Josh Kilmer-Purcell's Blog, page 91

2012 Sharon Springs Harvest Festival Photo Show

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(Photos courtesy of Ian Siegel)

When the town of Sharon Springs held its first Harvest Festival four years ago, we had no idea that it would become an event that drew thousands of folks from around the world. This year’s festival included visitors from as far away as Australia and Norway. We think what makes the festival so memorable is the attitude of those that host and attend. It’s a slice of real America, and a simple celebration of farmers and artisans.

We had a record-breaking turnout for this year’s festival. The weather was as bright and sunny as the smiles on people’s faces. We thought we’d share a few photos of the day for those who couldn’t make it.

See you all next year!

 

Pumpkin Risotto with Roasted Seeds

Beekman 1802 Heirloom Pumpkins

When one thinks of pumpkins, Italian cooking is probably not the first cuisine that comes to mind. But Italians do use pumpkins and other winter squashes in their cooking, especially in Northern Italy where the climate is a bit cooler.

We eat a fair amount of risotto at Beekman 1802 Farm. The mild taste and texture of risotto is one of the best ways to highlight fresh produce from the garden. Especially vegetables with subtler tastes, like squash.

This creamy pumpkin risotto is perfect for fall nights, especially when topped with crunchy spicy roasted seeds.

PUMPKIN RISOTTO WITH SPICY SEEDS

For risotto:

1 C risotto rice

1 C white wine

2 medium onions

4 t butter

2 T olive oil

Star anise

1 C parmesan cheese

6-8 C of rabbit stock. (chicken or vegetable stock substitute is fine.)

For seeds:

Seeds from one pumpkin

2 T melted butter

1/2 t cayenne pepper

2 t paprika

salt to taste

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

To start, don’t make the mistake of using a grocery store Jack-O-Lantern pumpkin to cook with. They’re not bred to be eaten. Don’t even try, or you’ll find yourself with a completely tasteless, stringy mess.

We use one of our favorite heirloom varieties – the Boston Marrow Pumpkin. More pear-shaped than oblong, this pumpkin has rich orange flesh that holds up well in cooking. (To grow your own for next season, visit our favorite heirloom seed site, D. Landreth Seeds.)

Begin by roasting the pumpkin. (A medium to small one) Place the whole pumpkin on a cookie sheet, puncture with several holes to let the steam escape (important!) and roast at 400 degrees for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until the flesh is completely soft. Don’t worry if the skin burns a bit. You’re not using it anyway.

Roasted Pumpkins

Once out of the oven, allow it to cool a bit. It may collapse on itself. That’ll just mean it’ll be easier to scoop out the flesh. Once cool, cut in half, remove the strings and seeds (saving the seeds), and use a spoon to remove the flesh into a separate bowl.

Prepare the seeds so that they can be roasting while the risotto is being made. The easiest way to clean the seeds is to place them and the stringy glop attached to them in a bowl of cold water.

Pumpkin seeds

Rubbing the seeds between your fingers will loosen the strings. Place cleaned seeds on cookie sheet, brush with melted butter, and sprinkle with paprika, cayenne pepper, and salt.

Spicy Pumpkin Seeds

Reduce oven to 350 degrees. Place tray in oven for roughly 1/2 hour, stirring halfway through. Check constantly to be certain the seeds don’t burn. Once finished, remove from tray and place in small bowl.

Puree the flesh in a food processor or food mill and reserve 1.5 – 2 C for the risotto. The rest can be frozen for muffins or pie or pumpkin butter.

Start the risotto.

Heat the stock to a brisk simmer while preparing the rice.

In a medium to large sauce pan, heat 2T of olive oil, and cook onions over a medium heat until translucent – do not brown. Once soft, add rice. Stir and cook over high heat until rice is coated and a little bit toasted.

Now begin adding the hot stock, one ladle at a time. (It must be simmering as you add it.) Stir continually until each ladleful is completely absorbed into the rice. After the second ladleful of stock, add the wine and let it absorb. Then another ladleful of stock. Once the third ladleful of stock has been absorbed, add the pumpkin puree. When adding the puree, also add about 1/4 t of freshly grated star anise. Stir until the liquid from the pumpkin has been absorbed. Continue adding hot stock until rice is soft, but still a little toothy. Go ahead and test it frequently as you cook. You don’t want to end up with pumpkin gruel.

