Posts Tagged With: summer

Open for Business!

Posted on May 22, 2013 by rachelocal

All my local Delawarean friends will be happy to know that Filasky’s is open for business!

Welcome to Filasky's

Welcome to Filasky’s

They’ve been open for a few weeks now but today marks the official opening for pick-your-own-strawberries.  Last year I had a blast taking two little friends to Filasky’s, watching them fill up their buckets with juicy berries.

Sophie and I filling up our bucket

Sophie and I filling up our bucket

Sweet Sophie

Sweet Sophie

Filasky’s isn’t JUST about strawberries. They sell local veggies, flowers, fruits, ice cream, jams, baked goods, and a brand new item – grass-feed beef hamburgers and hotdogs from Heritage Oak Farm. I’ve tried the burgers; they are delicious!

Filasky's Asparagus

Local Asparagus from Filasky’s

Last week I bought four locally grown tomatoes. Yes! Tomatoes. Grown hydroponically in Dover, they tasted of summer.

Tomatoes and farm fresh eggs - breakfast is served

Dover-grown tomatoes and farm fresh eggs – breakfast is served

Gerbera Daisies

These Gerbera Daisies now sit on my front stoop

Cindi Filasky is a wealth of knowledge - she knows A LOT about everything she sells and she's always available for a chat (and a smile!)

Cindi Filasky is a wealth of knowledge – she knows A LOT about everything she sells and she’s always available for a chat (and a smile!)

Gorgeous entrance to the produce stand

Spring flowers adorn the entrance to the produce stand

Picking strawberries at Filasky’s means summer is on the way, along with a bounty of seasonal vegetables and fruits.

So tell me – what marks the official beginning of summer for you?

Head over to Filasky's - maybe I'll see you there!

Head over to Filasky’s – maybe I’ll see you there!

Filasky’s Produce

1343 Bunker Hill Road

Middletown, DE 19709

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Categories: Delaware Farms, Farmer's Markets, Local Farms | Tags: , , , , , , | 40 Comments

Tomato Addict

Posted on January 14, 2013 by rachelocal

I’ve been craving tomatoes. Not just any tomato, but a sun-soaked red or yellow cherry tomato fresh from the summer garden.

Alas, winter is upon us. All hopes of a summer tomato are deferred until at least July. Like an addict needing a fix, I found myself wistfully looking through photos of these summer beauties.

Kauffman's offered these beautiful hot house tomatoes grown in Lancaster County, PA

Beautiful tomatoes from Lancaster County, PA

Grown the hydropotic way in Dover, Delaware

Grown the hydroponic way in Dover, Delaware

John picked these cherry tomatoes for me ahead of time. My favorites!

My favorite cherry tomatoes straight from John’s garden

Perfection

I want one right now

Naked tomatoes waiting to be dressed

Tomatoes + Basil = Perfection

Summer tomatoes from Rehobeth Beach, DE

Summer tomatoes from Rehoboth Beach, DE

Summer Beauties

The very Roma tomatoes I oven dried

Some of the best tomatoes I ate all summer. Thanks, New Jersey!

Some of the best tomatoes I ate all summer. Thanks, New Jersey!

What dreams are made of

What my dreams are made of

After wiping the drool from my chin, I exclaimed, “THAT’S IT. I WANT TOMATOES AND TOMATOES I SHALL HAVE!” I even shook two fists at the gray winter sky as I uttered the words.

Firm in my resolve, I went to the pantry to find the tomato goodness that would satisfy my craving. Jackpot! I scored a jar of local canned tomatoes–a Christmas present from thoughtful friends. Then I remembered the Roma tomatoes I oven-dried and stashed in the freezer for just such an occasion. I held them like precious jewels, imagining their concentrated sweet tomato flavor.

Tomato Sunshine, oven-dried in September

Tomato Sunshine, oven-dried in September

Marrying summer and winter was easy. I used the crock pot–a decidedly winter appliance in my house. I wasn’t sure how it was going to turn out, but since I had quality ingredients preserved at their peak of freshness, I wasn’t disappointed.

