Josh Kilmer-Purcell's Blog, page 75

A Special Visit to the Bulldog Bakery

Are you tired of hearing about how wonderful our surrounding community is? Well…tough it out, cuz you’re about to learn about one more great program with some really special kids. We’re really proud of these kids.

We recently paid a visit to “Bulldog Bakery” at nearby Cobleskill-Richmondville Central School. “Bulldog Bakery” is part of a special program developed for students who require work-related skills – “Employment Training in the School,” or ETS. (There is also “Employment Training in the Community,” or ETC.) ETS operates under the direction of the Special Education Department of the school.

The goal of this amazing program is to provide problem solving skills, literacy skills, positive self-esteem, appropriate coping skills, independent living skills, and skills that allow the students to seek, obtain, and successfully function in a job that matches their abilities.

If what we saw is any indication, any employer would be lucky to have these students working for them! We hope some of them can help us out at our new Mercantile this summer.

The students receive daily orders for three different kinds of bread from other students, faculty members, and outside customers. Every day that the bakery is in operation, it is up to these students to bake, wrap, deliver and record these orders.

We are very grateful to the students, instructors and parents for letting us take part in one of their workdays. It’s a truly extraordinary, and necessary program. By taking orders and selling the breads at cost, the program is able to pay for itself…a mandatory requirement for it to continue.

While we were there, we discovered a need that we hope you can help with. Next year, the program is slated to have double the students enrolled as it has this year. Which is great. Except that they only have one oven. There is not enough baking capacity to effectively teach this larger amount of students the hands-on skills that they need.

Because this program teaches work skills, we’re not asking for donations. And because most of you don’t live close enough to order bread, we can’t help raise money through sales.

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So we asked if the students would share their delicious cinnamon bread recipe here with you. That way, should you decide to use it, you could donate the amount it would cost to purchase a loaf. Or whatever you calculate the value of the recipe to be. We think it’s priceless.

If you do contribute please send an email to beekman1802@beekman1802.com with your mailing address, so that we (Brent and Josh) can send you a personal thank you note. Programs like these are vital to our community, as they are to yours, and we would like to recognize your contribution.

Contributions can be sent to:

CRCS Special Programs Office

1353 State Route 7

P.O. Box 490

Richmondville, NY 12149

Checks should be made payable to “Bulldog Products”

Thank you and enjoy the recipe listed below the slide show.

(Special Thanks to the program’s amazing instructors and school administrators for allowing us to come share the day with them, including: Amy Durfey, Coreen Chacho, Sharon Suchocki, Colleen Williams)

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Cinnamon Bread

(makes two loaves.)

2 cups warm water

1/2 cup white sugar

1 1/2 tablespoons of dry yeast

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1/4 cup vegetable oil

6 cups bread flour

Step 1: In a mixing bowl, dissolve sugar in warm water then stir in yeast. Allow to proof until yeast resembles a creamy foam

Step 2: Add salt and oil into the yeast, mix. Pour in all of the flour and mix until a ball of dough is formed in the mixing bowl. Knead dough until smooth is necessary. Place dough in well-oiled bowl, turn dough to coat. Place on an oiled sheet pan, put in the warming unit for 40 minutes.

Step 3: Punch down dough. Form into a ball and cut in half, and weigh each half to make sure that each half is the same weight.

Step 4: On the sheet pan, press down into a flat rectangle, (or use a rolling pin.)

Step 5: Sprinkle 1/3 cup of cinnamon sugar (see below) onto the dough, covering all of the area.

Step 6: Start with the shorter edge and roll tightly into a log. Pinch seams together, fold the ends under, and place seam side down in an oiled bread pan.

Step 7: Allow it to raise for 30 minutes in the warming unit.

Step 8: Bake at 350F for 30 minutes.

Cinnamon sugar:  1 1/2 cups sugar + 3 tablespoons cinnamon.

Thank you Maria!

