This actually made me feel good, as I read it while eating a delicous burger from Garden Path Farms, the Amish meat guys at the H Street Freshfarm Market. [NY Times]

Ben Ali passed. [14th and You, DCist, Serious Easts, slashfood, Washington Post Obits]  On a side note, yes, the Washington Post has an obit twitter feed, which seems a little bizarre/morbid.

Gourmet is dead.  But you can help save it here.  Also, follow Ruth Reichl on Twitter.  [NY Times]

Christpher Kimball’s editorial provoked a lot of responses from the interwebs, among them Ed Levine of Serious Eats.  You can find Kimball’s rebuttal to the blowback on his blog.  [NY Times, Serious Eats, Christopher Kimball blog]

Also, happy birthday to Guillermo del Toro, director of one of my favorite movies, Pan’s Labyrinth.

1. Red Rocks/Pete’s Apizza: Close to home, great pizza.  I prefer Pete’s if I’m not in the mood to sit and eat, Red Rocks if I am.

2. Commonwealth: two words- Welsh rarebit.  Also, I once had an arguement with a bartender here over what constitutes a snakebite.  Made me like him more.

3. PS 7′s: Call me a homer, as I’m lucky enough to count Gina and Frank as friends, but I love this place.  The drinks are spectacular, I always have a good time, and Chef Peter Smith consistently turns out amazing food.  Oxtail tots and cheesecake lollipops FTW!  And did I mention the bacon biscuts?  And the pickled…everything?  Ooh, and the burger in the lounge…

4. Matchbox: I will never tire of their cinnamon rolls, spicy meatball pizza, and pear salad.  The day the location on the Hill opened, I cried a little, as I used to live around the corner from it.

5. Marvin: Dinner is meh, but it’s always a good place for a couple of beers, and I will cut you over the biscuit with sausage gravy for brunch.  DO NOT go on the weekends however, it’s overrun by the Local 16 crowd.

Of course, more often then not, I like to eat at my house.  But you’ll have to work to get an invite to that table.  Or I have to meet you mattress shopping at Macy’s.

Is there another one, at the same time, in Penn Quarter? Yes, and I HIGHLY doubt this one is poaching customers, especially since the two markets have the same vendors. Also, there are a ton of chefs in the Penn Quarter area that use that market, and somehow I don’t think they’ll be coming to the new market (with the same vendors) instead of the one directly outside their kitchens. This also speaks to the density of downtown. For cripes sake, I think we can support 2 markets in downtown DC.

Is Vermont Avenue a major artery? Uh, maybe, but not the part that’s going to be closed. Yes, there are always cars on it, but they are relatively scant, compared to the clusterf*ck that is 14th Street. Or 16th Street. Or K Street. See, we have plenty of clogged streets!  That part of Vermont Ave is not one of them.

I tend to universally support more farmers markets. Would it have been better to open one across the river? Probably. Does that change the fact that this is still a good thing? No.

Over at the Atlantic Food Channel, they note some concerns originally voiced in Mother Jones (emphasis mine):

Mother Jones offered more tempered enthusiasm, saying “this confirms my suspicions that President Obama is pretty damn cool”–but also offering four pieces of advice for how to make sure the market becomes “a very cool project”: give out free samples; feature hot meal options; make the produce (as) cheap (as possible); play music.

Working at the various markets, I’ve come to realize there are some vendors that set different price points based on the clientele.  I can’t blame them for this.  I think the solution lies in not making the produce as cheap as possible (if you don’t think growing food is hard work, then you don’t deserve to eat), but in making it affordable- and those are NOT the same thing.  There’s a two fold solution to this, and it’s already in place in many of the other FRESHFARM markets. 

The first part is making sure all the vendors take WIC/Senior FMNP and/or EBT.  Not allvendors at all markets take WIC and EBT, and even if they do, it’s not always in the “friendliest” manner.  I understand that there is some red tape involved, but if you’re really trying to make things affordable, isn’t it worth it?  Also, could we please try not to be rude or snide to anyone paying with WIC or EBT- that goes for vendors, shoppers, everyone.

The second part is a pilot program already in place at the H Street and Silver Spring markets (UPDATE: AND it is my understanding it’s already in place for the White House market today).  These markets got a grant (and private funds) to match any WIC/Senior FMNP coupons, effectively doubling the money.  Furthermore, these coupons can be spent on anything- eggs, honey, meat, cheese, flowers (never underestimate a well placed bunch of flowers to lift the spirits), while the FMNP programs are only for produce.

Bottom Line: More markets=more fresh, good local food.  And that’s never a bad thing.  However, until we address the root causes of why good food is so expensive (farm bill, subsidies, blah blah blah), the best way make the good stuff affordable is by working through programs like this.  And I’d like to commend FRESHFARM for their attempts.  So quit yappin’ and go buy something at your local market.  I saw pumpkins yesterday.

