The Kitchen Potager

February 23, 2011

The great marmalade experiment

Filed under: Classes, Travel — The Kitchen Potager @ 11:44 pm

It was a combination of wanting to support new local friends and growers, understanding the nutritional value and increased flavor of home grown vegetables, reading Barbara Kingsolver’s locavore book Animal, Vegetable, Miracle, and discovering that roses and chocolate were required to make strawberries taste good Valentine’s Day, that directed my interest to locally grown food. Of course, we need to allow exceptions to the rule. In our area, we are fortunate to have local coffee roasters and a local friend who imports his family’s olive oil from Tunisia so if the Jeanie grants me one more wish for an imported item, it will always be Seville Oranges!

My father and I were lucky to visit the Loire Valley last fall. I could not get enough of the delicious homemade marmalades served at the breakfast table. Our host, Joke shared her recipe and I anxiously awaited January to begin searching for the special bitter oranges. Unfortunately, the brief window of seasonal opportunity was a sliver in time at our grocery stores. I tried to enlist my friends from abroad to risk their visa status and smuggle some of the bitter delicacies across the pond but unfortunately, the threatening landing card brings out even pagan’s catholic guilt. Did they not think it was a good cause? In the absence of finding this orange, I began to practice “marmalade-ing” with grapefruit – another favorite not-so-sweet citrus. The typical Seville Orange Marmalade recipe is staged over 3 days 1) chopping and soaking 2) raising temp 3) adding sugar and canning. In addition to Joke’s recipe, I referenced the River Cottage Preserves Handbook which offered the 3 day sliced method or abbreviated whole fruit soak and heat method.
Making marmalade is a straightforward process that creates complications for me for two reasons: 1) I have difficulty following a recipe. I am not an expert chef in any sense of the term, but for some reason I always think I know “the perfect ingredient” that will transition a recipe and I cannot restrain myself from using it. 2) I always, without fail, underestimate the amount of time that I will need. Hence, the great marmalade experiment, required three tries:
1) Buy organic grapefruit at Kimbertown Whole Foods. Juice the fruit and slice into thin strips, including the white pithy part. Add juice, 10 cups of water. Put pithy bits and seeds into cheese cloth and soak for 24 hrs. This turned into 36, then 48 hrs. Mold had grown. Toss.
2) Buy organic grapefruit at Kimberton Whole Foods. Try the whole fruit method. Remove only the buttons. Soak in 10 cups of water. Bring to a boil, then simmer covered for 2-2.5 hrs. Slice fruit in half, discard seeds, add juice to the water, slice the fruit and add back into the pan. Add lemon juice and 10 cups(!) (let’s use less) of sugar to the water and bring to a rolling boil for approximately 15 minutes until setting point. The (parentheses) is where I go wrong -assuming that I know a better way. By adding less sugar I threw off the ratio. I checked some sources and they suggested how to fix the ratio; add the pits for pectin, a little more sugar and a little lemon to activate the pectin. Finally! It set. Now that I made it work, I just had to improve it, Scotch Marmalade! I had tried a delicious version during a weekend away and now, I found the instructions to add it in at the end. I did. Interesting flavor, not as sweet as you anticipate, slightly bitter. Not for everyone – probably not the kids.

3) Now that I had figured out how to make the marmalade set, I was dangerously armed with the confidence to prepare the treasured Seville oranges that I found out of town. For traditions sake, I wanted to use the tried and truce recipe passed along by Joke. Juice oranges and slice into thin strips. Pithy parts in cheese cloth. Add water and soak for 24 hrs. Transfer to a pan and boil for 45 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and soak with sugar for 24 hrs. One reference mentioned that as soon as you add sugar, the skins will not soften. Boil for 15 minutes until setting point. Unfortunately, I could not get to the setting point. I had already poured some of the liquid into jars but they became cocktail syrup. I put some back in the pan, added a bit of pectin and boiled again. This time, I created a thick syrup to make a dentist cringe. It reminded me of my favorite childhood candied citrus slices.
Voila Marmalade Three Ways – 1) Scotch Grapefruit Marmalade 2) Seville Orange-tini Syrup 3) Sauce pour duck a l’orange! Who knows what next year’s citrus experiment will bring! Perhaps I will learn to follow a recipe…