Locally grown, canned tomatoes

Locally grown, canned tomatoes

I’ll make this again and again, especially when I’m jonesin’ for a tomato fix!

Four Tomato Chicken Pasta

1 pound boneless chicken thighs (or breasts, whichever you prefer. Oh and if you’re a veggie, just add a couple cans of chick peas to the crock pot instead of chicken.)

Kosher salt and pepper

1 jar canned summer tomatoes with juice (or 1 15-ounce can diced tomatoes, if you have that on hand)

1 cup tomato sauce

6 tablespoons tomato paste

8 oven-dried tomatoes (or jarred sun-dried tomatoes)

3 sprigs fresh thyme or oregano (I used thyme because it’s the fresh herb I had on hand)

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 tablespoons red wine (or use water)

Sugar, to taste

Thin spaghetti or your favorite pasta shape, cooked according to package directions

Season chicken with salt and pepper generously. Place in the crock pot. In a medium bowl, combine jarred/diced tomatoes,  tomato sauce, tomato paste, oven-dried tomatoes, red wine, and garlic. Pour over chicken. Add thyme/oregano to the crock pot. Cover and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours.

Ready to cook low and slow

Ready to cook low and slow

When ready to eat, cook pasta according to package directions. Remove chicken and thyme sprigs from the crock pot. Shred chicken with fork, set aside.  This is where I tasted the sauce and added a teaspoon or so of sugar. You may think the sauce is perfect the way it is or you may want to add salt or sugar. Just make sure to taste it to check on those seasonings.

Chicken, shredded, tender and flavorful

Chicken, shredded, tender and flavorful

Turn crock pot to high, remove the lid. and cook uncovered until the sauce thickens up a bit (I did this for as long as it took the pasta to cook).

The oven-dried tomatoes were the star of this dish

The oven-dried tomatoes were the star of this dish

Return the shredded chicken to the sauce. When heated through, turn the crock pot off. Serve with freshly grated Parmesan Reggiano if you have it! (I didn’t, but it was still delish.)

A taste of summer in a winter dish

A taste of summer in a winter dish

What’s your favorite summer produce item? How do you get through the winter without it?

Categories: Delaware Farms, Fall Recipes, Recipes, Winter Recipes | Tags: , , , , , , , | 25 Comments

Pepper-licious Grilled Chicken Thighs

Posted on September 20, 2012 by rachelocal

Last week after I played Peppermeister Roulette, I was left with a runny nose, a burning sensation in the back of my throat, and a rainbow of pretty peppers. Since these peppers were grown with love and care by the great Peppermeister, I wanted to find just the right recipe to do them justice. I found what I wanted over at Skinny Girls and Mayonnaise in a post called Phoenix from the Flames, a fitting title for Peppermeister’s prized peppers (say that three times fast). Even better, the recipe uses one of my favorite underestimated meats: chicken thighs.

I tweaked the recipe slightly, adding more sugar, replacing dry hot red pepper flakes with a fresh Cherry Bomb, omitting the butter, and adjusting the salt and spices a bit. But I give full credit to Sean from Skinny Girls and Mayonnaise. After the brine, the dry rub, and the grilling, these chicken thighs are spicy, smoky, sweet, and pepper-licious.

Pepper-licious Grilled Chicken Thighs

8 local bone-in chicken thighs with skin

For the brine:

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup salt

2 cups water

For the dry rub:

2 tablespoons sugar

1 tablespoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon paprika

1 teaspoon smoked paprika

2 teaspoons garlic powder

1 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon celery seeds

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

The versatile dry rub

For the sauce:

1/2 cup apple cider vinegar

1/2 cup rice wine vinegar

1 tablespoon brown sugar

2 teaspoons prepared chili garlic sauce

1 Cherry Bomb pepper, seeded and finely diced

This pepper got me when playing Peppermeister Roulette. That’s why I sliced him and diced him for this recipe.

