Garden Party

Beekman 1802 -- 'Corn Chowder' Salad

by Brent Ridge, Posted Aug 4th 2009 @ 3:00PM

'Corn chowder' salad. Photo: Brent Ridge, Beekman 1802.

Brent Ridge and Josh Kilmer-Purcell are the farmers and innovators behind Beekman 1802, a 200-year-old estate and farm in upstate New York. We'll be running recipes, gorgeous photos and tales from the farm as their crops come into season.

We can almost taste the sugary goodness of our sweet corn already. Those poor non-gardeners have no idea what true corn should taste like. Even when purchased in a farmers' market, it's never at its peak. Sweet corn begins converting its sugars to starch from the moment it's picked. Some estimate that 80 percent of its sugar is converted within the first four hours.

So only we gardeners can truly sing the praises of our ears. While it's hard to improve upon the near-perfect taste of corn on the cob with a little salt and butter, we think we've come pretty darn close with this "corn chowder" salad.

Recipe and a bit about our heirloom corn, after the jump.

Filed under: Garden Party, Ingredient Spotlight

Heirloom Tomato Salad

COMMENTS 0

by Eric Diesel, Posted Jul 15th 2009 @ 3:00PM

Heirloom tomato salad. Photo: Eric Diesel

If you're lucky enough to live near a farmers market, don't forget to thank your local farmer and gardener for that sparkling-fresh produce, especially those who grow heirloom vegetables and fruits. In addition to growing delicious produce, they're cultivating history, right on the vine.

Though there are some differences of opinion about its exact definition, an heirloom variety of fruit or vegetable is generally agreed to be one that has been cultivated for at least 50 years. Beans are an heirloom veggie ever-growing in popularity, but the food that truly sings of summer is the tomato.

Heirloom tomatoes are beginning to appear in gardens, at roadside stands and lining produce aisles. In honor of the unique flavors and colors of these beauties, beyond the jump is an original recipe for a summer tomato salad: history you can eat. But remember to save some seeds -- preserving them is the least we can do for these species that give so much to us.

Filed under: Garden Party, Ingredient Spotlight, Ingredients, How To

Free seeds from Dagoba Organic Chocolate

COMMENTS 0

by Kat Kinsman, Posted Sep 2nd 2008 @ 8:00PM

Dagoba's Rosemary Mint bar was one of Marisa's standout picks for our Fancy Food Show Favorites, and I've since become slavishly devoted to their Seeds bar. It's 68% cacao, studded throughout with pumpkin, hemp and sunflower seeds, and now I've got even greater impetus to dig it, because the company is giving away free seeds via their website Seed the Day.

"Whether it's a pot on the windowsill, a patch in the backyard or a big community effort, everyone can garden. We'll get you ready for spring and help keep your garden blooming by sending you the very herbs and flowers found in our chocolate bars. Everyone who signs up will get at least one packet of lavender, mint, rosemary, pumpkin or sunflower seeds."

So far as I can tell, there's not a single hitch or string -- just free seeds and an extra excuse to think of chocolate. The site also notes that should your planting group be planning a late night planting romp, they just might send along some delicious provisions. And - if you live in Boston, Chicago or San Francisco, you can come on out and nab a handful for yourself. Dates are listed here.

Seed the Day

Filed under: Garden Party, Ingredients

Vintage Recipe: Salmon-tuna Macaroni Salad

COMMENTS 6

by Marisa McClellan, Posted Sep 19th 2007 @ 3:20PM

a recipe card of a salmon-tuna macaroni salad

For those times that you need to feed twenty-five women, here's a recipe you could turn to. The card is faded and stained, and I can imagine some harried woman trying to pull this dish together, while the kitchen wall phone rang and the pasta pot boiled over on the stove, putting the flame out. It looks like a little bit of water from the tuna splashed onto the recipe card. There are a few notes in pencil on the back for substitutions and serving suggestions. It's a time machine, back to another age, when salmon only came out of a can and pimentos seemed exotic.

Filed under: Retro cookery, Garden Party, Ingredients

Alaska hosts Ginormous Vegetable Contest

COMMENTS 1

by Joanne Lutynec, Posted Jul 17th 2007 @ 11:14AM

When I first read this post over at our sister site Gadling, I was visualizing some over-sized zucchini or maybe tomatoes the size of a grapefruit, but I honestly didn't expect to see anything quite like this.

Apparently, Alaska hosts a Giant Vegetable Contest every year at their state fair. As Neil points out, the sun in Alaska barely sets during the summer, and the result of the vegetables continuously receiving the benefits of around-the-clock sunlight is that they tend to grow considerably larger than in most other places. This is extremely evident judging by the picture above, which is of the 2006 winner of the Giant Cabbage Weigh-Off. Brenna Dinkel took the title with her 73.4-pound cabbage - and no, I don't even want to know how much cabbage soup that would make.