December 1, 2010

Les Marches

Filed under: Farm to Table, Travel — The Kitchen Potager @ 5:43 pm

Visiting the markets was included in our plan for each city. Whether it was the small medieval village of Villeneuve in Aveyron, the larger city of Loches outside the Loire Valley or at any of the Paris markets, there is one thing in common among “marketeers”, it is their lifestyle. In Villeneuve, we arrived to the medieval village on a quiet Sunday morning. We parked on the ring road and walked along the whispering streets to the center. Once we passed the confiture, the fleuriste and the coiffeur (always open – in every town – now matter what day), we arrived at the center square to find a bustling coffee shop and busy vendors selling, wine, preserves, pickled items, fresh veg, fish, meat and cheese – what more do you need? We needed to get to another village so we had to leave. Unfortunately, we were missing the party – church had just let out! Suddenly, our quiet whispering village was a party scene! We smiled as we passed with our bag of treasures for our drive.
We only had one day in Paris to see the markets so I was so pleased with myself when I found a publication that highlighted great young chefs AND their favorite markets. I selected two of the “greatest” markets that were on the right bank. My dad and I carefully weighed which one to attend, made our decision and planned our route to the specific market noting transportation and destinations along the way. I had to laugh when we stepped outside our hotel in St Germain and walked one block to find an entire market block. There were 5 rows, each with a vegetable, bread, cheese, seafood, meat, vendor and everything else you could by under the sun was incorporated. You could tell that customers had their favorites as they lined up patiently waiting for items. Without a kitchen to use while we were in the city it was quite frustrating seeing unique varieties of veg and rare (to us) meats and seafood that I wanted to try. I felt very quiet wandering through and noticed that I really wanted to see our vendors behind the counters and look forward to a more familiar market scene next year. In the meantime, I will seek out these great items in our area!

Popular Poire Man

Long Leeks

Le radis petit dejeuner francais (?) - donnez moi le beurre! s'il vous plaits

Earthy carrots - now that is fresh!

Peter Piper's Pickled cornichons, onions, garlic...

Hark! Who goes there?

Filling the market basket

Favorite Veg Line

Flurry de Fleurie

Romanesco, my favorite

Endless rows of fromage

Cherry Grove Maidenhead Style Cheese!

Slightly Grumpy Fruits de Mer

Comfy and pretty

vats of goodnessQu'est que c'est?

my favoriet color

celeriac on steroids

Champion Champignons - thinking of you Chris & Patty!

salsify to satisfy

It's after midnight and I lost my slipper

I'm in line for cheese - a happy girl

saucissons - sweet!

La Boucherie

Filed under: Farm to Table, Farmers Market, Travel — The Kitchen Potager @ 12:23 am

We landed in Paris, rented our automatic car (a bit of a luxury over there) and drove through the onset of French Veterans’ Holiday weekend that created traffic of “strike” proportions. We were grateful to have Colette TomTom deliver us safely to our destination in Esvres, Loire Valley and we enjoyed meeting and dining with our lovely hosts at Chateau de la Villaine, Adriaan and Joke. It was our first night and we were anxious to begin our week long adventure. The primary goal of the trip is to create a travel program highlighting the traditional french lifestyle. Therefore, a visit to La Boucherie is of utmost importance! I am always mesmerized as I look at the cases of a quality butcher, the cuts the color the variety, as well as the matter of fact way the butchers handle the meat, select the perfect pieces, chop and prepare it with a straightforward confidence with giant heavy sharp knives.

