashew, Blueberry Almond, Cashew Date, Triple Berry Walnut (Goji Berries, Incan berries and Mulberries), Double Berry Pecan (Blueberries and Goji Berries), Strawberry Cashew, Cranberry Pecan, Cranberry Almond, Sunflower Date (Sunflower Seeds, Coconut, Turkish Apricots) and coming soon...Apple Pecan, Banana Walnut, Chocolate Walnut & Pumpkin Pecan!"

Want to learn more about Lara and what she does? Please visit her webpage by clicking here 

In my mind, these are not just great snacks...but would make excellent additions to breakfast with fresh fruit or yogurt. Lara truly understands what it means to not just eat healthy, but to be healthy as well. Packages were available in different sizes and price ranges so it didn't break the bank and she had samples of everything to try!! I am looking forward to the chance at speaking more with Lara about how these great ingredients can impact our daily lives and trying some of them out in the recipes I am working on in the book. I have a stuffing in mind that I want to try with an Apple Roasted Chicken and I also really love the idea of possibly crafting some of her ideas into baking, desserts and possibly even breads!

I also had a chance to visit with River Rock Farm and Manager, Charlie Sayer!! Now this was something unexpected to encounter at the market. I love the idea of a farm where you can get your hands on quality products and Charlie has that and more. River Rock specializes in beef that is all natural, pasture raised and dry-aged for optimal quality. One of the things which frustrates me as a consumer and a Chef is the quality of meats we purchase at the supermarket. Today, most cattle have been raised with a diet rich in hormones and antibiotics along with being fed grains that are not typical of a cows diet. I mentioned in an earlier blog post about the quality of products in todays market and how to buy organic, take a look at it by clicking here. Getting back towards my original point...Finding quality vegetables and fruits at the market is fairly easy and we have exceptional and hard working people to thank for that. When you are able to find a true source of quality meat though, it is a rare and special treat.

Most consumers are unaware of what dry-aged means when talking about meat. Looking over at the website for River Rock Farm, this is what they have to say...

"Beef is aged by keeping it unwrapped under refrigeration for a number of days. Our beef is aged in USDA-inspected coolers, under the supervision of experienced butchers and a USDA inspector. As the meat ages, natural enzymes are released that help breakdown connective tissue in the meat, producing a more tender meat. As moisture evaporates, the flavor of the meat is concentrated, producing a more flavorful meat. Every cut of beef that we sell has been aged for 21-30 days."

 

When I think of creating recipes around meats like this I feel a tingle down into my toes, my grill begins to salivate and my brain starts to wonder about making classic dishes such as a Pot Roast with Fresh Rosemary, Grilled Flank Steak Over Sweet Potato Hash and Marinated Steak Tips with Grilled Vegetables.

 

Doing research never tasted this good. I can't wait for the chance to get out to River Rock Farm and visit with Charlie to learn more about what he does and to see the cattle being raised and cared for the way they should be. For more information about River Rock Farm, the meats and how you can get them yourself please click this link!

 

 

As my journey continued around the market I noticed that time was ticking away from me, much like tonight as I am writing! Before I go though, I wanted to mention one last vendor who really made me smile.

 

Danielle Verzone is the owner and wizard of Sirenetta, Seaside Chocolatier! As I was strolling by I noticed her impressive menu of very distinct flavors and immediately had to stop and see what it was all about! Each season brings about a whole host of new flavors and Danielle makes all of her chocolates by hand using fresh ingredients, flavored with fine herbs, liqueurs, spices and fruits. The rich Swiss and French chocolates are combined to create flavors that are truly one of a kind! With flavors like Hazelnut Rum, Zesty Limoncello, Rhubarb Ginger and Chili Passion as part of her mix it is easy to see how these flavors would pair well with seasonal berries or vintage port wines during the winter months. I think that what captured my attention most about Danielle was her story of reaching out and following her dream. This is one of the reasons that I want to write the Kitchen Time book!! To have a chance at reaching out for the dream and making it come true, this is part of that 'story' I keep mentioning. Hopefully sometime this summer I will have a chance to visit again with Danielle and learn more about her story and her chocolates!

 

To learn more about Danielle and Sirenetta click this link. If you would like to see the impressive and star studded menu of gourmet chocolates she has available, click here.

 

OK, that's all I am going to write for tonight!! Coming up later this weekend is part two of my visit to the Hingham Farmers Market. Stick around as I chat about my visit with Copicut Farms and Queen Bee Honey. I will also be heading out this week and next, visiting more markets and getting to know the people behind all the great food! Thanks for reading and I hope to see everyone at the Markets soon.

As always if you want to learn more about Kitchen Time, visit us over on Facebook or our official website which is found at www.teachingyoutocook.com
 

 

-Chef Sean