This fall has been pretty crazy for me. I spent another three weeks in Armenia, which was great, but I came home to find that my grandmother was suddenly very sick. I made it to MN in time to have a last great day with her before she passed. We were all able to be together and laugh at her jokes as she tried to entertain us right until the end, dancing in . . . → Read More: Lindsay’s Fall Update]]> Hi strangers!

This fall has been pretty crazy for me. I spent another three weeks in Armenia, which was great, but I came home to find that my grandmother was suddenly very sick. I made it to MN in time to have a last great day with her before she passed. We were all able to be together and laugh at her jokes as she tried to entertain us right until the end, dancing in her hospital bed and feigning horror that Grandpa fed us White Castle for dinner. Not much cooking went on that week. I did my best to eat well, but sometimes you just have to eat a slider or two (or three).

Shortly after I got home, I left for a very strange business trip to Hawaii and Azerbaijan, which kept me out of the kitchen and making some more questionable food choices. My great-aunt Carol requested more travel photos, so here they are – poor quality and unrelated to our usual blog topics. That’s kind of how I have been feeling lately – a little unbalanced and out of focus. Here’s to better eating tomorrow!

Armenia
Since this was my third (and likely last) trip to Armenia, I tried to see the last few “big” things I had missed on my previous visits. I did a day trip to Noravank and Tatev Monasteries and Karahunj, Armenia’s Stone Henge. It was a really (REALLY) long day, because Tatev is close to the Iranian border, but I met some nice people and saw some interesting things. The trip to Tatev included a long (LONG) aerial cable car ride, which just about did me in. I’m not a fan of surrendering control to something/one I don’t know (i.e. most ship captains and pilots), but I survived.

The next weekend, some of my Armenian friends graciously offered to take me to two religious sites close to Yerevan – Geghard Monastery and Garni Temple.

Along the way, we stopped to buy fruit and walnuts (po pok in Armenian) from someone’s backyard. Can’t get more local than that! The red berries are incredibly tart and tannic, but good nonetheless.

After the tour, we went to a small restaurant for lunch. We sat in a private outdoor room and ate whatever the kitchen had, since there wasn’t a menu. Luckily, they had Georgian khinkali, huge steamed or fried dumplings with ground meat and broth inside, which have become one of my favorite “Armenian” dishes.

When I didn’t have friendly Armenians to help me order, I often stuck to the restaurants close to the hotel that have English menus. This one just tickled me a bit, because of the nerdy humor and the sterotyped American food. Yerevan actually has a suprisingly good restaurant scene, so I could avoide the mozarella sticks and chicken wings in favor of fresher and more sophisticated fare. Occasionally, I would eat at the hotel’s outdoor cafe, because it has a great view of the nightly “dancing fountain” – a Las Vegas-style light and music show. If you listen very carefully, you can hear the Star Wars theme over the chatter.

On my last day, two coworkers took me to a rug workshop to buy a (huge and unwieldy, but awesome) souvenir. All the rugs sold by this company are handmade in Armenia of Armenian wool. Look at how fast that woman knots!

The dyes are natural and many use local ingredients. I got a short tour and then bought a big rug. I wouldn’t recommend doing this without locals, though. They were really helpful in the negotiating process. (The second photo is of the safety posters displayed in the workshop. I love pictoral posters like that … no need to understand the text!)

Hawaii

Next up was a trip to Honolulu. I didn’t have much time for sightseeing, but I did eat some amazing food and walk past the beach once or twice.

Azerbaijan

From Hawaii, I flew directly to Azerbaijan. I had expected to go via Asia, but that route didn’t seem to exist, so I spent about 35 hours traveling through Newark and Istanbul. It wasn’t nearly as bad as I expected, thanks to a good book, knitting project, and sleeping pills.

Once there, my hosts organized a trip to Qobustan National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site known for its amazing petroglyphs.

The first photo above is a female hunter, depicted traditionally with voluptuous thighs and, um, well, that bump up top isn’t a head. Only the male hunters were drawn with heads.

After that, all the daylight hours were spent working. I got out twice for dinner, but didn’t get to know Baku as much as I would have liked. Near our hotel was a HUGE flag. Since Baku is a very windy city, it was almost always blowing straight out.

Now, thankfully, I’m home for a bit. We leave tomorrow to spend Thanksgiving with my family in Minnesota, but that will be very relaxing. Erik and I are signed up to make a green vegetable and bread. I think we’ll make a raisin-pecan bread from Flour and a Brussels sprouts salad that Alton Brown posted to Facebook. Yep, AB and I are friends on Facebook. Jealous? What are your Thanksgiving cooking plans?