Once rice has reached the perfect creamy consistency, remove from heat. Stir in the remaining butter, and the parmesan cheese.

Always plate risotto in a shallow bowl. It will ensure that the rice cools at a consistent temperature throughout.  Some people like to present the pumpkin risotto in a hollowed out pumpkin, but we consider that a bit twee, if you know what we mean.

Just before serving, sprinkle a few of the spicy roasted pumpkin seeds on top, and garnish with any remaining peppery nasturtium blossoms that may still be surviving in the garden.

Pumpkin risotto

Step-by-Step Tarte Tatin

Butter, sugar, flour, & apples.

That’s it.

Left in most people’s hands, those ingredients can be combined in all sorts of combinations, and the result would be something that tasted like, well…butter, sugar, flour & apples. But, the french aren’t like most people. In a lot of ways, actually. But that’s a whole ‘nother blog entry. This entry is all about how the french managed to take four simple ingredients and pull together something that tastes like something far greater than the sum of its parts.

There are varying stories about the creation of the first Tarte Tatin. A woman innkeeper burned some apples, or someone accidentally cooked an apple cake upside down. Whatever the truth is, Tarte Tatin is neither a simple dish, nor a particularly complicated one. It’s just one that requires a little bit of chemistry and patience.

One of the major differences between a Tarte Tatin and apple pie, beyond the lack of spices in the former, is the type of apples used to make it. Apple pies are often best made with a variety of varieties of cooking apples. The different tastes and textures make a more complex pie. In a Tarte Tatin, however, one wants a simple, clear taste and look in the finished product. Plus, one must use firmer, eating apples rather than cooking ones, since softer flesh apples simply won’t hold up to the intense cooking.

The magic of a Tarte Tatin is in the caramelization of the butter, sugar, and apples. That’s what gives it its unique and famous flavor. That’s also the tricky bit when it comes to its creation. Cook it a second too long, and you have burnt sugar apple hard candy. Too short and you have a leaky, upside-down butter apple pie.

Tarte Tatin

(There are as many Tarte Tatin recipes as there are french chefs, but they only vary in terms of amounts and technique. A traditional Tarte Tatin will always only have four ingredients)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

 

For Filling:

5 T butter

1 C sugar

6 large Golden Delicious apples, peeled, cored and sliced into 8 wedges.

For pastry:

1 C flour

1 stick butter, very cold, sliced into 1/2 inch pats.

approx 4 T ice water

To make the pastry, combine butter and flour in mixer bowl of stand mixture. Using beater attachment, beat on slow-to-medium speed until butter is in small flakes that are coated with the flour. Do not over mix. Add ice water slowly until pastry barely clumps together in a ball. Flatten dough ball into disk shape and place in refrigerator to cool. After 30 minutes (use the time to peel and slice apples), remove dough from refrigerator. On a floured surface, roll into a 13 inch diameter circle.

Next, let’s pick our apples. The traditional Tarte Tatin apple is the Calville Blanc apple, which dates back to 1598. There aren’t many sources for that, so unless you wish to grow your own, substitute Golden Delicious apples. (We use an unknown yellow variety found on our farm.)

We peel our apples with this Back To Basics Apple and Potato Peeler[image error]this device:

Now it’s time for the tricky part. Making the caramel.

First, choose a 12 inch diameter, deep skillet with a heavy bottom and sides. (Pan must be able to fit in oven.)

Next, fill your sink with just enough cold water and ice that the skillet can sit in it without water overflowing the sides and flooding it. When your caramel reaches the precise temperature, you’ll place the entire pan into the ice bath to keep it from burning.

Gently heat the skillet over medium heat, and place the butter and sugar in at the same time. Stir as it melts together. First, they will appear to foam together in clumps:

Then it begins to spread out as it begins to slowly brown:

It’s important to remember to STIR FREQUENTLY. You don’t want any sections of it to burn.

When it reaches the next temperature stage (after about 8 – 12 minutes) the butter will miraculously begin to separate out again. This is when you need to begin stirring constantly. There’s only a few minutes left before it turns medium brown – which indicates that it’s ready for the ice bath:

The caramel will quickly cool. It will even become quite stiff. That’s all okay.  After all cooking has stopped in the ice bath, it’s time to layer the apples directly onto the caramel’s surface:

Place the first layers of apples on top of the caramel in concentric circles, with the rounded sides down. Arrange any remaining apples on top of the first layer with rounded sides up. Once apples are in place, cover with the pastry dough, tucking any edges down into the pan. Place pan in preheated oven.

