Last Chance Foods from WNYC

The first time farmers Jeff Bialas and Adina Bialas tried salsify, it was wrapped in prosciutto, dipped in sesame seeds, and deep fried. Adina explained that they could still taste the “earthy but mild” flavor of the root vegetable, and the two became such immediate fans of salsify that they decided then and there to try and grow it.

For most of the year, the rooftop at the restaurant Palo Santo in Park Slope, Brooklyn, is green with thriving plants and vegetables. During the winter, though, there’s still activity, but of a different sort. Palo Santo chef and owner Jacques Gautier decided to raise rabbits to make the rooftop garden productive year-round. He also raises them as a way to better understand and value the meat he uses. The rabbits, which fare well in the cold weather, produce fertilizer that’s composted and used for the plants. They also serve as food for Gautier, his family, friends and the restaurant’s staff. New York City health code dictates that meat served in restaurants must be processed by USDA-certified slaughterhouse, so Gautier can not serve his roof-raised rabbits at Palo Santo. He serves commercially sourced rabbit — rubbed with adobo, grilled and then served in tacos (recipe below). Gautier, who also recently opened the Park Slope restaurant Fort Reno, also recommends braising rabbit in a French style with cream and mustard. The chef admitted that seeing his rabbits as a source of food was initially difficult. “That was one reason why I took this on as a challenge,” he said. “All of my kitchen staff, restaurant staff are involved in the process of raising them, some of them in the process of slaughtering. And it was very difficult, but it gives us a much deeper appreciation for meat and for the agricultural products that we’re using.” (Photo: Rabbits in the roof garden of Palo Santo/Jacques Gautier) While raising chickens is more common in the city, poultry tends to evoke less warm-fuzzies than rabbits. But Gautier had a very clear reason for choosing one over the other. “The reason why I chose rabbits as opposed to chickens is that rabbits I could actually breed legally in New York City, according to health code, for my own consumption,” he said. “Chickens: you can raise them, but you’re not allowed to have roosters. You’re only allowed to have the hens because of the noise that roosters make.”  The rabbits at Palo Santo are a mixed breed that Gautier described as “mutts,” and he separates them so they have about three to four litters a year. Gautier explained that the animals and their offspring tend to be healthier that way. “From what I’ve read, rabbits can have a litter almost every month,” he explained. “So the gestation period is 28 days, and that’s exactly the... minimal amount of time it takes a rabbit to be weaned. Also rabbits can get pregnant within half an hour after giving birth.” During the summer, Gautier had about 40 animals, though the numbers have since dwindled to approximately 20. The rabbits generally graze on weeds and herbs, which means the meat tends to reflect that grassy taste. Gautier confessed that he dreads the day he has to tell his 1-year-old son of the rabbits’ fate, but he believes animals raised for meat are better off when people demand transparency. “I think it’s very important for people to be in touch with where their food is coming from,” Gautier said, adding that his restaurant makes it a point to use humane-certified pork, grass-fed beef, free-range chickens, and eggs from a local farm. “I have a genuine concern for animal welfare, and I believe that an increased awareness demands increased transparency.” While the statements about animal welfare may seem perverse in the context of raising animals for meat, Gautier says that, as a chef, his most effective role is in encouraging awareness. “The majority of the people in this country and in this city and the majority of my potential customers are not vegetarians,” said Gautier, who added that he was previously vegetarian and attended vegetarian cooking school. “I don’t want to make it my goal to change what people eat, but I do want to make it my goal to change how the animals are raised that are eaten.” Below is Gautier’s recipe for rabbit tacos. Rabbit Tacos by Jacques Gautier  makes 6 servings of 3 tacos each 1 ½ lbs clean rabbit loins S

New Year’s Eve generally means ringing in the new year with champagne toasts. More than a glass or two of bubbly usually has me grasping blearily for the aspirin bottle the next day, though. For those looking to entertain at home, there are plenty of seasonal cocktail options that can serve as an alternative to champagne. Four area bartenders shared their recipes for festive cocktails that are easy to reproduce with a few basic ingredients. While eggnog, like champagne, may be best enjoyed in moderation, Jason Shurte, a bartender at Henry Public in Brooklyn Heights, says the homemade version is tastier than the viscous store-bought stuff. It’s worth noting, of course, that there’s raw egg in the mix, so if you are making it at home, use caution and the freshest eggs possible. Shurte said it’s entirely possible to make up a large batch of the drink. It just involves combining dark rum, brandy, sugar, heavy cream and eggs in a shaker, and then shaking “the hell out of it” to get the egg frothy, he explained. Henry Public usually uses one egg per drink, since it’s mixed to order. “I might, like, make a larger batch of it,” said Shurte. “You know, like put it in a bigger quart container and shake it up or something, or even a larger container and shake it up, just for efficiency sake.” After the initial “dry shake” without ice, he shakes it again with ice and serves it topped with a dash of allspice liqueur and a sprinkle of freshly grated nutmeg (recipe below). While the drink might separate a little while sitting out, Shurte said it wasn’t anything a little stirring wouldn’t fix. “It’s not a hard thing to make at all,” he said. “Anybody can do it, and it is very tasty.” Tom Macy at the Clover Club swears by incorporating baking spices into his cocktails. A fan of using ingredients typically found in the kitchen when mixing drinks, he created a menu of pie-inspired cocktails. “None of which, I should mention, is too sweet,” he quickly insisted before listing off pecan, pumpkin, and apple pie flavored cocktails. But for New Year’s Eve, he suggests combining gin, lemon juice, cranberry preserves and cinnamon syrup in a cocktail named “The Port of Call.” He said cinnamon syrup is one ingredient that’s super easy to make and readily impresses people. Just let cinnamon soak in simple syrup (equal parts water and sugar). The longer it soaks, the stronger the flavor. “It works so well in cocktails, it’s amazing,” said Macy. “And people haven’t had it, so it’s really something that’s extremely delicious and accessible, but also feels totally new to a lot of people because they’ve never had cinnamon in a cocktail before.” He admitted that he’s such a fan of cinnamon syrup, he has to be careful that not every cocktail at the Clover Club includes it. Macy often replaces sugar in traditionally summer cocktails with the cinnamon syrup to give the drinks a winter spin. “If you just switch out the sugar in the French 75 for cinnamon syrup: Do gin, lemon, cinnamon syrup, top it with champagne, you know, people will be wowed and it’s extremely easy to do,” he advised. Jan Warren, the head bartender at Dutch Kills in Long Island City, Queens, is not always one for moderation (see the first episode of his video series Animals Eating Animals for an example), but he does suggest caution when using spices in cocktails. “I’d say the number one general rule if you’re using spices is don’t over do it,” said Warren. When it comes to seasonal cocktails, Warren is a fan of using maple syrup and apple brandy or apple jack. He recommended the New Brunswick (scotch, lemon juice, maple syrup, and orange bitters, recipe below) as a cocktail that can be made in large batches for parties. Krissy Harris, an owner of The Wren, thinks ahead and preserves fruit when it’s in season and uses it now. “It’s hard to get fruit in wintertime, so what I like to do instead of using fresh fruit is I’ll use, like, a compote,” she said. For instance, in her Black and Blue cockta