One of the first restaurants I went to as a baby was Good Earth in Roseville, MN. I have since graduated from the Gorilla Cheese sandwich, but am no less infatuated. It’s mostly simple food – sandwiches, burgers, salads, some Mexican – but impeccably sourced and always delicious. I have a really hard time deciding what to order, so we usually go twice when we visit my parents.

For my first meal this time, . . . → Read More: Eating Local in Minnesota: Good Earth]]>

One of the first restaurants I went to as a baby was Good Earth in Roseville, MN. I have since graduated from the Gorilla Cheese sandwich, but am no less infatuated. It’s mostly simple food – sandwiches, burgers, salads, some Mexican – but impeccably sourced and always delicious. I have a really hard time deciding what to order, so we usually go twice when we visit my parents.

For my first meal this time, I had the fantastic Planet Burger – a homemade veggie burger with a great soft-on-the-inside-crunchy-on-the-outside texture. My mom had a really tasty shrimp and zucchini flatbread that was topped with feta and mint. Of course, we both had the iconic Good Earth tea, which is spicy-sweet, somehow without sweetener. It’ll convince even coffee drinkers that tea is worth a shot. Since I thought it might be my only opportunity, I also got an iced gingersnap, which was the perfect blend of a heavily spiced and nearly savory cookie and sweet sweet glaze. Yum!!

Luckily, Erik has become a Good Earth fan, too, so we went later in the week after our State Fair gorging. We skipped the tea and opted for fresh juice to attack our budding summer colds. Erik had a V8-type juice. Mine was carrot and parsley. Thumbs up on both! Erik’s meal was that amazingly beautiful heirloom tomato salad with couscous, feta, herbs, and hummus – one of Good Earth’s monthly, seasonal specials. He said he felt his cold going away immediately after such a super-foods-packed lunch. I spotted a new dish on the menu, which I thought I had memorized, so I had to order it. They called it salmon and quinoa falafel, but it was more like a very tasty fish cake. It was served on fresh pita with delicious yogurt-mint sauce, cucumber, and tomato.

My only regret is that I could only go twice.

If I’m in a pretentious mood and someone asks me to describe how we eat, I’ll sometimes say we like our food to have “a sense of place” and “a sense of time”, which is just an obnoxious was of saying that we like to get our foods in-season and from local sources. It matters that it’s September in Massachusetts and not May in Virginia. The state fair is one case where the “sense . . . → Read More: And now for something completely different… Minnesota State Fair Food!]]>

If I’m in a pretentious mood and someone asks me to describe how we eat, I’ll sometimes say we like our food to have “a sense of place” and “a sense of time”, which is just an obnoxious was of saying that we like to get our foods in-season and from local sources. It matters that it’s September in Massachusetts and not May in Virginia. The state fair is one case where the “sense of place and time” is spot-on, even though the local / seasonal part is waaaaaay off. in any case, these foods are iconic for the area, and they only come but once a year (for us more like every 2-3 years). I got to write this post because this is only my second fair, being an east coast city-slicker and all.

First, though, some context and scenery. The Minnesota State Fair started as an annual hub for the farming community to share seeds, trade livestock, check and purchase new equipment, etc. Farmers came in from all over the state. There were competitions for best everything. Those are the roots of the fair, in a nutshell.

You can still see those roots today. Every major manufacturer of agricultural equipment still has a showcase up on Mechanical Hill. The animals are also still highly featured. The photo below is the “Miracle of Life Center”, and it’s exactly what you think it is.

The farmers and their sons needed to eat (and heartily), so the grounds are covered in food stands. For the on-the-go-at-the-fair farmer, nothing could be more convenient than a complete meal on a stick. Let’s just say that concept has… evolved over time (see more pictures below). One of the things I love about the fair is the architecture of the permanent buildings. Many were built during the Depression by the WPA in a beautiful art-deco style. It actually reminds me of the Empire State Building and LaGuardia Airport.

The fair also has plenty of rides on its Midway (and Kidway), including this slide that traumatized Lindsay as a child when the lady just pushed her off before her father could hold her hand. In all fairness, you’re supposed to just slide down that sitting on a burlap sack. That IS pretty scary.

There’s also musical entertainment. We heard John Phillips Sousa as well as Polka at the band shell next to the Leinie Lodge, which is run by the Leinenkugel brewing company.

The chicken shed features a few crazy breeds. You can see how insane they look, but what doesn’t come across is their spastic, jerky movement. They looked even more like crazy old ladies wearing hats.

After seeing a TON of chickens, we made it to the butter sculptures!

We also saw a lumberjack show.

