To Come...

Farm Fresh Recipe:

Gazpacho Salad
Grilled Chicken, rubbed with our new Pride of New York meat rubs from the Tango Spice Company.
Roasted Fingerlings with dill.

Drink Pairing:  Margarita.

*I will post recipe and procedure soon!

All about Eggs!

So many of our customers come in asking various questions about our eggs and chickens. I figured I would give everyone a run down on the facts of chicken and eggs:

There are two different kinds of chickens that we raise:
broilers, which are catagorized as meat chickens the ones that you will find in our display case.
And, pullets or hens, when full grown, which are your egg laying chickens and the better producers of a quantity of eggs. Now, it's not to say all chickens don't lay eggs it is just that some are bred to be much better at it.

In our coop.

In terms of color and size there is no difference in taste. It is simply that brown chickens lay brown eggs and white chickens lay white eggs, makes sense right? The one thing, as far as my knowledge goes thus far, that might be slightly different is the shell on a brown egg is slightly harder than that of its white counter part.

The size of the egg depends on the age of the chicken. When a hen is young it is called a pullet and she tends to lay smaller eggs. These eggs we call pullet eggs and are available once our new batch starts laying. They are said to be slightly sweeter than a normal size egg... but I have not proved this yet (too be continued on that section). Jumbo and large eggs come from a mature hen and the super jumbo you will sometimes find in our case are from an old girl who is well ripened in the egg laying game. ;) Still, there is no difference in taste only the size and a possible, if your lucky, double yolk!

Last but not least chickens lay and egg every 26 hours... so our eggs are absolutly laid while you wait! Seeing as we have approximatly 500 chickens the odds of at least one of them laying an egg while you are strolling the farm or shopping for your vegetables is pretty high!

A fun thought to ponder next time you come down and visit us on the farm.

Steaming a Goose Egg

Down here on the Farm we have two lovely female geese who give us GIGANTIC eggs very frequently. We sell them at the farm stand and people are frequently asking about how you cook them, what do they taste like, etc. I had only known from my Mother what they are like... and hearsay just doesn't cut it for me when it comes to food (and wine!) so I had to try one for myself. My favorite way to cook any egg is to steam it. I love when the center is runny because that is when you can really taste all that rich flavor. Steaming the egg also preserves that virgin look unlike frying which makes both sides browned and, at least when I do it, ugly.


How to Steam an Egg:

Steamed Goose Egg

• turn the stove on medium heat and melt a little bit of butter or oil what ever you choose just enough so the egg wont stick to the pan. 
• when the pan is hot enough (I usually flick a little water onto the pan and if it sizzles then the pan is hot enough) crack the egg into the pan. Have about a tablespoon of water close at hand and a cover large enough to fit around the egg inside the pan. Immediately after cracking the egg into the pan drizzle the tablespoon of water around the perimeter of the egg and quickly cover it. Let the egg steam for about 50 seconds to 1 minute (for a goose egg, since it is larger, cook for about a minute).
• lift off the cover and make sure there is a translucent white color covering the yolk, that means it is cooked to perfection! If you can still see the vibrant orange of the yolk clearly, put the cover back on for a few more seconds. 

• When your egg is done simply slide it onto a plate sprinkle a little bit of salt and pepper (or seasoning of your choice) and enjoy! 

Savor the Flavor!

• The yolk of this to me was very different than a chicken egg. I detected flowery notes in the yolk of the goose egg unlike the more earthy flavor of a chicken egg. It was so delightful.
• The white of the egg was also very thick and firm... amazing!
• Cooking mistake: My heat was on high when I started this process which caused a little browning on the outer white and that dark ring around the outside of the yolk... this is why medium- medium-low heat the entire way through is much better. You will come out with perfect color and minimal if no browning at all. My Mother always tells me, "Julia, your heat is too HIGH! Low and slow is better it preserves taste." 

**Being part of the right now! generation I tend to rush everything but when it comes to cooking and life for that matter it is imperative that we all slow down and enjoy the process... it will be well worth the wait.




Enjoy Great Taste!

Mothers Day Recipes

Share with us your dishes this Mothers Day that featured any local or in season produce. We would love to hear what our customers are whipping up!

Turkey Eggs

The Girl's are excited that Spring is hear and they are laying eggs like crazy! Come down and try something different. Turkey eggs taste just like chicken eggs but with a slightly richer, bigger yolk which makes soping it up with your toast that much more enjoyable :). They are also delicious served over a plate of fresh local asparagus a little S&P and shaved parmesean and your ready to enjoy.

Fennel



Fennel



Fennel, a great vegetable/herb of springtime that I discovered only a few years ago myself. It has a wonderfully unique licorice-like flavor that can really bring that something special to whatever dish you might be making.

