One of the easiest ways to celebrate Earth Day every day is to green your kitchen. Here are some delicious and fun ways to reduce your family’s “foodprint” while also eating well.

• Bring your own bags wherever you shop. Try keeping a soft, collapsible bag in your pocketbook so you always have one handy.

• Reuse grocery store vegetable bags as liners for your kitchen compost pail. You’ll save money on composting supplies and give the bags and second life.

• Use recycled products. Choose from post-consumer recycled aluminum foil and paper products (napkins & paper towels), phosphate-free dish-washing liquid and dishwasher soap, and biodegradable garbage bags.

• Recycle #5 containers and cork at Whole Foods Markets instead of throwing them in the garbage. Whole Foods collects #5s and cork for recycling (feel free to pop in just to drop off your recycling). Recycling costs you nothing but is a huge gift to the environment.

• 

  Lunch Skins are eco-chic, reusable lunch and snack bags that are cute enough to give as a gift.

  Use reusable bags instead of single use plastic lunch and snack bags. There are many on the market and they have become so mainstream that they are now available at Linens ‘n Things.

• Use thermoses instead of buying water bottles. Ditto for kids’ single serve milk and juice boxes. Plastic water bottles are made from petroleum and are designed to be used once, resulting in a product that is thousands of times more expensive than tap water and no safer, according to a report by Food & Water Watch. Most of these bottles wind up in landfills where they take hundreds of years to break down and can leach harmful chemicals into the ground. Carry a stainless steel thermos instead.

• Compost your food waste. Food that’s thrown out instead of composted releases methane gas, contributing to global warming and climate change. Compost is a fantastic soil amendment and it costs you nothing, so you’re saving money in the end. Use an empty flour container, bowl or other receptacle to gather your food scraps in the kitchen (or a dedicated kitchen compost pail) and empty them regularly into your compost pile. Not sure how to compost?  Visit Rodale’s web site for some immediate expert advice.

• 

  This pre-World War II photo shows just a few of the 11 historic buildings and barns that date back to the 1700s when Comstock was founded. Amish crews from parent company Baker Creek have begun to restore the buildings and preserve the antique equipment, transforming the campus into a living agricultural history museum. Photo c/o Comstock, Ferre & Co

  Grow some of your own food. Seeds are very inexpensive, and if you make your own compost, you’ll likely wind up saving money by growing your own. A fantastic source of inspiration and advice for home gardeners is Kitchen Gardeners International, the group behind the campaign to replant a kitchen garden at the White House. Comstock Ferre & Co., a 200-year-old seed company in Wethersfield, CT, offers a wide variety of heirloom seeds via their catalog or online store. Read more about Comstock here.
  

• Buy locally grown food from a farmers’ market or farm stand, CSA, or online ordering and delivery service. A complete list of Fairfield County farmers’ markets and farm stands can be found here, CSAs here, and home delivery services here.

• Choose locally produced food from specialty or grocery stores. The Double L Market in Westport, Palmer’s Market in Darien and The Pantry in Fairfield all carry some local food.

• Choose organic whenever possible to protect the environment and human health. There are over 40 certified organic farms in Connecticut, and many more that meet or exceed the National Organic Program’s (NOP) standards but do not carry the certification. That means a lot of choice for the consumer! Click here to read more about what the NOP standards mean as well as other eco farm and food labels.
  

• Choose organic and biodynamic wines. These so called “natural” wines rely on low impact methods for solving common problems that plague vineyards. For instance, birds of prey are brought in to control for varmints. Organic wines are cultivated without the use of synthetic fertilizers, herbicides or pesticides so they do not deplete the soil, damage the environment or pose threats to human health.

• Choose organic, Fair Trade coffee, chocolate and tea. Fair Trade means farmers are compensated fairly for their work, no child labor is used, and farms employ sustainable growing practices.

• 

  Whole Foods Markets stores started using a seafood labeling system for their wild caught products based on Seafood Wach's ratings to help the consumer at point of purchase.

  Choose sustainable seafood. Download the Sustainable Seafood Guide or iphone app from Seafood Watch and commit to limiting your consumption to sustainable seafood choices under the Best Choices and Good Alternatives categories. Whole Foods Markets stores have started using a seafood labeling system for their wild caught products based on Seafood Watch’s ratings to help the consumer at point of purchase. You can learn all about sustainable seafood in a fabulous new exhibit called Go Fish! at the Maritime Aquarium in Norwalk.  It’s perfect for adults and children.

Happy Earth Day 2011! Please add your suggestions for greening your kitchen under comments below. Looking forward to seeing you at Wilton Go Green’s Expo on May 1.

