Josh Kilmer-Purcell's Blog, page 95

New York Times profile of July in Sharon Springs (in 1883)

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About the only thing the journalist liked about Sharon Springs was the Pavilion Hotel. (Although he couldn’t resist ridiculing one notable guest.)

Everybody always says that Sharon Springs has “seen better days.”  Well, that may be. But according to one New York Times reporter, it wasn’t “all that” even when it was all that. Click to download pdf: Sharon Springs New York Times

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

 

Fresh Summer Flavors

If the essence of summer could be distilled into a series of flavors, there are six that I could not do without. They are the flavors of my favorite fruits! Summer has many virtues, but none are quite as sweet for me as the generous offerings of fresh fruit at the grocery stand and farmers’ market. The tiny, often-flavorless samples that are on hand during the winter pale in comparison to their plump, juicy summer counterparts.  Because it is in season, summer produce is often less expensive, almost always more prolific and definitely tastier!

I cheated a little in this edition of “Five” because I simply had to share each one of my favourite summer fruits with you – there are six in total. These are fruits that I must have each summer – or else risk feeling like summer never happened at all.  In no particular order, here they are:

WATERMELON:

Not only is watermelon delicious but it is also loaded with health benefits. Rich in potassium, Vitamin C, and lycopene, watermelons are heart-healthy and nutritious – not to mention incredibly fun to eat! The photo below shows an ingenious way of serving it on a popsicle stick.

RASPBERRIES:

All berries are powerful antioxidants and raspberries are among the most popular, grown around the world for their health benefits and delicious flavor. Raspberries are high in dietary fibre, rich in vitamins and minerals and contain a complex series of beneficial acids that have been proven to fight cancer. I like to enjoy them on their own or sprinkle them over my favorite cereal!

STRAWBERRIES:

Picking strawberries is one activity where I will gladly endure sunburn. I used to go berry picking with my mom at a local farm each June and our yield was always worth the back pain that would inevitably result. Like most berries, strawberries are considered to be a ‘superfood’ because of their high levels of antioxidants and vitamins. They help improve vision, reduce lines and wrinkles in the skin, and help combat cholesterol.

BLACKBERRIES:

I never fail to be seduced by the allure of the rich, dark color of blackberries. On a trip to British Columbia several years ago, we came upon a giant blackberry bush growing next to a sunny beach. The berries were enormous and we gorged ourselves like bears, taking plenty back to our camping site for the next day. Blackberries are powerful antioxidants with high concentrations of vitamins. They help with cardiovascular health, skin health, eyesight and digestion.

CHERRIES:

Cherries may be the quintessential summer fruit. Plump and perfect, they taste great and can be used in a multitude of ways. Cherries are one of the few foods that contain melatonin, an antioxidant that helps prevent cancer and regulate sleep rhythms. They are also extremely high in beta carotene – 19 times the amount of strawberries or blueberries!  They contain anti-inflammatory properties and can help reduce joint and muscle pain.

PEACHES:

We’ve likely all experienced the pleasure of peach juice dripping down our chins on a hot day as we sink our teeth into the tender flesh. It’s a summer pleasure that I must experience each year! Peaches have long been considered by the Chinese as a ‘longevity fruit’ because of their ability to stave off disease. Peaches are high in potassium and beta-carotene, Vitamin C and fibre. I like to eat a big, ripe peach on its own but they’re also great chopped into salads, cereals and yogurt.

 

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Photos:

Watermelon: Carrieleber.tumblr.com

Raspberries: Flickr.com

Strawberries: afieldjournal.blogspot.com

Blackberries: 25.media.tumblr.com

Cherries: running-towards-nothing.tumblr.com

Peaches: wishflowers.tumblr.com

 

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.

 

Tell us your favorite fruits of summer in the comments section below!

Constructing Protective Deer Cages for Young Trees

Click here to view the embedded video.

By far the most common question we get about gardening from nearly every corner of America is “How to you keep deer away from your plants?!?”

We usually answer “Coyotes….and lots of ‘em.”  For the most part, we don’t have many issues with deer. Our gardens are surrounded by acres of open pastureland which leave deer especially vulnerable to predators like coyotes and hyper-vigilant llamas. But after recently planting 37 new young fruit saplings, or “whips,” we finally found a meal irresistible enough for deer to risk their lives. Within the first two weeks of planting we found that the whip tips had been grazed to nubs, right under our noses. Our coyotes, it turns out, aren’t as brave as the deer.