Our butcher shops must have changed dramatically through the past century. My great grandfather was a butcher. He was not around for most of my life but his influence (of health – not knife skills!) must be filtered down through my grandmother. She is one of the most healthy, quick witted, fashionable people I know and at 94, she must be doing something right. She attributes so much of her health to the access to quality meat they had growing up. During one of our trips, we visited Borough Market in London, I remember her staring at the butcher cases in awe, a familiarity of cuts of meat that are not always offered in many of our standard butcher shops. She was looking at the brightness, the marbling, the variety, a familiarity of “by gone” meats that was only in her past. I thought of her immediately when my dad and I made our first stop – I don’t even know the name of the town since it seemed like all the others, it had le fleuriste, la boucherie, charcuterie, la boulangerie, patisserie, cafe and coiffeur? I had to go straight to La Boucherie/Charcuterie. I was mesmerized by the variety of meats, the presentation cuts, foreign yet familiar descriptions and the charcuterie assortment. I had flashbacks to elementary french lessons – lapin, le canard, le poulet and a favorite snack during that time – La Vache qui rit! The rabbits hung beautifully as in an 18th century painting.

18th Century Lifestyle

I realized how far away I am from my meat sources. I was taking photos of the hanging rabbits and chickens. I could tell the shop people thought it was a bit silly. And actually it is. I am a 2 yr old chicken owner but yet I cannot think about donating one to our meal. Later in the week when we had our cooking lesson, in addition to descaling the fish, I was to chop the head off of the quail. Anne let me off easy and took care of that, but even preparing the quail pieces was difficult for me.
Luckily, I enjoy the meats prepared for us and I recognize that it has to do with the quality of the meat and the preparation techniques. How could I not enjoy lapin avec le chocolate, cafe et les cerises? Coincidentally, a similar recipe was prepared for us in both Loire and Aveyron.

Since La Boucherie was a top priority, in Ambeyrac, Aveyron Anne brought us to the butcher shop and we met with one of the younger members of the Soulie family. The pride in work, simplicity yet skill of preparation and all round pleasant host of our local Ambeyrac butcher was such a treat.

Beauty of a buter's knife and a worn chopping block

I have many clips of our visit but I thought I would share one that gives a gist of the behind the scenes, click here. My dad was reminiscing about his annual sausage making endeavors and how helpful it would be to have the equipment and their drying areas! As you watch, please keep in mind that we were under the main area of the shop so when a customer came in, the bell would ring and he would politely excuse himself and then come back happily to continue the tour. Anne has lived 50 paces from the shop for about 10 years, buys from them every week and this was her first visit as well so my dad and I feel very honored and appreciative of our visit.
La Boucherie Ile St Louis
As we were there I was thinking how lucky we are to have Matt of PorcSalt, creating traditional french and Italian charcuterie as well as having Christopher & Melissa’s latest Canal House Book which features the recipes for traditional sausage making. Yes, it is nice to be home and also wonderful to be transported afar and to a seemingly different era avec La Boucherie!

November 14, 2010

Nous sommes arrives et nous avons vu…Chateau Villandry!

Filed under: Gardening Tips, Travel — Tags: french gardens, potager, vegetable garden design, villandry — The Kitchen Potager @ 6:24 pm