We’re sad to pass along  news that our good friend Maria will be leaving her full time position at Beekman 1802 at the end of the month to spend more time with her family. Maria was literally “Beekman 1802 Employee #1,” and as far as we’re concerned, it’s an honorary position the she can never really resign.

We know she’ll continue to be a part of Beekman 1802 and Sharon Springs events in the future. (She is, afterall, the founder of the Victorian Christmas Celebration.) There are very few people in the world who can handle working at a fast-growing start-up company, and Maria thrived under incredible pressure and a bright spotlight.

We hope that she enjoys a little downtime, and comes back to help as often as she wishes.

Back when we worked in the city, whenever someone in our offices was leaving, someone would send around a card for everyone to sign. There aren’t that many people in our Beekman 1802 office, but there are thousands of you out there who have been touched by Maria’s contributions to Beekman 1802 and the community.

So please “sign our card” by leaving a comment below wishing Maria all the best and maybe sharing your favorite Maria story if you have one. This way she can come back to this page whenever she needs a little pick-me-up.

Thank you Maria!!!!!!!!

 

Not smart enough to come in from the rain.

Inevitably, (thankfully,) there comes that one day in March when there is more earth visible than snow. One finally gets the feeling that winter has packed its bags. Sure it may have a few flurries left in its toiletry case, or a blizzard in its carry-on, but for the most part winter is heading further north for the summer.

A heavy rain is a sure sign that that day has come. But no matter how steady that rain may be, it won’t keep us in the house.

Here’s a few recent pics we took during our walk on “The Day The Ground Appeared Again.”

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5 Beautiful Things

 

The House of Hackney

To be hackneyed is to be rendered meaningless through overuse, whether  through the redundance of a tired old phrase or the consistent exposure to a common image. How delightful, then, that a pair of London designers have risked using the word in the name of their exciting new venture. The House of Hackney specializes in wallpapers, textiles, furniture and ceramics that are resplendent with bold, enlivening patterns – hackneyed, in one sense, and yet not in the slightest, once you understand the courage of their design philosophy. In one example of their wallpaper badgers sipping cocktails mingle with smoking sloths and groundhogs peeking over paper fans, all hanging from a broad-leaf vine against a black background. The look is extreme but beautifully dramatic.

Founded by husband and wife team Javvy Royle and Frieda Gormley in 2011, the firm has gone on to develop a cult following of design devotees who adore their over-the-top nods to Victorian filagree on ottomans, sofas, dresses and teapots. Their store is located at 41 Horton Road in East London. Click here to visit their website and explore their brand.

 

 

Andrew Ritchie is the creator of Martha Moments, a blog devoted Martha-Stewart related content and her community of supporters. He lives and works in Toronto, Canada, and has been a longtime friend of Brent & Josh, Beekman 1802 and Sharon Springs. Each week he’ll scour the world (wide web) to find the 5 most beautiful things to inspire you. Follow Andrew on Pinterest.

 

 

 

Just Another Book Signing….

This past weekend we had a Beekman 1802 Heirloom Cookbook signing scheduled at Williams-Sonoma Mazza Gallerie in Washington, DC.

Just another chance to get together with our friends in the nation’s capital and gossip about Sharon Springs, right?

Nope. Something special was in store. Literally.

Now we’ve had a lot of out-of-the-ordinary happenings at our happenings. The occasional block-long model walk. A meeting that led to a meeting that led to an audition to appear on The Amazing Race. Hecklers. Fainting. And thousands of awkward “Oops…the camera was on video” videos.

But nothing tops this past weekend’s book signing.

The evening before we got an email from a guy named Jay explaining that when he was at a low point in his life, he started watching The Fabulous Beekman Boys. The show prompted him to make some changes, and shortly afterwards he met a guy named Kevin. They fell in love, watched a lot of Beekman Boys together, and fell in love some more.

