eat make read

Every weekend when we go to the market at Grand Army Plaza, Maxwell Farms is one of the first tents we hit up. Not only is it overflowing with some of the best product the market has to offer, like fresh herbs, tomatillos (yum tomatillo salsa), peppers, corn, melons.. basically all sorts of goodness, but it also has some of the friendliest vendors you’ll ever meet. One such person is Allison Plumer, who also happens to love Maude and showers her with attention every time we visit. I recently interviewed Allison via email to see just what it takes to sell goods at the greenmarket every week.

eatmakeread:
How did you start working for Maxwell farm?
allison plummer:
I started working for maxwell’s 3 years ago when I came back from Italy and was flat broke. I am best friends with Alex, who is Bill the farmer’s son. He offered me a spot at the market and said it was hard work and the hours sucked but I may like it… and I totally do

emr:
How long have you been doing it?
ap:
I’ve been doing it for 3 summers, and I worked the winter as well this past year, but working for other greenmarket vendors who brave the cold, I have also worked for Rick’s Pick’s who is at the Saturday market, and I also work for the wheatgrass man and a small apple farm (Race Farm) in union square

emr:
What is your role on the farm?
ap:
I am embarrassed to say, I have never been to Maxwell’s farm, and Bill will never let me live it down! I am the urban farmer, I am the only employee that works all the markets. On Wednesdays we do a market by the U.N on 47th and 2nd and Bill doesnt come into that market, I run the operation.

emr:
What does your farm produce?

ap:
All the farm’s at the greenmarket range in size. Phillips, for example, runs a massive operation, they have hundreds of acres they work with. Maxwell’s is pushing 65 acres. Bill calls the farm “controlled chaos”, he has things planted everywhere.
One thing that amazes me is he does so many varieties with so little space, for example he grows 6 different types of eggplant! He does everything from asparagus to zebra stripe tomatoes. In the heart of the summer its hard for us to find a spot for everything at the market!

emr:
You work at the greenmarket each Saturday, can you tell us what that day is like? For example, do you have to get up really early and pack the truck?
ap:
Saturday is the hardest market of the week for us, we are bombarded with customers all day, and despite the number of workers we have, the line still wraps around the stand.
Since I’m coming from Queens, I leave my house 4:45, Bill leaves the farm at 4:30. The boys on the farm pack the truck the night before so its ready to go for him in the morning. As soon as we all arrive, its like the gears just start moving, we all have our own little jobs which we automatically do. I take care of the herb displays, hot peppers, tomatoes and I always keep my eye on the corn. Bill organizes things as we move them off the truck, 2 guys are always on the back handing things out to us, I can’t do that job because I can’t reach the heavy things on top, but Alex and I are in charge of loading the truck up at the end of the day.

emr:
What do you think about movements like organic and/or locavore?
ap:
The organic movement drives me crazy! Lol, Don’t get me wrong I am a huge advocate of organics, but I work for a conventional local farm and there are so many people out there who are misinformed about organics and assume anything not raised in organic soil is poison. Its a frustrating to deal with a customer who comes up with armfulls of produce and then asks, “Are you guys organic?” - No, we aren’t, we are a small conventional farm, we don’t spray everything, and things that are sprayed are done so in a very thoughtful manner and only when necessary. Bill is very honest about answering this question and 9 times out of 10 the person will drop the stuff on the table and say thank you anyway. We often deal with people who assume everyone at the market is organic. Last week I was answering this question for someone and an elderly customer of ours looked at the lady and said, I’ve been eating their food for 23 years and I’m doing just fine. The lady ended up taking the veggies.

emr:
Do you cook? If yes, what’s your favorite thing to cook?
ap:
I went to school for photography, and after working the market for a few years I have trasitioned into the culinary world. Its hard not to cook when constantly surrounded by food! Half of the market job is talking to the customers. I teach people how to cook things all day, and in turn I learn a lot from my customers. Despite the fact the Bill grows all these great things, he never has time to cook and doesn’t know what to tell people half the time. We have a lot of celebrity chefs who are faithful customers and I am also picking their brains. I started cooking by taking home the veggies I was unfamiliar with and looking up recipies and experimenting. Right now i’m on a total corn kick until the season goes out. Spicy corn soup, corn fritters, rice and corn with black beans and cilantro…

emr:
Do you have other interests or hobbies?
ap:
Food has become my favorite hobby, however I also silkscreen. Maxwells know sells reuseable shopping bags that Alex and I printed on and we are currently making t-shirts! Hit me up on saturday and I’ll give you guys one. I have my own line of t-shirts called Lady Killer designs.

emr:
Lastly, is there anything about working on a farm that you think would surprise people?
ap:
The hours are long, its impossible to call out sick, but half the time I don’t feel like I’m working and I never have to answer a phone and I get all of the best food out there for pennies because I know everyone at the market. Bill tells people all the time that he farms because it beats working for a living.