What do you say when you meet your ultimate mentor? What do you say when it is a place – not a person? Well it happened, we finally arrived at our premier destination, Chateau Villandry! I was giddy with excitement, not knowing which direction to go first. My father and I had just flown from Newark, rented a car, drove to the Loire Valley, had a lovely dinner with our hosts Adriaan and Joke, in Esvres-sur-Indre. We planned our first day: primary goal visit Chateau Villandry and Russeau for a small vineyard.
Of course, it always takes us longer to reach our destinations because there are so many things to do FIRST! Most of my friends know that breakfast is my absolute favorite meal. Seat me at a European breakfast table and I am in heaven – so our first morning in France was ideal. Warm croissants, french press cafe, fromage, charcuterie, confitures – figs, seville orange marmalade, black raspberry, granola, yogurts; je suis une fille tres heureuse! Not only did we have a quintessential french breakfast but Adriaan and Joke set a beautiful dining room table over looking their terrace and grounds in their petit chateau. Part of the charm included meeting the other guests, Juliet and Maxim from Chambord, who were visiting the same area as we were during their 4 day weekend. We shared plans of destinations and trials of travels. Needless to say, we were enjoying ourselves so much that we were off to a bit of a late start. Donc, we finally set our path and drove on our merry way – to Chateau Villandry! We were finally off to our destination but FIRST…we just had to stop at a cute little town because I saw a beautiful window of a florist shop next to a Boucherie & Charcuterie next to a patisserie next to…we must park for just a moment! We stopped, I took a few pics, experimented with speaking my french to shopkeepers and set off again. Of course I had to restrain myself because every town was cuter than the next and we MUST get to Chateau Villandry! We smiled as we passed through the towns and promised that we could stop on the way back. Finally, we arrived in Villandry!
But FIRST… Adriaan had suggested a restaurant in the village and it was close to 1 pm (deja?!) so we must find a bite to eat. A few places were open in the off season so we peaked in windows. A few people in most places but then one was completely full. We knew right away that it was the perfect place because the fashionista woman who greeted said “Il faut que vous ATTENDS dix minutes”. Parfait, we sat and waited for our premier dejeuner on this visit. Once again, it is not only the food that makes a difference while you are in France but the fashion – the attitude – the love is always present. In this case, it was represented in different ways at each table. I know you can picture the love birds next to us, the large table of thetrendy set and the smartly dressed elderly couple in the corner – probably regulars from the village. Nous attendons, nous mangeons et nous sommes tres contents. NOW onto the Chateau ET Les Jardins!
The wind was blowing and it was a very cool day but we were happy to arrive FINALLY! They advised us to go through the chateau first because it closed earlier than the gardens but I had a very hard time restraining myself. I quickly raced through the rooms and noted how fun it would have been to live in a gorgeous home overlooking the most inspirational gardens. But were they really happy (I always ask:)? Judging from their family photographs, yes, I think so… I raced through and found a sign for Donjons – which must mean tower. I climbed the narrow staircase and found myself at the most incredible view. Roberto Carvallo said that the design should be planned to be viewed from terraces above. From this point, you understand the masterful plan of the colors. Share with me, my excitement of viewing this scene in person. I did not know what I would say when I first met my mentor, now I remember, it was “Oh my goodness”… (video clip) then to see it up close and personal… (video clip)
(Also, we did not make it to our wine tasting destination this day but we will be back at the end of the week before Paris)

Je vais faire…plant a golden celery, apple or pear espalier hedge and tree roses in my garden next year.
Je souhaite…that I could wear chic shoes on cobblestones.

View from a bedroom window

A view from above Villandry Gardeners The Gardeners who made it happen

: Villandry potager design plan

: Golden celery, snow ball cauliflower, bulls blood beets, and leeks paint a beautiful garden.

: View from an apple espalier hedge

: A Linden Allee…hmmm…where should we put one of these?

: Yes, I am inspired! Now where do I begin in my own garden?

: Villandry potager design plan

: Golden celery, snow ball cauliflower, bulls blood beets, and leeks paint a beautiful garden.

: View from an apple espalier hedge

: A Linden Allee…hmmm…where should we put one of these?

: Yes, I am inspired! Now where do I begin in my own garden?

: Yes, it’s love. Amour des Jardins!

November 2, 2009

Il Potager di Cucina

Filed under: Travel — The Kitchen Potager @ 10:03 pm

Ciao i mili lettori preferiti!

It’s all happening! We are off to Italy to enjoy a week at Tenuta di Spannocchia, the sustainable agriculture estate south of Siena. There are ten of us participating in the adventure so watch this space for further anecdotes!

Arrivederla!

Friday, November 6^th

Arrival at Spannocchia

5:00 pm:

Historical Tour

A host guides you through the numerous areas of the Castello including the Villa, Tower and Fattoria you will learn about the architecture of the Castello, the histories of the Cinelli and Spannocchi families, the mezzadria sharecropping system, by which Spannocchia operated for centuries, and past and present agricultural activities in the property. The tour will also visit Spannocchia’s own Catholic Chapel which was once used as the community church for the estate and the museum, which houses ancient Etruscan archaeological artifacts from multiple Tuscan sites. Lastly, climb Spannocchia’s medieval tower for a breath-taking view of the 1100 acres of rolling hills and farmland surrounding the Castello. All of the sites and information presented throughout the tour will help Spannocchia guests to better understand the history of the area, the importance of preservation and our passion for Spannocchia past, present and future!

