Food is all around us. Last weekend, Emma and I went to Shohola, Pennsylvania. We are working on a local eating project with Leda Meredith and Ellen Zachos, so we went over to Ellen’s country house to explore our region more in depth.
Upon arrival Friday afternoon we immediately headed out again for a bit of watercress foraging. It is so great to hang out with Leda and Ellen, because you constantly are learning how to identify edible wild foods and fun tips for their uses in cooking. When I am around them it feels like everything is edible. It was amazing for me to see watercress growing in the wild- so pristine, vibrant, and green.
Friday night we were treated to delicious local-beef hamburgers grilled to perfection by Ellen's husband, Michael. Boy oh boy- were we in for a treat, because Ellen and Michael had just returned from New Mexico and had brought with them some green chiles. Emma and I are really dreaming about New Mexico these days, so we were delighted to have some of what- is- local-there on our on our local-here burger. I must add that while Michael was out manning the grill, us ladies made up a new cocktail- the Pennsylvania Pirate- a Shohola-Caribbean crossover with Elderflower Champagne, Brugal Rum, and muddled mint. That became the beverage of choice for our cocktail hours.
Saturday morning we went to the farmers market and bought our missing supplies: cheese, fingerling potatoes, eggs (hen eggs and guinea fowl eggs too!), plums, and purslane. After the market we headed over across the street and picked blueberries and blackberries like little bears for a few hours. We spent Saturday afternoon filming tips and techniques for our local eating month, so that all of our viewers learn how to store up for Winter on local foods. One of those techniques was preserving blueberries without sugar- one you should all stay tuned for (hint hint). Saturday night we had a special dinner, which everyone will learn about soon, made with 100% local ingredients. My favorite was the fingerlings cooked in duck fat. Yum.
On Sunday morning we wrapped everything up and sat down for a final lunch. One of Ellen’s farmers had given us some lamb sausage with paprika and parsley, which we through in the skillet. Ellen was generous and opened up a bunch of her chutneys: apple and chipotle, pear and ginger, and tomato, lemon, and ginger.
What I loved about the weekend was that I had a role in where my food came from. I had learned how to forage for watercress, and eaten the results in a salad. I had met the woman who sells the eggs and fowl at the market, and as a result I had faith in how those ingredients had been raised. I know that I can eat hot oatmeal in the Winter topped with local blueberries that I had picked myself. This is going to be an ongoing theme from now on, as we work more on learning how delicious local foods are.