“Nourish: food + community” ~ A special film, panel discussion & reception with exhibits

Sunday, April 10

2:00-4:30 pm

At Audubon Greenwich

Celebrate springtime with a short, inspiring film about the ‘organic & real food’ revolution and learn from panelists and exhibitors who will discuss ways to source local foods, enhance nutrition and the myriad benefits of a community & home garden. The film, NOURISH, is narrated by Cameron Diaz and studded with food per­sonalities Michael Pollan, Alice Waters, Jamie Oliver and more. With a distinctly positive vision, NOURISH explores the story of our food – where it comes from, how it affects our health and  environment, and how food choices create a ripple effect that is felt around the world. As Michael Pollan has said so well, “Food is not just fuel. Food is about family, food is about community, food is about identity. And we nourish all those things when we eat well.”

Panelists & Discussion Topics:

• Patty Sechi ~ The Armstrong Court Community Organic Gardens & Goals for Establishing More In Greenwich
• Analiese Paik ~ Local & Sustainably Grown Food that Nourishes our Community (Plus our special Greenwich Guide to Local-Sustainable Food)
• Betsy Keller, MS, RD ~ The Cure for the Unbalanced American Diet: sustainable, fresh produce, and whole foods.

Kids are free & $12 donations accepted at the door to support ‘Audubon At Home’ Initiatives.

Space very limited. RSVP to Jeff Cordulack at 203-869-5272 x239 or jcordulack@audubon.org. Audubon Greenwich ~ 613 Riversville Road ~ Greenwich ~ http://greenwich.audubon.org

Co-sponsors:

• Fairfield Green Food Guide
• Fairfield Organic Teaching Farm
• Armstrong Court Community Organic Garden

Tables & Exhibits

• Armstrong Court Community Organic Garden (Patty Sechi)
• Fairfield Green Food Guide (Analiese Paik)
• Fairfield Organic Teaching Farm (Pamela Jones & Jennifer Cole)
• Audubon At Home: organic food & garden-related resources (Audubon Staff)
• Mike’s Organic Delivery Service (Mike Geller)
• And more….

Panelist Bios

Patty Sechi is a Connecticut native who has been inspired by her love of the natural world since her earliest childhood.  A graphic designer and illustrator by profession, Patty has increasingly focused her time and energy on her first love – nature – becoming involved with a number of greening projects throughout Greenwich.  Most notably, in April 2009 she led the effort to reclaim the inactive garden at the Armstrong Court Housing Complex. Since that time, serving as Garden Director, she has been the driving force behind the success of the Armstrong Court Community Organic Garden, leading a group of volunteers and gardeners to transform the once-dormant, 15,000 square foot garden into a now-thriving center of organic community gardening, education and culture.  Patty also serves on the Board of Directors of the Greenwich Tree Conservancy.

Betsy Keller is a Registered Dietitian with a background in Nutrition and Health Communications as well as experience implementing local public relations campaigns. Over the past 25 years, she has planned and implemented PR campaigns for clients ranging from healthcare companies to local non-profits. Most recently, she has worked locally to inspire children to  choose healthful diets and raise awareness of sustainable lifestyles.  Her projects include teaching sustainable nutrition to children, planting children’s organic vegetable gardens, co-chairing the first Town of Greenwich Eco-Fair and producing an Environmental Teen Film Contest. She received her Bachelor’s Degree from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor and was awarded a Master of Science degree in Clinical Nutrition from Boston University.  Her dietetic internship was completed at the Mount Sinai Hospital, New York City.  She is a member of the American Dietetic Association (ADA) and the ADA Hunger and Environmental Nutrition practice group.

Analiese Paik is a local-sustainable food advocate and founder and editor of the FairfieldGreenFoodGuide.com,  a free web site that provides readers with a unique blend of local-seasonal food guides, a green food events calendar,  in-depth features stories,  green food resources, and advocacy opportunities. Analiese worked in marketing management positions in various sectors of the financial services industry before starting her career as an independent marketing consultant, now specializing in local-sustainable food and social media marketing.  She holds a Master of Business Administration degree, is a graduate of the Institute of Culinary Education in New York City, and studied wine at the International Wine Center in New York City where she received a certificate in wine from the UK’s Wine and Spirit Education Trust. Paik is an avid organic gardener and home cook and delights in teaching these skills to her two sons. Analiese is a regular monthly guest on News Channel 8’s Good Morning Connecticut show and has been featured in Every Day with Rachael Ray magazine, The Connecticut Post, Stamford Advocate, Greenwich Time, Connecticut Cottages and Gardens magazine, Westport Magazine, Fairfield County Life magazine and various online media. Analiese is a member of Slow Food USA, Northeast Organic Farming Association of Connecticut (NOFA), Aspetuck Land Trust, Friends of Ambler Farm, and is a registered American Farmland Trust and Seafood Watch Advocate. www.fairfieldgreenfoodguide.com

Audubon Connecticut, with more than 9,000 members statewide, works to protect birds, other wildlife and their habitats through education, science and legislative advocacy for the benefit of humanity and the earth’s biological diversity. Our network of nature centers, wildlife sanctuaries, and local, volunteer Chapters, connects people with nature, promotes sound conservation practices and inspires the next generation of conservationists.