And finally, on to the food (on a stick!):

A pronto pup is a corn dog with a more pancake-like batter:

The highlight was the deep fried Twinkie. It sounds over the top (and stereotypical), but I must say that the frying process improves the Twinkie by 1000%. Luckily there was a milk barn with $1 chocolate milk to help wash it all down.

That nasty stale “skin” is gone, and the cake becomes creamy, almost as creamy as the “cream”. This is about as far from our normal eating habits as we could possibly get. It was totally awesome.

I never heard of a nut roll until I started dating a Minnesotan. It’s a central rod of nougat with salty peanuts stuck to it. It may or may not be dipped in chocolate. I’ve had the commercial version before, and it’s good, but this freshly-made one was fantastic.

The highlight of our state fair dining (if not the Twinkie) were the cheese curds. Two years ago we went to the wrong stall, but Lindsay’s cousin directed us this time, and these were perfect. We did skip the alligator, though, because that seemed even less local than the rest of the fair!

A few more booths to round things out: “Hot Dish on a Stick” and “Scotch Egg on a Stick”:

Brats, and finally, “Bacon on a Stick.” It was a strip of bacon skewered on a stick (and cooked via frying, although without any batter or anything). It smelled great, but we were full.

After days and days of rain (including a crazy thunderstorm yesterday and resulting power-outage), today was just fantastic. To take advantage of the beautiful weather, a friend and I headed up (over?) to Red Fire Farm to pick some strawberries. Our CSA includes some pick-your-own opportunities, so we went bonkers and got 8 quarts each. That’s enough for two batches . . . → Read More: Field Trip! Strawberry Picking at Red Fire Farm]]> [Note: This should have been posted yesterday, but I ran into some technical issues.]

After days and days of rain (including a crazy thunderstorm yesterday and resulting power-outage), today was just fantastic. To take advantage of the beautiful weather, a friend and I headed up (over?) to Red Fire Farm to pick some strawberries. Our CSA includes some pick-your-own opportunities, so we went bonkers and got 8 quarts each. That’s enough for two batches of jam, some strawberry lemonade concentrate, and snacking. Yum yum yum!

We had a great time crouching over the rows and talking to the other pickers. I was surprised to see so many young ones, but I guess it is a great kid activity. I remember going with my mom. They were so proud every time they found a really nice one. As was I, to be honest. I understand why the farmers’ market strawberries are so expensive. It’s not hard, but it is a little tedious after awhile and I was tired after an hour of kneeling and hunching. I can’t imagine picking enough to sell!! If you’ve never picked strawberries before, give it a try. An hour or so is really fun! I would recommend sunscreen and a hat, though, since there’s absolutely no shade.

We also grabbed a few snow peas. I can’t wait to make this with them, but maybe with fresh sausage instead of salami.

I’m back in Armenia! I’ve been here for two weeks and am about to head home again. It has been really fun to see my colleagues and friends again. I never (EVER) thought I would have a chance to come back, but here I am. They are a very warm and hospitable bunch, so . . . → Read More: Enjoying an Armenian Brunch]]> Hi folks! Yep, we’re still here. I won’t bore you with the details, but work work work…you know how it goes.

I’m back in Armenia! I’ve been here for two weeks and am about to head home again. It has been really fun to see my colleagues and friends again. I never (EVER) thought I would have a chance to come back, but here I am. They are a very warm and hospitable bunch, so I have had no end of delicious food and wonderful company.

On Sunday, my friends invited me to a time-honored Armenian tradition – khash. Traditionally, men make this broth by boiling cows’ feet in unseasoned water all night long. The eater then doses his or her portion with raw garlic, salt, and maybe pepper and fills the bowl with crushed, dried lavash. It is only to be eaten early on a winter’s morning to allow the maximum time for digestion, since it’s rather heavy. The table is filled with other little bites – radishes, picked vegetables, herbs, fresh lavash, and cheese – to offset the richness. It is as much a ceremony as anything, so it’s an excuse for families and friends to get together.

You can just barely see the top of Nune’s head over all the dried lavash.

You just can’t eat khash alone…partly because it would be lonely and partly because toasting is an integral part. Armed with a small, but continually refilled, glass of vodka, the host and guests give touching speeches throughout the meal. None of this “cheers” business. The last toast is always dedicated to the parents. I was told that the Armenians pride themselves on remembering to toast their parents at the end of a drinking session. Apparently the Georgians always toast to the parents first, so that they don’t forget. Georgians say that the Armenians save it for the end, because they can’t remember anything BUT their parents at that point. Not having toasted with a Georgian, I won’t weigh in on the controversy, but my Armenian toasters were excellent company.

