Pass the Vino

I'm a little behind on this one, but I want to tell you about a lovely little trip I took earlier this summer to beautiful Seneca Lake.  I focus so much on food that I've hardly mentioned what you should be drinking with it!  If you're a wine-lover, this one's for you.

Here's my tribute to New York State wines.

I was invited by my good friend Sarah to cruise the Seneca Lake wine trail with some other friends and family of hers.  This little stay-cation is only about 3 hours from the Capital Region, so it made the perfect weekend trip, and I have to say, a highlight of the summer.

First of all, these people knew how to trail the wines in style!  We rented a tour bus to carry us safely around to the wineries, complete with a hand-picked soundtrack, and champagne to get the party started.
Gotta love carpooling.

Secondly, we couldn't have picked a more perfect day, and the gorgeous Finger Lakes region boasted scenery that was indescribably beautiful.  I don't think my pictures can do it justice, but I'll try...

The view of Seneca Lake outside the window at one of the wineries.

An idyllic farm across the street, and in sight of the lake.

Look at that sky-- perfect!

We sipped on the wine as we gazed out the window onto the lake directly outside.

At each winery, for a minimal fee (usually $2), you can try a number of wines before purchasing.  New York wines, particularly those from the Finger Lakes region, tend to be very sweet.  This is partially due to their climate, but is also the wineries catering to the palate of their consumer (we tend to like sweeter wines better, and spend our money on them, so sugar is often added, or the fermentation is stopped sooner).  If you want to go local, but sweet isn't for you, I can tell you that the Hudson Valley wines that I've tasted are less sweet than those from the Finger Lakes.  And, if you're here in the Albany area, this is an even closer option for you.




Friends, wine, and summertime... what more could a girl want?



If you're looking for a little getaway without having to drive too far, I highly recommend checking out one of the many wine trails that New York State has to offer (check out the Hudson Valley, or any of the Finger Lakes).  And next time you're looking for some local wine to complement your local dinner, definitely grab a bottle of New York wine.

***In case you are wondering, we stopped at the following wineries: Three Brothers (included a brewery), Fox Run, Torrey Ridge/ Earle Estates, Villa Bellangelo, and White Springs.  

Con pan y vino se anda el camino. 

[With bread and wine you can walk your road.]

Spanish Proverb

Zucchini, zucchini, everywhere!

I love zucchini, I really do.  It's so versatile, there's so many things you can do with it... except, what else can I do with it??  I think it's about that point in the summer when you might be wondering what to do with ALL of that zucchini.

Fortunately for you, I've discovered two MORE things you can do with all your zucchini.

First, my experimental recipe.  I stumbled across this magazine at the check-out, Vegetarian Times.  I've never seen it before, but it's pretty awesome.

That yummy pasta on the cover caught my eye.

It's full of easy and healthy recipes.  And I mean easy, like, 5-ingredient recipes.  Nice! I'm not a vegetarian, but I try to eat my veggies, and always need help doing this creatively.

Anyway, based on what we had in the house, we combined two of the recipes in this magazine to create our own creamy zucchini pasta. (That just sounds poetic, doesn't it?  It's the assonance: food poetry.)

Here's what you need:
3 or 4 small zucchini (we used 2, and it wasn't enough)
pasta (we used penne, but linguine or casareccia would be lovely, too)
fresh parsley
a lemon (juice it, and save the rind for zesting)
a block of cream cheese (go light if you wish)
2 Tbs. olive oil

1. Julienne the zucchini (julienne = cut it into long thin strips).  I swear this is the hardest part.
2. Boil the pasta.  Use a large pot, because you'll need room in it for the zucchini!  Wait until the pasta is almost done, and then toss the zucchini in for the last minute of cooking.
3. While the pasta is boiling, in a smaller pot melt the cream cheese with the oil and lemon juice (go easy on the juice, it can get strong, fast!).
4. Strain the pasta and zucchini, then toss in your creamy cheese sauce.  Sprinkle on your parsley and lemon zest.  It's ready to go!  (I told you it was super easy!)