Like all of our projects at Beekman 1802 we thoroughly researched the best method to keep deer hungry. From our conversations with all of you, we knew that most of the easy remedies are either useless or short-lived. Deer are bright students, and quickly learn to outwit or ignore methods like mylar scare tape, motion activated sprinklers, and Irish Spring slivers suspended in old nylons.

It became apparent that if we can’t imprison the deer, we would have to imprison the trees. We found that there are many flimsy and inexpensive deer fencing options out there. But if there’s anything we hate more than doing a big chore, it’s doing a big chore twice. So we asked for recommendations from our most experienced gardening expert friends, and wound up merging their advice to construct our sturdy tree cages, which should last the three or four years necessary until the trees are large enough to keep some buds out of deers reach. Hopefully our coyotes will have grown more courageous by then as well.

Materials Needed:

• Protective gloves, eyewear & ear protection

• 3   5-foot steel posts (not plastic) per sapling

• Post Driver

• 9 foot length of twine, tied in circle

• Measuring tape (min. 10 foot)

• 5 Foot high welded-wire fencing,  2″ X 4″ holes. [10 foot length per sapling)

• Heavy gauge wire cutter

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Beekman Blaak Cheese

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New York Times Readers: To sign up for our Beekman Blaak Cheese Wait List, please enter your email below. (We are nearly through our 2012 list, so we estimate wait time to be between 2-4 weeks.) If you’d like to shop for other Beekman 1802 artisanal products, please click here.

Subscribe to our mailing list

Beekman 1802 Blaak is the world-famous artisanal cheese produced from the goats at Beekman Farm. Blaak is an Italian-style semi-hard cheese made from a 60:40 mix of raw goat and cow milk giving the cheese a mild but distinctive flavor. In keeping with traditional cheesemaking practices, this rare cheese is aged for 3 months in our caves and is coated with ash at each turning to promote the ripening of the wheel. The resulting edible black rind gives the cheese its name and makes it a true conversation piece on your table.

In order to ensure that you receive your artisanal cheese at its peak, we sell only whole wheels.  Because each artisanal wheel is hand-crafted, there is a natural variation in size and shape.  Each wheel is approximately 2 lbs, perfect for dividing up and sharing.

Please note that your cheese order will ship separately from other items ordered and in a specially-designed box to ensure its safe arrival.  All cheese shipments are sent out on Mondays.

Sunshine Egg Salad

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Use a common day lily in a coupe-style champagne glass for an elegant egg salad presentation. (the flower is edible, too.)

 

One of the thrills of owning a farm (or even a sizable backyard) is the joy of walking out and plucking fresh chicken eggs right from the roost.  At Beekman 1802, the eggshells come in the palest shade of blue to a rich leather brown, and the yolks are as bright orange as a flower. We wanted to develop a simple recipe that would have you screaming “summer!” before the fork ever hits your mouth.

Sunshine Egg Salad

Ingredients:

8 eggs

½ cup of sliced black olives

3 teaspoons of capers

2 cloves garlic – peeled and minced

The juice of 1 lemon – freshly pressed

1/3 cup finely chopped flat leaf parsley

4 tablespoons mustard (choose the variety you like best)

1/2 teaspoon salt

Day lilies

Preparation:

Place eggs gently in medium pot, and cover with cold water until submerged about one inch. Bring slowly to a boil on medium high heat, let boil for one minute, then remove from heat. Let rest, in hot water for 8 minutes. Rinse under cool water and peel. (We like our yokes a little soft, so if you want a very hard boiled yoke, let rest in hot water for 12 minutes instead.)

Peel the garlic cloves. Combine garlic and salt in a mortar and pound them into a fine paste with the pestle. Add the lemon juice and mix well.

Slice the boiled eggs with a knife or an egg slicer and place them in a bowl. Add the garlic and lemon paste and mix.

Add the olives, capers, and mustard and scatter the minced parsley, and mix well but gently. Serve at room temperature or a little bit cooled.

When planning for a weekend brunch, we pluck the blooms out of our bed day lilies, remove the stamens and anthers and use the bloom as a serving cup

Gartending: Bug-B-Gone

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For the Spring and Summer growing season, we bring you a new feature at Beekman 1802, the Soused Gnome.  He’ll teach  you how to “gartend”–create perfect seasonal cocktails using fresh ingredients from the garden.

 

Klaus is thirsty. No, not just thirsty of a cool drink on a sizzling hot day, but thirsty for an adventure. This summer has been many things to Klaus. It’s been a vacation and a gar-tending lesson all in one neatly packaged bundle.

Klaus has a thirst for the New Jersey early peaches, grilled over hard wood coals then pureed to yield a rich and sumptuous mouth-coating finish. Klaus is quite fond of grilled grapefruit juice along with his grilled peaches. Grapefruit when grilled over hard wood coals becomes tart and sweet at the same time.

