Josh Kilmer-Purcell's Blog, page 127

Meet The Official Beekman Heirloom Gardeners!

As our "World's Largest Community Garden" partnership with Williams-Sonoma gets underway, we asked gardeners from around the country to submit their qualifications to become an "Official Beekman Heirloom Gardener." We wanted to enlist one gardener from each growing zone to help more novice gardeners with questions they ask in our garden forums.

We were swamped with submissions – over 1100 – and it was tough to narrow them down. In the end we decided to award two different distinctions per growing zone: Expert and Deputy.

Our Experts generally have over 25 years experience growing vegetables in their respective growing zones. And our Deputies range from first time gardeners to master gardeners who are new to heirloom vegetable growing. All of these winners share a passion for learning and sharing that will be yours for the taking all season long. You'll see them a lot in the garden forums, and they are thrilled to help answer all your questions.

(We did not get enough entries in Zones 1 and 2 to award Experts and Deputies. If you live in either of those zones and want to help out, email us at beekman1802@beekman1802.com)

Give our new "Official Gardeners" a Big Beekman Welcome!

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Janet's youngest garden "helper."

ZONE 3 EXPERT: Janet Geeting; Rock Springs, Wyoming

As the granddaughter of Wyoming Homesteader dry land farmers, Janet Geeting has Wyoming gardening in her genes. She also has her Master Gardener certification and over 43 years of vegetable growing experience in a harsh climate. Toss in the fact that she gives her extra harvest to food banks and local churches and she's practically blood relative of the Beekman family.  "Give me a few seeds," she writes, "and I'll help you grow your garden no matter where you live."

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Mary Beth Proudfoot

ZONE 3 DEPUTY: Mary Beth Proudfoot; Bozeman, Montana

While according to her zipcode Mary Beth Proudfoot may be a "Zone 4," her 15 years of gardening have taught her that she's really battling against Zone 3 conditions. Her Rocky Mountain home has even been known to celebrate the 4th of July not with fireworks, but with a snowstorm. So she realizes the struggles new gardeners can face in a colder climate because she once was one. "When I first started out it would have been great to have had a real person to ask my dumb little questions," she writes, "and not feel like a total idiot." We couldn't agree more, Mary Beth!

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Joan Wissert

ZONE 4 EXPERT: Joan Wissert; Scio, New York

Joan spent the majority of her professional life as an assistant professor of horticulture at Alfred State College, and is a passionate educator. One of her favorite gardening focuses is troubleshooting, which should really help some of our newest gardeners. "Small successes can create lifetime – and life-altering – changes for people," she writes. Joan believes that it's a gardener's duty to share information with as wide an audience as possible.

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Sue Roegge

ZONE 4 DEPUTY: Sue Roegge; St. Paul, Minnesota

Sue is committed to the mission of sustainability and biodiversity, and has been growing her own vegetables for 5 years. She's also been a longtime Beekman contributer, and, like us, believes that growing heirloom vegetables can help honor our ancestors who grew the same varietes. "I am not an expert," she writes, "but I have experience. I will model the joy of figuring it all out with my eye on the prize." Not only does she love gardening, but she's an all-around foodie with a passion for cooking and Farmers' Markets.

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Diana Tabor

ZONE 5 EXPERT: Diana Tabor; Layton, Utah

As an active Master Gardener from Utah State University, Diana brings her training in everything from fertilization and composting to entomology and pathology. But even more importantly, she believes in the power of community gardens to bring fresh, healthy food to the family table. She's been growing her own vegetables for over 35 years, and like us, believes that "there's nothing better than going out to the garden to harvest something you grew to cook for dinner."

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Allison Goodman

ZONE 5 DEPUTY: Allison Goodman; Harvard & Norridge, IL

Like most of our entrants, Allison gardened with her family as a kid, and picked it up again later as an adult. She's been growing her own vegetables for 6 years. She dreams of owning her own farm. Last summer she began a raised bed garden in the parking lot of her church made from kiddie pools to teach Sunday School students about growing, harvesting, and sharing food with others. She writes: "I even have an 11 year old boy who can talk for 10 minutes on why bees are so important to the growth of zucchini (his favorite veggie)!"

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Rochelle Greayer

ZONE 6 EXPERT: Rochelle Greayer; Harvard, Massachusetts

Rochelle is no stranger to helping others garden with heirloom. She created and runs the Harvard Farmers Market, which has a number of immigrant vendors who preserve and share their heritage through heirloom varieties. Rochelle also write a garden design blog – and you know how much we value good design. She's been gardening for roughly 33 years, and believes that "every gardener can grow by nurturing themselves through a garden."