Although I was warned on my last visit that this isn’t a dish for the faint-hearted, I really enjoyed it! It’s basically just a rich, garlicky beef broth with lavash “noodles”. It warmed me down to my toes despite the cold and icy weather. I don’t think I’ll be making it any time soon, but I might whip up a quick approximation with regular broth, garlic, and stale bread. I’ll probably skip the vodka, though.

[Please excuse the poor iPhone photos. I don't have Erik's photography skills.]

Haggis is nothing to be afraid of. It’s just sausage. Delicious sausage. If you looked up “sausage” in the dictionary, you’d be grossed out too. But you don’t. You just accept that sausage is something . . . → Read More: Surviving on Baguettes and Haggis]]> Hello, world. We just got back from a long vacation visiting friends in Paris and driving around Scotland. We’re still getting everything in order, but we’ll be back to posting soon. In the meantime, we have one message for you.

Haggis is nothing to be afraid of. It’s just sausage. Delicious sausage. If you looked up “sausage” in the dictionary, you’d be grossed out too. But you don’t. You just accept that sausage is something we eat in the US and don’t think about it too much. Do the same with haggis and give it a chance.

Journeyman allows you to choose 3, 5, or 7 courses. We went with the 5-course – everything was delicious, perfectly sized and timed, and very creative. I had expected a lot of pork – bacon-wrapped this or lard-infused that . . . → Read More: Eating Local in Boston: Journeyman]]> We’re in Boston this weekend for a wedding, but are lucky enough to have friends here who are into the local foods scene. They introduced us to this amazing, almost hidden, restaurant in Cambridge, called Journeyman.

Journeyman allows you to choose 3, 5, or 7 courses. We went with the 5-course – everything was delicious, perfectly sized and timed, and very creative. I had expected a lot of pork – bacon-wrapped this or lard-infused that – because it has become the “new black” of NYC. Not so here! It was nicely balanced, so I didn’t walk out feeling gross and bloaty. I devoured everything they put in front of me and left totally satisfied.

In addition to the incredible food, I really felt like I was lingering over dinner at a good friend’s house. Our “guide” (server?, food describer?, new friend?), Meg, was so warm and wonderful. She whipped up a fennel and peach shrub soda that was amazing. I’m going to have to try a shrub recipe soon. Stay tuned.

So, moral of the story. If you live in NYC and are in Flood Zone A, consider evacuating to Cambridge and getting some emergency supplies at Journeyman.

What is Governor’s Island?

Governor’s Island is a small island smack in the middle of New York Harbor (Upper New York Bay). It was a US . . . → Read More: Local Fun in NYC: Governor’s Island]]> Twice this summer Lindsay and I have visited Governor’s Island. We took our bikes and packed a wonderful picnic. If you are in the NY area, you should try to visit Governor’s Island before the summer is over. Here is some background and our pictures to get you interested!

What is Governor’s Island?

Governor’s Island is a small island smack in the middle of New York Harbor (Upper New York Bay). It was a US Army base and then Coast Guard Base, until 1996. Eventually it was sold to the City of New York for $1, and opened to the public in 2010.

It is shaped like an ice cream cone. The old, historic part is located in the “scoop”, and is full of terrific architecture. At the souther tip of the “cone” is a nice park with views of the Statue of Liberty.

An interesting piece of trivia is that prior to the 20th century the island consisted entirely of the historic part. The rest was created from landfill that was excavated from the very fist subway!

The island’s first use was as a fort. Fort Jay still stands. It has a grassy “moat” around it. Rocking chairs are kindly provided to allow you to historically lounge on the interior or the fort. The middle (in grey on the map, pictured below) is currently fenced off, except for the perimeter. It is full of less interesting military housing stock built since the 1950s.

Where is Governor’s Island?

Governor’s Island is only 800 yards from the southern tip of Manhattan. The (free) ferry ride takes less time than does the wait for the (free) ferry ride (which isn’t long at all).

The views are spectacular, and if you like to take photos, the best part about Governor’s Island is the unique vantage point. Most of the points of interest are familiar, but you get angles on them that are a bit different from the standard snapshots that people get from Manhattan and Brooklyn.

A path surrounds the perimeter of the island. Here is a series of photos that I shot from around the perimeter, starting facing north, towards Manhattan, at “noon” and then going clockwise around the island:

Left: Lower Manhattan.
Right: a zoom on Lower Manhattan and the work on 1 WTC (with a bonus Staten Island Ferry).

Left: South Street Seaport and the Chrysler Building.
Right: a unique perspective on three bridges (Brooklyn, Manhattan, Williamsburg).

