| Local cooking and eating in New York's Hudson Valley.

Plum Apple Chutney

20 September 2011 by local kitchen

I am ludricrously far behind in sharing recipes with you: there are at least 40 posts in my draft folder and it seems to grow daily. But, being a seasonal eater with a seasonal blog, it doesn’t make much sense for me to share a pickled garlic scape recipe with you in September, does it? Nor “strawberry jam: 10 tips for a good set.” And you might just have to wait ’til next year to hear about the probably-way-too-spicy-for-anyone-but-me blackberry […]

Categories: 100% local, apples, bell pepper, canning, chutneys, fall, hot chile peppers, plums, preserving, summer • Tags: apples, canning, food, local, plum, preserving, recipes

Smoked Chicken & Corn Soup

15 September 2011 by local kitchen

In the days following Irene, when no one in northern Westchester had any power, my neighbor (and landlord) did the smart thing: he fired up the Big Green Egg, pulled meat from the freezer and put it in to smoke. Lots of meat: two whole chickens, a couple of fat slabs of salmon, a bunch of steaks. And being the kind landlord (and neighbor) that he is, in addition to bringing us ice from the City, he gave us one of […]

Categories: 100% local, chicken, corn, main course, soup, tomatoes • Tags: chicken, cooking, corn, food, local, main course, Mexican, recipes, soup

Corn Cob Stock

12 September 2011 by local kitchen

It was my friend Kelly who first mentioned corn cob stock to me; at the time, I was simultaneously impressed by the brilliance of the idea and skeptical that I would actually like the taste. Don’t get me wrong: I love corn. Corn on the cob: I mean, who doesn’t love it? But corn cobs themselves? Seem like something that people in the South make pipes out of, or what Pa Ingalls made a doll of for Half-Pint. Not stuff that you […]

Categories: 100% local, corn, stock, summer • Tags: cooking, corn, corn on the cob, food, frugal, local, preserving, recipes, stock, vegetarian

Grilled Corn Salsa

9 September 2011 by local kitchen

I know, I know: it’s after Labor Day, kids are back in school, vacations are over. But it is still technically summer for another precious few weeks and summer produce is still at farmer’s markets: peaches, tomatoes and corn. Sweet, sweet corn. As a kid, I loved corn. It was my favorite vegetable, something even my Mom’s cooking couldn’t screw up. In fact, my all-time favorite meal back then was Shake N Bake chicken legs, corn (typically boiled from frozen) […]

Categories: canning, cilantro, corn, preserving, salsa, summer, tomatoes • Tags: canning, cooking, corn, food, local, preserving, quick & easy, recipes, salsa, tomatoes

Plum Hot Jelly

7 September 2011 by local kitchen

A few weeks ago, it was hot. Bright sunshine. High summer. It’s kind of hard to fathom now, just a short time later, as I huddle at my desk in fleece pants and fuzzy slippers, watching the rain drip, drip, drip endlessly from the eaves. Back then, in high summer, I met Miss Julia up in Red Hook for some blackberry picking, carelessly comfortable in flip flops and a tanktop: was it really only last month? As we often do, we traded some goodies: […]

Categories: apples, canning, hot chile peppers, jellies, plums, preserving, summer • Tags: apple, canning, chiles, cooking, food, jelly, local, plums, preserving, recipes

Maple Bourbon Blackberries

4 September 2011 by local kitchen

Are blackberries still available in New York? I don’t know, but it seems doubtful, especially after Irene. What I do know is that nearly a week without internet access didn’t do much for the backlog of preserving recipes I’ve been meaning to share with you. I either need to post every day for a couple of weeks or save some of them for next year. Given the backlog of fruit & vegetables cluttering up my kitchen counters, waiting for their own spot in […]

Categories: berries, canning, preserves, preserving, summer, wine, beer & liquor • Tags: canning, cooking, food, local, preserving, quick & easy, recipes

A Fund for Jennie: Winners!

3 September 2011 by local kitchen

Yesterday marked the end of the Local Kitchen Fund for Jennie auction: I’m delighted to say that, together, we raised $585 for the Perillo Girls! As promised, seven lucky winners will receive their choice of custom canning labels, designed by me and based upon the specific needs of each canner’s pantry. The lucky winners are: Casey DelliCarpini Caroline MacMoran Kathleen Clark Meredith Redsoxgal Melissa B and, selected by random.org, BisforBread Congratulations to the winners, and thank you so very much […]

Categories: community • Tags: #afundforjennie, bloggers without borders, community, labels