Cherry Da-Bomb Vinegar Sauce

The day before, make the brine. In a large bowl or tupperware container, toss the chicken thighs in the brine, cover and refrigerate. Toss once or twice over the course of the brining.

The next day when ready to grill, in a small saucepan, combine the vinegars, sugar, chili garlic sauce and Cherry Bomb pepper. Heat over medium until simmering and remove from heat.

Remove thighs from brine. Pat dry with a paper towel. Generously sprinkle chicken with the dry rub.

Heat your grill to medium high. (I used a charcoal grill and a chimney starter, dumping the coals in the grill when they just turned white hot on top.) Begin grilling chicken, skin side up. Use a pastry brush to baste the chicken with the vinegar sauce as it cooks. Grill for 8 to 12 minutes on each side, basting a few times as the meat cooks. (I always check the internal temperature with a meat thermometer – 160 to 165 degrees for poultry.)

On the grill

For a side dish, I sprinkled ears of local corn with leftover dry rub and grilled–so good! Who knew celery seed and grilled corn were a perfect combination?

Thank you, Peppermeister and Sean, for making this dish one of the best things I grilled all summer.

The finished masterpiece

Categories: Gardening, Recipes, Summer Recipes | Tags: , , , , , , , | 28 Comments

Tomato Sunshine

Posted on September 7, 2012 by rachelocal

On our way back from a few days at the beach over the long weekend, the husband and I decided to do some shopping. Due to limited time, I had a choice to make: clothes shopping at the beach outlets (Coach, Michael Kors, and J. Crew to name a few) or food shopping at produce stands. What do you think this locavore chose? Produce stands obviously!

Heading toward Route 1, we stopped at Tomato Sunshine, a Garden Center and Farmers Market in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware.

Tomato Sunshine

Since Labor Day is the “offiicial” end of summer, I was excited to see the bounty of summer produce on display, still in its full glory! I went crazy buying up EVERYTHING, including tomatoes, corn, green beans, peaches, cantaloupe, and even a yellow watermelon.

Summer Corn

Honeydew Melons

Late Summer Green Beans

Local Yellow Watermelons

Peaches

Summer Squash and Zucchini

Summer Tomatoes – the BEST!

The local Roma tomatoes looked so good, I bought way too much so I could save some for winter–in the form of sun-dried tomatoes. I don’t have the patience to wait days on end for my tomatoes to dry out in the sun. (And it doesn’t seem sanitary either.) So instead of doing it the old fashioned way, I put my oven to good use and slowly roasted the tomatoes until they were sweet and concentrated. A perfect activity to take on while tackling post vacation laundry.

Make these for a little summer tomato sunshine in the dead of winter.

Summer Beauties

Tomato Sunshine (or Sun-dried Tomatoes in the Oven)

Ingredients:

15 Roma tomatoes, cut length-wise

Couple pinches of kosher salt

1 teaspoon sugar

Drizzle of olive oil

Preheat oven to 225 degrees. While the oven is preheating, sprinkle the tomatoes (cut side up) with the kosher salt. Allow to sit on a cutting board for 15 minutes to release some moisture. Transfer to a baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with sugar. Toss to coat and arrange tomatoes (cut side up again) on the baking sheet one inch apart. Bake for about six hours or until tomatoes are dark and dried out, but still pliable.

To save for winter, freeze in zip lock bags and take out as needed for pastas and risotto.

Ready for the oven

Tomato Sunshine

{This post part of Fight Back Fridays on Food Renegade}

Categories: Fall Recipes, Farmer's Markets, Local Stores, Recipes, Summer Recipes | Tags: , , , , , , , , | 18 Comments

Guilt-Free Tomato, Basil, and Red Onion Summer Salad

Posted on August 17, 2012 by rachelocal

I feel guilty about something. I’m not even sure why I feel guilty about this particular thing.  I didn’t commit a crime, like a hit and run or insurance fraud. In fact, I hurt nothing and no one. I should NOT feel guilty at all.

But such is my nature: riddled with guilt and regret.