7:00 pm: Wine on the Terrace

7:30 pm: Dinner

Note: We may revise the weekend schedule in order to include another formal garden estate, pending availability.

Saturday, November 7th

8:00 am Breakfast

9:30 am – Depart for Poggio Alloro Farm Visit

Poggio Alloro Farm Visit, Wine Tasting or Meal near San Gimigniano

A family-run organic farm about 5km from the center of San Gimigniano with a breathtaking view back to the town. They produce saffron (a historically significant DOP product from the area), chianina beef, pasta, olive oil, salt cured meats, honey and wine. A tour of the cantina and tasting of their Vernaccia, a typical white wine from the area, or their Chianti red.

“Here we grow all our best biological products: wine, oil, and cereals. We rear, with our biological production of fodder, corn meal, barley flour and sunflower flour , cattle of SELECTED CHIANINA BREED. This is one of the most ancient Tuscan breeds, once sung by Latin poets and portrayed in the Roman bas-reliefs, and today considered the best bovine breed for meat in the world.

From this breed, as by Tuscan tradition, we cut the “fiorentina” steak, that is thick, underdone, succulent and strictly barbecued.

At our farm FATTORIA POGGIO ALLORO we organize dinners with our guests, serving only our products: meat (beef, chicken, rabbit, galeeny, pork), vegetables, home-made pasta (”tagliatelle” and “lasagne”), typical Tuscan soups (”ribollita” and pelt soup) and dishes with the ancient flavour of the purest saffron of San Gimignano. Every day we create a different menu, totally natural and wholesome.

All is matched with our D.O.C.G. wines: the traditional and stately VERNACCIA DI SAN GIMIGNANO and the CHIANTI COLLI SENESI, and, as dessert, a good glass of “VIN SANTO with cantucci ” and the GRAPPA made with Vernaccia marc.

Lunch at the Farm

2:30 pm Depart for Siena

15:15 English Speaking Guide, Ilaria – San Domenico Church for Palazzo Publicco & Duomo

Siena

22 kilometers northeast of Spannocchia

More than any other town, Siena can claim to be the most typically Tuscan. It is as beautiful as Florence, and the historical center is as old and large as Florence’s, and while Florence’s immediate surroundings consist mainly of suburbs, Siena is surrounded by the beautiful Chianti countryside. Legend has it that Siena owes its name to Senio, the son of Romulus. It is certain that the Etruscans had a settlement on the site which then passed under the control of Rome. Siena became an important city in the medieval period, and by the 1100s had trading links with much of Europe. In the Middle Ages (12th – 14th C) Siena became a republic and flourished on trade and banking. But dissention reigned. Siena fought with the Florentines, who in 1230 catapulted dead donkeys and excrement over its walls to start a plague. Rivalry between Siena and Florence was bitter and the two cities were almost always at war until Siena was incorporated into the Grand Duchy of Tuscany in 1559. For a long time the Sienese fought as Ghibellines under the banner of the Emperor, while the Florentines fought as Guelphs with Papal sympathies. In 1260 the Florentine troops again threatened the town. The Syndic (mayor) and the people then dedicated Siena to the Virgin, seeking her protection. A few days later the Florentines were bloodily defeated at Montaperti. After that battle, Siena’s greatest victory, many prominent Sienese were excommunicated. In the 16th C the virtual monopolization of Papal sympathies by the Medici in Florence finally overcame Sienese resistance and after a long siege the city surrendered to imperial forces and was given to the Medici as an imperial fief. The following are a few highlights of Siena:Piazzo del Campo, Palazzo Publico (Town Hall), Duomo, Piazzo del Duomo, Basilica of St. Dominico, and the Pinacoteca

Dinner

Restaurant Trattoria Papei

19:30 reservation “spannocchia”

Piazza del Mercato 6

Siena

Ph: 0577-28-08-94

Take the second steet from the right as you face the Torre de Mangia-dead ends in the Piazza del Mercato.