Bake for 50 minutes to 1 hour, or until the pastry is medium/dark brown and juices are bubbling briskly at the edges. Remove from oven, and let stand on cooling rack for five minutes. After five minutes of cooling, place a platter (larger than skillet circumference) on top of pan. With one motion, flip upside down and release the tarte onto platter.

Okay, be mentally prepared for some of the apples and caramel to remain stuck to the pan. That’s okay. Good, even. Those are the most flavorful bits, and every Tarte Tatin should have some crusty dark spots. Just scrape them off and artfully arrange them back onto the tarte as best you can.

Also, some extra juice is going to run off the sides onto the platter. We find the best way to remedy this is by scooping it up with a finger and licking it.

Here’s our finished product. We’ve had them come out darker. And we’ve had them come out lighter. Either way, they’re pretty darn good.

The chewy caramel at the edges is by far the best part of all. Be sure to serve with creme friache, or even sour cream, since whipped cream or ice cream competes with the apples’ sweetness.

Viva la France!

Kale Chips for Every Craving

Sometimes we have a salty, crunchy craving, but a satisfying snack doesn’t have to be unhealthy. Kale is the perfect snack for fall, winter and early spring since, if slightly protected, it continues to grow in the garden throughout the cold weather.

Kale Chips

Ingredients:

1 T olive oil

one bunch of kale

your creativity

 

Instructions:

1.   Choosing the largest leaves, gently tear the leaves from the stems

2.  Place leaves in a large bowl and gently massage the leaves with olive oil until leaves are fully coated

3.  Now the fun part.  Choose a topping that will meet your craving.  Simply salty?  Sprinkle in sea salt (and maybe a dash of vinegar). Cheese please?  Grate some parmesan or other hard cheese.  BBQ chips are your downfall?  Sprinkle a little taco seasoning. And red pepper flakes are always a favorite with us.

4.  Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees.  Place leaves flat on a cookie sheet.  Bake for 10-12 minutes or until edges of leaves just start to blacken. Check frequently. Depending on the tenderness of the leaves, they may crisp in as little as 8 minutes.

5.  Remove from oven and transfer to a paper towel to absorb any excess oil.

What are your favorite Kale Chip Toppings? Let us know below in the comment section.

5 Beautiful Things

[image error] For The Love of IKEA

The old adage goes that if your relationship can survive a trip to IKEA, you’re in it for the long haul. Never mind that the average Ikea patron spends over two hours in the store, or that the maze of endless aisles seems designed to inspire impatience. The real relationship-killer is the combination of excellent design, affordable prices and a plethora of choice. Indecision is the culprit. He wants Malm, she wants Liatorp. Will it be the Hederlig wine glasses or the Forsla bowls? And we haven’t even gotten to the in-store cafeteria yet with its $1.99 meatball platter. Somehow, though, the exhausting experience is worth it in the end.

Everyone, it seems, has lived with something from IKEA, whether it’s a dresser, a desk, a pencil holder or a cutting board. Beauty and practicality never cost so little and the quality of the product is good considering its value. The retailer, based in Sweden, has been one of the most influencial design factories of the last 60 years and is responsible for the worldwide popularity of Scandinavian design today.

Founded in 1943 by 16 year-old Swedish entrepreneur Ingvar Kamprad, the furniture store catered to design-conscious buyers right from the start. Kamprad was also a big believer in product self-assembly, keeping production costs low and sustainability high. After expanding throughout Europe in the ‘60s and ‘70s, the arrival of IKEA in the North American market in the 1980s put the housewares firm on the international map. Careful not to saturate the culture, Ingvar strategically opened select stores in select cities, instead investing in the store experience by building enormous locations that became weekend destination points for the design-hungry masses.

This week’s Five Beautiful Things was inspired by Swedish IKEA stylist Evalina Bratell, who styled the IKEA cookbook, Homemade Is Best. In these photos Bratell uses IKEA dinnerware, glassware and furniture to create gorgeous compositions. You can see more of her work from the book here.

FIVE IKEA FACTS:

1. IKEA is an acronym. It stands for Ingvar Kamprad Elmstaryd Agunnaryd, the founders name followed by his hometown.

2. There is an average of 400-million visitors to Ikea.com each year.

3. IKEA stores are among the largest in the world. The largest North American IKEA store is in Montreal, Canada, at nearly 470,000 square feet.