Irene’s Jam

2 September 2011 by local kitchen

Hands up who lost power during Irene? Yep, me too. In a way, we are lucky: given that the combination of NYSEG and Westchester County = power outages at least once a week during winter, we are well-prepared to lose our electricity. We have a gas stovetop, that just requires lighting with a match during a power outage; a propane fireplace to heat the house in cold weather; candles and flashlights a-plenty; and generally a few gallons of water in […]

Categories: berries, canning, citrus, cranberries, jams, preserving, rhubarb, year round • Tags: berries, canning, cooking, food, hurricane, irene, local, preserving, recipes

Wild Blueberry Jam with Mint

27 August 2011 by local kitchen

I know what you’re thinking: blueberries are long gone from these parts, right? Well, I’ll be willing to bet that there are still some out there (although they may well be completely done after this weekend’s Big Blow). And it is still wild blueberry season in Maine (in fact, I’m also willing to bet that there are enterprising Mainers out in the fields right now, raking for all they’re worth, in advance of the storm). The blueberries I used in […]

Categories: berries, canning, foraging, jams, mint, preserving, summer, wild foods • Tags: berries, blueberry, canning, cooking, food, jam, local, preserving, recipes

A Fund for Jennie: Custom Labels

24 August 2011 by local kitchen

I’m sure this isn’t the only food blog you read. So, assuming you’ve been surfing about in the food blogsphere at all, you’ve heard about Jennie. About the sudden death of her husband Mikey. About thousands of peanut butter pies made in his name. About the aftermath of sudden and unexpected death: not only crushing grief, but mortgage payments, legal and tax issues, health insurance woes. Fear. Worry. And an overwhelming feeling that now you must face these myriad problems […]

Categories: community • Tags: #afundforjennie, bloggers without borders, canning, community, labels

Chile Blackberry Syrup (+ Bonus Spicy Booze!)

22 August 2011 by local kitchen

I’ve wanted to try this chile blackberry syrup from Heidi for ages: last year’s blackberry harvest was a bust, so I filed the recipe away in my bookmarks and waited, longingly, for August to roll around once more. The blink of an eye (and a whole lotta blog posts) later, August is here once again, and I’ve been up to Greig Farm in Red Hook twice, with Miss Julia, picking and picking and picking, determined to squirrel away as much […]

Categories: berries, canning, hot chile peppers, preserving, sauces • Tags: berries, canning, chiles, condiments, food, local, preserving, quick & easy, recipes

Asian Vegetable Soup

20 August 2011 by local kitchen

I didn’t plan on posting this one: I mean, how many vegetable soup recipes do you really need? But Tai loved it so much, and continued to rave after his second bowl, that I decided I should write it down so that I can make it again sometime. Which was the whole raison d’être of the blog in the first place: so that when Tai asks me next summer, “Remember that Asian soup you made a while back? Can we […]

Categories: cabbage, carrot, green beans, soup, summer • Tags: cooking, food, local, preserving, quick & easy, recipes, soup, vegetarian

Blackberry Lemon Preserves

18 August 2011 by local kitchen

In the last couple of weeks, I’ve headed north to meet Julia, with munchkin in tow, at Greig Farm in Red Hook, NY to pick blackberries. It’s a large farm, spread out across rolling hills, and a beautiful one: acres and acres of blueberries, blackberries, raspberries and apples, as far as the eye can see. We’ve been lucky enough to pick bright & sunny days, yet there is always a breeze on the blackberry hill: it’s really a pleasant place to […]

Categories: 100% local, canning, citrus, preserves, preserving, summer • Tags: berries, canning, cooking, food, local, preserving, recipes

Mustard in Jars

17 August 2011 by local kitchen

I’m honored to be a guest blogger on Food in Jars this week while Marisa enjoys a well-deserved vacation with her husband Scott. My post is up today on FiJ, and is a basic mustard tutorial, with recipes for Classic Dijon and Bourbon Brown Sugar mustards. If you haven’t yet taken the mustard plunge, this post has everything you need to get started – surf on over and check it out. If you are already rocking the homemade mustard, scope out this mustard […]

Categories: mustard • Tags: canning, food in jars, homemade, mustard, preserving

100% Local: Zucchini & Chard Gratin

15 August 2011 by local kitchen

Two down, one to go: my quest to use up the CSA chard (before more gets delivered on Wednesday) is proceeding apace. This zucchini gratin recipe from Simply Recipes came across my reader the other day and well: cheese, bacon, onions, garlic? Even the zucchini-weary can get behind that plan. I made a few changes of course: I cut the recipe roughly in half, since only one of our household will consume the “Evil Weed.” (Since I do the cooking, […]

Categories: 100% local, cheese, kale & leafy greens, parsley, side dish, summer, year round, zucchini • Tags: cooking, food, local, recipes, sides, zucchini