Visit www.audubonct.org for environmental policy and bird conservation updates.

Kaiser Permanente Employees Raise $600,000 for Healthy Eating Programs in Underserved Communities

Wholesome Wave will expand farmers’ market programs to eight new locations nationwide.

Bridgeport, Conn. – Wholesome Wave, a Connecticut-based, national nonprofit organization dedicated to nourishing neighborhoods across America by increasing access to and affordability of healthy, fresh locally grown food, announced today that it has received a $600,000 grant from Kaiser Permanente.  The funding will be used primarily to support its Double Value Coupon Program (DVCP), which provides fresh food incentives to encourage low-income consumers to increase their purchase of nutritious produce through local farmers markets.

Wholesome Wave plans to initially expand the DVCP to a minimum of four new states nationwide. The program enables households that use federally funded Food Stamp or Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) coupons to double the value of their grocery coupons when purchasing fresh produce at a farmers market. The Wholesome Wave program is in place at 160 farmers markets in 20 states nationwide.

Funding for the grant is a result of Oakland, Calif.-based Kaiser Permanente’s employee wellness program, Healthy Workforce, through which the nonprofit organization contributed $50 for each employee who took a health risk assessment. Almost 23,000 Kaiser Permanente employees participated in the program. The organization raised $1.2 million overall, which is being distributed to Wholesome Wave and the Washington D.C.-based National Assembly for School-Based Health Care.

“We at Wholesome Wave are so grateful for Kaiser Permanente’s support, which is allowing us to take these next, vitally important steps towards increasing the accessibility of nutritious foods throughout America’s food-insecure communities,” said Michel Nischan, president and founder, Wholesome Wave. “Wholesome Wave and Kaiser Permanente have a shared mission of building a healthier future, and this generous partnership will allow Wholesome Wave to nourish neighborhoods across America.”

The grant also will enable Wholesome Wave to plan for an expansion of its Fruit and Vegetable Prescription Program (FVRx).  This program aims to bridge the gap between physicians providing advice in the clinical setting and changing individual behavior by providing “prescription coupons” that can be redeemed at the patient’s local farmers market.

“Access to healthy food is powerful prevention, and that’s what Wholesome Wave is all about” said Loel Solomon, Ph.D., vice president for community health, Kaiser Permanente. “This partnership makes so much sense because we have such closely aligned values and aspirations.  We both believe that everyone deserves access to healthy, affordable and sustainably grown food and we both know how important that is for people’s health, and the health of our planet.”

Kaiser Permanente is one of the nation’s leading health care organizations, with 36 hospitals and 8.7 million members nationwide. Through Kaiser Permanente’s Healthy Eating/Active Living initiative, the organization works to bring healthy food to the communities it serves, with a particular focus on underserved communities with health disparities. These efforts include working with community groups and store owners to bring healthy food into corner stores, and partnering with schools, city parks and other organizations to offer healthier foods to young people and their families. The first health care organization to hold farmers markets at its hospitals, Kaiser Permanente now hosts 40 markets at facilities in four states.

Wholesome Wave’s programming generated more than $1 million in sales at farmers markets through their incentives in 2010, which directly impacted income of more than 1,700 local farmers and more than 700 local product makers throughout the United States.

About Wholesome Wave

The mission of Wholesome Wave is to empower communities to make better food choices. By creating partnership-based programs in historically excluded urban and rural communities, Wholesome Wave increases access to and affordability of fresh, locally grown food to nourish neighborhoods across America. These initiatives, such as the Double Value Coupon Program (DVCP) and the Fruit & Veggie Prescription Program (FVRx), demonstrate and support the viability of healthy food commerce and its ability to rebuild our nation’s food system. Wholesome Wave leverages private and public funds, as well as existing Federal, State and local government programs, to foster collaborative efforts through a national network of strategically targeted program partners.  This network of partners works in concert to transform current realities in the American food system. Visit  www.wholesomewave.org to learn more. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter.

About Kaiser Permanente
Kaiser Permanente is committed to helping shape the future of health care. We are recognized as one of America’s leading health care providers and not-for-profit health plans. Founded in 1945, our mission is to provide high-quality, affordable health care services and to improve the health of our members and the communities we serve. We currently serve 8.7 million members in nine states and the District of Columbia. Care for members and patients is focused on their total health and guided by their personal physicians, specialists and team of caregivers. Our expert and caring medical teams are empowered and supported by industry-leading technology advances and tools for health promotion, disease prevention, state-of-the art care delivery and world-class chronic disease management. Kaiser Permanente is dedicated to care innovations, clinical research, health education and the support of community health. For more information, go to: www.kp.org/newscenter.