** Order off the menu 30-40 Euros per person

Sunday, November 8

8:00 am Breakfast

9:30 am Depart

Garden San Giovanni D’Osso

Il Bosco della Ragnaia

Half an hour from Buonconvento and 20 minutes away from Abbazia Monte Oliveto there is a natural woodland garden that you can visit from sunrise to sunset. The perfect place to relax and unwind after a day of touring, this garden, created by an artist (who wants to stay so low key that his name is impossible to find!) is on the outskirts of San Giovanni d’Asso and in the heart of the Crete Senese. www.laragnaia.com.

15:00 Abbazia di Monte Oliveto Maggiore

Daniela Casarin arranged guide – “spannocchia”

15:00

Monastery of Monte Oliveto Maggiore

36 km southeast of Siena, about 50 km from Spannocchia

Located five km east of Buoncenvento, the Monastery is open 9 a.m.—12:30 p.m., 3:00 p.m.—7:00 p.m. with a restaurant, herbal shop and lodging on grounds. (Tel: 0577/707652). As headquarters of the Benedictine monks, this is one of the most interesting churches in Tuscany. Crowning a peak that drops dramatically down through a forest of cypresses to steep gorges and low hills of bare rock, Monte Oliveto Maggiore stands majestically amid a whispering of olives. In 1319 a nobleman-turned-ascetic had a vision of monks climbing a silver stairway to heaven from this place where he’d lived for many years as a hermit, and so he built a church and founded an abbey on the spot. Today’s monks continue to live according to the Benedictine Rule, combining prayer, work and study, and tending to the modern day pilgrims who come to pray and marvel at the extraordinary High Renaissance fresco cycle that rims the Great Cloister. In 36 panels of color and movement, reverence and exuberance, devils and saints and fallen women, two artists tell stories from the life of St. Benedict, the 6th century founder of Western monasticism. Luca Signorelli, whose work greatly influenced Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel, painted nine panels; the other 27 are by Il Sodoma whose figures exude sensuousness and emotion. The large monastic library up the stairs contains many rare editions and unique manuscripts, while the still-thriving herb garden supplies the monastery’s chemist with the ingredients for the world-famous Benedictine liquors. Evening vespers in the Baroque chapel resonate with Gregorian chant. And, there is a beautiful Della Robbia mezzaluna over one of the doors to the entrance of the Monastery grounds. There is a very adequate restaurant at the entrance as well. The monastic community offers a guesthouse for overnight visitors who wish to meditate. A beautiful and serene monastery, located in the Val d’Orcia region, that is home to some of Lorenzini’s most beautiful fresco work. The twenty-nine frescoes that line the corridors depict the life of St. Benedict.

7:00 pm Wine on the Terrace

7:30 pm Dinner at Spannocchia

Monday, November 9th

Traditional Tuscan Cooking Class

The cooking class begins at 9 am with a tour through the vegetable garden at Spannocchia with the garden manager, who will describe the cycle of the various crops through the year and her methods for providing the kitchen with fresh, flavorful products. Then to the kitchen, where with Loredana we will prepare a three course Tuscan meal utilizing food products from the estate. The first course might be handmade pasta such as tagliatelle, ravioli, or gnocchi, or perhaps the typical “ribollita” Tuscan soup, or in summer a simple but delicious bread salad called “panzanella.” For our second course we may choose between our own farm-raised pork, beef, lamb, or chicken, or perhaps even wild game, and this will be accompanied by fresh vegetables direct from the garden. We finish with a traditional dessert such as cantucci cookies with Spannocchia vin santo, pinenut cake, tiramisu, or our renowned chocolate salame.

A vegetarian menu is also available, and we will try to fill requests for specific recipes as long as they fall within the traditions of this local region. Each lesson concludes with lunch, tasting all the dishes created during the morning class, accompanied by Spannocchia wine and spring water.

