Plovgh

Now Harvesting: Tatsoi

plovghyourfood — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 14:00:49 -0400

Tatsoi (Brassica narinosa)
Glebocki Farm
Harvesting: Late May/Early June

|Learn|
An Asian green also known as Spinach mustard, Spoon mustard, or Rosette bok choy.

|Cultivate|
Part of the brassica family, Tatsoi is a unique and easy to grow green. It is suitable for late spring through autumn sowing. Tatsoi grows low to the ground in cooler climates and In warmer weather grows more upright. Before bolting, the plant will begin to flower and the flavor becomes slightly more bitter.

|Taste|
Mild, mustardy flavor. The stalks are juicy and crisp.

|Identify|
Tatsoi has dense, dark green rounded leaves which form a rosette.

|Prepare|
This green can be eaten raw or lightly cooked. Add it to a salad, a risotto or change up your usual egg and toast breakfast-for-dinner go to.

Now Harvesting: Strawberries

plovghyourfood — Wed, 12 Jun 2013 13:14:55 -0400

Strawberries (Fragaria × ananassa)
Samascott Orchards
Harvesting: Early June

|Learn|
You know all of the seeds on the outside of the fruit? Each of those are actually an ovary of the flower with a seed inside it.

|Cultivate|
Woodland strawberries were first cultivated in the early 17th century. Strawberries grow best on soils that have high organic matter content and high fertility levels. They are a type of runner plant which means they have fast growing stems that grow on the surface of the soil and can develop new plants through their nodes. To maintain the best quality, berries should be harvested often and should be picked with the caps on and with 1/2 inch of stem attached.

|Taste|
Sweet, juicy, fresh.

|Identify|
Strawberries can vary widely in size, shape, color and taste. They typically range in size from small to medium, are redish-white in color with green stems and a sweet aroma.

|Prepare|
Savory: Gazpacho, salsa, salad or sauce.
Sweet: Biscuits, cake, galettes, crumble, ice cream…we could keep going.
Or, just sit on a bench and eat them straight out of the quart.

|Discover|
If you’re in DUMBO, drop by Foragers for a quart from Samascott Orchards or find them on the menu at Rose Water in Park Slope.

Now Harvesting: Garlic Scapes

plovghyourfood — Mon, 10 Jun 2013 18:21:00 -0400

Garlic Scapes
Glebocki Farms
Harvesting: Early June

|Learn|
Scapes are the imature stalks that grow from the garlic bulb. Also known as garlic shoots or spears.

|Cultivate|
The garlic plant goes through many iterations. It is planted at the end of the season before winter, hibernates and then begins sprouting in the spring. It is not ready to be harvested until the summer and must then be cured for long term storage. But, in between this period the scapes and young (or spring) garlic are harvested and prepared. Garlic scapes are harvested early in the season so that the garlic bulbs will grow bigger.

|Taste|
Scapes are bright, fresh and can have a milder taste than the cloves.

|Identify|
Thin and loopy, garlic scapes resemble a leafless spear. Mature scapes have 1 or 2 loops and are firm with about 1/4 inch diameter.

|Prepare|
Scapes can be eaten raw or cooked. Braise the whole spear or use is as a BBQ skewer. Chop them up for a frittata, whip up a dip, or a garlicy pesto.

|Discover|
Pick a bunch up at Foragers Market in Brooklyn.

Now Harvesting: Chèvre

plovghyourfood — Wed, 05 Jun 2013 13:00:00 -0400

From Plovgh on Vimeo.

Chèvre

Acorn Hill Farm

Harvesting: Early April

|Learn|
Chevre means goat in French. Unlike cows, goats browse rather than graze and eat all sorts of grasses, weeds and shrubbery that influence the flavor of their milk.

|Cultivate|
Generally, cultures are added to the fresh milk as a curdling agent and the curds are allowed to separate from the whey. It can be made into a “bag cheese” or molded for a couple of days or aged in a cheese cave for longer. Salt can then be added to the curd.

|Taste|
The flavor of chevre can totally vary according to the season and what the goats are munching on at the time they are milked. In the early spring the cheese tends to be more mild and become more goaty or gamey in the fall. The chevre Joyce produces with the spring milk is fresh and creamy and is a little tart and grassy.

|Identify|
As with flavor, the texture of chevre tends to vary depending on how it is produced. Some are white and smooth with a consistency similar to cream cheese, some are crumbly, and some are aged and therefore firm and have a more yellowy color. Sometimes they are creafted into a log shape and rolled with fresh herbs or spices.

|Prepare|
An unpretentious, fresh addition to a cheese plate. You can also toss it into a salad, mix it with grains and fresh vegetables or change up your cupcake icing recipe.

|Discover|
Acorn Hill Farm chevre is being served up on cheese plates at Tuffet in Brooklyn. Get yours here.