4. IKEA was among the first retailers to feature gay couples in their catalogs and television ads.

5. Most IKEA product names are derived from Scandinavian locations (towns, rivers, lakes, islands) as well as objects and animals (herbs, birds, trees and flowers) and  Scandinavian proper names for men and women. Not all product names are Swedish in origin. Some are Norwegian, some are Finnish.

 

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All Photos by Carl Kleiner for IKEA

 

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.

 

 

Maibach

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Usually, when someone mentions the word “Maibock,” people think of a luxury car (the Maybach).  However, what we’re talking about is a little known (at least in the United States) seasonal beer style released in the early months of spring.

Traditionally, spring beers in Germany are strong, very dark lagers called “Bock” beers or “Bockbier.”  The origins of the name are debatable. According to the most popular theory, the name refers to the German word for “billy goat,” or Bock. Traditionally, this beer was brewed during the winter months under the astrological sign of Capricorn (December 22 through January 19.)  Capricorn’s symbol is the goat.

Mai means the month of May in German.

Put the two together, and you get…Maibock.

On many beer labels, you’ll often see a goat incorporate into the design.

We like the names of the product we produce at Beekman 1802 to be as thoughtful as what goes inside the package.

This year we created a limited edition cheese that is exactly half-cow (mu) and half goat (bock).  Just as it is finishing the aging process, we paint the cheese with Three Philosophers beer from Ommegang Brewery.  The result is a mild cheddar-style cheese with the faintest hint of hops.

No matter when you eat it, it will put a little Spring in your step.

 

See what else is good at Beekman 1802.  Click here.

 

 

 

Gartending: Just Peachy

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Ah, the end of the summer.  But Klaus is a veritable flurry of activity!  This is the season he looks forward to the most.  Tomatoes bursting with flavor, peaches hanging ripe on the tree, virtually dropping into his little hands.  The garden herbs are reaching their apex of flavor and intensity just waiting to be rubbed on the inside of Klaus’s little cocktail glass or woven into a powerful beverage!

Thai Basil is one of my favorite herbs.  It’s heartier in flavor and spice than other basil varieties.  Given the cooler days, I like to add Thai Basil to my cocktails that involve spicier liquors.  And because peaches are at their peak, the combination of Thai Basil and peaches are a match made for the gar-tender!

But what liquors should be employed?  Bourbon and Rum are exceptional with peaches.  A chiffonade of Thai Basil, woven through a cocktail with robust Bourbon, like the ever delicious Four Roses and the addition of Royal Rose Simple Syrup of Three Chilies, a salubrious combination of poblano, jalapeno and ancho chilies- just set my (and Klaus’s) taste buds into a tizzy!  Then the addition of Spiced Rum sets this drink right over the edge of taste to satisfaction.

There is a historic connotation of dark liquors and spicy cocktail augmentations.  Culinary ingredients are making a big play into the cocktailian world.  Klaus was the first to notice this.  He always keeps a jug of liquor on his chest at the ready for whatever comes fresh from the garden.  As the gar-tender, Klaus is more than able and willing to share some of his daily juice.

Four Roses Small Batch Bourbon Whiskey is one of the liquors on the menu today.  A bit richer and pungent than the regular version of Four Roses, the flavor of the barrel is all at once vanilla, spicy grains and the heat from the all-present alcohol.  Then as if guided by a mysterious hand, the peaches are introduced.  Klaus, in keeping with his creative side likes to grill the peaches first, and then he lets them cool.  He purees the sweet stone fruits and sets them aside.

Sailor Jerry Rum, spicy with Caribbean seasoning is the secret ingredient in this drink.  All you’ll taste are the elements of sweet to spicy to smoky to… well, Nix Besser!