Other records set last year include:

23-foot, 3 1/2-inch corn stalk
4.702-pound parsnip
1,019-pound pumpkin
17.195-pound yellow zucchini
67 1/8-inch long gourd
55.15-pound blue hubbard squash
21.530-pound bushel gourd

The next event will be held in Palmer, Alaska, between August 23 and September 3, 2007. If anyone makes it out for this event, send us some pictures!

Source

Filed under: Science, Farming, Food Oddities, Did you know?, Garden Party, Ingredients

Flying saucer or squash

COMMENTS 0

by Marisa McClellan, Posted Jul 13th 2007 @ 1:50PM

During my childhood, one of the staples of the summer was the vegetable garden in our backyard. Starting in February, my dad would plant seeds in old milk cartons on the kitchen windowsill, so that he'd have an array of seedlings to set in the garden when the weather got warm enough. In addition to the standard garden offerings, he'd plant some more unusual veggies, including my personal favorite, the pattypan squash.

It looks more like a flying saucer than a vegetable, but once you get past the unconventional shape, you will discover that it is an amazingly tender and flavorful squash. You won't necessarily find these guys in the regular grocery stores, but they are appearing in a lot of farmers' markets and in some Whole Foods/Wild Oats/New Seasons-type stores.

My favorite way to cook pattypans is to cut them up into pieces that resemble wedges of pie and then steam it until it is fork-tender. I don't have any fancy steaming apparatus, I just put an inch or two of water into the bottom of a pot that has a good lid and simmer away. When they are done, drain them, sprinkle with salt, pepper and garlic powder and dab them with a bit of butter. I've been known to eat a couple of these guys for dinner with a scoop of cottage cheese on the side, but they also make a good, easy-going side dish.

photo by Marisa McClellan

Filed under: Garden Party

Blog Garden Party

COMMENTS 1

by Andrew Barrow, Posted May 15th 2006 @ 3:33PM

One of the advantages of helping out on Is My Blog Burning (a notice board of all the foodie blog events and happenings) is the advance notice of such events.

One such event, posted today, is the Garden Party as organized by Dispensing Happiness. This should be great. Basically, Blog Party is a virtual cocktail party. As Dispensing Happiness says, "It's a chance to make those little bites and fantastic drinks we all love, but never make. Blog Party is about taking time for us: setting aside some time to cook (which, clearly, we all love), to prepare appetizers we want to eat but never get around to. And best of all, it's about getting together, albeit via the Web, with like-minded friends."

You don't have much time to join in -- if you have a blog -- as entries have to be in by the 18th. I am thinking refreshing elderflower cordial; perhaps some Pimms, and some crisp little savoury nibbles. Of course, you can always take a peek at our own Slashfood Garden Party for insipiration.

[Image from Dispensing Happines]

Filed under: On the Blogs, Garden Party

Garden Party: little lime cheesecake tarts

COMMENTS 1

by Sarah J. Gim, Posted Apr 13th 2006 @ 7:52PM

lime cheesecake mini-tart

For garden party desserts, we've had petit fours and a few cupcakes, and here's one more before we're off to watch the sunset: a lime cheesecake mini-tart.

There's nothing special about the cheesecake. It's a basic cheesecake recipe with lime juice and zest added for the lime flavor. Please, even though it's lime, it won't be green, and resist any and all urges to add green food coloring. There's nothing wrong with food coloring - just save them for dyeing your Easter eggs. The cheesecake is pretty enough as it is in its pale pale green splendor. Though most cheesecakes have a graham cracker crust, using a regular flaky crust is ideal for a mini-tart that has to be picked up with hands. Graham cracker crusts might fall apart.

Filed under: Vegetarian, Garden Party, Ingredients, How To, Methods

Garden Party: Grapefruit Cooler Cocktail

COMMENTS 0

by Dakota Smith, Posted Apr 13th 2006 @ 7:22PM

Called the Grapefruit Cooler, this drink has a festive pink color that makes it perfect for the holidays. The recipe comes from Epicurious.com: Pour 1/2 cup of grapefruit juice (fresh juice is far preferable) into a glass with ice, add two tablespoons of Grand Marnier, a pinch of salt, and then add 1/3 cup of sparkling water. Top with lime or orange wedge. I'd serve with something salty like cheese and crackers or some kind of flatbread.

Source

Filed under: Garden Party, Drink Recipes

Campari and soda with orange

COMMENTS 2

by Nick Vagnoni, Posted Apr 13th 2006 @ 6:42PM

As of late, one of my favorite warm weather, pre-dinner drinks is Campari and soda with a big twist of orange zest. Pack rocks (old-fashioned) glass with ice, wedge your orange zest in, add 2-3 ounces of Campari, top the rest with sparkling water (I usually use San Pellegrino or LaCroix) and give a stir. Campari itself is a great aperitif: bitter, complex and refreshing. To my taste, some fizz and citrus makes the effect that much better.

[Photo: Nick Vagnoni]

Filed under: Garden Party, Drink Recipes