UPDATE #2: Forgot to mention that Capital Spice has the list of all the producers.

I’ll be there, mostly because this one is closer to home.

Apartment Therapy has a round-up of the Nation‘s food issue [the Kitchn]

South Carolina is using oyster shells…to make more oysters. [Slashfood]

I will now be the 34,987th person to talk about the White House farmers Market. [Atlantic Food Channel]

Apparently ground flax seeds make a good substitute for eggs. [The Kitchn]

If you’re not reading Barry Estabrook’s “Politics of the Plate” on Gourmet.com, you should be.   This post covers fish farming in the Gulf of Mexico. [Gourmet]

Remember, you can always find me on Twitter and on Tumblr.

Will continue to post longer pieces here, but for a blow-by-blow of where I’m eating and what I’m doing, follow me on Twitter, or Tumblr. 

kiss kiss

I’ve been taking note of cherry trees, peach trees and blueberry bushes on my walks around the ‘hood.  Someone even has squash that just so happens to grow onto the sidewalk.  Bring on the foraging! [NY Times]

I will be making a stop here while I’m in South Carolina next month [NY Times]

Recession “flexitarianism”: I have to admit, I usually eat meat when I’m out, but I don’t cook it a lot at home.  It’s just so much easier to thrown some peas and cheese in with pasta and call it a day.  [Gourmet]

Speaking of which, Kim O’Donnel loves peas as much as I do. [WaPo]

The Atlantic sez you must see Food Inc. [Atlantic Food]

I keep promising LT3 strawberry shortcake.  Maybe he’ll settle for dumplings instead? [Bitten Word]

The answer to all those hard to find groceries [Serious Eats]

Indeed, can you patent a chocolate bunny?  I should point out that this is Gina’s nickname for me.  [WSJ via Atlantic Food's Twitter]

Non Food:

The American Prospect has a great series on women and work. [American Prospect]

Echidnas! [NY Times]

I am will be at the market on Saturday, as usual, but immediately after, I’m headed to NC to see my dog and my mom, eat a lot of lovely things, and see the Divine Ms. M.

Sigh. FML.

*names changed

It worked. I love the lovely little community that has developed at the H Street market. Dan likes to try the new flavors of muffins and always shares. Fredi, the owner of the orchard where I work, always shares whatever she picks up from around the market, and quizzes me about what I’ve been cooking that week. I like seeing the regulars and playing with the dogs. It’s the perfect way to start a Saturday- it doesn’t even feel like work. And then there are the Amish kids at Garden Path Farms with their unbelievably addictive strawberry lemonade.

This weekend, I bought a LOT of peas from Richfield Farm and they needed shelling. Fredi sent me home with 2 quarts of extremely ripe strawberries (and potatoes, cabbage, and tomato sauce) that needed to be washed, capped, and sliced. I bought bread, cheese, asparagus and snow peas. Then I went to the market by my house and somehow ended up with parmesan rolls, a ficelle, and half a dozen black eyed susans.

So I spent most of Saturday afternoon slicing strawberries and shelling peas. I weeded a bit in the yard (not that you can tell), got eaten alive by mosquitos and planted flowers. I felt like my grandmother, but in a good way. It was meditative and exactly what I needed.

Sunday I woke up in a much better mood, and went down to Dupont to see emmzee at the Sunnyside farm stand. AND THEY HAD CHERRIES. I. Love. Cherries. I am not much of a fruit eater, but I will eat cherries until I am ill. Then I will wait a few hours. And then I will eat more.

Sunday afternoon rolled around, and it seemed like the perfect time to try ADM’s pizza pan for the grill.  I whipped up a batch of this crust, and headed over with some vegetables (and the cherries) to try it out

I think we needed more coals on the fire, but after a quick run under the broiler, it turned out well.  Here’s a close up:

And that pretty much concludes the weekend for me.  No more navel gazing, I promise.  Later this week, I’ll tell you about the wedding cookies from last night…

The Atlantic Food Channel on one cubicle dweller’s quest for farm life.  I’ve been tossing this idea around.  [Atlantic Food]

The head of the Yale Sustainable Food Project weighs in on the above. [Atlantic Food]

This makes me long for a decent ham biscuit.  [NY Times]

I love unripe stone fruit.  Maybe I should move to Lebanon.  [Atlantic Food]

Yellow cabbage collards in North Carolina [NPR Morning Edition]

DCist reviews Eatonville.  I ate there last weekend, and it was far better than I expected.  The collards were delicious!  The over 50 guy who tried to hit on me at the upstairs bar while I was waiting for ADM, not so much. [DCist]

The Kitchn rounds up the best kitchen finds at Ikea. I think on my next run, I’ll have to pick up some spice jars, and VT swears by the grater.  [the Kitchn]

Foreign policy, Scooby Doo style [UN Dispatch via FP Passport]

If I owned this, I would never, ever, ever get out of it.  [Apartment Therapy: DC]

Why Nationals Stadium sucks.  I completely agree about Clint.  He is a bastard version of Ryan Seacrest, which is saying something.  [Deadspin]

That’s all for now folks.  Catch me at the Quaker Valley Orchards stall at H Street Market tomorrow morning.

