My weekly excursion to the Waverly Farmers Market came around a little fast on me this Saturday. Work had worn me down and I hadn’t cooked through nearly as much of last week’s haul as I had planned. Still, the grocery store this non-driver counts on because it’s within easy walking distance is closing down this week while it changes ownership, so I couldn’t afford to let anything go to waste. For this reason, I motivated myself out of bed early on this first morning of the holiday weekend and went to collect my CSA share and a box of potatoes. When I got back home, I piled every veggie in the place on the counter to take stock and… Continue reading »
Rooted (Summer Cocktail Edition)
Over lunch a few days ago, a friend suggested I take a stab at making ginger beer. Not quite a Three Cubed project, perhaps, but not something I’d ever even thought about making in my home kitchen before. She sent me a recipe, and I filed it away for future crafting. As these things tend to unfold, a few nights later I was at my favorite dining establishment and the summer cocktail list included a tempting item called a Root Cup. This drink involved said gingery beverage plus lemon, cucumber, and (bonus points) a new-to-me liquor called Root, produced by our friends to the north, Art in the Age. The friendly Woodberry Kitchen bartender showed me the lovely watercolor reproductions… Continue reading »
Mercury Rising
Aside from opening the fridge to pour iced coffees and fruit juice spritzers, the only thing the Baltimore kitchen is making is ice until this streak of crippling temps passes us by. Meanwhile, the garden seems to be holding up remarkably well with just a nightly watering. This morning, in that magical hour before the sun starts baking the earth to a pastry crisp again, I took a little stroll around the yard to check on what was still managing to grow in spite of the weather.
Ickle Me, Pickle Me
Ever since I first spotted spicy pickled green beans at the grocery store, I wanted them. Once I saw the price tag of $8.99 a jar, I decided I’d wait and make them myself. Until I found out this morning that pickled vegetables might kill me, I was really enjoying my results! I did a simple quick pickle (what my favorite restaurant calls Kitchen Pickles) by slipping my young/fresh/slender green beans into the jars upright, tucking in a garlic clove and some of last year’s dried red peppers, plus some peppercorns, celery seeds, and dill springs for good measure. Then I brought my 2 cups water/2 cups vinegar/scant 1/4 kosher salt mixture to a boil and poured it over. Once… Continue reading »
Peas, Wonderful Peas!
We scanned the market vendor stalls and spotted our guy down the aisle–and, just as importantly, his big blue cooler. “I can see them!” I shouted back over my shoulder, doing my best to move forward through the Saturday morning crowd without kicking a stroller or bumping a shopper. “He has the peas!” I was sad that the party last weekend was just a shade too early to incorporate this personal highlight of the early local produce season. As a 2 lbs bag of already-shelled deliciousness was filled for me, the ladies behind us wondered how on earth you could use that much in a week. I wanted to reach into my supply and just grab a handful for them… Continue reading »
Springing Into the Season
To introduce ourselves to Baltimore, Three Points Kitchen threw its second real-world, y’all-come-on-over event this past Sunday. Friends from far and near were kind enough to stop by and sample our kitchen’s offerings. It was a Mad Hatter Tea Party of sorts, celebrating the arrival of the fresh produce of the season–bright pea and mint soup, roasted rhubarb, pencil-thin asparagus with wasabi dressing, duck egg salad on slices of warm baguette fresh from the oven, and radishes, baby greens, and homemade lemon butter slathered over just-baked rye bread. Plus sweets worthy of the Queen of Hearts, if we do say so ourselves. We stopped just shy of breaking out the croquet mallets. The local Waverly Farmers Market provided most of… Continue reading »