I usually sprinkle a bit of raw sugar over the top of the grapefruit and peaches before they go onto the grill. The sugar caramelizes a bit and gives more depth to the cocktail. Klaus has been growing basil out in the garden; it’s flourishing in this heat and humidity so a bit of this also goes into the mix. Basil gives a mysterious edge to cocktails that have grapefruit and peaches in them.

Of course I’d be remiss if I didn’t add some firewater! Klaus is quite thirsty and something with a kick adds to the character of this drink. With all the choices in the bar, Klaus demands something with a honey like finish and a deep aromatic quality. In this case the kick comes from Tequila from Arrogante. Arrogante utilizes used Bourbon barrels for their highly expressive Tequila. The aromatics and burnt sugar nose is just perfect for a muddle of grilled peaches, basil and grilled grapefruit juice.

If the Tequila, grilled peaches and grapefruit juice with basil wasn’t enough, Klaus enjoys a bit of Mariposa Agave Liqueur in his Tequila based cocktails. This liqueur is a revelation of flavor and quality of the finish. I liken the Mariposa to plunging my hands into a bee hive, rife with honey. Agave Honey. Don’t mind the bees, they only sting once!  Klaus is most careful in this regard and always suits up in the finest beekeeping gear when working around these fussy creatures…. Now this drink, according to Klaus also repels mosquitoes!

 

The Mosquito Chaser Cocktail

 

Ingredients:

 

Arrogante Reposado Tequila

Mariposa Agave Liqueur

Bitter End Mexican Mole’ Bitters

Grilled peaches and grilled grapefruit (slice peaches and grapefruits into rounds, sprinkle with raw sugar and grill until uniformly browned)

Perrier® Sparkling Natural Mineral Water for a nice fizzy finish

 

Preparation:

 

Grill the peaches and grapefruit slices over a charcoal grill, set aside to cool

In a Boston shaker (the stainless steel kind) muddle a few slices of grapefruit and some chunks of the grilled peaches until about ½ cup of juice is rendered

Roll some of the basil leaves and slice them on the bias, add to the shaker

Add 2 shots of the Arrogante Reposato

Add 1 shot of the Mariposa Agave Liqueur

Add a couple handfuls of ice to your shaker

Shake, shake, shake, shake…

Double strain into short rocks glasses with crushed ice and short bar straws

Garnish with a slice of grilled peach and a slice of grilled grapefruit

Top with Perrier® Sparkling Natural Mineral Water for a nice fizzy finish

Finally drip about four drops of the Bitter End Mexican Mole Bitters over the top and sip through

 

(What is double straining a drink? Pour the grilled, muddled grapefruit, basil, peach, Agave Nectar and Tequila mixture through two hand held strainers to remove the fruit from the final result)

 

CHEERS!!

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

 

A Lesson in Vintage Kitchenware

Recent trips to several flea markets and consignment shops have given me pause to ponder my love of vintage kitchenware. Swooping down like a magpie, I can’t seem to resist the mid-century modern designs and patterns that conjure up all kinds of nostalgia for me: memories of my grandmother mixing cake batter in her big Pyrex bowls, or her huge cast-iron pots on the stove in shades of avocado and popsicle-orange. It seems I’m not alone, either. Numerous friends of mine in the 30-something demographic are obsessed with these design icons of the past, snapping them up where and when we can for our own kitchens. I’ve selected five of my favorite vintage kitchenware brands and styles and have gathered some interesting information about their origins. What are some of your favorites?

PYREX:

Pyrex glassware was introduced to the American public in 1915 by Corning Glass Works. Today, there are three types of collectible Pyrex: Clear Pyrex Ovenware (introduced in 1915), Pyrex Flameware (1936 – 1979) and Pyrex Colors, which began production in 1947. Of these three types, most people are familiar with the Pyrex Colors collection because of its distinctive hues and folky patterns. Pyrex is still manufacturing modern cooking products but the vintage pieces are also relatively easy to find, due in large part to its enormous popularity. Its widespread availability, affordability, durability and the variations in its attractive designs made it a universally appealing. Chances are good that your mother, grandmother or aunt may have a few vintage examples in their kitchens! Examples of vintage Pyrex are easy to find at flea markets and antique shops, and through online auction sites.

