Josh Kilmer-Purcell's Blog, page 89
October 11, 2012
5 Beautiful Things
Fall Foliage
For northerners, the consolation prize for the penalty of winter is the autumn foliage. Anyone who lives in Canada or the northern United States will tell you that the natural highlight of October is the golden and crimson canopy that sways above our roadways and paths, sprinkling colorful offerings to coat the ground before the first flakes of snow.
It is a flagrant farewell for the deciduous trees, sending out stunning flares of color to fight off any melancholy we may feel for the senescence of the year that was. The jubilant tones are comforting and reassuring to us as they twirl and rustle in the wind, a last dance with vibrance before the descent of grey and white and icy blue.
Deciduous trees shed their leaves to preserve their energy for the spring. There is not enough sunlight or warmth during the winter for photosynthesis to occur so the leaves are let go and the trees begin a dormant period. The striking colours are the result of the gradual shutting down of water flow from the roots to the leaves. Glucose and other nutrients that the tree feeds to the leaves during the summer becomes trapped in the veins of the leaves, causing them to change colour as they are warmed by the autumn sun. The loss of circulation will eventually cause the leaf to die and fall, hence the name we have chosen for this spectacular season!
FIVE GREAT PLACES TO SEE FALL FOLIAGE IN NORTH AMERICA:
1. The Laurentian Mountains in Quebec, Canada
2. Algonquin Park in Ontario, Canada
3. The Catskill Mountains in New York
4. Aspen, Colorado
5. Just about everywhere in New Hampshire and Vermont
Photos:
1. Weheartit.com
2. Brittanickel.tumblr.com
3. Flickr.com
4. Annstreetstudio.com
5. Martha Stewart Living
Andrew Ritchie is the creator of Martha Moments, a blog devoted to 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.
Give up your secret spot! Where’s the best place to view foliage in your neck of the woods?
October 10, 2012
In Memory of
“The question is not whether we will die, but how we will live.” ~ Joan Borysenko
As a medical student and then a physician, what drew me to older patients was, of all things, history.
How else as a young adult could I have had tangible access to witnesses to the Holocaust, the Vietnam War, Woodstock, and even vaudeville?
On many a late night, I sat talking to patients at their bedside who had seemingly lost the ability to long-for, desire or crave creature comforts.
But what they lacked in real-world and real-time cognition, was somehow compensated by remembering.
In our diaphanous conversations, I was sometimes the doctor, sometimes a parent, sometimes a child, and on one occasion, a paramour.
We could have danced all night—literally.
The mind is a mysterious, mysterious thing…and so is the heart.
When we celebrated our last anniversary, Josh said
Thank you for providing me more memories in the last 13 years than one person should ever have in a lifetime.
I find it oddly comforting to know that despite the tides of fortune and the flux of material things, the one thing that is most valuable and universal is memory.
Be determined to make a million of them…no matter what.
October 6, 2012
Shop at Beekman 1802
When William Beekman operated his original Mercantile in Sharon Springs, NY, he stocked the shelves with things that were beautiful and practical—everything one needed in his rural community to live a beautiful and practical life. We do the same today, both online and at our store in Sharon Springs. Take a look around and see why NASDAQ called Beekman 1802 “the fastest growing lifestyle brand in America.” Shop now.
Beekman 1802 Beauty and Skin Care – Did you know that the secret to Cleopatra’s beauty was bathing in goat milk? With a pH nearly identical to that of human skin, goat milk will leave your skin beautiful and moisturized. And with no synthetic chemicals added, every single one of our products are just perfect for you sensitive types. See why Beekman 1802 products are found in the best boutiques and salons around the world, and why Vogue (July 2012) called Beekman 1802 “an American beauty brand worth celebrating”. Click here to become more beautiful.
Goods for Good Homes – We work with over 22 members in our B. 1802 Rural Artist Collective to design and produce hand-crafted and heirloom-quality products for the home. Most of our collection is made within a 20 mile radius of Beekman 1802. Click here to make your home more beautiful.
Provisions and Fine Edibles – A cheese so good that is has a waiting list? Flavor infused honeys? All the makings for a stellar cheese plate? A best-selling cookbook from the farm? Yep, you can find them just like they sit on our own pantry shelves. Click here to eat more beautifully.
The Heirloom Garden – We grow over 110 different varieties of heirloom vegetables at Beekman 1802, and we want everything we use in the garden to have the same heirloom quality as the vegetables we produce. Get good harvests for generations to come! Click here.
See everything Beekman 1802 has to offer. Walk through our entire virtual shop by clicking here.