Hanukkah celebrations wrap up this Sunday, which means that there’s still time this weekend to celebrate the Festival of Lights with fried food. Einat Admony, the chef of Balaboosta and Taïm, says now is not the time to quibble over the healthiness of fried food. Instead of worrying about baking latkes or donuts, she recommends focusing on providing healthful sides and compliments. “I think you should balance it with other things, with fresh salad or fresh something else,” said Admony. “Yes, you eat fried falafel for example, but you have whole wheat pita, if you like the pita. And then you have a beautiful vegetable salad. I think it’s all about the balance.” Admony explained that basic latkes are made with grated potatoes, grated onions, flour, eggs, and seasoning. “Some people actually grate the potato into a bowl of water, and I think that’s in order [for the potato] not to get darker,” she explained. Admony prefers not to do that, however, because she says the water dilutes the starch, and more flour and eggs have to be added to make everything stick together. To avoid having the potatoes oxidize and change in color, Admony relies on speed. “You need to do it fast,” she said. “So the minute you grate the potato, you will put [in] like eggs right away, and the onion and the flour. So you mix it. and then you need to fry it right there.” That’s particularly the case when making latkes with sunchokes. “It’s one of my favorite vegetables,” she said, adding that the results taste like artichoke latkes. “The problem with sunchoke is that is oxidizes pretty fast. So you need to work it even faster than you work with potatoes, but the taste is great.” She also cautioned that peeling sunchokes can be a laborious task, so it’s not the best for larger parties. Admony has also made latkes using vegetables like carrots and beets. For this year’s Latke Festival at the Brooklyn Academy of Music, she made potato, yam, and carrot latkes and served them with honey, preserved lemons, and yogurt sauce (recipe below). “There is a little bit sweetness but there is a lot of intensity from the preserved lemon that give all the flavor,” she said. (Photo: Einat Admony/Courtesy of Einat Admony) Admony generally prefers a savory latke, though, and says that the tradition of serving applesauce as a topping is not common in her native Israel. “Latkes, for me, with applesauce is always a little bit weird,” she admitted. That’s not to say she’s not willing to compromise to appease the masses, however. “This year, I actually grated Granny Smith [apples] into the latkes,” said Admony. “I said I’m not going to serve it with applesauce but I’m going to put the apple inside the latke recipe.” When it comes to making latkes, though, there are certain processes Admony does not recommend modifying. For instance, latke makers should just anticipate spending much of the celebration standing next to the stove making freshly-fried pancakes. “You can do some ahead and then heat it up in a very high temperature to get the crisp back but I don’t think it will ever be the same,” she said. In the past, even for private events, Admony has simply had guests gather around her while she fries the latkes. “I think it’s the only way,” she said with conviction. Here's the recipe Admony used for this year's Latke Fest. Potato, Yam & Carrot Latke with Honey, Preserved Lemons & Yogurt Sauce by Einat Admony, chef and owner of Balaboosta and Taïm 1 cup grated potato 1 cup grated yams 1 cup grated carrot 1 1/2 cup grated onion (after having the liquid squeezed out) 1/2 cup grated peeled granny smith apple 1 egg 1tbs chopped thyme 4 tbs AP flour 1 tbs salt Pinch black pepper Pinch sugar Canola oil Method: Mix all in a mixing bowl. Heat up sauté pan with 1/2" oil. When the oil is hot, around 370 degrees, create a 2-inch patties and fried them on both sides until they are golden brown. For the yogurt sauce: Simply mix chopped preserved lemons with enough honey to balance out t