Spring Parsnip Soup, a simple yet extremely flavorful dish from Sustainably Delicious, Michel Nischan's cookbook dedicated to food that’s sourced locally, produced sustainably, and eaten in season.

Great news! I just heard that Riverbank Farm’s delicious spring parsnips are available at the Westport and Fairfield Farmers’ Markets, so be sure to stop in this week to pick some up. Spring parsnips are quite sweet and are excellent when prepared as a soup. Last year I made soup from a recipe in Michel Nischan’s newest cookbook, Sustainably Delicious, and the entire family loved it. After some time roasting in the oven and then on the stove simmering with water (thank you Michel for not making me make stock again!), it was ready to be pureed with some seasonings and served.

Meet the author, chef and sustainable food advocate Michel Nischan, on March 26 at the Food for Thought Expo at Warde High School in Fairfield where he will be treating guests to a cooking demo.

Most parsnip soup recipes call for butter and stock, and sometimes bacon (this vegetable doesn’t need any crutches!), but I much prefer this recipe and the cooking methods used because they result in a super-healthy yet intensely flavored dish that’s easy to make. Happily, the entire cookbook is full of recipes like this and I’ve enjoyed thumbing through it for inspiration as I source seasonal ingredients from local farms. You can experience Michel’s cooking firsthand as he demonstrates healthy recipes at 11 am on March 26 at the 2nd annual Food for Thought Expo at Warde High School in Fairfield.

Food & Wine magazine recently featured a recipe for baked parsnip bacon (chips), but it needed tweaking. These are excellent served as a snack or with drinks. A big bowl at the dinner table will ensure that vegetables are part of the meal. I assure you that they are much more work than the soup, but they are worth making at least once! Here’s how I recommend making them:

Baked Parsnip Chips

1) Wash and peel parsnips.

2) Slice thin lengthwise using a mandoline (forget using a knife; uniformity is key) OR slice them into coins using a food processor.

3) Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil or parchment paper and brush with grapeseed or organic canola oil (regular canola oil in genetically modified).

4) Cover the lined pan with the parsnip strips or coins, fitting them very closely together (they shrink a lot), brush lightly (or spray) with oil and sprinkle with your best salt (smoked is a great choice).

5) Lay a cake cooling rack upside down on top of the strips to keep them flat and bake in a 300 degree oven for 15-20 minutes or until done. Cooking time will vary depending upon the thickness of the parsnip strips or coins.

6) Check often and remove from the oven when they are dry and crispy, but not burned. You may have to remove some chips from the tray and put the rest back in the oven.  They should be light to medium brown, never dark brown or they will be bitter.

7) Let cook before serving.

Coventry Regional Farmers’ Market Launches “Grow The Greenhouse” Benefit Auction for Topmost Herb Farm

Online auction opens Friday, February 25 at noon and runs through Friday, March 4.

Auction Items Include:

Learn to make maple syrup

Gift certificates from CRFM market vendors

RIPE brand mixers staffed cocktail party for 25

Attend the taping of Faith Middleton’s “Food Schmooze” show

A relaxing night’s stay at the Daniel Rust House Bed & Breakfast

Everyone needs a feel good story, about how friends and neighbors reach out to one another and harness the true power of a community.  We have one right here in our own backyard.  It’s the story of how a community came together behind the Coventry Regional Farmers’ Market to launch a “Grow The Greenhouse” Benefit Auction this Friday, February 25^th for one of our own.

The month of February at Topmost Herb Farm is usually filled with anticipation and excitement, as Carole Miller begins the cultivation of her heirloom tomatoes.  As she says, “they are like my babies.”  She checks them daily, often three or four times, making sure they are warm, watered, and fed.  February of 2011 brought a very different feel to Topmost, courtesy of the heavy snow and ice.  When Carole looked out her front door, her heart sank at the sight of the center of her greenhouse buckled under the weight.  Underneath it, all the seedlings she had begun to cultivate.

Devastating.  This small farm in Coventry, known state-wide for fresh herbs and beautiful heirloom tomatoes, is hanging in the balance.  What differs for this farm from the many others in our state suffering from this winter – is the community that surrounds it.  When the Coventry Regional Farmers’ Market organizers heard, a committee that Carole is an integral part of, they jumped into action.

“Carole, simply put, has been the heart and wisdom behind the CRFM since, day one” says market coordinator Winter Caplanson.  The community responded with offers to help, and market organizers quickly arranged a work party, where more than 25 people ascended on the farm with tools, shovels, and even a back hoe.  The twisted metal and plastic that once was the greenhouse, was dismantled.