In his email, he had a special request for us. Since we’d played such a big part in Jay and Kevin’s relationship, Jay asked if we’d do him a favor at the signing. His plan was that he would lead Kevin up to the table, hand Josh the camera to take a picture of them together at the signing, and then…well….why don’t you just watch for yourself:

Okay…so we didn’t capture the sound well. But it was a beautiful proposal. You don’t have to take our word for it though…

 

There wasn’t a dry eye in the line:

And why do we love Williams-Sonoma so much? Because before the proposal was even over, the store manager had a complimentary engagement present ready to hand to them…already gift-wrapped! Now that’s customer service!

Brent, myself, Farmer John, the goats, PolkaSpot, Bubby, Jolene, Faintly & Every Living Thing at Beekman 1802 Farm wish Kevin and Jay many many happy years together. Won’t you do the same in the comment section below?

 

Prepping the Spring Garden, Part 1: Weeding & Feeding

I’ve got a bad case of the winter blues.  Even enchanting flower gardening magazines and catalogues aren’t helping.  At this time of the year I feel like a ship’s captain scanning the horizon for land – except I am searching for small green shoots.  The minute I see something green I’ll scamper out for a closer inspection; head down, rump up.  If it is a weed, I’ll pull it out in disgust but, ahhhhh, if it is one of the survivors from our crazy winter, then I’ll give it a thumbs up and whisper “Carry on”.

I expect a lot from my gardens.  I practice tough love, refusing to pamper ‘prima donnas’, and you should too.  By taking some simple steps in spring, I can have healthier, better-behaved gardens the rest of the year.  Below are two of my tried-and-proven tricks for jump-starting beautiful gardens.  My next four blogs will share additional high-payback tips.

As soon as the snow melts and the ground warms up I do two things, weed and feed….and I’m not talking Scott’s chemical Weed and Feed product.

Early spring is the perfect time to get a jump-start on weeds.  You’ve probably heard the saying, ‘A weed in time saves nine’, but this truth is ‘exponentially increased’ if weeds are ‘subtracted’ before their ‘multiplication factor’ kicks in.  Depending on how fast warm weather arrives, late March is when perennial weeds start waking up and annual weeds begin germinating from nasty little seeds.  Attack while you have the advantage.  Hand weeding is easier while the soil is still moist from winter snows. A stirrup hoe (or circle hoe) can also be used to sever green tops from their roots.  With either method, try to disturb the soil as little as possible.  The more soil turned over, the more dormant weed seeds that are brought to the surface, germinating as reinforcements.  If you want to use a post-emergent weed killer (organic of course) then Burnout II, Nature’s Avenger and EcoSmart Organic Weed and Grass Killer are good choices.  Just be sure not to spray any ‘good guys’ (perennials, bulbs, etc.) or the result will be the same, dust to dust, so to speak.  Organic pre-emergent weed killers that target seeds usually include corn gluten.  Popular product lines are Concern, Espoma, Bradfield Organics and WOW.  In your enthusiasm to eliminate weed seeds, remember that corn gluten does not distinguish between a crab grass seed or a flower seed….they are both toast.  Whatever your method for early weed eradication, afterwards apply a nutrient-rich mulch such as aged compost, manure or finely shredded wood, to keep weeds at bay.

Fertilizing gardens in spring makes a huge difference.  I am quite frugal when it comes to fertilizing.  Most plants really don’t need the constant feeding that many advertisers suggest.  But as with children in a growth spurt, supplemental nutrition as plants break dormancy, can make a noticeable difference.  The fuel required to generate new stems and leaves is stored in dormant roots, the result of the prior fall’s photosynthetic activity.  As temperatures rise in spring, plants surge into new growth.  A gentle, organic supplement at this time can create head-turning results later in the season.  This is especially true if last fall the gardens were stressed by lack of water, abundant weeds that robbed ornamentals of nutrients, or an untimely shearing (cutting gardens back too early thereby sabotaging next year’s food reservoir).  When applying granular fertilizers in spring, be sure none settles on leaves or they may burn.  The fastest and easiest way to put down fertilizer is when it’s about to rain. That way any granules that landed on leaves will be washed off to waiting roots below.  Follow package directions for application rates.  Some good organic fertilizers include Espoma (www.espoma.com), Gardener’s Supply Company’s All Purpose Fertilizer 5-5-5 (www.gardeners.com) and North Country Organics (www.norganics.com).