Crunchy, fresh and licorice-flavored, fennel offers a welcome change of pace during the winter months, when starchy tubers tend to dominate. Whitney Wright, a senior editor and photographer for Gilt Taste, points out that the vegetable is versatile both in taste and in texture. “It is one of the easiest ingredients to use,” she said “The entire plant can be used in cooking, which is great. And you can eat it — everything — from raw to super braised cooked really soft. So it’s pretty hard to screw up fennel.” Wright, who also writes the blog Feeding Mr. Wright, explained that fennel can be used in all of its various forms. When preparing it, she provided an easy rule as to what keep and what to discard: Keep all of it. She said that, at the most, she’ll just slice off and toss the bottom part of the bulb if it’s a little dirty. “You can use the stems the same way you’d use the bulb,” Wright said. “The bulb is super crunchy, it’s crisp, so it’s wonderful raw, especially when it’s sliced very thin.” The licorice flavor also pairs particularly well with other winter ingredients like citrus and parmesan. As for the stems, Wright operates on instinct and uses the celery-like stalks just like, well, celery. She said that the cooked stems are just as tender as the bulb and can be braised, used in soups and grilled. There’s a notable advantage to fennel’s subtle licorice flavor: It can be used in both savory or sweet applications without overpowering other flavors. For instance, while the bulbs can be used as the base for a creamy gratin (see Wright’s recipe below), its fronds can also be chopped finely and mixed with ice cream. (Photo: Whitney Wright/Whitney Wright) While Florence fennel is usually what is found at supermarkets, less well known is a type that’s grown just for its seeds. “The seeds have a variety of uses, you can use them in baking, you can use them in teas,” explained Wright. “I have an Italian friend and I know her grandmother chews on them after dinner to kind of act as a digestif. And also people use it to freshen their breath.” She says she’s purchased the seeds online, but suspects they’d be found in the spice aisle of the grocery store. With so many forms and such a subtle yet complex taste, fennel provides a surprising  variety to current seasonal offerings. One convenient way to serve it up during the holidays is in gratin form. Try Wright’s recipe for that, below. Easy Fennel Gratin by Whitney Wright  Serves 4-6 (as a side dish) 1 whole fennel bulb, stems and fronds (1 to 1.5 lbs) 1.5 cups heavy cream 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 garlic clove, finely minced or grated on a microplane 2 ounces Parmesan cheese, divided Freshly cracked pepper 2 tablespoons of butter 3/4 cup of breadcrumbs 3 springs of thyme, leaves stripped from the stems Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.  Pluck the bright green feathery fronds from the fennel bulb. Roughly chop and set aside. Cut the stems from the bulb, and roughly julienne. Cut the bulb in half, and then each half into eight wedges. Whisk together the heavy cream, salt, garlic and 1/2 of the Parmesean cheese. Toss the fennel wedges and cut stems into the mixture.  Pour into a 9x9 baking dish (or similar). Crack fresh paper evenly over the top of the gratin. Bake the fennel for 20 minutes at 375 degrees. While the fennel is baking, melt the butter in a small saucepan. When the butter is melted, add the thyme leaves and let cook for 30 seconds. Add the bread crumbs and mix well. Turn the oven down to 350 degrees after 20 minutes. Pull out the baking gratin and top with the breadcrumb mixture. Bake for 20 minutes more. Let cool for a few minutes before serving and garnish with the chopped fennel fronds.

Zingers, Devil Dogs, Sno Balls, or classic Twinkies? Ever since Hostess Brands announced a few weeks ago that it’s going out of business, everyone seems to be declaring their snack-cake allegiances. Since it’s uncertain how much longer the everlasting creme-filled yellow cakes will be available, Last Chance Foods dubbed it a worthy topic and, this week, strayed from the produce section to check out the snack aisle. Steve Ettlinger, author of Twinkie, Deconstructed, said he has unexpectedly been on the receiving end of countless junk-food confessions. “Some [people] started out by saying, ‘You know, I was really more of a Ding Dong man,’” Ettlinger explained. “I’ve had so many confession from journalists, from people on the street, from friends of whether they eat them or not. Everybody relates to them somehow. These little cakes have a powerful hold on our national psyche.” Ettlinger, who said his tastes tend to run more toward Sno Balls, wrote the book with the mission of tracking down the origins of ingredients in processed foods. He wanted to see if they exhibited terroir, the concept that the growing environment of an ingredient affects its taste. Twinkies provide a convenient organizing principle to his investigations.  “I wondered, perhaps perversely, is there a terroir for polysorbate-60 or red number 40?” Ettlinger explained. “Is there, like, the best red number 40 source?” The answer, it turns out, is yes. He explained that the tree in Malaysia from which the oil in polysorbate is harvested, as well as the corn and other elements that go into its formulation, do have bearing on the final product. Back to Twinkies, though. Ettlinger admitted that he’s not a huge fan of the snack, despite having a book based on it. But he has made his own Twinkies from organic cake mix and heavy cream. (His recipe is below.) Those, Ettlinger said, disappeared rapidly. He started with a Twinkie mold. “You can make a Twinkie mold yourself, by wrapping foil around...  a spice jar, or maybe an aspirin jar or something like that,” Ettlinger said. “But you definitely want a mold, otherwise they’re not Twinkies, it’s just cake.” The heavy cream that he grabbed at the grocery store also included polysorbate-80, which lent an unexpected touch of authenticity to his homemade Twinkie. Before applying “two-and-a-half to three minutes of wildly manic elbow grease” to the whipping cream, he added confectioners sugar and vanilla. As for the possible disappearance of pre-packaged Hostess Brand Twinkies, Ettlinger is certain that it doesn’t signal a future where store shelves are stocked only with kale chips. “We always need snacks, and we should have them,” Ettlinger said. He added with a chuckle that he’s also been known to sneak in an eclair or two on occasion. Steve Ettlinger’s Homemade Twinkies I like to keep it simple, as befits a simple snack cake — to use the fewest possible artificial ingredients and generate the most refreshing snack. Prices are from my local grocery store. —SE Ingredients: Dr. Oetker Organics Vanilla cake mix ($4.59) or King Arthur Golden Vanilla Cake mix ($8.99) heavy cream (1 pint) confectioner's sugar vanilla flavoring lots of elbow grease, if beating by hand (the best way) Equipment: large mixing bowl sturdy whisk or electric beater sheet cake pan or Twinkie mold pan (Norpro 3964 Cream Canoe Pan or homemade Twinkie molds) 1. Cake: Make cake according to directions on package; baking time might be shorter in Twinkie molds or large sheet pans! (Fill molds only part way or else they will over flow). 2. "Creamy filling" substitute, which in this case is actually a CREAM filling:  Depending on your experience, do what you like with the whipped cream.  For beginners, take about half a pint of cream, about a tablespoon of vanilla, possibly a pinch of salt, and about a half cup of sugar (all to taste). Beat VIGOROUSLY by hand  for 2.5 to 3 minutes–really whip it up (you are incorporating air; sing "BEAT IT!" at the top of your l