While the physical labor was needed, Carole is also faced with a hefty price tag of over $7,500 to replace the uninsured structure.  Again, the community of people who one might believe were mere strangers came together as a community, donating over 100 items for the “Grown the Greenhouse” online benefit auction.  The auction, which opens Friday, February 25 at noon and runs through Friday, March 4, boasts an amazing array of items.  Bidders can learn how to make maple syrup, get countless gift certificates from market vendors, treat themselves to a RIPE brand mixers staffed cocktail party for 25, bid on a chance to sit in on the taping of Faith Middleton’s “Food Schmooze” show, relax with a night’s stay at the Daniel Rust House Bed & Breakfast, the list goes on with opportunities to bid on items to interest anyone.   The auction site can be found at http://bit.ly/GrowTheGreenhouse

All funds raised in the auction will directly benefit Topmost Herb Farm.  More information can be found on the Coventry Regional Farmers’ Market website at http://coventryfarmersmarket.com or our Facebook page at  www.facebook.com/CoventryFarmersMarket. If you would like to make an auction donation, please contact:

Jean Nelson

(860) 209-9851

jeancnelson@hotmail.com

100 copies are available for lending at the Fairfield Public Library's main location downtown and at the Woods Branch, plus another 50 at Pequot Library.

Fairfield’s One Book One Town 2011 selection is Eating Animals, by Jonathan Safran Foer. As part of the book event series, Pequot Library will be hosting an indoor farmers’ market and guest speaker series including beekeepers, artisan cheese makers and farmers on Saturday, March 5 from 10 am to 4 pm.

Bring your reusable shopping bags and get to know and buy from your farmer face-to-face in this beautiful library setting.

Eating Animals is a provocative book which invites us all to learn and care about where our food comes from and how it’s raised. The Fairfield Green Food Guide will be an exhibitor and founder and editor Analiese Paik will be a speaker at this event, sharing the myriad resources available to consumers looking for local and sustainably grown and produced food.

Join us on Facebook and Twitter @GreenFoodGal to hear the latest news and announcement of who will be participating in this event.

By Analiese Paik and Daniel Lanzilotta

The winter farmers' market at Gilbertie's Herb Gardens in Westport is one of three heated, indoor farmers' markets in Fairfield County. Visit this site's farmers' market tab to view all three market schedules.

It is the dead of winter here in Connecticut, a season no longer synonymous with  little to no local food thanks to three indoor winter farmers’ markets in Fairfield County and the industriousness of our four season farmers and producers.  I invited Chef Daniel Lanzilotta, aka The Mindful Chef, to take the Fairfield Green Food Guide’s Winter Farmers’ Market Challenge to create a Valentine’s Day Dinner made almost exclusively from farmers’ market ingredients. The catch was that it had to be simple enough to make at home, but still festive enough for a special occasion dinner.

On shopping day our destination was Gilberte’s Herb Gardens, host to a winter farmers’ market nestled inside one of their heated greenhouses. Each Thursday from 10 am to 2 pm, vendors set up to sell everything from bread and cheese to organic vegetables and pastured meats. Take a peek inside the greenhouse in the video below to see what Chef Daniel chose for the Valentine’s Day Dinner, then follow along as he discusses ingredients, shares his recipes and teaches us to make the meal at home.

Cokie Wilcox, owner of Picklena in Westport, makes delicious cucumber and jalapeno pepper pickles in cool and hot versions. They were too cute and delicious to pass up, but didn't make it into the final menu. Pick some up for lunch or a cheese board to liven things up.

It was truly springlike in the greenhouse, a surprise considering the amount of snow just on the other side of the walls. My shopping strategy for the Winter Farmers’ Market Challenge was to take a  general tour of the stalls to make mental notes of the dishes which flooded my mind as I surveyed each delectable local product. After many stops, chats and tastings, including an introduction to Kokie Wilcox, the owner of Picklena, a boutique jalaneno pickle producer new to the market, we were ready to get down to business and purchase farm-fresh ingredients for the challenge.

Gorgeous and pristine, greenhouse-grown organic herbs and micro greens from Two Guys from Woodbridge instantly transform an ordinary dish into a fantastic meal.

I chose ingredients I felt would render a beautiful, well balanced meal that anyone could easily make for their Valentine.

Greyledge Farm's pasture-raised, grass-fed beef, pork and chicken comes frozen in Cryovac. For quick and safe defrosting, submerge in a bowl of cold water and change the water every half hour until defrosted. Never defrost food on the kitchen counter as the differential between the exterior and interior temperatures of the food invites bacterial growth.

