Blueberry Season Opens TODAY @ Bishop's Orchards Ingredients Local Farm healthy kids activity Kid Friendly Stephanie Webster July 13, 2011
“Hot” Wine Picks for the Summer Ingredients Features This Week In Wine JoAnn LoGiurato July 12, 2011 JoAnn LoGiurato is a Certified Wine Specialist and the owner of Dancing on Grapes. Deck parties, outdoor picnics, grillin’ and chillin’…. summer is definitely upon us, and so is the summer wine dilemma. What to drink now? Hmm, many people believe that summer is all about white—au contraire! Here are 11 of my favorite wine sips for summer, including a couple of delicious reds and a rosé for those not afraid to “drink pink.” All of them are available at one of your favorite Fairfield County wine shops. If you can’t find the exact wine you’re looking for, ask the merchant to show you something similar—heck, it’s just fermented grape juice. Taste, experiment, and have fun with it! Read More
Friday Froth: Bats, Balls, Pils and Hops Ingredients Friday Froth Road Trip Beer James Gribbon July 08, 2011 Does everyone still have all their fingers after Monday's festivities? You do? Great, because we should really play some catch. Baseball's midsummer classic is coming up, and those of us so inclined are by now completely engrossed in America's pastime. Even those who don't like the game can't escape the news of Derek Jeter's impending 3,000th hit, and everyone should go to Cooperstown: home of the baseball hall of fame and Brewery Ommegang. Ommegang is an American brewery which specializes in Belgian style beers. They're pretty damn good at it, too, having taken top awards from Belgian brewers in Belgian beer contests in Belgium. Read More
Connecticut Wine Festival 2011 Ingredients Restaurant Events Wine Chat Wine Tasting Amy Kundrat July 05, 2011 Explore then the best of Connecticut’s wineries under one "roof" at this year's Connecticut Wine Festival on Saturday, July 30 and Sunday July 31 at the Goshen Fairgrounds. Included in the $25 price of admission ($20 in advance) are wine tastings, a commemorative festival wine glass and tote bag, specialty food samples, a craft fair and live music. Read More
Friday Froth: Loud and Proud Ingredients Features Friday Froth Beer James Gribbon July 01, 2011 "I am apt to believe that it will be celebrated, by succeeding Generations, as the great anniversary Festival. ... It ought to be solemnized with Pomp and Parade, with Shews, Games, Sports, Guns, Bells, Bonfires and Illuminations from one End of this Continent to the other from this Time forward forever more." - John Adams to Abigail Adams, July 2, 1776.That's right, the Continental Congress voted in favor of independence two days before they voted in favor of the profoundly important Declaration. Our national celebration should actually be held two days before it is. Friday Froth: come for the beer nerdery, stay for the history dorkism. Feel free to bust both out at your cookouts on this king of three day weekends. Read More
July 4th Strawberry S'mores Kits c/o Peace Tree Desserts Ingredients kids activity Kid Friendly Dessert Stephanie Webster June 28, 2011 July 4th just got sweeter. Peace Tree Desserts is serving up Sustainable Seasonal Strawberry S'mores this 4th of July. For those of you who have sampled their Classic Chocolate S'mores c/o Skinny Pines Pizza at your local farmers' market, you know Peace Tree does a s'more justice. These S'mores Kits are ideal hostess gifts or one stop shopping for a high end night by the campfire. The S'mores Kit is handcrafted in small batches with local and organic ingredients, and includes homemade graham crackers made with local honey and Wild Hive Farm's organic whole wheat flour, strawberry marshmallows made with local strawberries, and Taza's organic stone-ground chocolate. Each kit makes 6 s'mores. If this doesn't make you hungry, check out their S'mores Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LOg5SxBKolo Read More
Learn To Can w/ Put 'em Up Author @ Sport Hill Farm Ingredients Events Local Artisan Local Farm Stephanie Webster June 23, 2011
Friday Froth: Gold Diggin' Ingredients Features Friday Froth Beer James Gribbon June 17, 2011 Every once in a while you just have to splurge, and this means different things for different people. For Mikhail Dmitrievitch Prokhorov this means playing underwater polo using solid platinum submarines off the Dalmatian coast, or the Beluga caviar high-dive, but non-oligarchs must find other avenues of diversion. This week we're going to dive into golden luxury like Scrooge McDuck taking a swim. These beers may not be kilt-wearing Scottish royalty like Ola Dubh, Tactical Nuclear Penguin or the clan Bruce, but if they're not members of the country club, they at least lunch there often. Read More