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Stephen Jones

ZONE 6 DEPUTY: Stephen Jones; Powell, Ohio

Stephen Jones is 20 years old and while he's been gardening since he was six years old, he only recently began growing vegetables. Just this winter he started Ohio State University's Delaware County Master Gardener Program, and one requirement for the program is that he is willing to help novice gardeners in his community. "I am not a shy personality at all," Stephen says, "and am always willing to help those who need advice, be it about their garden, their hair, their wedding, or if they should get their nipples pierced. Point being, I make people comfortable and truly enjoy helping."

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Kathy Jentz

ZONE 7 EXPERT: Kathy Jentz; Silver Springs, Maryland

The word "expert" takes on new meaning with Kathy Jentz. As the editor and publisher of Washington Gardener Magazine, we can think of no one better skilled to help novice gardeners of zone 7. Kathy has been growing her own vegetables for over twenty years and is starting a new community garden plot this year.  She's planning to donate its entire harvest to "Plant a Row for the Hungry" (a project of the Garden Writers Association.) We're thrilled to have Kathy aboard.

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Diane Vaughan

ZONE 7 DEPUTY: Diane Vaughan & "Granny"; Guthrie, Oklahoma

Diane came with an offer we couldn't refuse. Not only did she offer us her own 2-year-old enthusiasm for vegetable garden, she also enlisted her expert "Granny" as her teammate. "Granny" has been growing vegetable gardens in Oklahoma and Eastern Texas for her entire life, and has a wealth of knowledge to share with her granddaughter Diane, and us. "Two growing seasons ago I realized that when Granny leaves this great world," Diane writes, "all of her expertise of living off the land will go with her.  It would be such a shame to lose generations of information, and I just cannot let that happen."

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Joan Leach

ZONE 8 EXPERT: Joan Leach; Burleson, Texas

With over 44 years of experience, Joan Leach knows her Texas gardening. She's been frustrated in the past with the lack of information regarding which heirloom varieties grow well in which region. As a Zone 8 gardener, she is always asking herself which varieties can take the heat and make it into the kitchen. "I would be especially interested in being involved in research to answer that question," she writes, "and would love to find varieties that do grow here."

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The Boles Family

ZONE 8 DEPUT(IES): Kathy Boles & Family; Round Rock, Texas

We're not just getting Kathy as a Deputy Heirloom Gardener, we're getting her whole family including Russ, Meg and Reese. They're all avid vegetable gardeners, and have been for over 5 years.  Kathy feels that her region is under-represented  in gardening literature, when in fact they are able to grow and harvest year round in their suburban garden. When her children began eating table food, she really stepped-up her efforts towards eating organically and locally. "It has become a gift for not just our table," she writes, "but the little minds we are growing as well."

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Jan Small

ZONE 9 EXPERT: Jan Small; Myakka City, Florida

Jan has been growing her own vegetables for 51 years, and has mastered the idiosyncrasies of growing in a difficult climate. She believes that gardening isn't only beneficial for one's physical health, but one's mental health as well. She also loves sharing her knowledge behind her garden. "I love giving my visiting friends a tour of my garden," she writes, "and watching as they discover a baby zucchini just ready to be picked or have their first taste of a fig still warm from the sun."

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Laurie Gore

ZONE 9 DEPUTY: Laurie Gore; Bonita, California

While Laurie more is a certified Master Gardener, she admits that she's not the most experienced vegetable grower. But sees that as an asset, "because I will be learning as I am doing." She's also an avid photographer and writer, and has just put in new raised beds specifically for vegetables. "There is no reason I won't succeed," Laurie writes, "excepting the gophers, hornworms, the odd beetle, and a heat wave next summer."

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Sally's picture to come

ZONE 10 EXPERT: Sally Newhart; New Orleans, Louisiana

While some might place New Orleans in Zone 9, Sally's 37 years of gardening experience has taught her that the region is actually now experiencing the climate of Zone 10. Which is one of the most difficult zones to grow "cold weather" varieties. But she's had success. Sally gardens on a small city lot, and after "Katrina" Sally composted all new soil to go into her beds to counteract the toxins that had flooded the area. She now has earthworms living happily among her roots. "So," she writes, "I guess it's safe to lay in the grass again."

