Land Update and Angels on Horseback

We took a trip up to our land yesterday to measure and stake the footprint of our barn/workshop that is going up this week and next.

This is what happens when you leave a meadow to Mother Nature:

We waded through maidenhair fern and larkspur and wildflowers as well as plants I have yet to identify. The meadow has turned into an ocean of plants, birds and grasshoppers. All the trees have leafed out and it is unbelievably beautiful.

It has been dry here in the Northeast and we were anxious to see if the stream was still running.

It is.

Holly Bear found the whole adventure absolutely invigorating and we were delighted to spot fish in the stream!

Sometime within the next 2 weeks our first "out" building will be completed. We will then have the electric company run electric up the side of the meadow and will have the workshop/barn wired. Power! This will allow us to camp on the land and will eventually serve as our builder's staging area. Next steps, well, septic, house.

In the meantime I am contracting with a local farmer to bushwack the meadow, then plow out a section.  Next spring I will be able to begin planting.

And so it goes.

Angels on Horseback: 1 dozen serve 2 as an appetizer

I love oysters in all types of preparations but TBHITW likes them one way, and that's this way.

1 dozen oysters
1 bunch fresh greens (spinach, arugula or collards.. whatever is in season) cooked, drained, then chopped
1 lemon
Tabasco sauce
12 tablespoons panko bread crumbs
4 pieces bacon, cut into 3 pieces each

Preheat oven to 400 degrees
Shuck the oysters, keeping the oyster meat on on half shell.
Squeeze lemon juice over each oyster
Place a few drops Tabasco sauce on each oyster
Top each oyster with some greens
Top each oyster with 1 tablespoon panko
Top each oyster with a slice of bacon

Bake for 10 minutes, then run under broiler for 30 to 60 seconds to crisp up the bacon.

A Cook's Notes: Boston Blue Point Oysters are among my favorite variety of oyster. They are plump, firm and sweet. If you are not familiar with opening oysters, ask your fish monger to do it for you or to show you how. You will need to purchase an oyster knife. It is not hard to master once you open your first couple bivalves. You insert the knife in the valve (the hinge) at the back of the oyster. Once it is inserted, you just turn the knife and the valve is broken. Then, sliding your knife through the oyster, the top of the shell just falls away. Really. You can do it. If I can start a small farm at my age, you can open an oyster!

Doing What I Love and Roasted Things

The past week I have been doing what I love to do.

And what is that?

I have been

a. traveling

b. buying food

c. learning about food

d. cooking food

e. eating food

Beginning with last Wednesday and culminating with a long weekend away - this is the stuff of my dreams!

On Wednesday I traveled to Hackettstown New Jersey and picked up my winter supply of organic, free range lamb and chicken from Burningheart Organic Farm. David Becker, owner of Burningheart is doing what many small farmers across the country are doing... that is providing us with locally grown organic and free range meats free of steroids, antibiotics and the harmful bacteria found in mass produced and slaughtered foods*

What a treat to visit a beautiful, bucolic farm in the lush hills of New Jersey and actually SEE where my food was raised. David is adding heritage turkeys to his flock this year and the turkeys will be available sometime in early 2010.

The first meal I cooked when I got back from Burningheart was a simple Sage and Lemon Roasted Chicken with Garlic Roasted Broccoli.

Sage and Lemon Roasted Chicken:

One 3 to 4 pound chicken

1 lemon, zest removed, then slice in thin rounds

1 sprig fresh sage

1 tablespoon kosher salt

Freshly ground pepper

2 tablespoons melted unsalted butter

Pat chicken dry inside and out.

Mix lemon zest, salt and a few grinds of pepper together in a small bowl.

Rub chicken all over (inside and out) with lemon mixture.

Slip some sage leaves and lemon slices under the skin of the breast meat. Tuck the rest of the lemon slices into the cavity.

Set on a rimmed cookie sheet and refrigerate 2 to 4 hours UNCOVERED.

Heat oven to 400 degrees.

Take chicken out of fridge about 30 minutes before roasting.

Brush chicken with half of the melted butter.

Place chicken on a rack, breast side down.

Roast in top 1/3 oven for 30 minutes.

Turn over, brush with remaining melted butter and return breast side UP to oven. Roast for 20 to 30 more minutes until legs are "loose" and juices run clear when pierced at thickest part of thigh.

Remove to platter and let rest 15 minutes before carving.

*This chicken from Burningheart Farms was moist, juicy and flavorful. We all agreed that it was one of the best chickens we had ever tasted. There really is a difference folks. If you have access to locally grown and processed poultry, do yourself a favor and make the effort. You will be forever glad you did AND you will be supporting your local farmers!! To find a farm near you, check out: http://www.localharvest.org/

Roasted Garlic Broccoli - There is tons of broccoli to be found in Farmers Markets right now. Roasting gives this a nutty flavor that pairs well with the chicken.

1 head broccoli, cut into florets

2 cloves garlic, sliced very thin

olive oil

sesame seeds (optional)

Toss the broccoli with the garlic slices and olive oil. Place on rimmed cookie sheet and roast for 10 minutes. Turn and roast for 10 more minutes. Sprinkle with sesame seeds (optional) before serving.

Add a crusty loaf of bread (preferably home baked) and you have a beautiful autumn dinner.

A Cook's Notes:

I had the good fortune to travel to Ashfield and Shelburne Falls, Massachusetts this weekend to attend a cheesemaking workshop with none other than Rikki Carroll, the Cheese Queen (if you've read Barbara Kingsolver's book, "Animal, Vegetable, Miracle" you will recognize Rikki's name) I will be posting about the rest of my long weekend throughout the week. - but here's a hint, it was FABULOUS!!! I got to spend time with like minded people - folks who are concerned about our food supply, home cooks, chefs, and people from all walks of life who are committing to a locavore lifestyle.

More about cheesemaking, Rikki, Ashfied and Shelbourne Falls this week!

This is a picture of Rikki making Ricotta Cheese

* If you want to learn more about the harmful effects of mass produced foods that large corporations are churning out, read Fast Food Nation AND more recently, Sunday, October 4th. edition of The New York Times - Front Page.