Now Harvesting: Mizuna

plovghyourfood — Wed, 29 May 2013 16:24:00 -0400

Mizuna (Brassica rapa nipposinica)
Glebocki Farms
Harvesting: Starting late May

|Learn|
Mizuna has many names including: kyona, Japanese mustard, potherb mustard, California peppergrass, and spider mustard. Whichever you choose, Mizuna stands for “water greens” because it is grown in fields that are shallowly flooded with water. (Food52)

|Cultivate|
Mizuna is a unique mustard green that has been cultivated in Japan for ages, but likely originated in China. The plant produces dozens of pencil thin white stalks with deeply cut, fringed leaves. Mizuna is highly resistant to cold and can be grown extensively during the winter months. It is usually harvested from early to late summer.

|Taste|
LIke a toned down arugula, mizuna has a mild peppery/spicy flavor. It is crisp when eaten fresh.

|Identify|
Even if you’ve never heard of it, you may have already been indirectly introduced to Mizuna as it is often used in mesclun mixes. It comes in green and purple varieites and has narrow stalks with smooth feathery leaves.

|Prepare|
Since we’re rekindling our love for fresh herbs and greens here on the east coast, this seems like a good go-to recipe. If you’re not going the raw route, you can toss it in a stir fry, add it to Nabemono or sauté it. Similar to spinach, when Mizuna is cooked it shrinks to about half its size - so be sure to buy extra.

Now Harvesting: Asparagus

plovghyourfood — Wed, 22 May 2013 17:06:00 -0400

Asparagus (Asparagus officinalis)
Samascott Orchards
Harvested: Late April 2013

|Learn|
Asparagus was used in recipes dating as far back as third-century AD, and many societies identified ways of preserving it for consumption during colder seasons.

|Cultivate|
Asparagus is a perennial and one of the earliest producing spring vegetables. It can be easily grown from the crowns or roots and can take up to 3 to 4 years before a mature plant is established for harvesting - but it can be harvested for years after planting once mature. A fully grown plant can resemble a fern with thin spears. It is unique in that it can tolerate broad temperature variations; it grows in the Imperial Valley of Southern California, where temperatures can reach 115° F, and it grows in Minnesota, where temperatures can plunge to -40° F.* In the northeast they are generally harvested from late March through June.

|Taste|
Aspargus spears should be tender and sweet. This is the best way to tell they are freshly harvested.

|Identify|
There are hundreds of varieties, but often asparagus has smooth stalks with compact crowns and can come in colors like white, green and purple. Spears can range in size based on the time they are harvested.

|Prepare|
Only young asparagus shoots are eaten since once the buds of the plant start to open, the shoots quickly turn woody. Prep is easy: just trim off the bottoms of the spears. Then, enjoy them raw, fried, blanched, or simply roasted. Throwing them on the grill is also encouraged.

|Discover|
You can find Samascott Orchard’s Asparagus this week at Greene Grape Provisions in Brooklyn.

Where you can find Plovgh producers

plovghyourfood — Wed, 22 May 2013 17:06:00 -0400

Here are some of the folks sourcing directly from producers who are organizing with Plovgh. If you’re looking for the first of the spring crops or eggs gathered within hours of reaching the city, stop in to find products from some of these farms. Brooklyn Kitchen - Williamsburg, NY

Cleaver Co. - Chelsea, NY

Foragers City Grocer - DUMBO & Chelsea, NY

Greene Grape Provisions - Fort Greene, NY

Pie Corps - Greenpoint, NY

Rose Water Restaurant - Park Slope, NY

Meet the producers

plovghyourfood — Tue, 21 May 2013 16:43:00 -0400

A growing coalition of producers are beginning to sign up around the country to participate in Plovgh routes. If you’re interested in finding out more about how to join up, get in touch with us and we can let you know about routes that are being activated near you. Acorn Hill Farm - Walker Valley, NY