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Dianne Reed

ZONE 10 DEPUTY: Dianne Reed; Boynton Beach, Florida

Gardeners in the north might long for a longer growing season, but Dianne Reed knows firsthand how difficult it can be to grow vegetables in "paradise." Sandy soils and insects create unique challenges. "Pests like the good weather as much as we do," she writes. Raised beds are a necessity for Dianne, and she's building some new ones especially for the Beekman 1802 Community Heirloom Garden project.

Fit for a King

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Of Cabbages & Kings

The Content of Tables:  Cooking Lesson #3

Several years ago, King Juan Carlos of Spain lunched at a famous and exclusive restaurant in New York City. The proprietor had gone to great lengths to research Spanish cuisine and served a variation on a traditional Spanish roast suckling pig.  According to urban legend — although the person who told me worked at the restaurant in question and swore that she heard the story from somebody who was present  — when the dish was brought to table, His Majesty asked what it was. "This is our version of your traditional national dish," he was told. "I am a king," Juan Carlos is said to have replied, "I don't eat pig." And that was that.

What one eats and how one eats it is a powerful indicator of social class, as powerful as how one pronounces particular words or how one furnishes one's home.  In the Hindu caste system, a Brahmin could lose caste for coming into contact with — let alone eating — food prepared by an untouchable. Coriolanus — Shakespeare's very English portrait of snobbery raised to the tragic plane — shudders at the thought of having to appeal to the "garlic eating rabble" for their votes.  In 1825, Brillat-Saverin, the first modern food writer proclaimed "tell me what you eat and I'll tell you what you are."  It is worth considering that he did not say, "tell me what you cook." At the time, anybody who might be reading his book would rarely see the inside of a kitchen, and would never dream of working in one. Brillat (a lawyer by profession) certainly never did, and it is still the case in much of the world that the only people who do their own cooking are those who cannot afford cooks.

Not on only has the social status of the cook changed, so have attitudes toward particular foods. It was not very long ago that anyone who could afford white bread would not allow whole wheat, rye, or black bread on their tables because these were considered coarse and beneath the dignity of the house. White flour, in addition to being more expensive, yielded a smoother softer product — a fact of some importance at a time when few people had their own teeth — and bread was made even more genteel by the removal of the crust. It was the desire to create a more refined product (in both senses of the word) for the masses that led to the development of Wonderbread. It is ironic that this flavorless, textureless, crustless abomination in the name of bread, created in imitation of a highbrow ideal, is now a powerful symbol of everything that is low-brow in America.

At the same time that crusty bread was banished from the respectable table, the diet of the privileged was a deliberately bland affair. Once again the more tender and easier to chew was preferred over the more flavorful and more nutritious. In yet another inversion of traditional class distinctions, kindeys and other offal that were once the diet of those who could not afford the more luxurious cuts, are now considered exotic and are only available in the smartest shops and restaurants. Exuberance in seasoning, as in almost anything, was, until recently, considered an unseemly characteristic of the ill-bred and the ethnic It is telling that the classic English tea, a meal that was invented as an afternoon diversion for those who had nothing else to do in the afternoon, often consists of the most flavorless of food – cucumber sandwiches on crustless white bread, and other such dishes – served in tiny amounts.

But if the privileged and sophisticated middle class are now choosing to eat coarse bread and organ meats, and soft white bread and more choice cuts of meat have become affordable to all, new class divisions are appearing with regard to food. The upper echelons of our society are seeking out organic vegetables, grass fed beef, free-range poultry and steroid free dairy, while the poor eat beef raised on chicken excrement and other foods produced by unsustainable and questionable methods.  The gap between rich and poor is not just one of money and education, but also of health.

The culinary "class act" is not the meal in which the rarest and most expensive dishes are served, though such a meal can be fun if everybody enjoys the game. It is the one where everything is as good as it can possibly be. I have no strong objection to Champagne  (as Cunigonde says in Leonard Berstein's Candide) but there are times when I'd rather have a beer. Foie gras, truffles and Caviar are fine things but if you go that route, go all the way; there is nothing tackier than running out of an extravagance. My own feeling is there are certain foods and preparations that — if they are worth eating at all — are worth paying someone else to prepare.  The trouble of making such dishes at home — and serving them and washing up, undermines the sense of luxury they evoke.  The class act is to find out what your company like (or at least what they don't like or can't eat) and make sure they will feel comfortable at your table. To be oneself is classy, to do otherwise is pretentious.

Which brings me back to the King of Spain. I may be very middle class, but I don't think Juan Carlos displayed the manners of a gentleman. Perhaps a king doesn't have to.  Although I'd be surprised if the Queen of England scorned bacon at breakfast, pork is not generally considered an elegant food. Larousse Gastronomique — the bible of old fashioned French cooking — considers it only appropriate for bourgeois family dinners; in other words for people like you and me who cook for ourselves. That makes it perfect for the present purpose; to demonstrate how the lowliest ingredients — pork and cabbage – can acquire class.