CATHRINEHOLM:

Cathrineholm was an ironworks, located near the town of Halden in Norway, which started production in 1907. Originally the ironworks manufactured wrought iron products and agricultural equipment, but due to changing economic circumstances it later evolved into producing enamel kitchenware. The company closed in 1970.  Cathrineholm enamelware can be difficult to find and most people build up their collection by buying on Ebay. Even on Ebay, there can sometimes only be a handful of items up for sale at any one time. A useful tip when searching for Cathrineholm on Ebay is to be aware that a huge number of people spell it incorrectly – so make sure that you also search for Cathrineholme, Cathrinehome, Catherineholm, Catherineholme, Catherinehome, Catherine holm, Catherine holme, Catherine home etc! The vibrant colors and charming printed patterns on Cathrineholme pieces are what make it so collectible today.

DANSK KOBENSTYLE

Dansk Kobenstyle Enamelware was originally manufactured by the Danish company Glud & Marstrand, but by 1966 it had been sold to a French manufacturer. The cookware is most often compared to the French cookware brand Le Creuset, although it is lighter and more modern. The most sought-after examples are of Danish origin, exhibiting Dansk’s original “Four Ducks” logo.  The initials “IHQ” are the mark of Designer Jens Quistgaard. Among its unique features are the specially-designed lids, with criss-cross handles that can be safely lifted by a spoon and that allow a collection of cookware to stack beautifully. Lovers of this style of cookware will be delighted to know that it is being manufactured again in three colours: red, white and blue enamel. It will be sold exclusively at Crate & Barrel at first, with the possibility of distribution to other retailers next year.

JADEITE

Jadeite was made mostly during the 1920s and ’30s and was popularized by the Jeannette Glass company in the 1930s as inexpensive Depression Era glassware. The term Jadeite refers to the color (a milky, minty green) not a particular brand. A number of glassware companies in the U.S. and abroad made items in varying colors of Jadeite during this time period.  The types of Jadeite vary depending on the company that produced the item, and they are usually identified by company marks. Companies like McKee and Fire King made glassware in Jadeite and can be identified by their logos on the bottoms of the pieces. Modern variations on Jadeite are currently made by several brands, including Martha Stewart, and are often hand-pressed using the original molds. For most collectors the color is the draw, although unique examples, such hen-shaped casserole dishes, slender cake stands and unique salt-and-pepper shakers add to the allure.

RUSSELL WRIGHT

American industrial designer Russell Wright (1904 – 1976) was best known for his colorful ceramic and plastic dinnerware, manufactured between 1939 and 1959 by Steubenville Pottery in Steubenville, Ohio. Wright also designed furniture as well as textiles and is celebrated for his influential contributions to American-modern design. The simple, clean lines in his designs, the saturated color palettes and the sturdy practicality made his dinnerware highly sought-after by middle-class families eager to embrace the new, modern aesthetic. Even during the period of manufacture, his pieces were relatively costly compared to other brands, marketed to consumers who valued quality craftsmanship and design. Russell Wright pieces are highly collectible today, due in part to the limited period of time his pieces were produced.

 

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Photos:

1.       Pyrex

2.       Cathrineholm

3.       Dansk Kobenstyle

4.       Jadeite

5.       Russell Wright

 

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.

Wild Rice, Watermelon & Beet Salad

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We first fell in love with the combination of watermelon and beets in a NYC restaurant several years ago, and I quickly set about to recreate a version of this salad for ourselves. We made several changes and additions, and now this has become one of our favorite late summer salads. It combines the nutty earthiness of wild rice and beets, with the bright sweetness of watermelons, oranges, and onions.  And the combination is even further complemented when served up in one of our crispy Beekman Blaak cheese bowls.

We hope you love it. If you keep improving it, let us know in the comment section below…

Wild Rice, Watermelon & Beet Salad

For shells:

4 cups shredded Beekman Blaak Cheese (makes 4 shells)

For salad:

3 cups roasted beets, cut in ¾ inch cubes (about 5 medium beets) Roasting directions below.

3 cups watermelon, cut in ¾ inch cubes

¾ cup very finely sliced red (or sweet/Vidalia) onion

¾ cup finely sliced celery

3 cups cooked wild rice

1/3 cup chopped parsley

salt/ pepper

For dressing:

1 orange, zested and juiced (approx 3 Tablespoons of juice)

2 Tablespoons white wine vinegar

2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

3 Tablespoons olive oil

½ teaspoon salt

pepper to taste

Beekman Blaak cheese shells may be made ahead of time, wrapped loosely in plastic, and stored in the refrigerator for several days. For directions, click here.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. To roast beets, first cut off greens, leaving about 1/2 inch of stems attached to beet. Never cut across top of beet root to remove greens – too much juice will escape during roasting. Leaving some stem prevents excess bleeding. You may, however, cut off excess skinny root, but be sure to leave an inch or so. Reserve the beet greens for another recipe. You do not need to skin beets until after they’ve roasted and cooled. (If your beets vary greatly in size, you will have to cut them to roughly match each other in order to ensure equal cooking time.)