Thanksgiving traditionally brings to mind images of turkey, cranberry sauce and pumpkin pie. In reality, though, the dishes that appear on our tables are as diverse as the friends and families gathered around them.  At my house, for instance, my parents — who moved to Tennessee from Taiwan more than 30 years ago — have never roasted a turkey at all. Instead, we almost always opt to make hot pot, which is like a Chinese version of fondue. A boiling pot of broth is set over a gas burner on the table. Then thinly sliced raw meat, seafood, greens, tofu and various other items are dropped in and cooked on the spot. Everyone then dips the cooked food in a soy-sauced based mixture customized in their own bowl. While the food may not seem typical for Thanksgiving, the sentiment of being grateful for a bountiful meal and the warmth of loved ones is the same. At Amy Eddings' house sometimes a little extra warmth was provided by the annual tradition of her mother accidentally setting on fire the marshmallow topping for the sweet potato pie.  In light of that, I spoke with WNYC host Brian Lehrer, WQXR host Terrance McKnight, and On the Media co-host Brooke Gladstone to find out how they celebrate Thanksgiving. I also asked about some of dishes that best represent their spin on the holiday. Brian Lehrer explained that he usually celebrates the holiday at his one of his cousins' house in New Jersey. He checked in with his cousin Craig, who told him the story of how one particular dish started appearing on their table. Craig’s wife is Irish Catholic, and during their first Thanksgiving celebration 25 years ago, they wanted to include a Jewish dish that would represent Craig’s side of the family. "So he asked his friend Bea to recommend a recipe, and she came up with this noodle pudding that her mother used to make as a Jewish immigrant from Cuba,” Brian said. “And the joke between them is that Bea's mother pronounced it 'nooodle poooding,' which I guess what pudding sounds like with a Yiddish-Spanish accent.” As a result, noodle pooooding has now become a running joke in their household. Brian made the point that it also carries an important message, as well: “It reminds people that not all the immigrants came on the Mayflower." Terrance McKnight generally travels a little further for his holiday. He told me recently that his family gathers in Cleveland for a traditional turkey meal. Still, not every dressing is mom’s dressing, though. "There is a particular way that my mother's turkey and dressing tastes, as opposed to some of my aunt's. So you can always tell who made the dressing." Terrance said that his mother’s dressing tends to be a little more crisp than his aunt’s. His sister has started making it, as well, so she’ll preserve the recipe and put her spin on it. In general, though, Terrance admitted that he’s unlikely to be found spending much time in the kitchen during the holidays at all. Instead, the television is usually turned down low or put on mute, and he’s tasked with providing the evening’s entertainment. "As they're preparing dinner, I'm sitting at the piano and sometimes somebody will come sing very informally, but, you know, they'll just 'Oh, why don't you play this, why don't you play that?' so that's kind of my role." Brooke Gladstone's gatherings tend on the large side. She's used to having anywhere between 17 to 20 people at her home for the holiday. She claims that’s simply because she’s has the largest dining room in her immediate family. One year, though, Brooke shied away from hosting duties and convinced her family to make a trip to Pennsylvania Dutch country. During that trip, she tried a dish called “cracker pudding,” which now makes a regular appearance at her Thanksgiving table. Cracker pudding is made from saltines, dried coconut, egg yolks, egg whites, sugar, vanilla and milk.  "I think that whenever I make it, it is without question the whitest thing either on or at the table,” said Brooke with a laugh. Li

The crank of a can opener and the wet sound of suction — there’s a distinctly “semi-homemade” quality to many pumpkin pie recipes. With Thanksgiving less than a week away, cookbook author Hiroko Shimbo recommends avoiding canned filling and using kabocha squash in pie instead. “Kabocha has very dense pulp and the flavor is very, very sweet,” said Shimbo about the squash, which has thin green skin and deep orange flesh. “So from that point of view, you can make very creamy, sweet pie filling.” She added that the flavor of kabocha squash also includes echos of chestnut. “Butternut squash is not as sweet and [it’s] watery for use in pie or soup,” said Shimbo. She explained that for soup she cooks the kabocha  two hours in the oven at 400 degrees Fahrenheit. "Cooking preserves, or strengthens, the richness of the squash,” she said. Shimbo shared that recipe for kabocha squash soup (below) from her recently published cookbook, Hiroko’s American Kitchen. Roasting the squash whole in the oven also makes the rock hard winter squash much easier to cut into pieces. Shimbo admitted that before she learned that trick, she often did dangerous battle with the tough kabocha and sharp knives. Another advantage kabocha has over other winter squash is that its skin is edible. While Shimbo removes the green skin to preserve the orange color of pie filling and soup, she also often braises it skin-on, in homestyle Japanese dishes like adzuki beans and kabocha stew. The common belief is that vitamin- and nutrient-rich kabocha helps ward off winter colds. In particular, it provides a valuable source of vitamin A, which can often be hard to find in seasonal winter vegetables. (Photo: Hiroko Shimbo/Courtesy of Hiroko Shimbo) We simmer [it until] tender just using the very Japanese dashi, or stock, and a little bit of sugar, and a little bit of soy sauce,” said Shimbo. That may be the traditional Japanese method of preparing kabocha, but the reality is that the Japanese squash is not native to the country at all. “Actually, the Portuguese brought the kabocha squash from Central America,” said Shimbo. Here’s what Shimbo said to look for when picking out a kabocha: “It should weigh heavy, which means [the] pulp is just dense, very good condition. And also, the skin should not be fresh, green. It should be slightly dried because... storing the kabocha improves the sweetness.” Below, try her recipe for spiced kabocha soup. Spiced Kabocha Squash Soup by Hiroko Shimbo from Hiroko's American Kitchen This spicy, slightly sweet, and richly textured soup is a wonderful addition to a Thanksgiving meal, but its warming satisfaction can be enjoyed throughout the fall and winter. Kabocha squash is loaded with nutrients, so much so that in Japan there is a saying: "Eating kabocha on the first day of winter keeps you from catching a cold." Because uncooked kabocha squash can be difficult to cut, I bake the whole squash, wrapped in aluminum foil, in the oven for about 1 1/2 hours, until very tender. Makes 4 servings 1 medium kabocha squash (2 to 3 pounds); substitute butternut squash 1 medium carrot (4 ounces), peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces 1 small leek, white part only (2 ounces), cut into 1-inch pieces (2/3 cup) 4 cups kelp stock or low-sodium vegetable stock 2 tablespoons ginger juice, from grated 2 thumb-size piece of ginger 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg 1 1/2 tablespoons medium-aged light brown miso 1/2 teaspoon sea salt, plus more for finishing soup 1/4 cup olive oil 2 tablespoons pumpkin seeds, toasted Preheat the oven to 400°F. Rinse the kabocha squash and wrap it in aluminum foil. Put the squash in the oven and bake for 1 1/2 hours. Remove the squash from the oven and carefully remove the foil. Cut the squash in half and remove the seeds with a spoon, removing as little pulp as possible. Scoop out the pulp into a large bowl and measure out 2 1/3 cups of cooked squash. Freeze any extra pulp for later use. Reserve 1/4 cup of the gr

