Way back in December, at the beginning of the Dark Days Challenge, Sophie of Late Bloomer’s Farm contacted a few fellow Dark Dayers and other local foodies in the Northeast and suggested a gathering; a local potluck where we would get together, bring some of our favorite seasonal, local dishes, and get to  know each other outside of the cozy confines of the Interwebs.

What a wonderful time!  Sophie, as the hostess with the mostest, gathered us all together at her place, which was fairly central to our far-flung Northeast participants.  In addition to Tai & I, our gathering included Alicia and her husband, Maureen, Zoe, and Cecelia.

We dished (and dished and dished): dished out great food, great conversation, recipe ideas, baking techniques, local food sources and resources, politics, current events, and many, many laughs.  There was homemade butter, a potato leek soup, and chicken scarpariello from Sophie, a tofu and butternut squash curry from Zoe, fresh local greens with a fabulous dressing and a potato-kale pancake from Maureen, and homemade rosemary potato chips and butternut and quinoa fritters from Alicia. Not to mention local cheese, spicy pickled carrots and chile peppers, bean sprouts, local fresh butter, roasted root veggies, spinach gnocchi, and many bottles of local wine and beer.

I’m sure I’m forgetting something, or I’ve mis-attributed some dishes; suffice it to say, when you invite a bunch of passionate food bloggers over for a meal, you end up with a lot of excellent food!  We even had local party favors, as Lisa of Goat Boy Soaps kindly provided local goat milk soap for everyone in attendance.

The table groaned under the weight of so much tasty, fresh, local food, and our stomachs groaned as we could not stop eating the deliciousness.  We sat by the warmth of the fire, or stood around the loaded buffet table, or hovered in the kictchen, picking up tips on authentic Italian Sunday gravy or flavorful fresh salad dressing, and chatted, and laughed, and ate.  All in all, it was a perfectly lovely day, and I can’t think of a better way to while away a frosty winter afternoon. 

For our contribution, Tai & I brought whole wheat Scottish baps and a glazed blackberry tart (local resources listed below) not to mention our healthy appetites.  Special thanks to Sophie for organizing and hosting the gathering, to Lisa of Goat Boy Soaps for providing the party favors, and to everyone for making it a truly fun time.  We can hardly wait until the next one!

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LOCAL RESOURCES

Whole Grain Scottish Baps

• Flours, cornmeal, 10-grain mix (topping): Wild Hive Farm, Clinton Corners, NY
• Milk & whey: Milk Thistle Farm, Ghent, NY
• Butter: Ronnybrook, Ancramdale, NY
• Dried basil topping: Ryder Farms CSA, Brewster, NY (dried in summer ’09)
• Salt, instant yeast: away

Glazed Berry Tart with Sweet Ricotta Filling

• Pastry flour: Wild Hive Farm, Clinton Corners, NY
• Butter: Ronnybrook, Ancramdale, NY
• Cider vinegar: homemade
• Baking soda, salt: away
• Egg white: Madura Farms, Goshen, NY
• Ricotta: homemade from Arethusa Farm, Litchfield, CT (citric acid from away)
• Maple syrup: homemade, Old Forge, NY
• Honey: New England Farms, Granville, NY
• Strawberry puree: homemade from Jones Family Farms strawberries, Shelton, CT (lemon juice from away)
• Blackberries: Fishkill Farms, Fishkill, NY (frozen in August ‘09)
• Cornstarch: away