Last Veterans Day we took our suburban kids on a short hike. When they got excited about pine cones, we knew it was time for a change. A few days later, we found this little diamond in the rough in the heart of the Catskills that fit the bill perfectly. After six months of a grueling short sale process, we were officially second home owners!

We removed roughly 2,000 pounds of trash from the house at the end of May and the renovations were underway with plumbing problems galore. The to-do list is a mile long and will take us years to complete, but we'll enjoy the mountain views and the wildlife in this valley in the process.








Here is our first before, during and after: 

Clean-Up Day

After sheetrocking, new sub floor and replacing ceiling panels. 

Neutral, fresh wall paint makes all the difference! Yes, the
window frames are still yellow. That's my next project.  The
 old beams are one of my favorite parts of this house.

Eggciting!

Friends of ours gave us some fresh eggs from their backyard hens. Notice the difference in size between the two eggs. The egg on the left is purchased from a supermarket and the egg on the right is a free range fresh egg. The fresh eggs had such great flavor compared to the supermarket factory farmed bland ones. To me, there was no comparison.

I can't wait to start my own backyard hen endeavor, but first I need a coop...

Will You Be My Valentine?

Need a last minute gift idea? Consider buying a rose bush online other instead of a bouquet of roses that will die in four days. It will be shipped as soon as appropriate for your zone and will bloom for years to come. Try heirloomroses.com for a great selection of rose bushes.

Orchids are another great choice and about the price of a dozen roses. There are some new easy to care for varieties that are absolutely beautiful. They are available at most local garden centers.

A reusable travel mug and gift card to their favorite coffee joint or just a simple candlelit dinner at home are great choices too.  

And while you're at it, skip Hallmark, go green and make a handmade card with a poem or a picture. Your loved one will appreciate the thoughtfulness and you will save $5.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Local Food and The Farm Bill

This bill could be a step in the right direction for local farmers, but will it pass through the House Agriculture Committee? Considering they passed pizza as a vegetable in school lunches, I'm not confident.
Local Food and The Farm Bill: Small Investments, Big Returns

http://www.ewg.org/agmag/2012/01/local-food-and-the-farm-bill-small-investments-big-returns/

It's CSA Time!

January is a great time to join a local Community Supported Agriculture (CSA). Many farms throughout the country have CSAs to guarantee revenue for the upcoming growing season.  In a CSA, you pay a set price for a share of that seasons fruits and/or vegetables and pick up produce directly from the farmer on a weekly basis. There is a small amount of risk depending on extreme weather conditions, but the risk is usually minimal. I love broadening my vegetable horizons and learning to cook foods that I normally wouldn't buy. Click on the link below to find a CSA in your area and enjoy the fruits of your local farmer's labor.

http://www.localharvest.org/csa/

Ugh Politics!

I have never been so appalled by our U.S. government than when I heard that pizza is now considered a vegetable. Whether or not the sauce on top of the pizza can be considered a vegetable is even questionable. This is not your grandmother's tomato sauce, this is tomato paste and whatever chemical concoctions scientists have created as cheaply as possible to preserve it for eternity. What a disappointing step back for parents, nutritionists and childhood obesity advocates everywhere.

Broccoli is a vegetable. Peppers are vegetables. Yeast and white flour topped with tomato paste, mozzarella cheese, pepperoni and sausage should never be considered a vegetable.

The processed food giants win again with the help of their deep pockets and political influence. Americans are once again duped into thinking that the government has their best interests in mind when it comes to public health.We all love pizza, but it doesn't grow in the soil. Maybe the White House gardeners should plant some pizza dough and mozzarella cheese and see if anything green comes up.

Rubberbands

After shopping at my local farm market for most of the growing season this year, the only thing I missed from the supermarket were the rubberbands that are wrapped around the broccoli.  They are great for childproofing cabinet doors.