Place beets in oven-proof roasting dish, cover with lid or foil, coat with olive oil, and roast for anywhere from 1 – 2 hours. After one hour, check every 15 minutes. Once knife goes easily through beet, they are done. Remove from oven. Allow to cool completely. Once cool, skins should slip from beets using only your fingers. Cut beets into 3/4 inch cubes.

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While beets are roasting, cook wild rice according to directions on package – except place one black tea bag in with rice and water while water is coming to boil. Remove tea bag while rice is simmering. Once rice has finished cooking, allow to cool completely.

Make dressing. Combine all ingredients in a jar. Cover and shake to combine.

Salad should be assembled right before serving.

Slice and cube ripe watermelon in 3/4 inch chunks. Avoid large seeds. Combine watermelon, onion, celery and parsley in large bowl. Toss. Do not add beets, in order to avoid discoloration of other ingredients.

Assemble salad in Beekman Blaak cheese bowl. First spoon 1/2 cup of wild rice into each cheese bowl. Add a layer of watermelon mixture, followed by a layer of beet cubes, followed by another layer of watermelon.

Drizzle dressing over salad and serve. Serves 4.

 

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Blaak Bowls

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Fun summer salads deserve more than a plain white bowl.

Heaven knows we’re not usually too fancy when it comes to food presentation. If it looks good, tastes good, and comes fresh from the garden…it’s a home run in our kitchen. The best looking “table-scape” we’ve ever seen is one with friends sitting around it.

But we sometimes find ourselves with a few wheels of Beekman 1802 Blaak cheese that aren’t pretty enough to sell. So we created these fun bowls made out of shredded Blaak that are a great way to serve salads that are on the sweeter side. The Blaak bowl adds just the right amount of salty crunch.

Because a full wheel of Blaak might be too much for some of you to eat fresh, many of you have written us and asked if you can freeze leftover Blaak. We advise that you can, but that freezing will change the texture slightly. These bowls are a great way to use frozen Blaak, but you can also make these bowls with just about any kind of semi hard shredded cheese, from parmesan to cheddar. The only variables will be the cooking time and ultimate texture. Experiment!

Click on any thumbnail below to begin the step-by-step process slideshow for our Beekman Blaak cheese bowls.  And to find out how to make our Roasted Beet & Watermelon salad pictured above, click here.

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Chicken Pasta Salad with Gooseberries

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Okay, okay…we can hear you now: “I can’t make this recipe! Where on earth will I find gooseberries?!” Well, let’s get that out of the way right away. You can use green grapes. In fact, that’s how this recipe originated. It was one of Josh’s inventions from many many years ago when he lived in Atlanta. He was fresh out of college and his mother was coming to visit him in the middle of an Atlanta summer.

After a full day of travel, Josh knew that his mom wouldn’t want a huge meal. Especially given the temperature. So he concocted this simple chicken pasta salad with tart green grapes and toasted walnuts. She still talks about it to this day as the perfect meal at the perfect time.

Because we don’t have green grapes growing at Beekman 1802 Farm, we use our tart gooseberries. Like the grapes, they add a great touch of tart-sweetness, and chilled juiciness to help us cool down on a hot summer evening.

Chicken Pasta Salad with Gooseberries

4 cups poached chicken meat (Whole Poached Chicken recipe,) shredded or diced.

1/2 cup thinly sliced celery

1/4 cup finely diced sweet onion

4 Tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

Zest and juice of one lemon

1.5 cups mayonnaise (Foolproof Homemade Mayonnaise Recipe)

3 Tablespoons mustard (preferably Dijon)

Salt and Pepper to taste

1 lb pasta (shells, penne, or rotini preferred)

1.5 cups gooseberries (or green grapes) sliced in half lengthwise

1 cup walnuts

Salt & freshly ground pepper to taste.

Cook pasta according to directions on box, drain, and chill in refrigerator.  Toast walnuts on baking sheet in 400 degree until lightly brown and fragrant. (About 5-8 minutes. Check occasionally to avoid burning.) Let cool.

Combine chicken, celery, parsley, onion, mayonnaise, lemon zest and juice, and mustard in very large bowl. (Bowl must be able to accommodate pasta and remaining ingredients in next step.) Stir to combine.

Add pasta, gooseberries, walnuts to chicken mixture. Lightly toss without breaking pasta or crushing gooseberries. Salt and pepper to taste.

 

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