Happy Halloween Everyone!

We hope everyone will join us for a SPOOKTACULAR Pathfinder Produce Market on Thursday, October 29, at the Village Commons from 1 to 5 p.m.  We’re featuring New York State cider, which is the perfect beverage for Halloween.  We also have all the fruits and vegetables you’ll need to balance out those Trick-or-Treat goodies we all succumb to at this time of the year! ***** My kids are older now, so we don’t get pumpkins for carving as we used to.  But based on what I’ve been seeing on the internet lately, pumpkin carving has become a higher art form, and there’s no end to the creative visions of carvers, both young and old. One of the favorite posts that has been circulating on social networking is the “Trumpkin,” pumpkin portraits of the front-runner of the GOP Presidential race.  But there are other amazing patterns –  horses, Harry Potter imagery, dog portraits – you name it!  There are plenty of websites that offer directions and templates, and a good place to start is the HGTV site which offers basic templates for you to try. Of course, there are plenty of pumpkin flavored coffees and other items that hit the shelves at this time of year.  While many of these are frighteningly delicious, some are somewhat silly, in my opinion.  Be aware that unwanted additives and extra calories from sugar and fats may be lurking in innocent-looking wrappings (talk about scary!)  I would suggest that it is far better to bake your own treats using unsweetened canned pumpkin puree, that way you can reduce extra fats and sugars in the item you are enjoying. Healthy recipes may be found at the One Green Planet and other recipe websites, while some adventurously weird recipes may be found at the Greatest website. Until next time, enjoy your Halloween, be safe while Trick-or-Treating (wear reflective colors, carry flashlights, sort through goodies), and be well! Lori

A Bit of a Diversion & Diversification (or Reclaiming our Hop Heritage)

We invite all our friends and neighbors to hop down to the next delicious Pathfinder Produce on Thursday, October 22, from 1 to 5 p.m.  Fall flavors are at their peak, and we have a wide variety of harvest fruits, vegetables, and bulk products to share with your family.

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Although we don’t sell hops at Pathfinder Produce, every once in a while I feel the need to write about other agricultural topics.  This week’s blog is inspired through a painting showing 19^th century agricultural workers bringing in the hop harvest by regional artist Henry Drexler of Norwich.  Hops are a key ingredient in beer, used to stabilize the product and impart a bitter flavor. 

Hops have antibacterial properties, which during the brewing process allow the brewer’s yeast to work more effectively in converting sugars to alcohol.  During the Middle Ages in Europe, most farms brewed their own ales (no hops) and beers (with hops) of varying alcohol content, as these were far safer to drink than water.  (Even kids drank weak beer; in an age where sanitation was little understood, lethal pathogens were rampant).  According to WebMD, hops (either through herbal supplements or topical creams) are at times used for tension and anxiety, insomnia, menopausal symptoms, and sleep disorders, and can help with digestive issues. 

European settlers brought their brewing traditions with them to New York and New England by the 1700s.  By the mid-19th century, New York farmers were the prime growers of hops, with our Central New York region being known as “the hop belt.”  It’s interesting to explore old maps to see where breweries and hop kilns were located.   Here in Edmeston, the Beers 1868 Atlas (pun fully intended!) shows that Silas P. Stickney grew hops at his Sugar Maple Farm, just about where the NYCM Main Office is today.  There were at least eight hop kilns on properties through the township; one lone hop barn remains on the Beardslee Farm in Pittsfield, just as one crosses into Chenango County.  The booming hops industry was devastated about 1910 through an epidemic of powdery mildew disease (sometimes called the “Blue Mold”).  

But the good news for area farmers is that hops are making a comeback, which I think may be due to a renaissance in micro- and home-brewing and commercial craft brews.   During drives through the area, I’ve noted that hop poles are now dotting our hillsides and farms, with the nearest being at the Red Pines Golf Course, and several spots in Cooperstown.  Another plantation is on Route 8, heading toward Utica.   If you’re interested in growing your own hops, check out the many websites (like this one) that explain the process.

 

Until next time, enjoy life and be well,

Lori

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Hop-Picking_in_Kent_by_Stephen_Thompson_1875.jpg

More Veggie Art

Happy Columbus Day, everyone!  We hope everyone will join us this Thursday, October 15 from 1 to 5 p.m. for our next delicious Pathfinder Produce market at The Village Commons.  Our market is absolutely brimming with great seasonal tastes, so that you may share fresh fruits and veggies with your family throughout the week.