October 4, 2012
Sing. Sing a Song
The Cherry Valley Community Facilities Corporation (CVCFC) is a nonprofit organization, dedicated to the concepts of community, education, and cultural enrichment. Originally formed for the purpose of restoring the abandoned Cherry Valley school building after the school’s merger with Springfield and relocation to another site, CVCFC now participates in or provides facilities for a wide range of community activities. One of the programs currently being held at the Cherry Valley Old School is the Performance and Production Workshops. The program’s mission is to help area youth develop their musical and entrepreneurial skills in a collective way. Adult musicians mentor the students in music technique, playing in ensembles, and putting on performances. Three of the dedicated students have been Addy Schneider (age 19) and her twin sisters, Avery and Marlise (age 15). The address of the Workshops’ Facebook group is: http://www.facebook.com/groups/186310836623/. At the request of Megan Mast Holken of Beekman 1802, Carl Waldman, the director of the P&P Workshops, wrote a song about the Beekman Boys. He in turn asked the Schneider sisters to audition it for Brent and Josh. Then, with Megan as producer, they made a recording at Cotton Hill Studios in Albany, NY. Addy sings lead vocals and harmonies and plays piano; Avery plays bass; Marlise plays drums; and Carl is on guitar. With other teens participating – Annie Anderson (age 16) on backup vocals and Will Fredette (age 17) on guitar – Addy, the twins, and Carl performed the song at the Harvest Hop, part of 2012 Harvest Weekend in Sharon Springs. World of Wonder used a shortened version of the song for a video with Brent and Josh and friends.
You can purchase the song from the online Mercantile. Proceeds from the sale will go to support the cultural programs at the CVCFC. Click here to listen and purchase.
The Ballad of the Fabulous Beekman Boys
Beekman Mansion on beautiful land
Heirloom garden, stone wall shaped by hand
You got Polka Spot the llama and her goat friends
You got the pigs in the old silo pen
Turkeys, chickens, calves, and sheep
It’s a wonder Farmer John gets any sleep
Brent and Josh
Living their dream
Came to the country
And built a scene
You got Farmer John, Megan, Maria, and Michelle
You got Doug and Garth at the American Hotel
Martha, Rosie, Douglas, and Kat
Good friends are where it’s at
Haunted crypt and Mary the Ghost
Spirits share Beekman as welcoming hosts
Brent and Josh
Living their dream
Came to the country
And built a scene
Brent at Beekman Josh in the city
Sure makes everything feel iffy
It takes a year of sacrifice (and thensome)
To make everything right
Aspire to healthy living
It also takes a lot of giving
The challenges sure can make them blue
But love carries them through
I say love carries them through
Love carries them through
Love carries them through
Love carries them through
1802 building a brand
Bountiful offerings from the land
Goat milk soap, wheels of Blaak cheese
The Beekman way sure does please
Garden Parties, Harvest Weekends
Victorian Festivals good folks attend
Fabulous Beekman Boys
Living their dream
Came to the country
And built a scene
Fabulous Beekman Boys
I say Fabulous Beekman Boys
Spreading their joy
Fabulous Beekman Boys
Fabulous Beekman Boys
Fabulous Beekman Boys
Carl Waldman is a published author and screenwriter who has worked in both fiction and nonfiction and has written history blogs for the Beekman 1802 website. He is also a musician and producer who has directed and hosted musical events in New York City and upstate New York. He is the creator of the Performance and Production Workshops at the Cherry Valley Old School.
Gartending: Lost Weekend
Klaus is up in Boston for a visit to prove a point. That the garden fresh herbs contained in Fernet Branca offer more than just basic cocktailian satisfaction. They augment our desire for unique flavors while calming the belly.
It’s funny how Klaus can travel, seemingly around the globe then wake up to want another drink, another way of tasting liquid history.
Fernet Branca is one of the most beguiling of Amaro/digestive liqueurs. It’s packed with herbs and garden botanicals. When woven with really great cola, (Klaus LOVES Q-Kola made with natural cane sugar from his friend Jordan Silbert in Brooklyn) and served with a mash of home-marinated cherries, (get rid of those awful red things in a jar from the supermarket) Klaus is determined to teach his many friends about true flavor!
Fernet Branca is a creative gar-tenders dream liqueur. The brooding 80 Proof alcohol plays a big role in the flavor balance. It is liquid fire and it’s not meant to be charming or cloyingly sweet. Fernet is not flavored vodka. It doesn’t taste like cake or dare I say soft whipped cream.
There is nothing sweet or tender about Fernet Branca.