My picture doesn't really do it justice, because I started eating it before I remembered to take a picture.  Imagine this looking prettier with parsley and lemon zest!

It was like alfredo, but without all the work, butter, and cream.  I want to try this with other veggie combinations, too.  


Secondly, here's a recipe for Cheesy Zucchini Pizza that I found on one of my new favorite blogs,  Eat, Live, Run.  I haven't tried it yet, but it sounds good.  And check out her site for other yummy food ideas. 

Now go enjoy that zucchini again :) 

a slice of cucumber heaven..

mmmmm... yes.  A light dinner before art class: sliced cucumber from Dad's garden atop herbed goat cheese, hand made from my friends at Cottonhill Farm.  Sooooo good.

The apple doesn't fall far...

This is a family shout-out to my parents, who are not only my biggest blog fans, but sometime, a long time ago, planted the "green" seed in me that would someday turn into this blog, by ALWAYS keeping a garden (pun intended).  I remember being little (I mean, littler than now) and excited to pull the carrots out of the ground... carrots came out of the ground!!  And were covered in roots and dirt!! So cool!!  I still think it's pretty cool to see your food as a living thing, growing from a seed or tiny plant into what ends up on your plate...

Anyway, here's what's happenin' in Dad's garden these days:

The asparagus is getting tall!  Just a few months ago, Dad wouldn't even touch an asparagus-- now he's growing it! Only 2 more years to harvest...

The first ripe hot cherry pepper of the season!

Tomatoes still need some time though...

Cucumbers, on the other hand, are doing just fine.  Here's Dad holding some of his cuke bounty.

MMMM garlic. My favorite.  These are the hard-stemmed ones, which I swear are spicier (meaning I can use only 1 or 2 cloves instead of my usual 3 or 4...) Store-bought garlic doesn't stand a chance against my dad's garlic.  Vampires beware..

And Mom isn't just mooching off of Dad's garden.  Her herb garden adds the spice to his veggies.

Spearmint, basil, parsley, and oregano-- this is her donation to her herb-free daughter (btw, she did enter my apartment, holding this bag of herbs, saying she "had some herbs for her daughter!")

So...here are my roots.  (tee hee!)  My excitement over home-grown veggies isn't new, it's been cultivated over many years by my semi-locavore parents.  OK, I'm done with the gardening jokes.


Tomato-Cucumber Salad (a summer favorite in my home)

fresh-from-the-garden:
tomatoes
cucumbers
garlic
and spearmint (Mom likes it full-leaf style)

onion (optional)
grated cheese (garnish- optional)

dressing:
vinegar (red-wine or apple cider, whichever is your taste)
salad oil
salt and pepper to taste

Slice everything (except spearmint) and put in a bowl.
Add vinegar, salad oil, salt and pepper (basically all to your taste).
Stir up, and add your spearmint, and grated cheese, if you choose it.

Let sit for a bit (15ish minutes) for the flavors to marinate before serving.

Mohawk Village Farmer's Market

This one is for my Mohawk Valley followers!  Last week while visiting my parents, my mom and I made a stop at the Mohawk Valley Farmer's Market.  This market takes place on Wednesdays in front of the Weller Library on West Main Street in Mohawk.

As you might expect from a tiny town like Mohawk, this was a tiny market, but props to them for making the effort!  And although there weren't a large number of stands like markets I've visited in the Capitol Region, there were a couple of great vendors that make the Mohawk market a valuable place to visit.

The first stand to catch our eye was stacked with breads, cookies, and fudge baked by Colinda's Sweets and Treats from Holland Patent.  Here we purchased cinnamon buns.  At $4, I thought they were a little pricey, but they were AMAZING.  These are not your Pillsbury cinnamon buns.  The cinnamon and sugar formed a candy coating around the bottom, and they came with a tub of cream cheese frosting. OMG.

My mom is spreading on the cream cheese frosting... yummm!