Canning

On a recent Saturday night, I spent the night canning my first batch of tomato sauce with fresh tomatoes from my garden. While other thirty somethings were throwing dinner parties, out on the town or parked in front of the TV, I chose to spend the few precious hours I have after my kids go to bed stirring bubbling red sauce, then waiting for the notorious pop of the canning lids.
Canning seems to be popular again. Is it the dreadful state of the U.S. economy or the many natural disasters in recent news? Regardless of the cause, it is wonderful to see such a time honored tradition come back to life.
My first experience with canning was my mother using her pressure canner for venison, then later apple sauce and peaches. Intrigued and intimidated by the pressure canner, I took a class at the local Cornell Cooperative Extension where they walked us through both the pressure canner and the water bath canner and supplied us with the Ball Blue Book Guide to Preserving, the best starter canning book you can buy for $5.99. I am still intimidated by the pressure canner and stick to my water bath canner since I only like to can high-acid foods like fruits and tomatoes. Maybe someday I'll break down and buy a pressure canner, but probably not anytime soon. The simple boiling pot of water works for me.
Canning is not just preserving your food, it is a sense of pride every time you open a jar knowing that your hard work goes into every spoonful. It is a reminder of our grandmothers canning to survive a hard northeast winter and knowing what is in the food on my kids' plates. Most importantly, it is passing on this tradition to my daughter who loves to help and especially loves the sweet rewards a few months later.

Check out the Ball website for more information about canning at freshpreserving.com.

Happy Canning!

Making Local Produce Accessible to Everyone

Kudos to New York State Government for supporting New York State growers through their Fresh Connect Farmers' Markets program. According to a Times Union article today, it will provide up to $15,000  to farmers' markets to assist local farmers in expanding their geographic sales areas and farmers' market options.  

More importantly, I think, is the introduction of the system to accept food stamps and WIC at our farmers' markets and a $2 rebate for every $5 in food stamps spent. New York State is finally making fresh, local produce accessible to everyone, which is a wonderful thing. Low income individuals in the State will get local, great tasting produce and local farmers will expand their sales.

It sounds like the best of both worlds. Now if they could just make sure that those without cars have public transportation options to get to the farmers' markets, we'd be all set.

Click on the link for the Times Union article below for more information.

http://polhudson.lohudblogs.com/2011/08/09/cuomo-unveils-new-farmers-market-program/

Schoharie Valley Farms

While on a recent trip to Schoharie County to try the new Howe High Adventure Zip Line and Ropes Course at Howe Caverns and hike Vroman’s Nose in Middleburgh, we stopped at Schoharie Valley Farms, Home of the Carrot Barn. Located at 5605 State Route 30 in Schoharie, 3 miles south of exit 23 off I-88, The Carrot Barn is a large indoor farmer’s market/store where you will find a huge array of their own fresh vegetables including several varieties of tomatoes, peppers, sweet corn, onions and new potatoes. According to their brochure, they grow 23 different vegetables throughout the growing season. On our visit, their assortment of fruit included New York State peaches, local blueberries and a few out of state fruits. They also have local milk, eggs, cheese, beef and pork, fresh baked goods and a deli counter with seating. In addition to their food offerings, they sell their own soap, assorted lotions, canning items, gardening books and a greenhouse with a wide assortment of annuals and perennials. They will also pick you fresh herbs at your request while you shop; I purchased some fresh picked basil to go with their heirloom tomatoes.

This is a great market if you are in the Schoharie area or just passing through on I-88. The prices are good and the quality of the produce is excellent. It is a very friendly atmosphere, but not commercialized or touristy. The Carrot Barn is open year round with varying hours depending on the season, though for the bulk of the year they are open 9:00 am to 6:00 pm. For more information, visit their website at schoharievalleyfarms.com.

Blueberry Heaven

Last weekend, we continued the family tradition of going to Winney’s Farm in Schuylerville, near Saratoga, arguably the best pick-your-own blueberry farm in the area. I have been going there for years with my parents and now with my kids. The blueberries are large, juicy and plentiful and it doesn't take long to fill your buckets and your bellies!

The pick-your-own price is again $2.25 per pound this year, a great price when you factor in the experience and the quality of the blueberries. When you arrive, stop in to grab some buckets or have your own containers weighed, then off you drive to the blueberry fields. The kids have a great time running in between the rows, then stopping for a berry or two for a break. The paths in between the rows are flat and grassy, making strollers and wagons easy to use for little ones.  When your buckets are full, drive to check out with your harvest. Either bring your own containers to carry your berries home, which I recommend, or they will put your berries into a plastic bag.

Winney’s Farm is Saratoga County’s largest blueberry farm and can be accessed from the Northway, exits 14, 15 or 16. It is located at 113 Winney Road (some sites list it as Winney Drive), off Route 32 in Schuylerville. Picking lasts until mid to late August, but you should call ahead at (518) 695-5547.  

On this day trip, we drove back to Schuylerville on Route 32 and had lunch at Olde Saratoga Bakery and Café at 214 Broad Street, a local favorite. They bake their own bread for their sandwiches and serve breakfast until 1:30 pm. The food was great and the prices were reasonable.