Facts about Fennel:

• Fennel contains specific nutrients that make it a powerful antioxidant. In particular its properties are said to reduce inflammation.
• Fennel is a member of the Umbelliferae (Apiaceae) or carrot family, along with dill , caraway and anise.
• This perennial native of the Mediterranean is called marathon in Greece, a name derived from the word maraino, meaning to grow thin. Fennel was recommended as an herb for weight reduction, "to make people more lean that are too fat," according to the seventeenth century herbalist and astrologer Nicholas Culpeper.- excerpt from Encyclopedia.com
• In the middle ages people regarded it as a "magic herb" and would hang it over their doorways to ward of ghosts as well as stick the seeds into keyholes to keep ghosts out.
• Spanish missionaries brought Fennel to California and it is now known there as wild anise. The English settlers brought it to New England where is was used medicinally as a digestive aid.

Let's Eat!

• Oh the many ways to consume Fennel! Raw, roasted, and much revered in my kitchen. Grill it, fry it, sautee it, you just have fun with it!
• My cousin Nate, your typical male meat and potato lover, actually requested this simple salad I make while having dinner at my sisters in Rochester. I was thrilled, as I always am, when I can inspire a love for salad in people.
• Here is what I do: 
• Take any kind of salad green, I think mesculn works great but you can also use arugula which is one of my favorites, add fresh basil leaves about have the amount in comparison to whatever green you use. Slice fennel thin-ish, toss with a good extra virgin olive oil, fresh squeezed lemon, and kosher salt.-- That's it.

Recipe: Fennel and avocado

• I found this delicious recipe while doing my Fennel research. Not only is it super simple and all the ingredients are available at the Fresh Egg Farm Stand-- girls, the chef in this video is someone I would definitely like to sit down to a meal with. ;) http://www.marksdailyapple.com/fennel-and-avocado-a-match-made-in-heaven/
• I have always wanted to try sipping a little sambuca with a fennel dish but it may be too much licorice for me... worth a try, why not experiment... but for a wine I would select and nice, ice cold, fruity chardonnay.
• Sit out on your deck this afternoon and enjoy this healthy salad and sip a glass of chardonnay (or sambuca haha) and bask in the fact that the sun is out and Spring is here!!

Eating Healthy for Happiness... Cheers!

Garlic Scapes

Garlic Scapes

What the heck is a garlic scape?? So many garlic growers are missing out on the delicious flavor of these healthful plants!
Scapes are the flower stalks found on all members of the Allium family (onions, leeks, chives, and garlic). In garlic, the scapes curl as they grow, and ultimately straighten, and then grow a little seed-like bulbous. Garlic producers remove the scapes to enhance bulb development and unwittingly discard them instead of delighting in their unique flavor. My Uncle Paul, who grows the best garlic I have ever tasted, gave me 87 cloves of his own to grow this year. They are coming up beautifully by the way. He also introduced me to the joy of garlic scapes at a family dinner. He simply chopped them up, soaked them in oil with a little salt and we dipped our bread in the mix. YUM! I was hooked. We wont have our fresh garlic scapes ready until approximately the end of May, but what a treat they will be!

Facts about Garlic Scapes:

• Number one they are far to over looked in their gastronomic delight!
• When the scape is curly and new that is the time to cut, usually late May-early June. That is when the scape is tender and flavorful. If one waits too long to cut the scape, like after the seed pod has developed it will be tough and not so tasty.
• Garlic scapes are milder in flavor and never reach that full hot spicy delight of a fresh clove of garlic. So for those of you who love garlic but still want to have a date sometime in this life, garlic scapes will be your new best friend.

Eating Pleasure:

• Garlic Scapes can be used in a number of ways, don't fear the snake like green curls! Just chop them up, they are nice and tender so they go great in a stir fry, risotto, frittata, casserole, soup, you name it. The possibilities are endless.
• Garlic scape pesto is a very common use so here is a very simple recipe I found in the Washington post.

Garlic Scape Pesto
Ingredients:
1 cup garlic scapes (about 8 or 9 scapes), top flowery part removed, cut into ¼-inch slices
1/3 cup walnuts
¾ cup olive oil
¼-1/2 cup grated parmigiano
½ teaspoon salt
black pepper to taste

Method:
Place scapes and walnuts in the bowl of a food processor and whiz until well combined and somewhat smooth. Slowly drizzle in oil and process until integrated. With a rubber spatula, scoop pesto out of bowl and into a mixing bowl. Add parmigiano to taste; add salt and pepper. Makes about 6 ounces of pesto. Keeps for up to one week in an air-tight container in the refrigerator.

**Schmear this over roasted chicken with a delicious orange, beet, and arugula salad and a glass of a North Fork sauvignon blanc... yummm that's definitely on the menu as soon as our scapes are ready! (approx. end of May)

Orange and Beet Salad Recipe Ingredients

• 1 bunch of beets, leaves removed about 4 or 5 medium sized
• 2 large navel oranges, peels removed and sliced into rounds
• 1 bunch of arugula leaves, cleaned, and any thick stems removed
• Several thin slices of red onion
• optional 1/4 cup chopped walnuts (left over from your pesto)

*All ingredients can be found at the Fresh Egg Farm Stand :) I am sure I will see you soon!

Cheers to all your exotic Local cooking adventures!