Barnum Hill Farm Meat CSA Now Open to FC Residents Ingredients Local Farm Christy Colasurdo June 16, 2011 Got Meat? Barnum Hill Farm Meat CSA Now Open to Fairfield County Residents Just in time for barbecue season, Barnum Hill Farm (BHF) is offering a limited number of memberships its bi-monthly Meat CSA, exclusively to Fairfield County residents. The Meat CSA brings all-natural, Vermont-raised beef, pork and poultry from a collective of small family farms right to your doorstep. These farms adhere to humane and sustainable practices in a healthy and humane environment, free of antibiotics and without use of artificial growth hormones. The cattle raised for Barnum Hill Farm are pastured outdoors during the seasonal months, where they graze on a steady diet of lush grasses and clover. To ensure the perfect balance of marbling and flavor, cows are finished on a diet of natural grains prior to harvesting. Read More
Thimble Island Oyster CSF for New Haven Ingredients Seafood Amy Kundrat June 15, 2011 This CSA's are for land lubbers only? Think again. The Thimble Island Community Supported Fisheries program is a joint venture between Miya's Sushi Restaurant and Thimble Island Oyster Co. modeled on land-based CSA's. This program is a way for seafood lovers to eat local, help restore the shoreline’s ocean ecosystem, and support local shellfish farmers.This program is designed for New Haven, so it's currently only available for people located in the New Haven-Guilford-Madison. This is admittedly too far for many folks who live and work in Fairfield County but for those of you who work in or around the Elm City, this could work for you. It also begs the question, why not a Fairfield County CSF? Read More
Friday Froth: W(here)TF You Been? Ingredients Friday Froth Beer James Gribbon June 10, 2011 As I crash back through the figurative doorway of this site, dusty from the road, clutching a crumpled and beer-stained notebook and shaking the spiders from my clothing, I can only hope that this column's absence has made your hearts all the fonder. Although when I tried that line on a female acquaintance of mine some years ago she quipped that the sentence was not complete, and should have ended with "of someone else." Live and learn. Our triumphs and tragedies make us who we are, and sometimes intermingle. Such is the case with Lagunitas Brewing Company, and their Wilco Tango Foxtrot "Jobless Recovery Ale." Read More
Chef Leticia's Brazilian Homemade Honey Liquor Ingredients Cocktails Leticia Schwartz May 31, 2011 I recently toured the beehive colonies in Trout Brook Valley field in Easton with my friends Patty and Sergei Boyce, program directors for The Backyard Beekeepers Association of CT. It was an amazing education on the art of honey production. Inspired by my newfound knowledge, and some great local honey, I began to explore the Brazilian school of preparing home made liquors and after dinner drinks from fruits, vegetables, and honey. I used Patty and Sergei’s honey and Leblon Cachaça to make this recipe. Enjoy! Read More
Opening Day @ The Westport Farmers' Market Ingredients Farmers Market Local Artisan Local Farm Westport Liz Rueven May 26, 2011 CLICK ON ABOVE IMAGE TO LAUNCH PHOTO GALLERY The Westport Farmers’ Market opened today with a celebratory vibe as late spring temps finally pushed into the low 80’s and bright sun pushed through the early morning fog. More than 30 vendors set up under their tents, arranging heaping towers of local produce and lovingly prepared food product as shoppers streamed in to resume their Thursday routines of shopping, eating, and shmoozing at this one stop al fresco mecca. Westport’s market, winner of BEST FARMERS’ MARKET for the third consecutive year in the annual BEST OF THE GOLD COAST AWARDS, has embarked on its sixth season with stricter guidelines imposed on market vendors. Lori Cochran Dougall, Market Manager, has developed 12 guidelines that must be met by both farmers and small food producers. These guidelines are accepted by all vendors and make the mission of this market clear: all edibles must be local, sustainable and healthy. What does this mean for shoppers? Read More
Chef Talk: Tuscan Oven's Limonata Cocktail Ingredients Features Chef Talk Cocktails Recipe Amy Kundrat May 25, 2011 Meeting a friend for an overdue gabfest, I found myself at Tuscan Oven in Norwalk for cocktails. Just as I was about to order the requisite martini, I spied a cocktail that whispered summer. The Limonata. If you find yourself in denial about the cool indecisive weather, or perhaps you'd like to be transported to a sunny afternoon on the Amalfi Coast, this Tuscan Oven cocktail may be just the thing. The Tuscan Oven Limonata Read More