This is my guilty face, which is eerily similar to my disappointed face

It all started when I picked up my CSA farm share this afternoon. I already felt guilty about that because I was SUPPOSED to pick it up yesterday at my set-in-stone-for-the-last-two-months time slot. Unfortunately, I was stuck in Philly on a work errand. Toby, my flexible farmer, graciously supplied my farm share this afternoon. I apologized profusely. And guiltily, of course.

Next stop was the farmers market to buy some eggs, cheese, and chicken sausages. I stopped by the produce stand to see the local offerings. I snagged some blueberries, green beans, and mushrooms. Then I spotted the red onions. Not local. Glancing to my left and to my right with shifty eyes, I saw no one staring or pointing at me. I put the non-local red onion in my basket. And bought it.

So you’d think I’d have buyer’s remorse. Honestly, I didn’t. I justified that red onion, considering it a staple like sugar or olive oil. The guilt worked its way out of my shoulders and I breathed a sigh of relief.

I made one more stop before heading home: the dreaded grocery store. I needed personal items like toilet paper and q-tips. As I was making my way through the aisles, I noticed the neat and enticing rows of salad dressing bottles. Old favorites like Hidden Valley Ranch and Wishbone Italian called my name. My local self-discipline kicked in and I pushed the thought out of my mind. Until I saw it.

Brianna’s Blush Wine Vinaigrette. My favorite salad dressing of all time.  Impulsively I put it in my cart next to the q-tips.

Why does this feel like cheating?

You may be thinking, Who cares? It’s only salad dressing! You don’t understand. I like to make my own salad dressing with local yogurt and herbs. Brianna’s is from Texas. Texas!? I argued with myself to no avail. Ignoring the guilt, I scanned the bottle at self check- out. I swear the annoying machine said, “Not-on-your-locavore-diet vinaigrette, $3.49. You saved $.49 and gained a guilty conscience.”

At home, I unpacked my purchases, including the lovely items from my farm share. As I set colorful, tiny tomatoes and a bunch of basil on the counter, I had an epiphany.

Epiphany tomatoes

Suddenly everything became clear. I was destined to make a summer salad with tomato, basil, red onion, and Texas salad dressing. The sweet and tangy taste of the vinaigrette was a perfect match for the candy-sweet tomatoes and fresh basil.

I still feel a little guilty, but I don’t regret it.

Guilt-Free Tomato, Basil, and Red Onion Summer Salad

Ingredients:

1 pint cherry tomatoes, yellow and red, cut in half lengthwise

1 small red onion, diced

1 bunch fresh basil leaves, chiffonade into ribbons

1 – 2 tablespoons Brianna’s Blush Wine Vinaigrette, depending on how much dressing you like

Kosher salt

Black pepper

Combine tomatoes, onion, basil, and vinaigrette together in a bowl. Season with salt and pepper to your desired taste. Enjoy guilt free and with no regrets, even if you eat the whole bowl by yourself.

Worth it

Categories: Delaware Farms, Local Farms, Recipes, Summer Recipes | Tags: , , , , , , , | 22 Comments

Grocery Store Redemption

Posted on August 16, 2012 by rachelocal

This morning I ran to the bank, which happens to be in a grocery store called Acme. After I did my banking, I headed over to the produce department to see if I could find something local.

I did!

After all my complaining the other day about no local produce at MY grocery store, I felt like this one redeemed all supermarkets for me. At least for today.

If you are a Delawarean living off Route 40 in Bear, head over to your local Acme in Fox Run Shopping Center for some peaches, green peppers, squash, and cucumbers. Just look for the Locally Grown signs!

It’s nice to know that I don’t have to go all the way up to Whole Foods to get some good produce. Thanks, Acme!

Is it weird that my heart skipped a beat when I saw these signs?

Eggplant, Summer Squash, and Cucumbers

How pretty are these peppers?