After selecting a fine whole chicken from Greyledge Farm, we moved briskly along and bought some Caerphilly, a combination cow and goat’s milk artisanal cheese made by Beltane Farm. We learned from the farmer that they don’t begin milking the goats until  late February or March, so fresh chevre was just not available. What a great lesson in eating in season. Half a dozen eggs, a mesclun salad with orange nasturtium flowers, and fresh tarragon from Two Guys from Woodbridge, a USDA Certified Organic producer, were gently tucked into our bags. Our last stop was Riverbank Farm, another certified organic four season farm, where we loaded up on potatoes, carrots and beets. Although we couldn’t resist buying the Picklena pickles, they did fit into the final menu, so we’re saving them for a future event.

Beltane Farm's Caerphilly cheese is an excellent substitute for fresh chevre during the off season when the goats get a rest from milking.

With ingredients in hand, the menu came together in my mind – Frenched* chicken breast stuffed with Caerphilly cheese  and drizzled with tarragon sauce, oven roasted beets, and match stick potatoes and carrots. Half an hour later I was back in my kitchen, ingredients in hand, recipe in mind, and ready to cook.

Valentine’s Day Dinner Recipes:

Start by roasting the beets, then cut up and cook the chicken, then cut up and cook the carrots and potatoes, then prepare the tarragon sauce, plate and serve.

Frenched Chicken Breast Stuffed with Caerphilly Cheese and Drizzled with Tarragon Sauce

Ingredients:

• 1 whole chicken, fresh or defrosted with giblets removed, patted dry
• 2 Tablespoons to 1/4 cup of Beltane Farm Caerphilly cheese (or goat cheese)
• 1 bunch of tarragon
• 4 cloves of garlic
• 1/4 cup olive oil, divided
• salt and pepper

Procedure:Removing breast from chicken

First watch this excellent video from Gourmet demonstrating how to cut up a whole chicken. Note that in the video the wing is removed. Omit this step if you want to prepare a “Frenched” breast*. Also, he does not remove the rib cage from the breast. Under step 5 below are instructions and another demo video to follow if you are unfamiliar with deboning a chicken breast.

* Frenched breast of chicken is a boneless half breast with the skin and first joint of the wing still attached.

1. Place whole chicken with breast and legs facing up  on a cutting board and remove the legs (drumstick and thigh), then separate drumstick and thigh. (see video)

2. Remove wings only if you want to make a completely boneless breast rather than a Frenched breast.

3. With kitchen shears or poultry scissors, remove backbone as shown in video. You will be left with both breasts attached to the bone.

4. Remove the breast bone working from the back (see video), then flip over and halve the breasts. (see video)

5.Next run your boning knife along the length of the widest part of the breast where it’s connected to the rib bone, cutting in long but shallow strokes while pulling the meat away from the bone with the other hand until it’s separated. Check for any remaining bones, especially short ones, and be sure to remove them if you are doing a completely boneless breast. Trim the breast to remove any fatty pieces and tendons. Keep the skin on for this recipe.

6. French each breast by cutting off the two end sections of each wing at the joint, leaving only the mini-drumstick attached. For a traditional French cut, use your knife to push down on the skin and meat to expose the bone. You have just created a “Frenched breast.”*

7. Reserve wing and backbone for stock and reserve chicken legs and thighs for another use.

Procedure: To slice pocket into chicken breast

1. With skin side up, insert a small boning knife into the  center of chicken breast with blade parallel to cutting surface and cut left and then reverse knife and cut right to make a pocket. Be mindful not to make holes in either bottom or top of breast. Repeat with second breast.

3. Check to see if pocket is big enough to accept quarter inch slices of  cheese. Stuff until pocket is full but not over stuffed.

4. Salt and pepper both sides of breast.

To Cook:

1. Heat up large ovenproof saute pan over medium heat until pan is hot.

2. Drizzle in olive oil then add chicken, skin side down, shaking pan back and forth to eliminate any possibility of chicken breast from sticking.

3. Remove pan from heat when skin is golden brown and crispy and place in a 350 degree  preheated oven for 20 minutes or until done. Chicken juices should run clear and chicken will be firm to the touch.

4. Make tarragon sauce

Tarragon sauce

1. Finely chop 2 tablespoons of tarragon.

2. Finely mince 4 cloves of garlic.

3. Add both ingredients to 1/4 cup olive oil and warm up very slightly in oven. Avoid browning the garlic.

4. When chicken breast is ready to plate, pour sauce over breast.

Oven Roasted beets (Start these first)

Ingredients:

• 2 medium-sized beets
  

Method:

1. Wash beets by scrubbing with a vegetable brush until they are free any surface dirt. Dry well.

2. Place on tin foil, fold and seal, and place into 400 degree preheated oven for 30-45 minutes or until done. Check for doneness with a small knife incision. Beets should be soft but not mushy.