It’s got a spicy aromatic kick that takes some getting used to. If you are shy about the assertive taste of Fernet Branca, Klaus suggests trying the newer version of Menta Branca, woven with more garden botanicals and peppermint. This preparation dates back to the 1960’s when younger drinkers asked for Fernet to be augmented by peppermint syrup to mask the stronger elements of the digestive.
The original formula of Fernet Branca was first developed in the mid 19th century in Italy. As a liqueur it dates back over 150 years. It is a digestive that can be enjoyed after a large meal- to help absorb heavy food and drink. In the country of Argentina they have enjoyed Fernet Branca with its unique blend of eucalyptus, menthol and forty different botanical herbs with cola, (just like Klaus), in San Francisco they enjoy Fernet with a Ginger Beer chaser.
You might like yours straight from the freezer, icy cold and lush with frost.
Klaus likes his icy cold out of a drinking luge crafted from ice. Klaus sits, poised in front of the carved ice, waiting patiently for his turn to slide the spicy slurp down his impish face. He told me many times that Fernet is not for everyone, but everyone should try Fernet at least once, then again for good measure…
Fernet is not the easiest thing to mix with and rightfully so. The assertive 80 proof heat is not tucked into the background, nor is it hidden behind candy flavors. Fernet drunk icy cold from the freezer is front and center in your cerebral cortex. Klaus says that a few shots of Fernet and he feels like dancing a German Jig. Or sometimes he yodels. I prefer the latter because he has an amazing voice.
Klaus’s Weekend in Boston Cocktail
Ingredients:
Fernet Branca
Spiced Rum Cherries (cure Washington State Cherries in spiced Rum like Sailor Jerry for a couple of weeks- keep refrigerated)
Perrier Sparkling Natural Mineral Water
Q-Kola
Royal Rose Simple Syrup of Cardamom and Clove
Sprig of fresh Rosemary
Bitter End Curry Bitters
Preparation:
Take 2 oz. of Fernet Branca or Menta Branca and chill well with ice
Add 4 tbs. of Royal Rose Simple Syrup of Cardamom and Clove
Stir to combine
Pour into a tall glass with the sprig of Rosemary
Fill to ¾ and then top with your Perrier Sparkling Water
Float a bit of the Q-Kola over the Perrier (Klaus is looking for just a light touch of the cola flavor in this drink)
Drop a couple of your homemade Sailor Jerry spiced rum cherries into the glass
Finish with three-four drops of the Bitter End Curry Bitters
Sip to digestive relief with this very uniquely Italian Amaro in a cocktail!
October 3, 2012
Tomatillo Salsa Verde
Earlier this summer when a friend gave us a few small tomatillo plants, we weren’t really that interested in them. Nevertheless, we found a spot in the heirloom garden and pushed them into the dirt. (Never look a gift plant in the bud!) Oddities in the garden, we’ve been asked more than once what they were. One garden visitor exclaimed, “I didn’t know you could eat Japanese Lanterns!”
Now we have a bumper crop, and have been researching different ways to use them. We love everything we’ve tried, and have declared that they will “forevermore be staples in our garden.”
Tomatillos are ready to harvest when the fruit nearly fills the husk, and with a few other late-summer ingredients from the garden, plus a few things from the root cellar, we came up with a delicious version of Mexican Salsa Verde. Note: salsa verde is a generic term for “green sauce”, and virtually every cuisine has one, and the “verde” can come from many different sources.
Roasting brings out the flavor in tomatillos
Roasted Tomatillo Salsa Verde
Ingredients:
2lbs of tomatillos, husks removed
1 cup of white onions, chopped
½ cup of cilantro
the juice from one lime
¼ teaspoon of sugar
2-3 hot peppers (choose the variety depending on your personal preference)
2 teaspoons of apple cider vinegar
salt and pepper to taste
Instructions: (this is so easy)
Remove the husks (We save them as a garnish. They look like an exotic flower) and wash the fruit. The fruit has a slightly sticky surface
Cut the tomatillo in half and lay cut side down on a baking sheet
Place sheet under the broiler until the skins just start to turn dark brown
Throw tomatillo and all other ingredients into food processor and pulse until all ingredients are finely chopped and thoroughly mixed
Refrigerate until cool
Serve with warm tortilla chips or as an interesting accompaniment to a cheese plate or bruschetta. Be creative!
Pear Butter
<
>
The reason you won’t find many fruit butters made from summer fruits is because of the length of time it takes to cook. Historically – but equally as true today – a homemaker wouldn’t want to keep kitchen fire going during the hot summer months for the 12 hours or so it takes to reduce fruit sauce into a thick creamy consistency of a butter. And then there’s the additional heat necessary to process and preserve the butters.