Step 1:

Our culinary Cinderella story starts with hot dogs and sauerkraut: not the most promising beginning but I promise that this dish has made many people who think they would never eat such a thing change their minds, and the first step in turning this sow's ear into a silk purse is to change its name. Choucroute Garnie (French for "loaded sauerkraut") has been popular in the brasseries of Paris for over a century.   It is one of those dishes — like Bouillabaise and Cassoulet — that are essentially home cooking raised to such mythic status that gastronomes' eyes tear up when discussing them. There is nothing like a French name to give a dish snob appeal. Paté de campagne by any other name is cold meatloaf, if not Spam.

Step 2:

You'll need quite a bit of sauerkraut, maybe a half pound per person. Sauerkraut is shredded cabbage that has been salted and allowed to ferment until it develops a wonderfully complex flavor, and, by the way, considerable nutritive value. Try to get fresh sauerkraut. If you can't get fresh, the kind that comes in plastic packages in the refrigerator section of the supermarket is also good.  If you can only get the stuff in a jar or a can, make something else. The canning process involves heating the sauerkraut to a point where it becomes limp and soggy, smells like sewage and is the reason many people don't think they like sauerkraut at all. Good sauerkraut is crunchy and tastes fresh.

Step 3:

You'll need several kinds of sausages. I suggest bratwurst, kielbasa and Frankfurters, but Weiswurst, Knackwurst or any number of other kinds can be used instead of or in addition to any of these.  Don't use Italian sausages because the seasoning will not work with the rest of the dish. Aim for about two sausages per person but NOT two of each. You should also get some smoked pork loin in the form of "Canadian bacon" or chops. If using chops, trim the meat from the bones (which you will use). You will also need a hunk of slab bacon, about a half inch think, cut into bite-sized chunks.

Step 4:

Rinse the sauerkraut in cold water, drain it and soak it in more cold water for about fifteen minutes. This will make it less aggressively salty but will not remove the flavor imparted by fermentation. Drain it, spread it on a clean kitchen towel and roll it up tightly to squeeze out the water.

Step 5:

In a heavy, oven-proof casserole, cook the bacon until it is crisp and brown. Remove it from the heat and add the half the sauerkraut and stir to distribute the bacon.  Peel an onion, stick four cloves into it and embed that in the kraut.  One sticks the cloves into the onion so that one can find them when it is time to take them out. Slice a carrot or two into thick rounds and add that as well. Although it is not traditional, I like to add a peeled and grated apple. Throw in a sprig or two of parsley a couple of bay leaves, a few sprigs of thyme, a few peeled cloves of garlic, grind a bit of pepper over it all and add just a bit of salt.  Lightly crush about ten juniper berries with the flat of knife and strew them in as well. If you can't find juniper at the store, add a couple of shots of gin. And if you have bones from the smoked pork loin, add them, too. Now add the rest of the sauerkraut. Pour some white wine and some chicken stock (about equal parts) over what you have just made. You don't want to drown everything in liquid but you want things quite wet.  For this dish, I would strongly advocate home made stock, the texture is much richer. Commercial stock will still do but if you use it, go easy on the salt.  As for the wine, I have seen recipes that call for champagne, but I prefer an inexpensive dry Riesling.  Bring the casserole to a simmer on top of the stove, cover it, and then transfer it to a low-moderate oven for about two hours. Look at it from time to time and if it seems to be drying out, add more stock and/or wine.

Step 6:

Shortly before you plan to eat, heat the sausages in barely simmering water and add the smoked port loin to the sauerkraut and return it to the over. Boil some potatoes. When the potatoes are done, take the biggest platter you can find and shovel the sauerkraut into a pile in the middle. Discard the onion, parsley, bay leaves and the garlic and bones. Slice the meats and arrange them around the cabbage. Put the potatoes wherever they will look best. Garnish it all with chopped parsley and serve with some good bread and good mustard on the side.

This is a meal that can be as elegant or earthy as you like. It can be served on the best china or on paper plates at a tailgate picnic. It goes well with good beer but Champagne will do if you are out of Bud.  If you don't want bubbles, a crisp, dry but fruity white wine will go nicely, especially an Alsatian or German one.

