A Vegetable Grows in Long Island City

The Brooklyn Grange is planting a 40,000 square foot vegetable farm on a rooftop in Queens.

I heard about this project initially when taking a pizza class a couple of months back with guys from Roberta’s and Pulino’s.  They mentioned that seedlings were planted, and the Brooklyn Grange team was close to securing a rooftop.  The plan is to raise an acre of organic vegetables, create a green space smack in the middle of the city, have a neighborhood farm stand, and supply area restaurants with the most local food they could imagine (delivering on bikes whenever possible!).

The group is in the final week of their Kickstarter fund raising campaign.  They have just under 25% of their goal left to raise.  If you are not familiar with Kickstarter–it is a site where you can donate as little as $1 to a project of your choice, but unless the goal is met by the deadline, the group won’t get any of the money pledged.  Take a peek, if anything just to learn a lot more about this important, innovative, and delicious project.

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Table to Farm.

You may have seen the photos. Long elegant, serpentine tables, winding through idyllic rural farm landscapes. Plus gorgeous, vibrant local food, prepared by a super star chef. Yes, it is Outstanding in the Field, and yes, the tickets go on sale today.

Outstanding in the Field is an 11 year old organization, founded by chef and artist Jim Denevan, that arranges elegant communal food events in beautiful farm environments around the county. Each dinner features a highly regarded chef from the area, and serves food grown or raised a few feet from where you are sitting. Though not inexpensive at $200 a pop, the ticket price includes several hours of a many course meal and wine, a farm tour, a brilliant chef, supporting the local farm and farmer, and probably the most spectacular dining room I’ll ever eat in.

Here is a short piece CBS Sunday Morning did on Jim a couple of years back.

Since learning of OITF a couple of years ago, I have had conflicts each year, and finally this season will have a chance to experience it myself. So exciting to see on the schedule a dinner with my most favorite chef Bill Telepan, that is also a benefit for my beloved Wellness in the Schools, and one almost in my backyard in rural Sullivan County, cooked by Jim Lahey of the Sullivan Street Bakery and no-knead bread fame. Lovely choices.

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Spring’s ahead.

Upstate New York, March 14, 2010.

Oregano returns.

First chives of the season.

Thawed sheep pen. (We're definitely not in Brooklyn anymore.)

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Homemade Fresh Ricotta

Lately we have been getting the most wonderful fresh milk from Dirie’s Farm, a small family-owned dairy farm near us.  The milk has a whole melody of flavor, that clearly illustrates what people are talking about when they refer to the terroir in wine.  You can taste this area.  You can taste the differences in the seasons, and the grassy fields and hay on which these cows are feeding.

A few months ago I had an impromptu lunch out by myself (I mean, with my date, New York Magazine) at Veloce Pizzeria in the East Village of NYC.  They have a divine ricotta crostini “spuntini” (Italian snacks).  Superb rich ricotta slathered on crusty toasted bread with fresh black pepper.  Heaven.

So craving that, this week’s farm milk became glorious ricotta.  It’s easy, easy, easy.  There are many recipes out there, using several different acidifying agents (vinegar, lemon juice, buttermilk, and citric acid).  I learned this from my culinary school, and Ricki the Cheese Queen, both using the exact same method with citric acid, so I’ll stick with that.  Citric Acid is pretty widely available.  It is often called for in canning tomatoes.  I have seen it in my grocery store near canning supplies or products like Fruit Fresh.  But you can also easily get it here, from the wonderful New England Cheesemaking Supply Company.

HOMEMADE FRESH RICOTTA

Makes about 2 cups

2 Liters whole milk

1/2 tsp citric acid

1/2 tsp salt (if you can get it, use cheese salt)

Combine milk, citric acid, and salt in a non-reactive pot (heavy bottomed if available), over medium-high heat.  Stirring gently, making sure nothing is sticking or burning on the bottom, heat to just under a boil, to 195° F.  At that point turn off the heat and let the milk sit undisturbed for 10 minutes.

Line a colander, over a large bowl (the whey that drains off can be used in place of buttermilk), with several layers of cheesecloth or a clean dish towel or floursack.  After the 10 minutes, gently ladle the ricotta milk into the colander.  Let drain for a few minutes, then carefully tie opposite corners of the cloth to made a bundle.  Let ricotta continue to drain in colander, over the bowl, in the refrigerator for a 1/2 hour to overnight.  If too thick for desired use, can be thinned with a little cream.  Season with more salt to taste.  Will keep for several days in refrigerator.

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Rick Bishop

Farmers are my heros.  As a chef and food fanatic, they are the mamas and papas, surrogates and midwives of my most precious ingredients.  As an upstate resident, they are the fierce protectors of our land, farming heritage, and heirloom varieties of animals and vegetables.  And since moving upstate, I have had the great pleasure of getting to know many of these amazing neighbors–and then getting to visit them at the market in Union Square.

Rick Bishop of Mountain Sweet Berry Farm is one of the rockstars of the Greenmarket, and a friend of ours.  He is adored by the most brilliant of chefs and grows the most magnificent strawberries (Tristar) and heirloom fingerling potatoes, among many other treasures.  Keep an eye out for his table overflowing with ramps in the early spring.

Seriouseats.com did a great short film about Rick  a little while back.  Definitely worth a few minutes of your time, particularly in the doldrums of winter.

I love Alexandra Guarnaschelli’s comment about Rick in the video:

“When I buy your potatoes, and I bring them back to the restaurant, and I put them in the oven, I can smell your soil, baking, in the oven…I love your dirt, and he said “It’s not dirt, it’s soil, and it’s a living, breathing thing.”

Yes.

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