Fruit butters are also a terrific alternative to jellies and jams in the winter. Because they’re naturally condensed, there isn’t as much added refined sugar.
Okay, so there’s several reasons to make your own fruit butters…but you really only need one: spiced apple or pear butter on fresh warm bread on a chilly autumn or winter morning is about as close to breakfast heaven as you can get.
The secret to making any fruit butter is patience. The slower the cooking, the more complex the flavors. Ours often takes a day or more to cook down. We also use less spices, because the slow cooking brings up more of the natural caramelized flavor, making too much spice unnecessary.
Beekman 1802 Pear Butter
12 ripe pears, quartered. (stems removed, no need to core or seed.)
1 cup water
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
2 star anise
Add pears and water to large, thick-bottomed sauce pan. Simmer over low heat for one hour until pears are very soft. Pass mixture through food mill to remove seeds and skins.
Return pear sauce to saucepan, add spices, and allow to barely simmer over lowest possible heat. Stir occasionally. Allow to reduce overnight, or sometimes a full 24 hours. Mixture should be reduced by half, or even two thirds. It will thicken and darken to a caramel-chocolate brown color.
Once fruit butter has reached desired consistency, it can either be refrigerated to be used immediately (up to two weeks,) frozen, or pressure canned according to your canner manufacturers instructions.
Enjoy on fresh bread, in tarts, or as an accompaniment to venison or lamb.
5 Beautiful Things
Wear in the World
For this week’s Five Beautiful Things I wanted to incorporate the element of travel, given Brent’s and Josh’s involvement in The Amazing Race. Hopefully everyone tuned in to the season premier to see them repel from a 300-foot bridge in California, play ping-pong with a Chinese junior champion in Shanghai and scarf down heaps of frog fallopian tubes – part of an Asian dessert called Hasma. Our intrepid young goat farmers placed seventh in the first round and will continue on to the second leg of the race. Watch Sunday’s episode to find out where in the world they go next!
My search for lovely travel imagery was all pretty pedestrian (palm trees, sunsets, beaches and mountains) until I started thinking about how we find these places in the first place: maps! Artist Elisabeth Lecourt is a French artist who lives and works in London. Her series “Les Robes Géographiques” (Map Dresses) really intrigued me. How many of us really look at the artistry involved in map illustration? Certainly, the level of detail and imagination has declined over the centuries; maps today are pale comparisons to their early predecessors, which were replete with graphic renderings of forests and cities, including illustrations of the beasts and beauties that inhabited them. Still, there isn’t a map out there that does not provide at least a modicum of interest for the curious eye.
Elisabeth Lecourt’s carefully folded and arranged map dresses imply the memories of places and spaces we have seen or long to see, carried with us in hope and memory. Click here to see more of her work.
All artwork by Elisabeth Lecourt
Andrew Ritchie is the creator of Martha Moments, a blog devoted to 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.
October 1, 2012
Reach for the Sun
<
>
The bright head of the sunflower is actually composed of thousands of tiny individual flowers and the yellow “petals” are actually leaves that serve to protect the flowers while they are forming their seeds.
Specialized cells in the sunflower stem tilt the flower bud to try to receive a maximum amount of sunlight. This causes the sunflower to basically trace a 180 degree arc, tracking the sun’s position throughout the day, from horizon to horizon, sunrise to sunset (a movement called heliotropism). Overnight, the sunflower will reset to its original eastward positioning and wait for the morning, ready to follow the sun’s path once again.
At Beekman 1802, we are always looking at those things happening around to help us make sense of something as complex as human nature.
So perhaps the lesson from the sunflower is not just finding your best light so that you always look great in photos, but that each morning gives you the opportunity to start your path over.
On a recent trip to Beekman 1802, our friend, photographer Paulette Tavormina captured one of favorite spots on the farm during autumn—the sunflower garden.
The October Chatter
We’ve lobbied really hard for Garrison Keillor to give up life in Lake Wobegone and move to Sharon Springs, but thus far he has not answered our letters or returned our calls.
Sharon Springs has beautiful people and above-average children, too, so on to Plan B.
What is a small town village without a small town paper to keep track of what everyone is doing?
Nancy Pfau, our town historian, is now editor of our own little paper.
Each month you can check back here for a new issue and follow the lives of the real village people. If you pay a real visit, you may even want to submit a story idea of your own!
You may not live in small town, but at least you can pretend.
See below for the October 2012 Issue