Local, luscious peaches

 

 

 

 

Categories: Local Farms, Local Stores | Tags: , , , , , | 6 Comments

{recipe} Blueberry Salsa

Posted on August 13, 2012 by rachelocal

Reblogged from FROM SCRATCH CLUB:

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BLUEBERRY PICKING SEASON

I have a deep love for blueberries and celebrate each year when the first berries have ripened on the bush.  Some people have a hard time resisting chocolate brownies or sweets, and I can commiserate with them.  But, for me, the real struggle is blueberries. Laugh if you must, I understand it sounds minor.  Those in my family will testify to this: I can, and do, eat an obscene amount of blueberries.  

Read more… 253 more words

Blueberries are one of my favorite things! Check out this interesting recipe for Blueberry Salsa. Maybe the addition of a jalapeno would be good?
Categories: Recipes | Tags: , , , , | 16 Comments

I’m-Disgusted-with-the-Grocery-Store Sweet Corn and Bacon Pasta

Posted on August 8, 2012 by rachelocal

I wrote a guest post debuting today on Childhood Relived. I waxed nostalgic about the snack foods of my youth, most of them processed and full of high fructose corn syrup. (Make sure to check it out for nostalgic stories and embarrassing photos.)

Reminiscing about these foods made me thankful for a mom that cooked healthy meals, so at least I was forced to make good food choices at home. The 1987 to 1994 versions of myself would choose a Mountain Dew, a bag of Cool Ranch Doritos, or a Hostess Cupcake every single time (or all three at once).

Even now,  my permed and neon clad 1987 self takes over and wants to buy anything processed and packaged, boxed items like Zatarain’s jambalaya mix (one of my favorite things) or sweet treats like Nutter Butters and Pepperidge Farm Milano cookies.

The temptation to buy processed foods is one of the reasons I rarely shop at the grocery store. These days I go to the farmers market or John’s backyard (I could live on his tomatoes). But last Sunday I needed to buy some cat supplies (we just welcomed a new calico kitten into our family) so I headed to the closest store which happens to be a grocery store. While there I decided to get something for dinner.  I thought to myself, Certainly I can buy some local produce; it’s summer after all.

I was mistaken. Nothing was local. But more importantly nothing looked good or fresh. The only thing I actually wanted to buy was an avocado, but it’s not on my locavore diet.

Disgusted, I purchased the kitten supplies and determined to make do with what I had at home.

I thought you should all meet ZuZu

Rummaging through the refrigerator and pantry, I discovered local corn, yummy local double smoked bacon, chicken stock leftover from a previous recipe, local cream, and leftover pasta. Inspired by the memory of a recipe on Frugal Foodie Family, I made Sweet Corn and Bacon Pasta.

Sweet Corn and Bacon Pasta

Ingredients:

3 slices bacon, diced into bit-sized pieces

1 small red onion, diced

Kernels from 2 ears of fresh corn

1/2 cup chicken stock

1/2 cup heavy cream

1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika

pinch of cayenne pepper

1/2 pound of cooked pasta, whatever shape you like

1/4 cup Pecorino Romano

salt and pepper to taste

In a large skillet, get the bacon going over high heat. Cook until the bacon starts browning and crisping up. Turn the heat to medium high and add the onion. Cook until the onion is translucent, about 4 minutes.

Nothing smells better than bacon (or onions)

Add the corn and stir to combine. Add the chicken stock, heavy cream, smoked paprika and dash of cayenne pepper. Let that hang out for about 5 minutes.

Looks good already

Cream and corn with a kick

Mix in the cheese and taste. Add as much salt and pepper as you like (I only needed to add pepper because the bacon and cheese are salty enough). Stir in the pasta to combine. Remove from heat and serve.

The husband and I finished this entire dish by ourselves, so I would say it serves two. But maybe it could serve three people with reasonable appetites.

If I can pull this recipe off with local items I didn’t even know I had, I’ll never need to shop at the grocery store again!

Being disgusted with the grocery store never tasted so good

Categories: Recipes, Summer Recipes | Tags: , , , , , , | 24 Comments

Corn on the Cone

Posted on August 5, 2012 by rachelocal

We’ve had some hot days in Delaware lately. Hot as in 101 degrees with humidity. When it’s that hot, there’s nothing more I want to do than sit inside my air-conditioned house. Unless, of course, I’m invited out for ice cream.