 

Kerry Ann Mendez is a lecturer, designer, writer, consultant, and the owner of Perennially Yours, a business specializing in low-maintenance perennial gardening and landscaping.  Mendez also recently published two top-selling gardening books: The Ultimate Flower Gardener’s Top Ten Lists and Top Ten Lists for Beautiful Shade Gardens. To learn more, please visit www.pyours.com or call (518) 885-3471

 

Beekman Barnyard

Photographer David A. Land traveled to Beekman Farm to photograph us at work in the kitchen for Food Network Magazine (click here to see that work)

During his down time, he took a walk around the barnyard.  Now he’s shared those photos so that you can take a walk around the barnyard, too!

 

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Visit David’s website to see more of his beautiful travel photography. Click here.

5 Beautiful Things

 

Willing Spring Into Being

It is precisely this time of year when we in the Northeast begin to suffer from winter doldrums: the winter boots begin to feel like cement, the layers of clothing like ropes of bondage, the cold like a dagger in our hearts. I’m being dramatic, I know, but anyone living under a perpetually gray sky with the hovering threat of a blizzard knows I’m not exaggerating that much. So, this week I’ve chosen five photos that will help to switch gears in our minds, reminding us that the season of birth and renewal is nearly upon us. Dare to open a window on a mild day. Promise to open the blinds despite the sleet outside and browse your favorite garden magazines for backyard inspiration. Bring the new season into being through sheer will! It will be here before you know it.

What’s the first thing you will do when Mother Nature warms the air? Tell us in the comments section below.

The Sauce That Could Change Things

We’ve got some really big news.

We are really excited about our new pasta sauce. ‘Cuz it’s gonna change the world.

No. Seriously. Not hyperbole.

Remember when we won that little show called The Amazing Race?  Let us refresh your memory:

Wasn’t that awesome?

It was.

Here’s why. It allowed us to pay off the mortgage on our farm so that we could both devote ourselves full-time to growing Beekman 1802 and our community.

So what does The Amazing Race have to do with pasta sauce? A lot, it turns out. And it has even more to do with raising money for other American farmers.

It’s a little round-about-story, but first you need to know a little Race trivia:

Even though you didn’t see the finish till December, the race actually ended in June. Which meant we already knew we would be able to pay off our mortgage with the prize money early last summer. (We’re good secret-keepers, right? Keep that in mind next time you have juicy gossip.)

However, we also had a field full of tomatoes growing on the farm in June. Some of these tomatoes were a variety called “Mortgage Lifter” heirloom tomatoes. They’re giant, delicious tomatoes.

Why are they called “Mortgage Lifter?”

Well,  in 1929 a man named Marshall Cletis Byles owned an auto repair garage in Logan, West Virginia. When his business began suffering during the Great Depression, Marshall (who went by the nickname “Radiator Charlie,”) decided to earn extra money by selling the best tasting tomato variety he could breed.

It took a few years, but Charlie finally bred his perfect tomato. He advertised that one single plant, with its 1-2lb fruits, could feed a family of six. And he wound up selling enough seedlings in four years to pay off his mortgage. In full.

Hence “Radiator Charlie’s Mortgage Lifter Tomato” was born.

Those of you who’ve followed our story know that before we won The Amazing Race, one of our primary goals was to pay off the Beekman Farm mortgage. So when we planted our garden in early 2012, we planted a ton of Mortgage Lifter tomatoes, in hopes of developing a pasta sauce that would help us do just that.