There are many variations on this dish that you might want to try. My grandmother seasoned her sauerkraut with caraway seeds (rather than juniper) and used red wine and a little brown sugar. She didn't use stock. Others use pineapple juice or apple cider.  Going farther afield, you might try braising a pheasant or other game bird with sauerkraut. Served with a good bottle of wine that would really be (how shall it say?) piss elegant.

Are you behind on your lessons?  Click here to catch up!

Mary and the Baby Goats

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Mary Beekman is a four-year-old ghost who resides in The Beekman Mansion, and considers Brent and Josh her "imaginary friends." Follow Mary Beekman's Diary each week to learn what it's like to be a young child in early 19th century America

I have a long lesson to learn today.  It is in my spelling book and Mother wishes me to learn it by the end of this day. I hope I can learn it quickly because it is warmer today and I wish to go to the barn and see the new baby goats that were born early this morning.  They are called kids.  I find them to be such good company.  When they nibble on my fingers it tickles.  If I look closely into their eyes, I can see my face looking back.  I think they smile at me.  It has been very windy and cold but Father said that I may go to the barn if I wear my warmest cloak.  Josh and Brent have been out to see them already.  They came running to the house and up the stairs calling my name.  But I must memorize my lesson before Mother will allow me outside.  Brent is trying to be patient and Josh is wiggly.

Josh and Brent simply must help me to learn my lesson.  No one can see them or hear them .   I can, because they are my dearest friends.  I have to recite my lesson……….. saying it out loud helps me to remember.  I will recite my lesson to Josh and then Brent.  No one will know I am speaking to them.

Q.  What is mercy?

A.   It is tenderness of heart.

Q.  What are the advantages of this virtue?

A.  The exercise of it tends to happify every one about us.  Rulers of a merciful temper will make their good subjects happy; and will not torment the bad with needless severity.  Parents and masters will not abuse their children and servants with harsh treatment.  More love, more confidence, more happiness, will subsist among men, and of course society will be happier.

Q.   Should not beasts as well as men be treated with mercy?

A.   They ought indeed.  It is wrong to give needless pain even to a beast.  Cruelty to the brutes shews a man has a hard heart; and if a man is unfeeling to a beast, he will not have much feeling for men.  If a man treats his beast with cruelty, beware of trusting yourself in his power.  He will probably make a severe master and a cruel husband. *

I do not think I would ever have a cruel husband.  I think it impossible that a man could be cruel to his animals.  Father takes very good care of the animals on this farm.  They have the very best food and care.  Josh and Brent shook their heads when I recited the end of my lesson speaking of "needless pain even to a beast."  They are kind to every living thing.

*The American Spelling Book by Noah Webster

The Jack Frost

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Josh's mom knows a good cocktail when she sees it, so when she sent us this recipe, we had to share.  It might just help you make your way through the last few weeks of winter.

The Jack Frost

Ingredients

1 tbsp Drambuie

2 tbsp Bourbon

1/4 cup Orange Juice

1 dash Grenadine

1/4 cup Sweet and Sour Mix

Instructions

Combine all ingredients over ice in an Old-Fashioned glass.

New! Now! Next!

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How excited were the Fabulous Beekman Boys to be nominated for a New Now Next Award?  VERY! We haven't decided whether we'd prefer to be "new", "now", or "next", but we'll take what we can get.

It's a thrill to be nominated, but…

You can cast your vote for the show by clicking right here!

Bloomin' Memories

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Even pros get their start somewhere

The guiding principle of Beekman 1802 is "a shared experience in seasonal living".  One of the reasons we partnered with Williams-Sonoma to create the world's largest "community" garden was to inspire new gardeners and get those experienced with dirty hands to share their accumulated wisdom.

Throughout the season-long project (click here to learn more) we're going to have fun contests and giveaways to encourage the sharing.

For our first contest we're asking you to tell us about the first thing you ever grew.  Don't be afraid to share if it was an utter failure.  New and seasoned gardeners alike will find solace in the fact that green thumbs are not infallible.  Success stores also provide a certain level of hope, too.

And what does the best tale win?  A beautiful set of garden implements curated by Williams-Sonoma especially for the launch of this project.

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To help us decide which entry is the most deserving, we've asked one of the best gardeners we know to help.

Margaret Roach, creator of AWaytoGarden.com and author of the memoir "And I Shall Have Some Peace There" about her own retreat to rural living, began her gardening life nearly 30 years ago by sowing whole seed packets of everything she'd ordered, only to find out nobody needs 100 pepper or tomato plants (and that even if they did, you'd have to thin the seedlings or else).  Even experts make mistakes in the beginning!