The Thai Basil is the next to go into the mix.  Klaus tells me that you must roll the basil into thin “cigars” and then run your perfectly sharp knife across them on a bias.  This, according to my little gnome friend releases the oils in a way that tearing the herbs cannot do.  Ice made with the Mavea “Inspired” Water pitcher fills the glass, in goes a shot or two of the Four Roses Small Batch Bourbon, add one shot of Sailor Jerry Spiced Rum for spicy depth, two tablespoons of Royal Rose Simple Syrup, then about 2 tablespoons of the pureed peaches. Then, as if by magic- this drink is stirred, not shaken.  Bitters are essential to this cocktail.  There are three flavors at work here.  First there are the sweet, roasted notes from the peaches, spicy from the basil and the Simple Syrup of Chilies, and bitter from the cocktail bitters.  In this case, Klaus has selected the mysteriously delicious Bitter End Thai Bitters.  All at once spicy and bitter, the Bitter End Thai Bitters add depth to this cocktail that will make your thirsty friends smack their lips in delight!  And in keeping with Klaus’s desire to drink healthfully, the addition of freshly squeezed lime and orange juices add body and soul to this exceptionally refreshing cocktail.

 

The Nix Besser Cocktail (Translation: None Better in Amish)

 

Ingredients:

Four Roses Small Batch Bourbon Whiskey

Sailor Jerry Spiced Rum

Royal Rose Simple Syrup of Three Chilies

Bitter End Thai Bitters

Juices of fresh lime and orange

Freshly picked Thai Basil leaves (rolled and sliced)

Mavea Inspired Water ice cubes

Roasted Peaches (Slice fresh peaches into chunks, then roast for about 25 minutes at 350 degrees until soft and caramelized, then puree in a food processor, set aside to cool)

 

Preparation:

To a tall mixing glass add:

2 shots of Four Roses Small Batch Bourbon Whiskey…

Add 1 Shot Sailor Jerry Spiced Rum

Add 2 Tablespoons of Royal Rose Simple Syrup of Three Chiles

Add three or four rolled and sliced Thai Basil leaves (Chiffonade)

Add some Mavea “Inspired” Water ice (three or four cubes)

Add 2 Tablespoons of the roasted peach puree

Add 2 teaspoons each of orange and lime juices (freshly squeezed is essential!)

STIR, do not shake!

Strain into a short glass with a couple of fresh Mavea ice cubes

Drop exactly three drops of the Bitter End Thai Bitters over the top

Sip to none better!

Or in Klaus’s case, Nix Besser!!!!!

 

 

 

Harvest Festival 2012!

 

Do what you can, with what you have, where you are.–T. Roosevelt

When we started the Sharon Springs Harvest Festival 4 years ago, we dreamed it to be an occasion to celebrate the harvest from our local farmers and a day to bring the community together.   The first  year we were thrilled when 500 people showed up to the one day event.  Last year, imagine our surprise when over 8000 people over two days came to visit our little village.  Why?  No other reason than it’s a weekend to acknowledge what is good about small town America.  We want you to come by and say ‘hi’ to everyone.

You can check back to this page as we add details about this year’s event.  If you are interested in becoming a vendor at this year’s festival, visit enjoysharonsprings.com to submit a vendor application.  For questions call Joe Todd Campbell:  518.284.2884

Check back here frequently as new events will be added right up until the last minute!

 

Friday, Sept 14

10:00-4:00pm–Check out  Pictures from an Exhibition, a retrospective of photographs by Leila Durkin  on display at the Village Hall Gallery on Main Street

6:00pm-10:00pm–Harvest Feast featuring all locally sourced ingredients.  Contact the American Hotel at (518) 284-2105 to see if tickets are available.

7:00pm-11:00pm– the second annual Harvest Hop!!  Fire burning on the dance floor!!  Click here for information and tickets

 

At the Farmer’s Market

Harvest Festival was started to honor the rich agricultural history of our area of upstate NY and the Sharon Springs Farmer’s Market, right on Main Street next to the Mercantile, has lots of family activities planned to help celebrate the harvest.

Learn how to milk a goat just like Farmer John does.  Demos at 11:00 and 3:00 both days
Horseshoe throwing contest on Saturday at 1:00pm
Seed spitting contest on Sunday at 1:00pm
Farm animal petting zoo on Saturday
Pumpkin painting contest beginning at 10:00 am on Sunday (while pumpkin supplies last!)

-and-

On Saturday only, pray that lady luck is on your side and risk it all on Cow Bingo!

 

 

Saturday, Sept 15

*SCHEDULE CHANGE* 9:45-10AM –Join us near the steps of the Beekman Mercantile where a local officiant will offer a short, non-denominational Harvest Thanksgiving Blessing to kick off the Festival. All are welcome.