Last week it was a family affair when my mom, my dad, my nephew Ethan, the husband and I headed to UDairy Creamery on University of Delaware’s campus.

Can you see the humidity in the air?

The College of Agriculture and Natural Resources dairy farm provides the milk for the store. About 100 Holstein cows are milked twice each day, and the milk is sent to Hamilton, NJ to be pasteurized and made into ice cream base. Back at the UDairy Creamery, the thick base is transformed into the bevy of flavors seen on the menu board.

Inside the UDairy Creamery

My nephew Ethan, a regular at the place, settled on his favorite, Orange Cream. He was gracious enough to let me have a taste (on an unlicked part). Delicious!

Pretty flavors

Seeing as corn is in season this time of year, I was intrigued by the Corn on the Cone flavor. Corn ice cream! Sounds weird, but it was heavenly. Sweet, but not too sweet, creamy ice cream with corn kernels thrown in for authenticity. Surprisingly delightful.

Melting but delicious Corn on the Cone

My mom lucked out and chose the best scoop of the day, First State Cobbler–peach ice cream with blueberry swirls and cinnamon cobbler pieces. I wanted to snap a photo but the air was so hot, our cones melted fast. We grabbed a bunch of napkins and booked it to the car.

I’ll be back on a cooler evening to enjoy the patio, but until then, I can always order a pint (or three) to enjoy in the air-conditioned comfort of my own home.

UDairy Creamery  • 535 South College Avenue  •  Newark, DE 19716   •  Phone: 302-831-2486

Walk up or eat inside. This place is cute!

Categories: Local Farms, Local Stores, Restaurant | Tags: , , , , , , | 22 Comments

What’s Good in the Garden this Summer?

Posted on July 15, 2012 by rachelocal

After two weeks away and finally catching up on work stuff, I paid John a visit to see what’s good in the garden.

When I arrived, John was in the watermelon patch trying to untangle a soaking hose. I helped him out a bit and we transferred the hose to a different part of the patch. In the process I spied at least eight good-sized watermelons on their way to emodying summertime goodness.

Because the garden changed so much in my absence, John took me on a tour. I snapped some photos with my iPhone to share. First we stopped at the blue bird house. The baby birds flew the coop! But a new family moved in to the house across from the corn stalks. John, ever the attentive landlord, gave them a new roof to keep out the rain.

Side view of Mrs. Blue Bird’s neat little nest

New roof courtesy of John

From there we checked in on the strawberry patch. The new plants are producing a tangle of runners, and we even found a few tiny berries to share.

The pumpkin patch is thriving. Two huge pumpkins made an early appearance.

Pumpkins in July

In the adjacent plot, light green cataloupes soaked up the sun, looking delicious already.

Cantaloupes ripening

Next we turned our attention to the potato rows.  John got to work with his shovel while I helped loosen the dirt with a pitchfork. White potatoes appeared as if by magic on top of the upturned soil.

Dried up potato plant means potatoes are ready for harvest

I speared a potato with my fork

Red potatoes, harvested and looking rustic in their baskets

After pulling a few weeds (including poison ivy) from around the blueberry bushes, I checked in on the corn stalks. John and I picked a few ears for my supper.

Corn Jungle

Perfectly sweet and picturesque

I’d been looking forward to seeing the tomato plants in full swing since John and I planted them. They are flourishing! Bag in hand, I jumped into the tall plants to find a few. John told me to look low as tomatoes ripen on the bottom first. We found some beauties!

Fried Green Tomatoes, anyone?

Perfection

John picked these cherry tomatoes for me ahead of time. My favorites!

As usual John sent me home with a bounty of vegetables; I had to make three trips to the car!

Impressive!

I promised to be by next week to help water the garden and admired Kathy’s flowers on my way out.

Apparently, at John’s house, EVERYTHING’S good in the garden this summer.

Towering flowers

Kathy’s Black-Eyed Susans

Categories: Gardening | Tags: , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

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