3. Cool under cold water and wash off skin. Peel with a knife if skin is stubborn.

4. Slice, cut into heart shapes or use imagination. Reserve.

Match Stick Potatoes and Carrots

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• two good sized farm fresh carrots
• two waxy yellow potatoes
• two purple potatoes

Procedure to cook carrots and potatoes (Saute vegetables while chicken is in oven)

1. Wash and clean potatoes and carrots.

2. Slice into 1/8 inch thick slices and proceed to cut julienne match stick shaped pieces.

3. Heat up saute pan over medium heat until hot, then drizzle in oil. Cook potatoes first until brown, then add carrots.

4. Cook until done by tasting potatoes first.

5. Hold until chicken breast is out of oven and plate.

6. Mix in roasted beets. Correct seasoning if necessary.

Plating directions

Plate all ingredients in an artistic fashion and present to your loved one. Enjoy and make every day a Valentine’s Day in some way.

Chef Daniel Lanzilotta is the owner of The Mindful Chef and has been creating culinary productions for private dinner parties and events in Fairfield County, New York City and Europe for many years. Chef Daniel provides an upscale culinary experience for intimate events in your home or alternative space. Everything is created from scratch on location. Chef Daniel  can be reached at 203-216-4446, by email at themindfulchef@gmail.com, and on Facebook and Linkedin.

Red Bee's honey tasting table at a formal tasting. Photo c/o Red Bee Honey

Looking for a special Valentine’s Day gift of local food? Author and beekeeper Marina Marchese of Red Bee Honey in Weston will be a guest at the Westport Indoor Farmers’ Market on Thursday, February 10 to conduct a tasting of her single nectar source honeys including buckwheat, pumpkin blossom and Tulip Poplar. If you’ve tasted wines under the guidance of an expert, you know how enlightening it is to taste them side by side to compare and contrast aromas, flavors, and colors. Honey tastings are conducted the same way and will give you a new appreciation for how nuanced and unique each single nectar source honey is.

Marina will be signing her book "Honeybee: Lessons from an Accidental Beekeeper", which made the Washington Post's "Books We Love 2009" List

For the book lovers on your list, pick up a signed copy of Marina’s book, “Honeybee: Lessons from an Accidental Beekeeper”. Carol Herman, the Books Editor at The Washington Times, named Marchese’s HONEYBEE one of the “Books We Loved” in 2009. Marina’s transition from art director to beekeeper is also being told via a  Yahoo  Second Act video filled with beautifully filmed footage of her apiary and gardens.

Red Bee Honey is listed in the most recent edition of Patricia Brook’s “Food Lovers’ Guide to Connecticut”, a best of the best foodie guide to Connecticut.

Red Bee Honeys can also be purchased at: Fairfield Cheese Company (Fairfield), Catch a Healthy Habit Café (Fairfield), Aux Delices (Greenwich/Darien), Plum Pure Foods (Old Greenwich), Mirabelle Cheese Shop (Westport), Practically Green (Ridgefield), Jones Family Winery (Shelton), Artisan Foods (Southbury), Tarry Market (Port Chester) and McLaughlin Vineyard (Sandy Hook).

Restaurants using Red Bee Honey include LeFarm (Westport), Scoozi (New Haven), Winvian Luxury Resort (Litchfield), Billy Grants (East Haven), and The Unquowa School (Fairfield).

To learn more about Red Bee Honey, visit the web site and read Lessons from a Local Beekeeper on this site.

Red Bee Honey Apiary & Gardens

77 Lyons Plain Road

Weston, CT  06883-3034

www.redbeehoney.com

Call Toll Free: 1.866.530.3022
Email: redbeehoney@gmail.com

Other Upcoming Events

Move over wine, honey tastings are here and they make the perfect foodie gift. Photo c/o Red Bee Honey.

Honey for your Honey-RSVP
Saturday, February 12, 2011 from 1:00pm till 4:00pm

Valentine’s Day Honey Tasting and Open House at Red Bee Apiary with beekeeper and honey sommelier Marina Marchese

Honey Tasting from 1-1:30pm

Open House from 1- 4:00 pm

If you’ve never tasted single nectar source honeys side-by-side to compare and contrast them, this is your chance to do so with the beekeeper herself, Marina Marchese. Once you’ve picked your favorites, choose from a wide assortment of beautifully packaged individual bottles of honey or boxed gift sets including the Honey Tasting Party in a Box from Red Bee. Choose from the four or five jar limited harvest honey sets.