Oh—and the prizewinner will also receive an autographed copy of Margaret's new book

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POST YOUR ENTRY IN THE COMMENTS SECTION BELOW

A Walk to Remember

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I grew up in a fairly conservative environment where Christian messaging was as common and seamlessly a part of this American life as the cadre of celebrity self-help gurus are today.   (Along with the Boy Scouts, Vacation Bible School, the Super Friends cartoon hour on ABC Saturday morning, and a couple of schoolyard brawls, I credit that upbringing with instilling me with a strong moral code and a sense of social responsibility.)

Hanging at one end of the hallway of my childhood home was a poem called "Footprints in the Sand" which my mother had spent hours cross-stitching onto muslin.  The task was as  much a form of prayer and meditation as anything.

I was reminded of the poem one recent weekend.

Having been bombarded with one heavy snowfall after the next, we had little opportunity on the weekends–when Josh is at the farm–to take our customary walks around the property.  Aside from being a good source of exercise during an otherwise housebound winter, these walks often give us the time to sort out personal issues without the distractions that accompany running a farm and a start-up company.

"I'm right"

"No, I'M right"

Resolutions of these sorts of arguments never come easily or quickly.  Ultimately one person has to be "right"… and the wise one is not always the same.

As we finished up the hour-long walk–filled with discussions of various levels of intensity, I looked back at the trail we had left in the snow.

One set of foot-prints.

And it struck me.

Sometimes in life the trip is more pleasant when walking side x side.

But certain parts of the journey are easier if one person leads and the other steps in his footprints.

Footprints in the Sand

One night I dreamed I was walking along the beach with the Lord.

Many scenes from my life flashed across the sky.

In each scene I noticed footprints in the sand.

Sometimes there were two sets of footprints,

other times there were one set of footprints.

This bothered me because I noticed

that during the low periods of my life,

when I was suffering from

anguish, sorrow or defeat,

I could see only one set of footprints.

So I said to the Lord,

"You promised me Lord,

that if I followed you,

you would walk with me always.

But I have noticed that during

the most trying periods of my life

there have only been one

set of footprints in the sand.

Why, when I needed you most,

you have not been there for me?"

The Lord replied,

"The times when you have

seen only one set of footprints,

is when I carried you."

-Mary Stevenson

Who's helped you in your journey.  Tell them 'thank you' in the comments section below.

It's a Sign

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Someone recently gifted us with one of The Foxfire Books (click here to get your own copy).  Having always appreciated the folksy wisdom and earnestness of the Farmer's Almanac, we were smitten with this new addition to our library.

One of the chapters in the book covered "Planting by the Signs", and for those gardeners out there who are firm believers in the power of the zodiac we thought we'd share these rules.

Every day of the month is dominated by one of the twelve signs of the zodiac.  Each of the twelve appears in the heavens at least once a month and then for a period of either 2-3 days.  Each of the signs are assigned specific characteristics:   masculine, feminine, airy, dry, barren, fiery, earthy moist, watery, fruitful, or very fruitful.

Planting of seeds is best done in the fruitful signs of Scorpio, Pisces, Taurus or Cancer.

Plow, till and cultivate when Aries is in the sky.

Only put plants into the ground in a water (Cancer, Scorpio, Pisces) or earth (Taurus, Virgo, Capricorn) sign.

Destroy weeds in the barren signs (Gemini, Leo, Virgo)

Harvest most crops when the moon is growing old (shrinking each night).  This will allow the harvested produce to keep better and longer.

Are you a gardener who plants by the stars?  Share your experiences with us.

PolkaSpot Adopts!

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Llisten up. Llama Fosters Llama. Llama Needs You.

Polka Spot Fosters Rescue Llama. Bring your donations and come meet the Beekman Boys, Saturday January 29th from noon to 3 at the Beekman Mercantile on Main Street in Sharon Springs.

PolkaSpot came to Beekman Farm when she and her mother were adopted from a neighboring farm that was shutting down.

This is why when she heard the story about the Montana llama rescue mission, she HAD to get involved (She called her friends Angelina and Brad for advice)

Last week, 100 llamas were rescued from a bankrupt sanctuary in Montana and transported to the Northeast Llama Rescue in nearby Middleburgh NY. These llamas were near death from malnourishment and neglect. Evacuating the Montana ranch has become the largest animal rescue since Hurricane Katrina. There are still hundreds of animals that need to be saved.

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Which one is Alistair?

The 100 llamas that arrived at the Northeast Llama Rescue are in dire need of your help. In order to survive long enough to be eligible for adoption, they will need intensive medical care and food supplies.