And then we won The Amazing Race. Let’s revisit again. ‘Cuz it was awesome:

(Did we really make that face on national television? There are “ugly cry” faces and “ugly win” faces, apparently. This was both at once.)

Anyway, last year was a really good year for tomatoes. Here’s one afternoon’s haul:

So, since we’d paid off our mortgage…what were we going to do with all these tomatoes?!??!

Then it hit us.

We’ll use these tomatoes pay off another small farm’s mortgage! Pay it forward.

So we went ahead and kept developing the pasta sauce. We used the best tomatoes from our farm and other farms, fresh garlic and spices, and other summer vegetables. And we went ahead and stuck with the name: “Mortgage Lifter Heirloom Tomato Pasta Sauce.”

Looks amazeballs, right?

The only difference is that now we’ll use 25% of the profits from this sauce to help aid another farmer. We’re teaming up with an agricultural 501c3 so make that happen.

The other 75% of the profits will go right back into the business to hopefully develop a whole range of “Mortgage Lifter” food products that will not only help support American small farms with profits, but also by growing a sustainable food brand for small farms to supply.

But, like Radiator Charlie…we’re starting with the basics. The most perfect pasta sauce we could make.

We hope you love it. Please give it a try. The more you buy, the more you’re directly helping American farmers. If you purchase enough, it will also help catch the eye of a few larger grocery chains. (Any grocery moguls out there? Wanna chat? Email us! )

Stay tuned for a recipe contest and progress of sales….

Please click here to purchase Beekman 1802 Mortgage Lifter Heirloom Pasta Sauce.  Save significantly on price & shipping with orders of multiple jars.

Behind the Scenes of “Faintly: Bigger Than A Village?”

Last week you met Faintly – our wee littlest goat, and you saw all of the things in our house that she’s bigger than. (Or not.)  You’ll be happy to know that she’s eating well and growing. A bit. How much? Well, she was curious too, so we wrapped her up tightly and took her into the village to see what else she’s “bigger than.”

We’ll post all the things in the village that she’s “bigger than” later this week. But here’s a sneak peek at the people and places Faintly met on her “big” adventure. (Most of the photos – at least the better ones – were taken by our friend Chris Stout-Hazard.)

“Excuse me Brent, will we find something that I’m bigger than?”

“I don’t know Faintly. I hope we can.”

 

One of our first stops was NBT bank.  Faintly thinks she might want to be a teller one day. When she can see over the counter. Did she find anything she was bigger than? You’ll have to tune in later this week.

Special thanks to Volunteer Fire Squad member Stacy Wojciechowski who was kind enough to make a special trip to show Faintly a fire truck. Did she find anything at the fire house that she was bigger than? We’ll see.

Faintly’s new friends at Adelphi Wall Hangings helped her pick out wallpaper designs for the barn. (She went with a mid 18th century Everard Damask.)

Don’t let Faintly’s wee size fool you. She’s quick. Many of the day’s shots turned out like this:

Another stop was the Sharon Springs Free Library where Faintly didn’t make a single peep, earning praise from Library Director Mary Ellen Wolfe. Was she bigger than anything in the Library? Stay tuned.

In the “Kids’ Section” (see what we did there?) of the library we may have found the perfect sized barn for Faintly:

Faintly also met shopkeeper Maureen, from Cobber & Co:

And Tony, from The Black Cat Cafe:

Sometimes Faintly needed a little quiet time between shoots:

Of course Faintly had to stop to say hi to Megan, and tell her all the things she was bigger than. What were they? You’ll have to wait and see.

At the end of the shoot day, she challenged the photographer to an arm wrestling match. She was not bigger than him.

When we got home, Faintly ate and slept much more than usual.

Then again, she dreams bigger than most.

(Faintly went to many more places on her trip, and we’ll share all the pictures of what she found in the village soon.)