FEBRUARY 13
Tarry Market
Sunday, February 13, 2011 from 12:00pm till 4:00pm
Valentine’s Day Honey Tasting at Mario Batali’s Tarry Market
Beekeeper and honey sommelier Marina Marchese will be signing copies of her book HONEYBEE
Tarry Market 175 N. Main Street Port Chester, NY

Redd Collyer from Collyer Catering, a vendor at the Westport Indoor Winter Farmers’ Market, has graciously shared a simple recipe for a delicious salad of kale, quinoa and vinegar red onions that stays fresh for days. I discovered this one very hectic eat-on-the run Saturday (aren’t they all?) when I cleaned out the refrigerator into a cooler as we headed out. Sifting through the cooler contents at lunch, I claimed the prized container of Collyer’s Wilted Kale with Vinegar Red Onions and Quinoa I had purchased at the market on Thursday. As I marveled over how good it was, the rest of the family remained circumspect. Don’t be a doubter, this is a home run.

Collyer’s Wilted Kale with Vinegar Red Onions and Quinoa

(edited by Analiese Paik for the home cook)

Master Ingredient List:

1. One bunch kale
2. One small red onion
3. Red and white quinoa (or either one)
4. Red wine vinegar
5. Brown or raw sugar
6. Cilantro
7. Lemon juice (fresh squeezed)
8. Olive oil (use the best you have for dressing the salad)

For the vinegar red onions:

Ingredients:

• 1 small Red Onion-sliced thin, not chopped
• ¼ c Red Wine Vinegar
• ¼ c Brown or Raw Sugar

Method:

1. Place a sauté pan over medium heat.
2. Put the vinegar and sugar into the pan, turn on exhaust fan, and allow to reduce until there is no liquid present.  It will take about 5 minutes or so and will start to turn brown.  Do not stir and do not put your head over the pan to avoid inhaling the vinegar vapors.
3. Add in the red onion and allow to simmer undisturbed until the onions are browned.
4. Remove from heat and allow to cool.

For the Kale:

Ingredients:

• 1 head of kale, thoroughly washed and dried

Method:

1. Heat a large sauté pan over medium to high heat.
2. Lightly oil the pan with organic canola oil (regular is GMO) or grapeseed oil.
3. Taking one leaf at a time, place it in the pan stem side up and allow to wilt (this is quick, about 30 seconds)..
4. Flip it over to do the other side which will take longer since it has the stem.
5. Remove from heat and allow to cool.
6. Once cool, put the kale stem side up on a cutting board, and make a v to remove the fibrous rib from each leaf.  Chop the remainder to bite sized.

For the Quinoa:

Ingredients:

• Red and white quinoa (preferably organic; can be found boxed in Trader Joe’s, boxed or in bulk at Whole Foods and natural food stores)

Method:

1. Cook 1/2 cup each red and white quinoa (or 1 cup total of either) according to package directions.
2. Preparation Note: quinoa must always be rinsed well through a strainer with running water to remove the bitter coating before cooking.
3. Cooking note: Quinoa cooks in 20 minutes and can also be made in a rice cooker. The ratio is always 1 cup quinoa to 2 cups water.

Assembly:

1. Allow the quinoa to cool, then add chopped cilantro, lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper to taste.
2. When everything has cooled to room temperature, assemble in a large bowl and mix, adjust seasonings to taste and enjoy!

This salad can be made ahead and served cold or room temperature. Simply double the recipe if you’re serving a crowd. Please let us know how you enjoyed it and come post your photos on our Facebook page.

Tweet

By Analiese Paik

If you live in or near New Milford or Danbury, this CSA is for you. Clatter Valley Farm in New Milford is a successful CSA farm that is in the process of applying for organic certification by Bay State Organic for edible crops. Shares can be picked up at the farm on Wednesday afternoons from 2:30pm-6:00pm or at the Danbury farmers’ market on Fridays.

The Clatter Valley Farm CSA will run from mid June to mid October and each share includes at least 6-8 different fresh-picked seasonal vegetables each week. A newsletter alerts members to the produce that is becoming available during the harvest season so they can plan ahead.The farm also offers fresh cut flowers, herbs and eggs and is working on creating an add on for a fruit share.   The CSA costs $450 for a full share, and $250 for a half share. Please register by March 31st.

How to sign up:

Please visit Clatter Valley Farm’s web site to learn more and download an enrollment form. You may also email owners Willow & Jeremy Schulz at clattervalleycsa@yahoo.com to request the form. Please complete the CSA registration form and send it with your check directly to the farm at their mailing address: 108 Squire Hill Road, New Milford, Connecticut 06776

Clatter Valley Farm is located at 125 Town Farm Road, New Milford,CT 06776

Web site: http://www.clattervalleyfarm.com/

Email: clattervalleycsa@yahoo.com

Willow & Jeremy Schulz     203.994.1286 / 5