Loredana Betti grew up on Spannocchia in the 1950’s when her family was tenant farmers here. As a young girl she learned how to prepare the traditional fare of the region and eventually developed a talent notable even in this area where every housewife seems capable of culinary magic. For nearly twenty years, Loredana cooked for the Cinelli family and Spannocchia’s students and guests, until her retirement five years ago to spend more time with her three grandchildren. She still loves to produce wonderful meals for friends and family, and enjoys staying involved at Spannocchia with her weekly classes in the kitchen she knows so well.

1:00 pm Cooking Class Lunch

15:00

Bees & Honey

Agronomist Andrea Battino introduces participants to the wonderful world of bees! Andrea explains bee dances, bee keeping history and honey production. He concludes by leading the group through a honey tasting of several different varieties. The class lasts approximately 2 hours. Interns will join.

7:00 pm Wine on the Terrace

7:30 pm Dinner at Spannocchia

Tuesday, November 10th

8:00 am Breakfast

9:30 am Regional Italian Food & Culture with Bronwen

Wine Tour & Tasting

12:30 pm Lunch

15:15 Depart for Santa Margherita Goat Cheese Farm

16:00 Santa Margherita Goat Cheese Farm Tour

From Carla Capalbo’s The Food and Wine Lover’s Companion to Tuscany: “Maria De Dominicis is an active defender of Italy’s artisan food makers, struggling to survive in an ever more industrialized society. She herself makes some of Tuscany’s finest goat’s cheeses, from milk produced by her organically certified herd….Maria started making cheese because no one wanted goats’ milk. She makes French-style cheeses, which she learned to do by reading books. These fresh, white, smooth-textured caprini are then flavored with herbs or toasted sesame seeds and matured in wood ash or walnut leaves.”

7:00 pm Wine on the Terrace

7:30 pm Dinner at Spannocchia

Wednesday, November 11th

8:00 am Breakfast on the Bus (?)

Depart for San Miniato

White Truffle Hunt

During the last three weeks of November, San Miniato hosts a festival devoted to the gastronomically precious white truffle which is harvested in the area around the city. (We will be there the week before!) The white truffle is more highly valued than the black truffles found in Umbria and the Marche, and commands very high prices, reflected in the cost of restaurant dishes that incorporate truffles. In 1954 a record-breaking truffle found close to the nearby village of Balconevisi weighed in at 2,520 kilograms and was sent to the United States of America as a gift for President Dwight Eisenhower

**Note: Lunch will be at a restaurant in the area. The cost will be 30-50 Euros per person depending on the white truffles found and purchased on the hunt.

7:00 pm Wine on the Terrace

7:30 pm Nostra Cena – special Spannocchia Dinner

Thursday, November 12th:

8:00 am Breakfast

10:00 am Olives and Olive Oil

Have you ever wanted to know the whole story about olive oil and why it is such a prized product? Did you know olive oil is like wine, with different blends, and that there is a correct way of tasting it (and it isn’t on bread!)? Spannocchia Education Director Carrie talks about the history of olives, and explains how olive oil is produced, complete with a slide show of Spannocchia’s olive harvest and trip to the olive press. The class concludes with a guided tasting of several Tuscan oils – including our own award winning Extra Virgin Olive Oil. Walk to see some of our 700 olive trees if time permits.

11:00 am Cinta Senese Tour & Tasting

Do you know what a Cinta Senese is? Do you know how prosciutto is made? Spannocchia Education Director Carrie offers a close up look at our Noah’s Ark rare breed animals, our organic artisan meat production and the typical salumi (salt-cured meats) that we create. The tour includes a walk up Pig Hill to see our pigs (and maybe even some piglets if you’re lucky) a glimpse into our seasoning/curing room, and finishes with a guided tasting of our salumi products such as salame, prosciutto, capocollo, guancia, etc.

1:00 pm Lunch

14:30 Garden Tour

Spannocchia’s Garden Manager introduces participants to Spannocchia’s organic vegetable gardens. She explains why we choose to be organic and the different aspects of organic gardening including: crop rotation, cover crops, the creation and use of compost, and our two greenhouses. As she guides participants through the different areas of the garden, she explains the different seasonal crops growing, pointing out heirloom varieties and typical Tuscan crops grown only in this area. She also includes details about crop storage and transformation into secondary products like tomato sauce and pesto.