Farmers are a tough bunch, and when it comes to Superstorm Sandy, many are counting themselves as lucky, too. While Sandy brought damage to greenhouses in New Jersey and flooding to fields in Long Island, many farmers are reporting that the damage is minor in comparison to what was wrought last year by Tropical Storm Irene. Michael Hurwitz, director of New York City’s green markets, is in touch with about 240 food purveyors who supply the city’s farmers markets. He said among the organization’s farmers, it sounds like Bodhitree Farm in Jobstown, New Jersey, was hit the hardest. Most of the farm’s greenhouses were damaged or destroyed. There was a similar story at Norwich Meadows Farm in Norwich, New York. They lost seven greenhouses. But Hurwitz said that most farmers are making repairs, cleaning up, and trying to get back to business. “You know, you gotta love these farmers,” Hurwitz said. “I walk up to Bill Maxwell (of Maxwell’s Farm in Changewater, N.J.) and say, 'How’d you make out?' And he said, ‘We’re doing good. We just lost the roof of our barn and had some damage to one of our greenhouses, but other than that, we’re pretty fine.’” It’s the fish purveyors who are not yet back at the farmers market, said Hurwitz. "Unfortunately, they're all based in Long Island, where there is limited power, limited gas, limited supplies, so there's no processing facilities open to them if they were able to go out and fish." Farms on Long Island are also starting the recovery process. Tom Wickham of Wickham’s Fruit Farm in Cutchogue said that the high tide brought by Superstorm Sandy caused the salt water to breach the dykes surrounding his land. A tree growing on top of the dyke fell and ripped a large hole in the fortification. “Not since the 1940s, since we put up those dykes, have I seen a tide this high," said Wickham. “And I suspect that this is a thing that we’re going to have to look at in the future. I doubt if this is going to be the last time that we see those kinds of historic tides.” Saltwater flooded about 20 acres of Wickham’s Fruit Farm, killing plants and trees, and raising the salinity of the soil. Wickham explained that rain will help bring that salinity down, but that he’d also continue irrigating through the winter to speed up the process. “We lost acres and acres of strawberries, thousands of peach and apple trees, and the list just goes on and on,” he said. “And we’re not alone. All farms on Eastern Long Island that approach the bay, the Sound, and the creeks, the inlets have had some degree or another of salt water flooding.” He cited Latham’s Fruit Farm in Orient, Long Island, and said that the majority of their land was flooded. Widow’s Hole Oyster Co. in Greenport, Long Island, fared better simply because of the nature of their product. Mike Osinski said he moved most of his oyster stock out to deeper water before the storm, but did experience some equipment damage and downed trees. At Stokes Farm in Old Tappan, New Jersey, Ron Binaghi Jr. said that they began preparing for the storm four days in advance. Everything was put away or tied down. In the end, he counted himself lucky — the farm only lost power for about 20 minutes. Unfortunately, the majority of his town experience a power outage that lasted about a week. Stokes Farm wasn’t flooded as it’s further inland, but storm winds blew the roofs off of two greenhouses. It’s not the end of the world, Binaghi said, just $4,000 or $5,000 worth of plastic. And while four large trees also toppled over, they didn’t hit anything. Nothing they can’t handle, he added. “As far as North Jersey goes, in my opinion, yes, it was a very big inconvenience and a real pain in the neck, but I think, when I watch TV, I realize we don’t have any problems,” said Binaghi. Even snow delivered by last night's Nor’easter was manageable. “Anything underneath snow is never lower than 32 degrees, so snow is a great insulator,” explained Binaghi. “If it gets really, really cold — like i

There are lots of pigeons on the 4,000-square-foot roof of the Metro Baptist Church in Hell’s Kitchen. On its own, that’s not particularly surprising, but what is unexpected is that those birds are there with the intent of feasting on swiss chard. Even more unusual is that the leafy greens are growing in converted kiddie pools. To quote a venerable society columnist, “Only in New York, kids.” Pigeons are a particular nuisance to swiss chard at the Hell’s Kitchen Farm Project, which is the collective name for the 52 kiddie pools on the roof of the church at West 40th Street. It’s a collaboration between the church, the food pantry, Clinton Housing Development Company and Metropolitan Community Church of New York. Each organization contributed resources with the intent of creating a community space that would educate and provide fresh produce to the neighborhood. Farm coordinator Lauren Baccus said that the pigeons wrecked havoc on the plants last year, when they would dive bomb to munch on the leaves. It’s hard to blame the birds for being drawn to chard’s grassy flavor and high amounts of vitamins A, C, and K. This year, however, the creatures were thwarted after the farm’s workers installed fences and netting over the plants. “The kiddie pool idea was very much in the tradition of our work: it was the most we could do with the limited resources we had,” Sherouse said. “And it seemed like the perfect fit given our weight constraints and our budget constraints.” Nonetheless, there were still logistical hurdles. For instance, getting 7 metric tons of soil and materials up five flights of stairs onto the roof was also no small feat. The endeavor took place last summer and involved a fleet of volunteers who created bucket brigades and pulley systems up the front and back staircases of Metro Baptist Church. In addition to swiss chard, Hell’s Kitchen Farm Project also grows peas, zucchini, blueberries, tiny carrots, and more. Baccus, who also works for the Clinton Housing Development Company, says this year’s chard harvest was particularly robust. “It was first planted in the beginning of April actually, when we first had our big volunteer push,” she said. “Throughout the summer, we were able to harvest and actually got 65 pounds of swiss chard this year, and that exceeds the total harvest from last year.” (Photo, left to right: Lauren Baccus, Halloween-ready Amy Eddings, and Alan Sherouse/Joy Y. Wang) The continuous harvest was good news for Rauschenbush Metro Ministries, which is the food pantry run by Metro Baptist Church. “Everything that’s grown [on the roof] goes to the food pantry every Saturday in the same building,” explained Baccus. Metro Baptist Church’s pastor Alan Sherouse said that the number of people served by the food pantry continues to grow. “We’ve seen an increase from around 400 people a month served, in terms of all those within particular families, to now over 600 within just the last few months,” he said. “And that represents some steady increase even over the last couple of years.” Baccus hopes to draw neighborhood crowds again soon with Hell’s Kitchen Farm Project’s fall harvest celebration and benefit on November 13. The event, as well as others on the roof, may help those in the area learn more about growing and eating fresh produce. Sherouse volunteered himself as evidence of the farm’s educational potential. “In me you have encountered someone who is not so familiar with [chard],” he confessed. “And I think in some ways, I’m an example of what happens when someone who has a pretty steady, at times unhealthy, at times meat and potatoes, kind of diet has that interrupted by the opportunities that a farm or a CSA provide.” Baccus was initially drawn to the vibrant colors of rainbow chard and soon discovered that that it is also delicious. She offered her recipe for black bean chili with butternut squash and swiss chard as one way of enjoying it. Black Bean Chili With Butternut Squash and Swiss Chard "Perf