Thank you to Allison and everyone at Maxwell farms for working hard to bring tasty vegetables into the city.

I read two articles in the Times last week that really inspired me. The first one is about Agustín Juárez, a farmer on Staten Island who specializes in produce indigenous from Mexico. Mr. Juárez sells his goods at a farmers market that was once home to only old stripmalls, but has been brought back to life by people like him who are bringing fresh food to a neighborhood that was in need of it. The thing that really struck me is that he spends about 20 hours each week tending the farm, after he’s worked 60 hours a week washing dishes in a local Italian restaurant. It really made me think about the food I eat and how grateful I am for the people who work so hard to grow the food I eat.

The second one is about an urban farm named Growing Power in Milkwaukee that just received a $500,000 “genius grant”. Will Allen bought the farm, which was the last registered farm in the city, and has transformed it into an operation that produces everything from fresh product to meat and fish. The farm brings fresh, high-quality food into an area that’s considered “food desert” and during the process brings economic growth and community development to the area. It’s pretty cool to see how one idea can transform a community and in turn be an example for the world.

From New York Soil, the Taste of Home

An Urban Farmer Is Rewarded for His Dream

Last week was apple sauce, this week is apple chips. Mmmm they are so good and so simple. You do need time though, but if its rainy out like it was here in brooklyn, they’re a perfect recipe to try out. You simply slice some apples, lay them on a thin bed of powdered sugar, top them off with more powdered sugar and let them bake to a crisp in the oven for a few hours. See, that was so easy!

The result is beautifully crisp slivers of apple with a tinge of sweetness. I used Gala apples and the flavor burst in your mouth with each bite. And let me tell you, there will be lots of bites, because these little puppies are addictive. Luckily apples are good for you, so eat up and enjoy!

apple chips

4 gala apples, or a sweet, crisp apple of your choice
6-8 Tablespoons powdered sugar

1
Thinly slice apples as thin as you can get them.
2
Sprinkle a thin layer of powdered sugar over 2 baking sheets.
3
Arrange slices in one layer over sugar, then sprinkle another thin layer of powdered sugar over top.
4
Place the baking sheets in the over and bake for an hour. Switch positions of the baking sheets and place back in the oven for another hour. When the time is up, check on them to see if they’re crisp, if not place them back in until they’re slightly golden and crisp.
5
Once you remove them from the oven, remove from baking sheet and place on cooling racks. Once completely cooled, place in air-tight container. This is key, if you leave them out they’ll get soft and it’s no fun.

I’ve done it again. Or rather, I haven’t done it. I didn’t get around to mixing up a happy hour drink. I guess I’ll just have to make up for it this weekend which I’m so, so looking forward to. I bet you are too. So let’s plan on sipping a nice cool beverage and relaxing.

Cheers!

I was listening to a Splendid Table podcast a while back and she had a guest on who was talking about her cookbook collection. She was a caterer and had accumulated quite a collection of cookbooks, but when she decided to move, she realized there wasn’t enough room to take them all. The thing is, how do you choose which ones to keep and which ones to get rid of? She came up with a system where the one you just can’t live without goes in the center, then you build it out on either side based on criteria that goes from broad to narrow. So something like joy of cooking would be on the inside, but something about cupcakes would go on the outside. Anyways, that was a bit of a long introduction to basically say, I cleaned my pantry. And that included organizing my cookbooks and weeding out a few old magazines and such. But it also made me sit back and think about my little cookbook collection and the ones I really rely on.

I have this cookbook that is like my heart. It’s actually my first cookbook, one that my mother hand wrote all her favorite recipes along with the recipes she knew I loved. You can bet it was smack in the center of all my cookbooks. When she gave it to me, I was in college, living in my first apartment and quite frankly not that into cooking. I’d refer to it every once in awhile, but it wasn’t until a few years later that I really began to look at it and try some of the recipes. Over the years I’ve added a few recipes to it, ones that have stood the test of time and deserve to be remembered. Now it’s my go-to book when I want something comforting or something that will come out just right. What cookbook would be in the middle of your stack?

Aaron sent me a link to Kitchen Caravan recently and I’m kind of in love. The web site is full of great recipes, interesting articles and informative videos. I especially like this one with Senator Tom Harkin explaining the farm bill and this one about how to make and freeze tomato sauce. Check it out and see for yourself!

I’ve had risotto on my mind for a while now. I made it earlier this year for the first time, and although that recipe didn’t quite do it for me, I felt like I needed to give risotto another try with something a little safer. When I saw a recipe for pesto risotto in “How To Eat Supper”, I knew that would be right up my alley.

