{Rhinebeck Sheep & Wool Festival, 2010} This blog went public in July of last year with Alexis, Amanda, Leslie & Sarah. A lot has changed since then but I don’t want those early posts to go unnoticed now that we have a larger readership. Today I am dedicating the post to fall recipes & event-recaps…
{Pantry Staple} Perfect Homemade Sandwich Bread
Its pretty simple: I love baking bread and I love eating bread. I bring bread to almost every food swap and am always experimenting with a new kind. Lately, I have been making so much bread, English muffins, biscuits, etc, that I have not purchased any bread products from the grocery store in quite some…
cold & flu season w/ fire cider
I was introduced to Fire Cider (produced by a local place, Shire City Herbals in Pittsfield, MA), a few weeks ago when a friend offered me a few precious shots of his stash after hearing me complain about inflamed lymph nodes in my throat, and the worry of a prolonged oncoming illness. Made with apple…
{from scratch holidays} A Family Cook Book
I am not a handy person. When I tried knitting, the scarf was lumpy and grubby. I bend nails. I am too impatient to do embroidery or calligraphy and inevitably cut the sleeves out of the material for the skirt if I try to sew. So when it comes to home-made gifts, I have three…
{edible gift} Deliciously Easy Toffee Cookies
Holiday time is here! It’s time to start thinking of the edible gifts, cookie swaps, and desserts for parties. In the mood for an easy cookie recipe that will garner rave reviews every time? Look no further than this toffee cookie recipe! It’s so easy that anyone can make it. Even experienced bakers who take pride…
{from scratch holidays} scrub-a-dub-dub
Recently I made two types of body scrubs for FSC’s Saratoga Food Swap*. If you want to save money by cutting out luxury items without losing the luxury, this is an easy and cheap way to pamper yourself. Spend a tiny bit extra for some fab packaging and you have yourself a really delightful, super…
{edible gift} homemade chai concentrate
As an avid chai drinker, I was ecstatic to stumble upon the realization that I could make my own creamy, spicy chai concentrate! This recipe is a cinch to make- just add the ingredients to a jar and stir- and is a perfect from-scratch holiday gift. You can make several batches at once and bottle…
{reflections of a daughter} DIY Coffee Roasting
There is really nothing like the smell of freshly roasted coffee. Unless of course you were like me when I was introduced to coffee roasting, seven and a half months pregnant. It was Christmas of 2004, I was in my third trimester of pregnancy, and my mother decided that for my dad’s Christmas gift that…
{DIY Backyard Chickens} Go for it!
So in the first two parts of this DIY series, I’ve shared some of the how-to and what not to do’s of keeping backyard chickens. You may be wondering, though, why bother with backyard hens? Or maybe, like the folks at All Over Albany, you’re thinking that backyard chickens seem like a lot of work. To…
{FSC Swappers} Swap Fever
Editor’s Note: Last month’s swap recap by Swapper Jess started an exciting trend. Food Swap recaps by the swappers themselves! What a hit! Homerun! Goal! Score! This month is no exception with Swapper Leah’s take on food swaps. She is a long-time Albany Swapper who is gonna walk you through her progression of “Swap Fever”…
{weekend reading} local edition
FARMERS MARKETS *last outdoor market for most markets this weekend* SATURDAYS, 9am-1pm unless otherwise noted Albany Central Avenue Farmers Market, Parking Lot of The Linda, 339 Central Avenue, 10-2pm. Brunwick Farmers’ Market, Town Office Rd & Rt 7, Brunswick Farmers Market at The Crossings, Colonie, Crossings Park of Colonie, Albany-Shaker Road across from Emerick Ln….
{how to} Cold Storage 101
I’ve pretty much wrapped up harvesting crops on Silly Goose Farm. Apples are done, tomatoes are done, and all that’s left to put-up is a couple of cabbages, a few rows of rainbow carrots, and a whole bunch of pears. The pear trees on our farm are over 100 years old and positively drip with fruit….
{DIY Halloween Candy} Part 3: Chocolate-Coconut Mounds Bars
I hope you’ve loved my DIY Peanut Butter Cups & Lollipop posts because I am back with more candy making! I’m finishing up a 3-part serieson DIY Halloween Candy with Chocolate Covered “Mounds Bars”. One of the things I have loved about making my own candy is that I am able to customize the ingredients…
{Mexican Cooking} Chicken Tinga
My son Jacob spent Hurricane Irene with a Mexican friend in Washington Heights, New York City. Jose not only provided Jacob with shelter, he also cooked for him. When I called Jacob to see how he had fared in the storm, he didn’t mention the howling winds or the torrential rain. All he could talk…
{reflections} Making Food Matter
I’m going to make a few, quick assumptions about you: 1.) You love food. 2.) You either love preparing it or you enjoy the company of others who will prepare it for you. 3.) You probably spend a decent amount of time thinking about food and/or food politics. Am I right? Chances are you wouldn’t…