9:00-5:00pm–Harvest Festival in the Village of Sharon Springs. With over a hundred craftsmen, farmers, artisanal food and displays and the village’s participating galleries, shops and businesses will be featuring exhibitions, sales and demonstrations.  Be sure to check out tinsmith Chris Ottoman demonstrating his craft on the steps of Cobbler & Co

Visit BANK, the art exhibition space at 204 Main, for a special exhibit by our B. 1802 blacksmith, Michael McCarthy.  Click here for more information.  FREE

Visit Spring House Spa for a special exhibit on the history of the spas in Sharon Springs.  SHARON SPRINGS:  A LANDSCAPE OF MEMORY is a photographic exhibit by artist Dore Gardener featuring images of Sharon Springs taken in our village in the years leading up to the closing of the once world-famous baths in 2005.  These selections reflect the artist’s perspective on Sharon Springs “as a Jewish resort that is now a landscape of memory.”  The exhibit is a perfect complement to the permanent installation of photographs featured in the Historic Spa Gallery, showcasing images of Sharon Springs from 1860-1960.  All are welcome.  FREE

10:00-4:00pm–Tour of Beekman Farm (SOLD OUT).  To eliminate issues with parking, there is a shuttle to and from the farm that picks up and drops off at the steps of The Mercantile.

11:00am & 2pm–ever watched A River Runs Through It and wish you could fish with Brad Pitt?  Get one step closer?  Come for a free dry-casting lesson by world-renowned fly fisherman, JP Ross.  Everyone will get a chance to try!   Meet in front of the Mercantile

2:00pm–Walking architectural tours of Historic Sharon Springs led by our town historian. Click here for ticket information.  Space is limited.

3:oo-5:00pm– a special screening of the powerful documentary film, The First Season.  Filmmaker Rudd Simmons producer of The Royal Tenenbaums, Dead Man Walking, High Fidelity, Boardwalk Empire, and The Road) followed new farmers Phyllis and Paul van Amburgh as they start up an organic dairy farm (the one right next door to Beekman Farm!)  It’s a powerful look at what it takes to bring good food to our tables.  Paul and Phyllis will be on hand for Q & A after the screening and to provide samples of the grass fed beef from their farm, Dharma Lea.   In the community room of the Sharon Springs Free Library.  FREE

Taking time out to watch this film will put the entire Harvest Festival into perspective and make everything you experience this weekend that much more powerful.

4:00-7:00pm–a fund-raising dinner for ALS “Doing it for Dodi”–spaghetti and (all the good will you can eat) for only $8 for adults and $5 for kids.  At the firehouse

5:30pm-10:00pm–An Authentic Pig Roast!–if you missed out on tickets to the Harvest Feast, you can still taste the best of the local harvest when the Sharon Tavern hosts and pig picking using locally raised and cultivated ingredients. Live music.  Please book ahead by calling (518) 284-2354

6:00pm-10:00pm–Harvest Feast featuring all locally sourced ingredients (SOLD OUT)

7:00pm-11:00pm–Country Harvest Picnic on the labyrinth of My Sisters’ Place Café.  A fun evening of local, fresh food from My Sisters’ Place, Serenity Valley Farms & the Black Cat, music, games, and more.   Reservations strongly recommended – call: 518.284.3421 or e-mail info@mysisterscafe.com

 

LIVE MUSIC THROUGHOUT THE VILLAGE SPONSORED BY THE SHARON SPRINGS CITIZEN COUNCIL OF THE ARTS

 

Sunday, Sept 16

 

10:00am:  Please join us at 204 Main Street for a traditional Native American thanksgiving address.  The Mohawk tribe once populated this valley.  The blessing of the harvest, Ohen:ten Kariwehtehkwen,  means “the words that come before all else.” Simply put, this is recognition of the importance of all things on Earth.

9:00-5:00pm–Harvest Festival in the Village of Sharon Springs. With over a hundred craftsmen, farmers, artisanal food and displays and the village’s participating galleries, shops and businesses will be featuring exhibitions, sales and demonstrations.  Be sure to check out tinsmith Chris Ottoman demonstrating his craft on the steps of Cobbler & Co

10:00-4:00pm–Tour of Beekman Farm (SOLD OUT).  To eliminate issues with parking, there is a shuttle to and from the farm that picks up and drops off at the steps of The Mercantile.