Dora Hinds grew up as a city girl in her native Guyana, but that didn’t stop her from creating her own agricultural oasis when she moved to the Nehemiah houses in East New York, Brooklyn, several years ago. Her new home came with a large, sunny backyard, and Hinds quickly got to planting. “I said, ‘well, God didn’t give me this backyard just to grow...a lawn,’” said Hinds, who eventually decided grass was more trouble than it was worth. “I said, ‘no, I’m not able [mow the lawn], I’m going to grow something that I can use.’” Because of that decision, she now has Malabar spinach thriving right by her back steps. Malabar spinach is a tropical plant that thrives in hot, humid climates. She grew up eating the leafy green in Guyana, where it’s also known as “thick-leaf callaloo.” These days, Hinds brings any surplus harvest to East New York Farms, where she’s been a longtime member. “Whatever I grow in my backyard I share with my neighbors, my friends at the church and if there’s an excess I take it to what we call the ‘share table’ in the farm itself,” Hinds said. David Vigil, East New York Farms manager, grows Malabar spinach at the farm, too. He says it’s a favorite with the neighborhood’s Caribbean residents. “We grow produce from all over the Caribbean and all over the world according to what our customers are looking for,” he said, adding that Malabar spinach and other vegetables have been grown for decades in the neighborhood. East New York Farms was started in 1998 as a way to bring fresh produce to the area and to serve as a community gathering space. Vigil said the weekly markets highlight some of the wide range of produce being grown in the neighborhood. “At different times of the year, we’ll see grapes, figs, beautiful pumpkins, malabar spinach, different kinds of peppers, eggplants, tomatoes,” he explained. (Photo, from left: David Vigil, Amy Eddings, Dora Hinds/Joy Y. Wang) Malabar spinach has the advantage of being both easy to grow and heat-resistant. When many leafy greens like spinach begin to bolt during the heat of summer, the tropical plant continues to thrive. It tastes much like thicker version of spinach, though it's not related to the plant. “We usually start it from seed in our greenhouse around late May and then plant it out into the garden sometime in June,” Vigil said. “And then we can be harvesting off those same plants up ‘til now, into October, and sometimes into November if the weather cooperates." A trellis can help the plant grow because it likes to climb, but at East New York Farms the plants never quite get big enough to need the support — Vigil just snips off entire vines to sell at the market. The plant itself can also be easily shared. Vigil said that many people give clippings to neighbors. The stems can just be placed in a glass of water and transplanted once roots develop. (Photo: Malabar spinach cuttings from East New York Farms/Joy Y. Wang) From that point, it can continue to produce a bounty for fresh, tasty green leaves. “We either steam it and eat it as a side dish, or we use it [in] a stew,” Hinds said, “but you have to be careful [of] how you’re using it in the stew.” That’s because Malabar spinach has mucilaginous properties. She said only add the leaves and tender shoots in shortly before the dish is done cooking. Hinds also advised not covering the dish, since Malabar spinach will release water during the cooking process. If you come across some, try a recipe for Malabar Spinach Dal (Bachali Kura Pappu), Spinach Salad with Bacon and Roasted Mushrooms, or Tomato-Malabar Spinach Quiche. Let us know how it turns out!

A little dry weather can go a long way, according to Kurt Alstede of Alstede Farms in Chester, N.J. While crops in the Midwest were blasted with severe drought conditions this year, farms like Alstede’s fared much better in the Northeast’s moderately dry summer. “Dry weather makes for much better quality crops,” Alstede explained. "There’s less disease pressure, sugar content is higher and less diluted, so people enjoy a much more flavorful fruit or vegetable during a dry weather period." That applies to sweet corn, too, which is wrapping up its season right now. Alstede, who grows more than 500 acres of organic fruits and vegetables about an hour outside of New York City, has about 45 acres of corn, and he allows customers to pick their own. His crop also serves as a corn maze designed as a tribute to Lou Gehrig, who Alstede says continues to be a great role model. Harvest time for sweet corn is particularly important, he added. Corn is only at its peak of sweetness for about five days before the kernels become bloated with water. Because of that, Alstede plants different varieties at various times to ensure a steady supply. He also explained that each stalk usually only produces one marketable ear of corn. Some ears don’t even make it to the market table because they are first snatched for a rigorous (if not altogether scientific) test for sweetness. “Our tests are very simple: we eat it,” he said. “And we eat it raw, interestingly. People think, ‘oh, you can’t eat sweet corn raw.’ Well, of course you can. In fact, it’s very good. (Photo: Kurt Alstede with Alstede Farm CSA shares./Courtesy of Alstede Farms) It’s important that those ears aren’t harboring big fat worms, of course. To avoid that, Alstede Farms use an integrated pest management system that closely monitors insect population, and apply organic pesticides only when necessary. The biggest challenge to growing organically is the application of nutrients to the soil, Alstede added. His corn fields are alternately covered with manure, leaf mulch and cover crops of red clover. Organic fertilizer is significantly more expensive than conventional fertilizer, and that’s why organic fruits and vegetables tend to be more expensive, he explained. Alstede’s staff harvests corn as early as possible in the morning, when temperatures are at their lowest. “A lot of our staff will eat an entire ear raw in the morning just as a little pick me up when they’re done harvesting,” he said. “If you’ve never tried it, I would encourage you to do it.” For the ears that aren’t immediately eaten, Alstede recommended refrigerating corn to preserve freshness. While he admits that the corn will keep best if you leave the husk on, he is not as adamant as food writer Betty Fussell about discouraging his customers from peeling the husks back to check for worms. (Photo: Pick-your-own corn at Alstede Farms/Courtesy of Alstede Farms) He’s got a very pragmatic reasons for that. “If people want to peel back their ears of corn, my feeling is, let me them peel back their ears of corn,” he said. “If the cost of doing that is three or four ears per bushel, a bushel is 50 ears, then so be it. I’ll price the crop appropriately, knowing that I’m going to lose four ears out of 50 each day, and everyone’s going to be happy.” While fresh, raw corn makes for a good snack, you can also try Alstede Farms’ recipe for Basil Tomato Creamed Corn, below. Basil Tomato Creamed Corn 3-4 ears corn  3/4 cup heavy cream 6-8  slices pancetta, diced 3/4 cup peeled and seeded chopped tomato 3 minced shallots 1/2 cup finely sliced chopped green onions 1 clove of garlic minced 1/3 cup dry vermouth 2 T Parmesan cheese, grated 1 T minced basil Salt and pepper to taste Cut the corn off the corncob, set aside.  Cut each corncob in half. In a small sauce pan, bring the corn cob and the cream to a gentle simmer.  Reduce heat and simmer for about ten minutes. In a large sauté pan, brown the pancetta, drain set aside Drain all but one T