Adirondack Grazers Cooperative - New York/Vermont

Aqua Vita Farms - Sherrill, NY

Black Horse Farm - Athens, NY

Campanelli’s Poultry Farm - Kenoza Lake, NY

Catskill Native Nursery - Kerhonkson, NY

Cowbella - Jefferson, NY

Ferndale Farms - Cannon Falls, MN

Fitzgerald Farms - Kerhonkson, NY

Glebocki Farms - Goshen, NY

Good Fence Farm - Ft. Edward, NY

Hand Picked Farm - Flemington, NJ

Laughing Loon Farm - Northfield, MN

Lucky Dog Farm - Hamden, NY

Oasis Valley Orchard - Overton, NV

Rusty Plough Farm - Ellenville, NY

Samascott Orchards - Kinderhook, NY

Seeds Farm - Northfield, MN

Slow Roots Farm - Kingston, NY

Sprout Creek Farm - Poughkeepsie, NY

foragersnyc: #foragersnyc #foragesgrocer #plovgh #localfood...

plovghyourfood — Fri, 17 May 2013 14:11:00 -0400

foragersnyc:

#foragersnyc #foragesgrocer #plovgh #localfood #spring veggies

This might not look exciting but @plovgh just delivered a lot of local produce to us! We’re really excited to unpack locally grown chives, cipollini onions, red leaf lettuce and potatoes!

Now Harvesting: Rhubarb

plovghyourfood — Tue, 14 May 2013 14:37:00 -0400

Rhubarb (Rheum rhabarbarum)
Good Fence Farm
Harvested: Early May 2013

When it comes to rhubarb it seems that people either love it or hate it. It struggles with its self-identity; vegetable or fruit? Sweet or savory? And though this spring has been slow to arrive, pushing the anticipated harvest time back a few weeks, we’re happy to say that time is here.

|Learn|
The Chinese have used rhubarb as a medicinal plant for thousands of years. Its presence in Europe was established when it was imported along the Silk Road. (A historical form of trade we are fans of here at Plovgh.)

|Cultivate|
Rhubarb is a seasonal plant that can grow in many areas. In temperate climates it is one of the first food plants ready to be harvested, usually around April/May in the Northern Hemisphere and October/November in the Southern Hemisphere. Ready-to-harvest, mature rhubarb can be pulled from the plant with a gentle tug. Stalks should not be harvested during the first growing season to allow the plant to become established, and after the first 3 years the harvesting period runs approximately 8-10 weeks long.

|Taste|
Freshly harvested, raw stalks are crisp and have a tart flavor. Red rhubarb varieties such as ‘Valentine’ and ‘Crimson Cherry’ tend to be more tender.

|Identify|
Rhubarb has short, thick roots, large leaves and long, fleshy stalks. The stalks of a rhubarb plant are usually a crimson red, but can vary from deep reds and pinks to pale green.

|Prepare|
Quite often, rhubarb is used in bakes goods such as crisps, pies and tarts. You can also preserve it as jams or by pickling. Or, use it in your new favorite cocktail.
Note: Be sure to only eat the stalks, as the leaves of a rhubarb plant contain poisonous toxins.

Now Harvesting: Ramps

plovghyourfood — Tue, 07 May 2013 14:26:00 -0400

Ramps (Allium tricoccum)

Lucky Dog Farm

Harvested: May 2013

The ramp, also known as the wild leek, is the alliums’ herald of spring. It is a fleeting introduction to a new season and a foraged onion that has the ability to throw people into a frenzy.

|Learn|

Wild ramps have close ties with the folklore of the central Appalachian Mountains. In the region, they have long celebrated spring with the arrival of the ramp, believing it to have great power as a tonic used to ward off the ailments of winter.

|Cultivate|

Ramps are members of the lily family and a perennial plant. They grow in groups strongly rooted just beneath the surface of the soil. They don’t take well to traditional farming, but grow wildly as far north as Quebec, as far south as Georgia, and as far west as Oklahoma.

|Taste|

Ramps have a peppery taste and a pungent aroma that is a mix of onions and garlic.

|Identify|

Ramps have broad, smooth, light green leaves, often with deep purple or burgundy tints on the lower stems, and a scallion-like stalk and bulb. Both the white lower leaf stalks and the broad green leaves are edible.

|Prepare|

Ramps can be sauteed, grilled, baked, pureed or pickled. We like ours sauteed with butter, chopped and served with eggs.

I feel like there is a great need for small distributors. There are plenty of small farms and...

plovghyourfood — Mon, 06 May 2013 10:51:00 -0400

I feel like there is a great need for small distributors. There are plenty of small farms and artisan food makers creating high quality products, and a huge base of customers who want desperately to buy these products and support these people in their craft. From what I have seen, farmers are extremely stretched for time trying to grow their produce, then also pack, transport, market and distribute it. It would be ideal if there were more small distributors to take the stress off these individual farmers and allow them to focus on farming.