That's why Polka Spot decided to do something. Today she volunteered to foster one of these llamas for the next year. His name is Alistair. Polka Spot will pay for his food, care, and medical expenses for the next year until he is healthy enough to be put up for adoption.

She likes to use her world-wide celebrity for a good cause.

Polka released a statement:

"Me llove me.

Me llove llamas.

Me hellp llamas.

You llove me.

You llove llamas.

You hellp llamas."

It's hard to argue with llama llogic.

Brent and Josh join Polka in encouraging you to save one of the Montana Rescue Llamas. For $500, you can foster a llama and provide for all its needs for the next year. You can do it yourself, or with some friends. You'll also get to name your foster llama, and will receive its photo and microchip number.

If you'd like to come by and drop off a donation of any amount, both Brent and Josh will be at the Beekman 1802 Mercantile on Main Street in Sharon Springs from noon to 3pm on Saturday, January 29th. Please come by to say "hi," and to drop off your donation.

If you'd like to foster a rescue llama, please contact the Northeast Llama Rescue by clicking here.

Please. Do it for Polka Spot. (Really, you don't want her mad at you.)

To read more about the rescue efforts, visit here, or here.

Follow Polkie on twitter @llamapolkaspot

A Heart-y Meal

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Is it Art?

The Content of Tables:  Cooking Lesson #2

Is the cook an artist and is cooking an art?  In our times – when individual heroism often seems to be a product of media hype, when fortunes are more often made by cagey (and suspect) dealings than by pulling oneself up by ones bootstraps, where politicians are assumed to be corrupt, and professional sport is inseparable from commerce – the artist is one of the few figures in our culture to whom any romance still accrues.  Artists, in the popular imagination, live troubled but more rewarding lives than the rest of society, love more passionately and wear really great clothes.  Almost everyone wants to consider himself or herself an artist of some kind but it says something about us that the word "artist" is frequently used right after "con" and "bullshit."  Even Donald Trump — who has never publicly displayed any interest in art of any kind — titled his book THE ART OF THE DEAL.

It is therefore natural that Peter Kump, disciple of James Beard and founder of the school where I studied professional cooking, maintained that one day soon, cooking would be accepted as one of the fine arts. He believed that just as technology had made it possible to preserve the great performances of actors and musicians — whose work used to become a memory as soon as the last note had sounded or the curtain had fallen  — so technology will someday make it possible to preserve and perpetuate the work of great chefs. He also pointed to the emergence of celebrity chefs as evidence of progress in this direction. While I agree that the talented cook will have an easier time making a case for artistry than the real estate magnate, while I would love to think of myself as an artist and while I would never be so bold nor so stupid as to try to define art in general, I am fairly certain that there are certain ways in which cooking cannot qualify.  To be one of the fine arts, the medium — be it painting, sculpture, music, letters or architecture — must be capable of a range of expression that is beyond the possibilities of cooking. The preparation of food can express love and pride and joy but when it starts to express too much wit and irony, or when it starts to explore the darker side of human experience, it may cease to be food. So far nobody (to the best of my knowledge) has tried to render KING LEAR, GUERNICA or THE GOLDBERG VARIATIONS in edible form and I hope nobody will. No matter how much you may love Mahler's Second Symphony, I doubt you would want to eat it.

Nevertheless, the fact that cooking is not fine art does not preclude the possibility of artistry in its practice. Artistry is craft that transcends itself. To illustrate this point, I am going to suggest making one of the simplest but one of the most satisfying meals I know. It can serve as a kind of "five finger exercise" for a cook, in that it is not difficult to execute satisfactorily, but virtually impossible to perfect or, as the pianist Artur Schnabel said of Mozart, "too easy for students and too difficult for masters.

At its simplest, a good meal consists of some protein, some carbohydrate and something green (the healthy proportions are a matter of constant debate) on a single plate. And not much is simpler, more elegant, tastier, or healthier than poached salmon with new potatoes and a good salad. Like all classics, it can be dull and hackneyed when badly rendered. But when well executed, the pleasure can be as great as the first time one encountered it.

SIMPLE SALMON

Step 1

Buy enough salmon filet for as many people as you are feeding and cut it into individual portions. Get it from the center of the filet and avoid the tail. The muscles of the tail get much more exercise than the rest of the fish, resulting in leaner, more flavorful meat that has its uses but not here. Six ounces, eight ounces per person? I don't know, what looks like a good portion to you? Pick up some nice small potatoes, a cucumber and a bunch of dill or chives. Get some lettuce for a salad and get whatever kind you like. I happen to like greens with a slightly bitter edge but I know and love and respect quite a few people who hate them. If you like the crunch of romaine or iceberg, get that. You are cooking for your own tastes.