Next, we were on the hunt for yellow beans, which are apparently hard to find in the Mohawk Valley this year, according to my grandfather.  Seeking out farmstand beans during the summer has been a tradition in my family for as long as I can remember-- at least during the summers when my grandfather didn't just plant them himself.

We struck gold here in Mohawk.  One stand stood out from all the rest: Miller's Country Kitchen from Richfield Springs.  Stacked on the tables were piles of some of the most beautiful produce to be found... including yellow beans, which my mom bought for $2.50.  It's funny that she thought this was expensive, because then I saw them this weekend in Saratoga for $4/box.  So stock up while you're in Mohawk!

Check out the delicious produce from Miller's:

Here's our yellow beans! (And some green ones, too!)

It's zucchini season.... brace yourself! (Also notice the picture perfect cherries to the right.)

Miller's apparently makes their own jam.. we didn't buy any, but it looked good.

It's worth it to stop in Mohawk just for Miller's veggies and Colinda's dessert.  And it's pretty convenient that it's during the week, so you can stop by to pick something up for dinner.  I also hear that Herkimer has a market on Thursdays, and it would be my guess that many of these same vendors would be there, too.  I'm excited that the Mohawk Valley has gotten involved in the farmer's market concept, especially considering we are surrounded by so much beautiful farmland.  I remember as a kid having to drive out on the highways looking for the farmstands... it's convenient that they're now collecting in one place!  

Grow NYC

Since Upstate and Downstate are pal-ing around now, I thought I'd post this website I stumbled upon for my downstate/ Jersey friends who might be interested in a day-trip to pick their own fruit, as well as information about other green options in their counties.  It's called Grow NYC, and it not only lists farms per county, but also general information about the Greenmarket (I think it's their website), education, jobs, volunteering, and newsletters.  Check it out! (And let me know if you do!)

Saratoga Farmer's Market

Hi Greenies!  It's been awhile... I took my first week of summer vacation to heart!  Though mostly I've been trying to keep cool during this heat wave, we did have some fun in the sun this weekend at the Saratoga Farmer's Market.  Here's some pics of what we experienced:

Most of the market is covered, which is helpful during this intense weather!

Apparently you can get multi-colored carrots! I didn't buy any, but I came close.  I don't even like carrots, but these are super fun.

There were a LOT of plants for sale here... flowers, veggies, etc.-- more here in Saratoga than at any other market I've been to yet.  I'm soooo jealous for a garden...

Here's Erin gazing down at her favorite purchase--- some fresh red raspberries.  We're now in the peak of raspberry season, so these should be popping up everywhere, and at reasonable prices (you can also go out and pick some if you can stand the heat!).




This was a very large market, possibly bigger than the Troy Farmer's Market, and I bought quite a bit here... some small red potatoes and yellow squash, which we grilled up on Sunday for our 4th of July BBQ, a huge head of green leaf lettuce for $2.50 (not bad at all), and some rainbow swiss chard, my new favorite leafy green.  I get a Fail for taking pictures of my food before I ate it this time! (I was too excited to eat it!) but I promise, all was delicious.  However, don't make the mistake we made: we totally forgot a cooler.  This meant we were unable to buy the fresh eggs, yogurt, cheese, free-range chicken, or grass-fed beef that was also for sale here.  (I was especially disappointed because I saw my fave yogurt from Argyle Farms, also available in Troy, but couldn't bring any home with me this time.) Something I haven't yet seen anywhere else were fresh mushrooms for sale.  I didn't buy any: at $10 for the small box, they were a bit over my price range, but it was still great that they are available.  Also, there was a stand of some local wines for sale, as well as a pie-tasting contest (free pie??), and honey iced tea for 25 cents.  

Finally, the best part of heading up to Saratoga for the Farmer's Market is that you're then in Saratoga, and can walk around town to shop and have lunch, which we did, of course.  My opinion is that it's totally worth the drive this summer if you have a Saturday free.  This was an awesome market, but what else would you expect from Saratoga?