- Mickey Davis of Greene Grape Provisions in Brooklyn, New York. Via Good Food Jobs. Hear hear!

Reviving tradition in a 21st century global...

plovghyourfood — Wed, 01 May 2013 15:19:02 -0400

Reviving tradition in a 21st century global marketplace…

modfarm:

Meet Ben Harris. He’s 29, runs his own company logging timber with draft horses, and is booked solid with work for the rest of 2013. Why? Because draft horses make more economic sense than diesel-powered logging.

On Lucky Dog Farm, up in the Catskills, the crew has been waiting on the warm weather to begin...

plovghyourfood — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 13:12:00 -0400

On Lucky Dog Farm, up in the Catskills, the crew has been waiting on the warm weather to begin planting in the fields. While some farms have gotten an early start growng a selection of crops indoors in preparation for this season, their normal schedule for transplanting them into the field had been postponed. This spring has been taking it’s time, unlike last year when the warm weather arrived two weeks early.

Agriculture is a profession that is not known for it’s predictability. Last year’s growing season was tumultuous across all regions. A warm winter in the northeast didn’t allow for the ground to freeze, which normally provides a natural defense against pests. Then as soon as the weather began to warm up, they experienced extreme temperatures which left the fall apple harvest hard hit. This was followed up in the summer by wide spread droughts across most of the midwest.

After a long winter, and with a memory of snow still remaining in some areas upstate, farms are getting a late start north of the city this year. Over the last couple of weeks it has been visible at the farmers market with the tuber and root vegetable lined tables. But what’s not short of hopeful is a basket of spring garlic, preparing us for the procession of rhubarb, asparagus and peas that are soon to follow.

Also, a little heads up - we hear Richard at Lucky Dog Farm has some ramps that are being harvested this week. And we happen to know where you can find them.

Farm -> City in NYC

lizzygreene — Sat, 20 Apr 2013 13:38:45 -0400

I’ll be darned if I get another plastic bin of anonymous spinach that’s a little sopped from its journeys. The more you think about it, the more you want greens that are full of life. And if you want lively greens, they’d better not spend very much time out of the field.

So, go to Foragers Market, Greene Grape Provisions, and Rose Water this week to find crops that got to the city within hours of leaving the farms. Taste that Thai Basil for me, people.

Hydroponic Lettuce Mix, Thai basil, and sweet basil
Aqua Vita Farms - Sherrill, New York

Free range eggs
Fitzgerald Farms - Kerhonkson, New York

Onions, shallots, cippolinis
Glebocki Farms - Goshen, New York

Grassfed and finished beef brisket

Good Fence Farm - Fort Edward, New York

If you have any questions please get in touch with us at hello@plovgh.com.

Transporter Spotlight: Clancy's Transportation Solutions

lizzygreene — Fri, 19 Apr 2013 15:59:31 -0400

Ah, the food system. It’s a mess, huh? Seems like farms, trucking companies, commodity brokers, even retailers that get to gargantuan scale really muck things up for everyone else. That’s why we’re excited to bring small businesses like Matthew Clancy’s into the Plovgh network. Have a look at this local transporter who got your crops into your neighborhood this week.

Transporter’s name: Matthew J. Clancy, Clancy’s Transportation Solutions

Homebase: Rotterdam Junction, New York

Years in operation: We are a newly formed business.

What do you drive? 2010 Chevrolet Express van.

What do you do? We offer the best solution to people and businesses that need something moved across town or across country. We provide our clients with a low cost alternative to the big name companies (emphasis added) with the care only a family owned small business can offer!

Why did you start this business? What’s unique or compelling about how you operate? I started this business to find a more fulfilling way to provide for my family’s quality of life. After years of working for the State of New York as a manager, the time spent away from my wife and children coupled with the fact that I felt uninspired by my work led me to leave it behind in order to focus on making Clancy’s Transportation Solutions (CTS) a success. CTS is a family owned and operated small business aimed at helping our local community and beyond. We are focused on providing custom transportation solutions to our clients that result in the highest levels of customer satisfaction.

Welcome, Matthew! The maiden voyage was a success and we look forward to many more.