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I’ve been watching another history documentary series, this one features art historian Dr. James Fox, and focuses on the British Renaissance. Showing documents, buildings, scientific artifacts and art, Dr. Fox explains that this English era of creativity came later than the famed Italian Renaissance, and developed its own more-earthy, more pedestrian aesthetic.  Shakespeare, of course, was part of this era, as were other visionaries like Hans Holbein the Younger, John Donne, and Britain’s first architect of renown, Inigo Jones.

One of the painters that the series focuses on is Nathaniel Bacon (1585-1627) …. ummmm Bacon, have I got your interest? (Note:  This is not the same Nathaniel Bacon of Virginia Colony who would lead one of the earliest armed revolts in America against royal leaders, Bacon’s Revolt in 1676.) 

Bacon, a member of the landed gentry from Culford, truly was a Renaissance Man.  He was a gifted portraitist, and is also credited with painting the first British landscape, a small but distinct piece that celebrates the land for its own sake, now in the collection of the Ashmolean Museum.  Sadly, less than a dozen of his paintings survive.

Bacon was clearly influenced by Northern European artists, the Dutch and Flemish painters, who reveled in food and market scenes.  But Bacon’s true passion was for gardening and growing incredible edibles.  His pears and turnips were well known, and his succulent cantaloupe melons were especially prized.  He is best known for his painting of one of his harvests, “Cook Maid with Still Life of Vegetables and Fruit,” which showcases a spectacular harvest and is believed to be the first still-life painting created in England.   (While modern viewers may be a tad shocked at the cook maid’s plunging neckline, clearly the focus of the painting for 15^th century viewers was the explosion of vegetables and mammoth cabbages.  The painting is now in the collection of the Tate, London.)

So what does this have to do with Pathfinder Produce?  I guess the connecting thread is that we are now at the height of our harvest, and our market continues Bacon’s vision of presenting wonderful produce for all to appreciate.  Although we are more-removed from horticulture and rely on the labor of market farmers, there is still something about fresh-picked, colorful, and varied fruits and vegetables that speaks to us all about full flavors, eating well, and satiety.

Until next time, enjoy the harvest!

Lori

National Apple Month and Apple Hacks

We hope everyone will join us for our next delicious Pathfinder Produce market, this Thursday, October 8, from 1 to 5 p.m.  Please pardon the appearance of the west side of the Village Commons where we host our weekly community market; we are expanding our Café to better serve our loyal customers.  But more importantly, we are also creating a dedicated training space for our vocational students and Otsego Academy class members, so that young people may gain valuable experience at a real business, which ties in with Pathfinder’s educational mission of supporting individuals living with Developmental Disabilities.

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A few weeks back I had shared a few helpful hints from Julia Child’s show, The French Chef, and truthfully, there’s nothing I relish more than learning about innovative or better ways to handle life’s somewhat routine tasks. 

And in keeping with National Apple Month, more recently we were peeling and cutting apples, some perfect honey crisps.  My son, who also enjoys quirky-but-helpful videos, shared one of his favorites from the Crazy Russian Hacker on YouTube.  In the clip, the Hacker uses a novel approach to apple peeling – a wide spade bit in a drill, which is used to skewer and rotate the apple.  Advising safety first, the Hacker makes short work of the apple peel using a horizontal style peeler.  I think I may actually try this using my cordless drill, which would be safer as it can sit flat on its base for stability.  (He also uses the drill with a sturdy brush to peel an entire bag of potatoes, pomme de terre, very quickly).

Another helpful YouTube video on apple shortcuts is offered by Grant Thompson, the King of Random.  He also shows the more adventurous how to make a neat apple swan, which might be a fun fall project with the kids.

Of course, its cider season, and Pathfinder Produce has gallons of the sweet amber favorite available.  There are all kinds of videos about cider processing, from how to make your own washing machine press to basic home processing.  If you decide to make your own cider, be careful not to use drops to avoid pathogens from contaminating your harvest.  Also, some of the videos suggest using softwoods or wide-grained woods to make cider contraptions.  I would avoid doing so, as open wood grain can accumulate bacteria, which is why wooden utensils and cutting boards are traditionally fashioned from tight-grained woods like hard maple.  For videos on commercial processing, check out these clips about Sharon Orchards and The Fly Creek Cider Mill.

Until next time, CHEERS!

Lori