Europeans used to believe that eating so-called “mad apples” caused insanity, leprosy and bad breath. Fortunately, these days, we know that eggplant is a healthy, delicious vegetable used in everything from eggplant parmesan to Thai curries. Gail Hepworth, the production manager of Hepworth Farms in Milton, N.Y., is a particular fan of the vegetable. Her farm grows more than 15 types of eggplant for community supported agriculture groups and the Park Slope Food Co-op.  Hepworth thinks that eggplant’s negative association might have been caused by its mild toxicity. Like tomatoes, peppers, potatoes and other nightshade vegetables, eggplant contains solanin, an alkaloid that can be toxic in large quantities. Younger eggplants tend to have more solanin, but unless you’re particularly sensitive to it, you’d have to eat about 36 raw eggplants for solanin levels to be dangerous. The vegetable is particularly good right now in early fall, when it’s at the peak of its season.  The large, oblong, deep purple, Italian type is most well-known to Americans, but eggplants come in a wide variety of colors — from white and yellow to red and purple — and as many sizes and shapes.  “I keep hearing that eggplant was white traditionally and historically, and it evolved to have color,” said Hepworth, adding that white eggplants bruise easily and that might have been one reason dark-colored eggplants became more popular. “In fact, maybe that name eggplant came from little round, white eggplants,” Hepworth surmised, adding that the white eggplants have an advantage when it comes to taste, as well. “It’s has no [bitterness]. It’s mild, sweet, creamy.” While some may dislike the bitter quality of some eggplants, Hepworth admits that it’s a taste she doesn’t mind. “I have never salted an eggplant to take the bitterness out... or pounded,” she said. “But I know that a lot of Italians do that.” (Photo: Gail Hepworth, Amy Hepworth, and Gerry Greco of Hepworth Farms/Courtesy of Hepworth Farms) That’s one step that’s easy to skip. For those looking for an even easier way to cook eggplant, Hepworth recommended the small, purple- and white-striped fairy tale eggplants that are about one- to three-inches long. “They’re so quick to cook,” she said. “If you put them under the grill or you just put them in the oven, they would be ready in a couple of minutes.” Eggplant is also easy farmers and gardeners. “It’s not really that hard to grow,” said Hepworth. “We actually kind of ignore the eggplant and it just keeps coming.” Hepworth said that she’s a fan of roasting eggplant with tomatoes, but that she doesn’t get much time to cook during the harvest season. Instead, she shared two recipes for eggplant caponata from her favorite restaurants in the Hudson Valley.  Check those out below, and let us know which one you like better. Also, do you salt or pound your eggplant to eliminate bitterness? Tell us in the comments section.  Global Palate’s Eggplant Caponata  by Jessica Winchell, Chef-Owner of The Global Palate Restaurant  1 medium eggplant, diced 1 yellow squash, diced 1 zucchini, diced 1 medium onion, diced Sautee in 1/4 c. olive oil until soft. Add:  1 tablespoon diced garlic 1 cup puree peeled fresh tomatoes,  1/2 cup cider vinegar 1/2 cup brown sugar 1/2 cup raisons 2 tbsp. diced basil Cook for 15 minutes To be served over fish, as a cold dip, or on pasta or polenta.   The Artist’s Palate Eggplant Caponata by Megan and Charles Fells Jr., chef-owners of The Artist’s Palate serves 6-8 3 cups olive oil 2 lbs. eggplant, cut into 1″ cubes 2 red bell peppers diced 1 large yellow onion, chopped 1 rib celery, roughly chopped Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste 3 tbsp. tomato paste, thinned with 1/4 cup water 1 cup crushed canned tomatoes 6 oz. green olives, pitted and roughly chopped 1/2 cup white wine vinegar 1/2 cup golden raisins 1/4 cup salt-packed capers, rinsed and drained 3 tbsp. sugar 2 tbsp. finely grated unsweetened chocolate 1/2 cup fin