Guide to Fairfield County Farmer's Markets from FGFG Ingredients Local Artisan Local Farm Specialty Market Farm Fresh Stephanie Webster May 20, 2011
A Field Guide to Fairway Market's Smoked Salmon Ingredients Seafood Specialty Market Stamford Breakfast Lou Gorfain May 17, 2011 Gossamer thin slices of novy, redolent of smoke, salt, and the sea, layered on a bagel with a schmear -- I salivate as I write the words -- used to be a food group you couldn't easily find in Fairfield Country. We might as well have been in Kansas. Then, as if by wizardry, a piece of the Upper West Side was transplanted to Stamford's South Side last year. That's when Fairway Market opened its new 80,000 square foot foodie emporium on Canal Street. And the most outstanding feature of this wonderland greets you just past the spectacular array of cheeses: a deli case featuring 10 varieties of smoked salmon and lox from oceans around the world. Read More
Babycat Milkbar Opens in Wilton Ingredients Amy Kundrat May 12, 2011 With a cup of iced Ruby Slippers tea in hand, I made my way through Babycat Milkbar, Fairfield County's latest pop up shop and cafe in Wilton. The brainchild of Jeena Choi, Babycat Milkbar is a temporary shop designed as a gathering space and small retail hub for coffee, tea and often hard-to-find locally sourced treats. The shop's items include the owners own brand of tea, Mamacat’s Q. Tea and others we know and love such as Cake Box in Ridgefield, SoNo Baking Company in Norwalk, Red Bee Apiary in Weston, Zumbach's Gourmet Coffee in New Canaan as well as other local artisans, photographers and crafters. Read More
Arogya Tea in Westport Ingredients Local Artisan Special Dietary Needs Specialty Market Tea And Coffee Liz Rueven May 10, 2011 Photography by Pam Zaremba Woodsy, flowery and herbal scents wafted towards the entrance of AROGYA as I sought shelter from the cold drizzle of the damp, spring day. Part tea boutique, part apothecary, AROGYA is committed to providing the ultimate tea drinking experience to novice and devoted tea connoisseurs alike. There were two contemporary glass teapots filled with steaming liquid on the reception desk. I made a bee line for the golden hued warmth, placed both hands around the handsome ceramic cup that was offered to me and inhaled the deep, earthy flavor of Pu-erh. The knowledgeable and friendly woman behind the counter explained that I was drinking organic Yunnan Pu-erh tea leaves combined with organic ginger. She proclaimed it to be the perfect warming anecdote to the chilly damp day. She was correct. Read More
Local Find: You & Me Cookies Ingredients Bakery Local Artisan Dessert Jeff "jfood" Schlesinger May 05, 2011 Every so often the fine art of sampling in grocery stores uncovers a delicious new product. While shopping last week in Fairway Market in Stamford I stumbled across a local business, You&Me Cookie, that is creating three scrumptious versions of old-time favorite cookie recipes: the original Chocolate Chip, a Cranberry and Dark Chocolate Chunk, and a modern version of an old-fashioned Oatmeal Raisin. I sampled and loved all of the varieties. With one bite I knew I had an obligation to let our readers know that You&Me Cookies are now available in Fairfield County. After two years of successfully selling through specialty stores in Westchester County, co-owners Heather Mahland and Kyle deLasa have expanded their distribution with the addition of Walter Stewarts in New Canaan, and Plum Pure Food, Starlight Café at the YMCA and Caffé Bon in Greenwich. Read More
Honey "Tasting" @ Red Bee Apiary May 29th Ingredients Local Artisan Local Farm Weston Dessert Stephanie Webster May 05, 2011 On May 29th, Beekeeper and Honey Sommelier, Marina Marchese of Red Bee Apiary will be leading a "Honey Tasting" at her apiary in Weston. Guests will learn how honeybees make this liquid gold we call honey, how location and nectar source determines a honeys color and flavor and how honey is harvested and extracted from the hive. Red Bee honey tastings are formal, white linen events where guest are treated to a tour of Red Bee Apiary, a honeybee talk then gather at farmhouse style tables to taste and evaluate artisanal honeys. Participants will be encouraged to engage their curiosity through discussions while learning about the many types and styles of unique nectar sources. Each menu is a carefully orchestrated "Tasting Flight" of seven single-origin local honeys Read More