I’m going to take a small detour from food today.  I got “the call” yesterday on the bus on my way home.

My mother called to tell me I needed to come home  because it was time to put Audrey, our half Lab-half Great Dane ”pound puppy”, to sleep. 

Audrey found us about 12 years ago.  My younger sister and I were staying with my aunt for a week in Hampton, VA.  My uncle returned home from work to find a strange dog sitting outside his car door when he pulled into the carport.  He called the house and my aunt, sister, and I ran to the door.  We begged him to let us bring the dog in, but he refused.  So we put food and water out for her (she had a beautiful coat, but was skin and bones).  The next day, she was caught by the local dogcatcher.  My mom arrived that day and my sister went into hysterics until my mom agreed that we could go get Audrey from the pound and adopt her.

We brought her home and in the first week, she ate a broom, my mother’s favorite purse and several pairs of shoes.  She dumped a giant peace lily out in the middle of the living room carpet so she could play with the plastic pot.  She stole socks.  She pulled gross things out of the trashcan.  She chewed off the handle on the rocking horse I’ve had forever.  She climbed on counters and ate cakes and chicken and bacon grease.  We nicknamed her Houdini- she squeezed through the back fence and ran into the neighbor’s yard to chase squirrels.  She dug a hole under the fence and through two bags of compost (put there to keep her in) and ran into the front yard to chase squirrels.  She blew out her knee and had to have reconstructive surgery after she climbed on top of the woodpile and jumped over the fence to chase squirrels.  She pulled one of my friends out of his chair and humped him repeatedly.  She harassed a flock of Canadian Geese in the park near my house until they chased her home.  Our scrawny pound puppy grew to be heavier than my sister and more strong-willed and intelligent that we could have imagined.

She also woke my mom up every morning so they could have their walk.  She would give her toys to my mom’s friend’s little girls and let them put their fingers in her eyes, ears, and nose and climb all over her.  When my aunt had her first daughter, M, they came for a visit.  With M’s first whimper or dirty diaper, Audrey would go find my aunt and harass her until she went to check on the baby.  When it got cold, she would curl up in front of the fireplace and grumble to my mother until she built a fire.  She was amazed at the snow (much like many North Carolinians). She slept in my bed every night I was home, even though as she got older, I had to help her get in and out of it.  She took naps with my sister, both of them asleep under the dining room table.  My other uncle had a Giant Schnauzer, Onyx, that my mom kept for a while.  When he developed bone cancer and my mother had to put him to sleep, Audrey moped for days.  She still drinks out of his water bowl.  When my sister and I graduated and left for school, she kept my mother company, even as debilitating arthritis set in, first in her back legs, then her front.  I know my mom can’t work too long, because she has to come home to take care of Audrey.  Their 4-mile morning walks have slowly dwindled to a block.  But Audrey still wakes my mom up every morning to go.  I’m not sure if Audrey gets up every morning for my mom, or my mom gets up for her.

She has led a charmed life.  We have completely spoiled her, she is lady of the manor.  She eats gross things (rabbit shit, rotten apples, dead possums) and rolls in gross things.  She turns her nose up at certain cheeses, and stands guard over the Thanksgiving turkey every year.  She likes nothing better than to fly through the muddy swamp in the back of the yard after the rain, then run into the house and shake all over everything.  She has charmed the entire office at our vet- everyone knows her by name.  My mom made one trip up here to see my grandparents without Audrey.  My grandfather was so upset that she never did it again.

For some people, a dog is just a pet.  We’re dog people in my family.  When the holidays roll around, we inevitably spend a few hours telling stories about the ridiculous dogs we’ve had over the years and the ridiculous things they’ve done.  Like Useless the poodle, who would crawl under then bed and drink from the glass of JD my grandfather always put there (so he wouldn’t step on it in the morning).  Or Shogun the doberman, who used to let the foxes eat his dog food.  Or Kelly the poodle, who would unwind toilet paper all over the house without breaking a sheet.  Or Bandit, the Jack Russell, my grandfather’s constant companion, who jumped out of a car window and peed all over the National Arboretum.  Or Audrey, who has an unhealthy obsession with the men in my family.

So with any luck, I’ll be headed home next weekend to say my goodbyes to Audrey.  I couldn’t have wished for a better dog.

I’ll let you know when my first post article is up.  In the mean time, hop on over and check it out.