I’ve been picking up basil throughout the summer and making pesto, then freezing it. So I didn’t follow the recipe for pesto, I just took some out of the freezer and let it thaw. I did however follow the recipe for making risotto that included boiling it in chicken broth, adding a cup at a time until it was cooked all the way. Oh boy, the result was just what I was looking for. I absolutely loved the freshness of the pesto with the warm, comforting softness of the risotto. And while the risotto takes a little tending, it’s a nice departure from other pastas, making the extra attention worth it.

As if it couldn’t get any better, Lynne Rossetto Kasper gave an additional recipe for the leftovers, fried risotto patties. Ummm, key to my heart. I came home from work all tired and a little ornery, but then I remembered this recipe for fried risotto patties and the night started looking up. I pulled out my day old risotto, made a few little patties, dipped them in egg wash then some panko crumbs and I was minutes away from risotto indulgence. The outside got golden and crispy while the inside remained a little gooey and soft, full of flavor from the pesto. It was a tasty and easy treat after a long day.

pesto risotto
based on a recipe from “How To Eat Supper”

pesto, such as this recipe

risotto
3 Tablespoons butter or good-tasting extra virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, minced*
salt and fresh-ground black pepper
1 large garlic clove, minced
1 heaping cup Italian Arborio or Canaroli rice
1/4 cup dry white wine*
3 1/2-4 cups chicken broth

garnish with pine nuts

* I didn’t have either of these and it still turned out tasty.

1
Prepare pesto and set aside.
2
In a heavy saucepan, heat the butter or oil over medium heat. Add onions and salt and pepper. Saute until onions are soft and clear, about 3 minutes.
3
Blend in garlic and rice, cook about 3 minutes, stirring often.
4
Raise the heat to medium high. Stir in the wine until it’s absorbed. (If you don’t have wine just skip to next step)
5
Begin adding broth, 1 cup at a time, simmering and stirring each addition until the liquid is absorbed before adding the next cup. Never cover the pot. Once you’ve started adding the broth, the cook time is about 15 minutes.
6
Afrer cooking about 3 cups, start adding the broth in 1/2 cup portions and begin tasting the risotto.
7
When it’s ready, the rice should be close to tender, with a little more firmness to the bite than you’d like, and it should be nearly soupy (it will continue cooking and absorb a little more broth in the next step). Never cook the rice to a mush.
8
Immediately remove the pot from the heat, let it stand for 3 minutes. Fold in the pesto, sprinkle with pine nuts and eat up.

Fall is here! It’s definitely my favorite season… I just love the colors and the temperature and wearing a comfy sweater outside. With fall comes apples, lots and lots of apples. I thought my first apple recipe of the season would be something pretty straight-forward, good old applesauce.

I picked up a variety of apples at the market this weekend to prepare. Once I was ready I peeled, cored and sliced the apples and tossed them in a pot with some water and lemon juice. I added some sugar and spices and from there it’s pretty easy. About 20 minutes later my apples were nice and soft and sending a lovely fall aroma throughout the apartment. The result was better than I hoped for. The applesauce was super appley, had a nice spice to it, but wasn’t sweet either. Honestly, it was just perfect, definitley the best applesauce I’ve ever eaten.

Ahhh, I just love fall.

Fresh Applesauce
makes 8 cups

9 medium size apples, a few different varieties
2/3 cup water
1/3 cup lemon juice (or about 1 lemon)
2/3 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon all-spice

1
Pour water and lemon juice into a heavy saucepan.
2
Peel, core and cut apples into 1-inch pieces. Toss immediately into saucepan to prevent browning.
3
Add sugar, salt and spices and put over medium-high heat.
4
Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer for about 20 minutes, until apples get soft.
5
Remove from heat and mash with potato masher.
6
Pour into containers and store in fridge for up to 2 weeks.

Sweet goodness I’m so happy it’s Friday! Today’s happy hour focuses on a producer of delicious brews, Sixpoint Brewery based in Red Hook Brooklyn. We took a tour of their brewery last weekend (during the Added Value event) and it was really great to see where the magic happens. I think the last brewery tour I took was the Miller Brewery in Milwaukee back when I was about 14. The differences couldn’t be greater, thank goodness. Sixpoint is a tiny operation, based in a small brick building about the size of our apartment and started by a couple of guys from Wisconsin. But what they lack in size, they more than make up for in spirit and good tastes. The brewers taught us about different types of hops, even letting us taste different types, some that were fresh and others that were cooked for longer and had a deeper flavor. It was interesting to understand how much the flavor of beer is influenced by those little seeds.

Perhaps the best part of the tour came after it was over and the beer started pouring. We tried four of their best brews, brownstone, a nice slighty darker and nuttier beer, bengali tiger IPA, a super hoppy beer, Righteous Ale, a wheat beer and sweet reaction, a special edition of sweet action, a slightly more citrusy beer. Unfortunately Sixpoint doesn’t bottle their beer yet, but if your in the New York area, look for sixpoint at your local bar, it’s good stuff.

Cheers! Have a fablulous weekend!