Left: a wider shot of the three bridges.
Right: a view east towards Red Hook, Brooklyn, only a few hundred feet across the Buttermilk Channel.

Left: a view south towards Staten Island and Port Elizabeth, NJ (notice the cruise ship), with a bonus clipper ship.
Right: a view west of the Statue of Liberty; this is the best view of it that you can get without getting on a boat!

Left: Ellis Island.
Right: a northwest view of Jersey City

Getting There

During the summer, Ferries are available from Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Queens. The main (free) Governors Island ferry departs from the Battery Maritime Building located at 10 South Street, adjacent to the Staten Island Ferry in Lower Manhattan.

These next three photos show how short the ride is from Battery Park. The first is a picture of the historic Maritime Building taken from the boat right after pulling out. The second is taken from the boat during the trip, and the third is taken from Governor’s Island. The Maritime Building can be seen to the right of the peoples’ heads. The fourth photo is of a better transportation option: rent your own schooner!

Getting Around

Bringing your bikes to Governor’s Island is free (and it’s what we’d recommend). But in case that isn’t an option, you can rent bikes on the Island. The most popular options are a simple Dutch-style bike and a four-person quadcycle.

Collegiate Atmosphere

The architecture of the old part of the island makes you feel like you are in an old, ivy-league college town. The office buildings are very academic looking, and the housing stock for the senior offices is beautiful.

Current Use

Right now, Governor’s Island is in a bit of a limbo. You can read all about the current long-term master plan, but in the interim, those responsible for the island are mostly interested in maintaining the historic infrastructure. As a result, they have allowed all types of artist groups to move in, in exchange for helping to keep on eye on the buildings and be watchful for maintenance needs.

There is a park of yellow houses that were officers’ quarters (painted that way because that particular shade of yellow can be mixed with local ingredients anywhere in the US). Most of these houses have a banner out front announcing which group occupies them, and many feature a store on the first floor. Groups include Storm King Arts Center and Etsy.

A result of all this “art” is a very festive atmosphere, with plenty of activities for the kids, as well as trapeze for the more adventurous, There is even a small organic (!). Unfortunately, when we were there it wasn’t much to look at due to the timing of the harvest.

I fear that eventually the park will be entirely redone and all of this transitional artistry will be evicted in favor of real corporate sponsorship, so visit now!

Our One Complaint

One great aspect of the island: silence! There are no cars, so there is a peacefulness that we are not used to so close to home. Our one complaint: Governor’s Island’s proximity to the Lower Manhattan heliports means that there are constantly choppers flying low over the island, breaking into the tranquility.

This is the final post about our visit to Flying Pigs Farm. See:

We’ll also be posting the full recipe for the braised pork belly shortly. Yum!

The Pigs

The pigs at Flying Pigs Farm are very happy pigs. They have green grass to shred up, mud to dig in, a . . . → Read More: Flying Pigs Farm: The Animals]]>

This is the final post about our visit to Flying Pigs Farm. See:

• Our Visit to Flying Pigs Farm
• Our Feasts at Flying Pigs Farm
• Reasons to Support Flying Pigs Farm (including their use of biodiesel)

We’ll also be posting the full recipe for the braised pork belly shortly. Yum!

The Pigs

The pigs at Flying Pigs Farm are very happy pigs. They have green grass to shred up, mud to dig in, a forest to forage in, and pens to keep then dry and warm. The setting is beautiful. There are fences but around a very large territory (actually, three separate territories, by pig size).

The pigs are rare heritage breeds (Large Blacks, Gloucestershire Old Spots, and Tamworths), see their site for more information. While it’s true that these pigs are being raised to be food, the process is also saving their breeds from extinction.

We visited them right after a heavy rain, so the ground was very muddy, but they loved sticking their heads in it, up to their ears!

The pigs are raised 100% naturally and slaughtered carefully and humanely. The pigs’ foraging diet is supplemented with conventional feed.

The Piglets

The piglets and younger pigs are in a separate area with their mothers. They are adorable. One young black pig is adept at getting out of the pen, but goes right back in after running around for a while!

The Chickens

The chickens were the most interesting part. The hoop tent is left open and they are free to roam. When we went to see them they followed us out in mass when we walked out of the hoop tent. It’s kinds of weird being followed by an army of chickens, And their coloring was beautiful, as were the roosters’.

They wander and meander slowly, until they get to the edge of the road. When they decide to cross (why?) they move much faster! They wander in the grass and pick at bugs, etc. They wander back to where the piglets are and jump into their pens, grab some of their feed; it’s all family. And their eggs are spectacular!