7:00 pm Wine on the Terrace

7:30 pm Dinner at Spannocchia

Friday, November 13^th

8:00 am Breakfast

9:30 am Departure to Florence Airport

Arrivederla mi amicas e amicos!

September 13, 2009

The “Maine Event” – My Ultimate Kitchen Garden Experience

Filed under: Travel — The Kitchen Potager @ 2:28 pm

We were waiting for the event since June. As we drove through the backroads of Blue Hill, ME and downeast to Harborside butterflies began to flutter in my stomach. I felt like it was the first day of school. Two days earlier we had been visiting my family in Rhode Island and enjoying our daily dosage of lobster rolls along with corn on the cob, our own PA tomato harvest, John’s pesto for Noah’s “green pasta”, and blueberry pies. Our New England culinary adventure seemed to have begun even before crossing Maine’s state line. After a 6 hour drive, we checked into our Blue Hill B&B, found an ice cream, “hiked” up Blue Hill and enjoyed a requisite blueberry french toast breakfast, it was finally time for the “Maine Event”.

We knew we were getting closer when we saw the handmade wooden sign to Four Seasons Farm and continued for a few miles down the dirt road to find the farm dinner.

We turned into the “homegrown vegetable mecca” and went to the reception in front of Eliot Coleman and Barbara Damrosch’s house. What an honor to be standing on their 2 acre farm which is located in one of the most difficult growing regions and produces more vegetables than some farmers’ 15-20 acre properties! To visit their personal kitchen garden was a treat in itself and it was only the beginning…
We picked up a belgian beer from Allagash Brewery served by their brewmaster, which was deliciously cloudy and refreshing. We wandered towards the vision and aroma of pizzas being baked in front of our eyes. John and I were drooling, but in this case it was not over the food – it was over the pizza oven on the trailer ! Rumor has it that it was finished only a day ahead of time and made its maiden voyage (over a rough dirt road!) to attend the dinner. Needless to say, we want one! He did a magnificent job of picking the tomatoes 4 feet away that were cascading like a waterfall in Barbara’s greenhouse and prepared by two able assistants who garnished pizzas with their basil and local cheese – impossible to be more fresh. Our favorite pie was the arugula, spinach and garlic scapes. Yes, garlic scapes in August – another bonus of being in Maine!

As we enjoyed the reception, we wandered through the gardens and I suddenly transformed into a tacky Hollywood Paparazzi character desperate for the ultimate grocery rag photo. I could not stop snapping pics of the celebrities: broccoli, cabbage, artichokes (prepared to bloom annually!), giant fennel bulbs, chives, celery, merlot lettuce, covered pergolas, glowing ornamentals, various aubergine, mexican marigolds, butter colored sunflowers, tall toscano di nero, bright cutting zinnias – the guest list was endless and every one was so photogenic! I had to attempt the ultimate photo coup; the hosts: Jim Denevan with Eliot. If iphones had a zoom and I wasn’t shaking with excitement I could have provided you with a better snapshot, my apologies.

The rest of the evening unfolded with pleasant surprises of food, conversations, new friends, and a unique memorable experience. We were gathered together as a reminder of the purpose of the dinners; to celebrate the growers along with the harvest and share the pleasure of a meal with new faces gathered for the same purpose. Eliot and Barbara shared their stories and showcased their tips and techniques. Fore Street shined in the description that I always hear from previous patrons; a top choice incredible meal. The wines were felt with each course and we could laugh when it came time for bug spray – organic or non – take your pick! Our hosts were genuine and kind and I was jumping out of my skin trying to restrain myself from hugs and too many email exchanges. It is unlikely we will see our fellow dinner guests again since we all travelled from distances to be there for the moment. Luckily, we know that we can share the pleasure that we were there for all of those moments and enjoyed every bit of Outstanding in the Field.