We are SO excited that Foragers Market in DUMBO has joined the...

lizzygreene — Thu, 11 Apr 2013 12:17:56 -0400

We are SO excited that Foragers Market in DUMBO has joined the Plovgh network. This week, you can find harvest from Fitzgerald Farms and Slow Roots Farm at the shop, including:

Free range eggs - Fitzgerald Farms - Kerhonkson, New York - harvested April 9, 2013

Nicola Gold potatoes - Slow Roots Farm - Kingston, New York - harvested Winter 2012

Look for this little tag and be sure to ask for the Plovgh farms when you stop in!

In recognition of the transition of seasons, we thought it would...

lizzygreene — Wed, 10 Apr 2013 15:48:00 -0400

In recognition of the transition of seasons, we thought it would be appropriate to get hands on with some of the crops that we think best establish the beginning of spring on both the east coast and the west coast. Learn more about some old and new favorites now being harvested, and cast your vote on which you can’t wait to try.

Buddha’s Hand Citron, also known as bushukan, is a giant, fleshy, lemon-like citrus. It symbolizes happiness and long life in China, and appropriately so because I can see how it would proffer both of those attributes to anyone who eats it. It has a strong citrus nose but a subtle, earthy flavor and clear lemon finish.

Great for: roasting (it comes out almost squash-like but with a refreshing lemon quality), lemon zest, vodka infusion, lemon candies, or this vinaigrette. I sliced it, put it in the oven for 20 minutes at 375, and put it on a slice of pumpernickel with mustard greens. Delightful.

Request a sample from a Plovgh farm.

Transporter Spotlight: Mark Jaffe of The Fresh Connection

lizzygreene — Thu, 04 Apr 2013 10:00:00 -0400

We’d like to extend a hearty welcome to Mark, who drives his first Plovgh route today, connecting farms’ harvest with New York City. We met Mark through Slow Food NYC and we’re excited to fuel the movement of harvest from source to city.

Transporter’s name: Mark Jaffe, The Fresh Connection

Homebase: New York City

Years in operation: 1

What do you do? The Fresh Connection is an NYC-based company that provides transportation and logistics services for food producers who are independent, artisanal, and environmentally and economically sustainable.

Why did you start this business? What’s unique or compelling about how you operate? Through talking to people and through my own previous experience in the local and sustainable food world I saw that the groundwork has been laid in New York City for a strong local food system with many small- to mid-size farmers producing high quality product and customers eager to receive these goods. There are also many groups and individuals working to build networks for the local food system. However, these networks often do not fully address the needs and challenges of actually transporting product from Point A to Point B (emphasis added). I started The Fresh Connection with the aim of creating an efficient model for product delivery in and around NYC and providing the local food system with an affordable transportation and delivery service.

The Fresh Connection is unique in that we combine practical knowledge of the food distribution industry and the logistics surrounding it with an ideological belief that we must create a food system that supports independent producers whose products are environmentally and economically sustainable, with an emphasis on locally produced goods. We offer a flexible model and are not looking to simply replicate the traditional distributor model but to help in creating a new distribution system that addresses the needs of a local and sustainable food system.

Say hello to Mark when you see him along his route. This kind of collaboration is the beginning of the change we want to see. To get your farm on one of the Plovgh routes, or to order from the farms on Plovgh, get in touch here!

Finding Food in the Desert

plovghyourfood — Wed, 13 Mar 2013 15:29:00 -0400

Last week the Plovgh team reconvened in Downtown Las Vegas. Aside from time spent brainstorming and strategizing, we had a chance to check out all of the projects and businesses that are beginning to grow and reshape the culture in the neighborhood. There is a unique energy there and the innovative community of folks who are taking part in the transformation are cultivating a more vibrant and sustainable vision for a part of the city that has long been neglected.

We found ourselves on a rainy Friday morning at the Downtown Third farmers market, drawn by the promise of a solid cup of coffee as well as to meet some of the regional producers responsible for growing food for the downtown community.

Growers from Nevada, California, and Arizona made up the handful of stands and the diversity of products, at a market in the desert no less, was remarkable. Pyramids of root vegetables, alongside colorful cauliflower and young asparagus filled the room. The varieties of citrus – limequats, kishu tangerines, blood oranges - were a refreshing addition compared to the bins upon bins of apples we’ve grown accustomed to at the east coast markets all winter. The highlight of our visit that day was chatting with Rosalind and Randy of Bloomin’ Desert Herb Farm about raising culinary and medicinal herbs. We learned about their farm-grown, freshly dried herbal teas and collection of seasonings, including one made with Mexican Hatch Chiles – XHot with Habanero pepper is where it’s at.

It was a great visit and one that only made us more excited to start exploring the Southwest and meeting producers there that we can start connecting with the Vegas community.