Francis Lam has a confession: He doesn’t like to can. The Gilt Taste editor may spend his days touting the glories of caramelized watermelon salad and chatting about food and culture with chef Eddie Huang, but a home canner he is not. “I can’t tell if I should admit to not doing it because … it’s kind of like, ‘Oh, you’re a food person, you’re supposed to be canning and preserving,’” said Lam, who added that he probably only goes through the old timey process once every three years. That’s not to say Lam isn’t willing to put in a significant amount of work in order to squirrel away tomatoes in some form for the winter. He just prefers to spend his hours slaving over a hot stove to make tomato paste. But his aversion to canning may stem from more sartorial origins.  “I think that [canning] is great, absolutely,” Lam said. “But the whole standing over the stove with the sweat and the steam and, like, I don’t own gingham, like it’s not really my speed.” Wardrobe concerns aside, though, why spend the same amount of effort to make tomato paste? Lam recently wrote that his girlfriend’s reaction to his endeavor was, “Congratulations! You just made tomato paste. It’s cheap and comes in cans.” Lam said it all comes down to taste. Forget the sad, sour flavor of canned tomato paste. In fact, he doesn’t even consider the end result to be tomato paste at all. Instead, he refers to it as “tomato concentrate.” The difference begins in the technique, which was drawn from Lam’s experience making sofrito in culinary school. “The chef [in culinary school] said, ‘you know, really take the time to cook this down, and what you want to do is make it almost like a jam,’” he recalled. “The idea of turning it into a jam really stuck in my head, like that level of concentration.” (Photo: Francis Lam/Molly Wizenberg) That means cooking the tomatoes with olive oil, which adds to the flavor of the final product. “I started [using oil] to help it along, get a little more heat, and help it start cooking,” Lam explained. “But what that does, too, is it emulsifies back into the tomato, and it gives it this real round richness in the flavor, and it kind of tames the edges if it’s a little sour.” As they slowly cook, Lam said to expect the concoction to start to look like a slippery, bubbly mess. But eventually the sugar in the tomatoes will caramelize and the color will begin to darken. “[There is] not just this sort of one-note sweetness but it gets more complex and it gets darker,” he said. “And I think those two things really make this taste so much different than tomato paste you would just buy.” For those who shy away from three hours slaving over the stove for any reason, Lam does offer an alternative: Dried tomatoes. “The really nice thing about making it yourself is that it takes basically no work, and you can really control how dry you want it,” he said. “I think that makes a huge difference.” Similar to how he insists his tomato concentrate is a world apart from canned tomato paste, Lam maintains that homemade oven-dried tomatoes are a far cry from the chewy, oily sun-dried tomatoes found in so many supermarkets. In fact, Lam hates sundried tomatoes so much that he referred to their popularity in the ‘80s as  “Red Dawn: The Sundried Tomato Invasion.” While he allows that there may be some acceptable specimens out there, for the most part, “they’re kind of nasty, like often they’re really chewy and, again, really sour.” So it’s important to make the distinction that what he makes at home is not that. The process just involved slicing up tomatoes, arranging them on a sheet tray or silicone baking mat, and then letting them shrivel away in an oven on very low heat — “really low, 200 or 250,” said Lam. The resulting dried tomatoes make for a snack in and of themselves, or can be a flavorful addition to sandwiches. “I do actually like to do something, like mix it in with eggplant,” Lam said. “[I] cook eggplant down for a long time until it almost basicall

Take a stalled construction site next to a restaurant, add 7,400 repurposed milk crates, throw in a couple of innovative restaurateurs and farmers and the result is Riverpark, a restaurant with a temporary farm on East 29th Street in Kips Bay. Riverpark Farm got its start last year on 15,000 square feet that was originally designated to be the site of the Alexandria Center’s west tower. Construction on the office building was put on hold indefinitely after the 2008 financial crisis and, soon enough, a temporary urban farm was born. Now the farm grows more than 180 plants in stacked milk crates, providing Riverpark chef Sisha Ortúzar with a rotating bounty of fresh, seasonal produce. As to the crates, well he explained the inspiration forusing that specific container: “Milk crates are just really great containers because they stack, they’re easy to carry.” That means when tropical storm Irene struck last fall, the plants were easily transported indoors for safekeeping. Also, when construction on the farm’s site resumes, the farm can simply be moved elsewhere. This year, Riverpark Farm’s pepper plants really took to the crates and were particularly abundant. Farmer Zach Pickens said that plant grows particularly well in the cubic-foot crates. “Mainly I’ve grown [peppers] in containers,” he said. “I’ve grown peppers, especially small pepper plants, in as small as a two-gallon bucket.” The site has also helped the pepper pants thrive. Pickens explained that the farm’s site experiences a “heat island” effect. That means, it’s always a few degrees warmer there than at other farms outside of the city. The relatively dry season this summer has also aided the boon. “The hot or sweet aspects of peppers is genetic,” explained Pickens. “So hot peppers are genetically, you know, predisposed to being hot. Now it’s a matter of degree [of spiciness], and typically when pepper plants are overwatered, they aren’t quite as hot. So it’s good to kind of shade toward underwatering.” (Photo: Zach Pickens and Sisha Ortúzar at Riverpark Farm/Ari Nuzzo) When faced with a mountain of spicy peppers from the farm, Ortúzar doesn’t quail. He uses some fresh, and then preserves the rest. “You don’t have to dehydrate or make hot sauce,” he said. “I mean, it can be a lot simpler. You can just slice them, cover them in vinegar, put them in a little jar in the refrigerator. And then, like, three months from now when you can’t get your fresh peppers you might go in there and be like ‘I’m glad to have that.’” Ortúzar said that he’ll often also drain the vinegar and cover the pickled peppers in oil, which he will also keep in the refrigerator. But some peppers, like the long, red Cheyenne, he prefers to use in hot sauce. Ortúzar’s favorite pepper, though, is the Aji Verde, a thin-walled, bright green pepper often grown in his native Chile. Since it’s not too spicy, he just slices it up and eats it with tomatoes. ”It’s not something that’s traditionally grown here,” Ortúzar said. “For me, it always just reminds me of summer.” Another deceptively less spicy pepper is the cachucha pepper. It’s considered a seasoning pepper and often used in Caribbean dishes, according to Ortúzar. “It looks like a habanero or a scotch bonnet, and it has that same aroma,” he said. While cachuchas have the unique flavor qualities of habaneros, there is one very important difference: “They have all that flavor without the heat,” he said. That makes for good material for a friendly prank, Ortúzar added with a chuckle. “They look like habaneros,” he said, “so you can look really tough in front of your friends, just chewing on them.” For those with a variety of sweet and spicy peppers on hand, try Ortúzar’s recipe for chilled spicy farm pepper soup, below. Chilled Spicy Farm Pepper Soup by Sisha Ortúzar  Olive oil 1 small red onion, medium dice 3 red bell peppers, seeded with ribs removed, medium dice 1 Padron pepper, minced (if Padron peppers are not available, Serrano peppers are a fine s