6:00pm-10:00pm–Harvest Feast featuring all locally sourced ingredients.  Call The American Hotel to see if tickets are available at (518) 284-2105

 

 All this PLUS special deals from local merchants.  Click here to view all of the Harvest Festival specials!

 

We welcome dogs to enjoy the day with their owners, and the New York House will host a special respite station for dogs and their owners.  Look for the signs pointing the way in the lower village.

 

A rotating shuttle bus will operate continuously on both days between parking lots and festival destinations on Main Street.  Free parking available at the Sharon Springs Central School at the intersection of Route 20 and Route 10

 

Other things to do in Sharon Springs during  your visit

Visit Howe Caverns, one of the most magnificent cavern systems in the world just 12 miles from Sharon Springs.

Take a tour of Brewery Ommegang and see how some of the best Belgium-style beer in the world is made right here in upstate NY. Click here for more info.  And while there check out the nearby The Farmer’s Museum, The Fenimore Art Museum, and The Baseball Hall of Fame

Visit the world-class Arkell Art Museum in Canajoharie and stop by to see the waterfalls in Wintergreen Park

 

Check back soon for a map and itinerary that you can print and carry with you to the festival!

Let’s Go to the Hop

 

SEPTEMBER 14, 2012

 

Around the middle of the 19th century, hops was one of the most important agricultural crops in upstate NY and people from urban areas would come to Schoharie County on vacation for the sole purpose of helping with the hop harvest.  No doubt, part of the draw was the fun and frolicking in the evenings that followed a hard day’s labor.  (Read more about hops and how local beers are being developed by clicking here.)

In 1890, the following item appeared in a local paper:

“The hop house dance with orchestra on flour barrels, will soon be rife.  Without it hoppicking would be a failure to a goodly percent of pickers.  It’s lots of fun for those that like it, and many a girl in a calico dress, to the music of the non-aristocratic mouth organ, without the enchanting influences of lofty surroundings, goes through the various dances with a grace that would do credit to the bespangled and diamond-rigged belles of high society.”

A disastrous trifecta of soil depletion, blue mold and the passage of the 18th amendment led to the rapid decline of the hops harvest in Sharon Springs… but not for the need to party.

As part of our annual Harvest Festival, we’re hosting a Harvest Hop–destined to become a legend.

This year’s Hop will be held in the town fire hall on Friday, Sept 14

Join us, a fantastic live band and a dance caller that will get everyone burning up the dance floor!

Each female ticket holder will get their own dance card for the evening, so put on your best calico dress and muck boots and get ready. And every ticket holder gets a drink ticket to sample the best of Ommegang’s new brews!

Click here for ticket information (space is limited to 150 people)

 

5 Beautiful Things

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This new feature is designed to inspire you to look at the world around you, to take note of the season at hand and to capture it – in memory or on film – for posterity. I will be choosing five photos each week for Beekman1802.com with this aim in mind. We’re calling the feature, The Five Most Beautiful Things In The World This Week

 

Elizabeth Soule Polaroids

The first instant-film camera was invented in 1948 by Edward Land. The Land Camera, as it was called, was an early rendition of the hugely popular Polaroid Camera, which came onto the market in the 1950s and enjoyed mass appeal into the 21rst Century. In 2008, Polaroid announced it would discontinue production of its self-developing  600 film and cease production of its cameras, closing three factories and laying off 450 people.

As we’ve seen with the popularity of Instagram, interest in the nostalgic quality of Polaroid photography never waned. Today Fujifilm issues a digital form of instant film (PX 680 instant color film) which works in all Polaroid 600 cameras.

For photographer Elizabeth Soule, though, there is still no substitute for the old Polaroid 600 film, with its unpredictable hues and ghostly graininess. She still uses the old film to take most of her pictures. Given its limited supply and expense, she carefully plans every component of her photographs, which are whimsical vignettes involving plastic toys, flowers, found objects and – occasionally – human beings:

“I will sometimes wait a couple of days, or even a couple weeks, before photographing, thinking through what it is I want to create. I will take quite a bit of time setting up my lighting and composing the scene before I’m ready to take the picture.”

But when she does take the snap, the results are timeless, adorable and perfectly unusual. Visit her website to see more examples and to find out where you can purchase her work.

Also, here is an interesting site I’ve been exploring lately, The Impossible Project: a team of photographers working to reinvent and re-establish analog film photography as a popular medium.

 

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Photos:

All photos by Elizabeth Soule

 

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.