Step 2

Find a pan wide enough to accommodate all your salmon without crowding it and deep enough that you will be able to add liquid to cover the fish. Into this pan put a mixture of water and white wine in roughly equal amounts. The wine should be dry but cheap.  Many a good restaurant uses wine from a box in the kitchen. You should put in enough liquid so that when all the fish is added (later) it will be submerged. You can measure this by putting the fish into the pan before adding the liquid and taking out when you have added enough. Whack a clove of garlic hard with the flat of a knife to crush it somewhat and break the skin. Remove the peel and add the garlic to the liquid with a little thyme, a sprig of parsley, a bay leaf (this combination of flavors ought to become almost second nature), a squeeze of lemon, a bit of salt and a grind or two of pepper. If you don't have one or another of these things on hand, don't worry; you can poach salmon in plain water but it's better with the flavorings. Bring the liquid to a boil, lower the heat and let it cook for a few minutes

Step 3

About half an hour before you plan to eat, boil some salted water for the potatoes. While it is coming to a boil, add the salmon (skin side down)  to the poaching liquid and turn the heat down to medium. When the liquid starts to bubble again put your potatoes into the boiling water. Peeled or unpeeled? You tell me. Turn off the salmon and cover it while you finish everything else.  In another (equally good) method, after you put your fish into the poaching liquid, transfer the pan to a moderate oven to finish. It will take about the same time.  I am also told one can poach salmon by wrapping it in heavy-duty plastic wrap and putting it through the dishwasher (light cycle). I have never tried this. It may work but I suspect the heat will be too high, the cooking time too long and that the result will be dry and not at all nice.

Step 4

While the potatoes are cooking, peel a cucumber, cut it in half (lengthwise), scrape out the seeds and shred it on the medium holes of your grater. Sprinkle the shredded cucumber with a generous pinch or two or three of salt. Chop some fresh dill and set it aside. By now the cucumber will have exuded some water, so drain it (you may want to squeeze it a bit to get more water out), and put it in a bowl with the dill. Add some sour cream or yogurt and taste to see if you need more salt. This is your sauce for the fish. Stick a small sharp knife into a potato. If it slides in easily, the potatoes are done and so is dinner.  Drain the potatoes and toss with some chopped parsley or some more chopped dill and some butter if you like. The glory of this meal is that it is equally good hot or cold. If cold, let the fish cool in its broth and toss the potatoes with some of the vinaigrette described below.

Step 5

For the purposes of this example, don't even bother with a formal dressing for the salad but use the following method. Put your greens in a large bowl and sprinkle on some salt. Toss the greens to distribute the salt. Drizzle on some oil; olive, walnut, hazelnut, or flavorless oil (peanut, canola, safflower) depending on your taste, I avoid extra flavors like garlic and herb-infused oils in a salad this simple but, once again, suit yourself. Toss the greens again. They should be well coated but there shouldn't be an accumulation of oil in the bottom of the bowl. Drizzle in a small amount of vinegar or lemon juice (or not, if you are using a truly splendid olive oil) and toss again. Taste the salad. More vinegar? More salt? Go ahead.  Grind a little pepper over the salad and open a bottle of inexpensive dry white wine.

A Bonus Vinaigrette Recipe!!

If you want to make a salad dressing in advance — or if you want to make your cold potatoes a bit more interesting — here are basic proportions for a classic vinaigrette. Chop a shallot as fine as possible and put it into a small bowl with a bit of salt.  Add a small amount of Dijon mustard. Whisk in about three times more vinegar than the amount of mustard used. Then whisk in — bit by bit — about three times as much oil as vinegar. The sauce ought to become a somewhat thick emulsion where the oil and vinegar do not separate. If this doesn't happen, put a bit more mustard into a new bowl and whisk in the broken sauce bit by bit.  You can use whatever kind of oil and vinegar you like. My own preference is for simple wine vinegar and good but not stupendous olive oil.

The great advantage of a vinaigrette is that you can make a lot of it — a blender is very useful for this — and keep it in the refrigerator. If you want to use this on your potatoes, slice them as soon you can handle them (I use an oven mitt) and toss them with some of the vinaigrette while they are still very hot. They will absorb more of the dressing this way.

Want to catch up on your cooking lessons?  You're not that far behind.   See Cooking Lesson #1 by clicking here