2009: A year of Bucks County Taste

Mark suggested we each do a “My Favorite Posts of 2009” piece. Why not? Everyone else does a summary at year end. And since it coincides pretty closely with our first full year publishing Bucks County Taste, it also felt right.

So I started skimming over our articles, month-by-month, starting back in November 2008. Hmmn. Like that one. And that one, too. (Scribble, scribble) Oh, that was a great interview…they were so nice to us…those ribs were fantastic…have to get back there…and so forth. Memories.

What comes back to me is overwhelming. The wonderful, kind people we’ve met over the past year. Seeing (and tasting) their hard work and passion, as they create or grow or raise or cook great food right here in Bucks County. Do you know how lucky we are to live here?

So, how do I choose? Well, I’ll give you a couple and why they are special to me. Maybe you’ve read them, or if you are fairly new, maybe you haven’t. So let’s go digging through our archives.

Thanksgiving in Wycombe: Going Local has a special place in my heart for many reasons. It was my first post, and my first attempt at cooking a meal sourced completely (almost) local. It wasn’t to be my last, as I later found out, when we offered up several “all local” meals for charity and created three such dinners at our home this year. Whew. I was also very flattered when Scott Edwards, editor of BUCKS Life, approached me last month and asked if he could reprint this article in the holiday issue of BUCKS Life. Look for more of Bucks County Taste pieces in upcoming issues of BUCKS Life

The people we’ve met this year have truly been the greatest gift (well, maybe besides the Rose Cream ice cream at oWowCow Creamery). In my post, Where Everyone Knows Your Name, I talk about this aspect of dining out. Having a local place, knowing the folks there – on either side of the counter – makes all the difference. It’s a kind of community that is pretty new to me, one that it took marrying Mark for me to really experience.

But let’s get down and dirty. When Matt Maximuck took me into his hydroponic greenhouse last winter, I went nuts with the camera. Such greens! Maybe it was because it was February and I was going through color-deprivation, but I don’t think so. Greens in Winter was a great opportunity to speak with a local farmer who is moving in a new direction for Bucks County, one that many people still aren’t aware of. Maximuck’s and Blue Moon Acres are the only local places that I know of who are growing greens in winter.

Listening to Andrew Abruzzese – who is a wonderful storyteller – and getting to watch his son, Drew, run and grow the Pineville Tavern was another highlight of this year. In our post The Pineville Tavern: The Right Recipe, we write about the beginnings of this favorite local restaurant and it’s growing future. Watch this winter for an expansion of the dining room, a brand new kitchen and a take-out facility.

Basically Burgers. I smile again. More new friends. The Goddards welcomed us into their kitchen and let us film Jay at his most brilliant, cooking the wonderful burgers that have become a favorite among Doylestown natives. See The Taco Burger being created before your very eyes with our video, and read Mark’s first post about them.

And the markets. None Such Farm Market was amazed that I wanted to do a “free” article about them, and have continued to amaze me with their generosity. Pasqualina’s Italian Market in Blooming Glen are now my regular suppliers of olive oil. Well, it’s really just an excuse to go see Patty and Brian.

Ice cream, you scream…everyone screams for ice cream, apparently. One of our top posts of the year, coming in fourth, was Let’s Go For Ice Cream, with a listing of some of the favorite Bucks County ice cream places, from north to south. And in this category, along with our old favorite, Chubby’s, came oWowCow Creamery in Ottsville with locally sourced ingredients and deep, intense flavors. Look for an article on oWowCow this spring as we get ready for ice cream season (and look for both ice cream places on Facebook).

Serving up breakfast in Riegelsville is another favorite. We got to stuff our faces at a firehouse breakfast and learn what it’s all about from the best – The Community Fire Company #1, Station 42 in Riegelsville, who serve up breakfast almost every month and dinner several times a year. Thanks, Diana.

Favorite “find” of the year? Oink Johnson’s BBQ on Rt. 611. Most pleasant surprise? How many people wanted fresh, local and natural turkeys (2nd most popular post).

I could go on. But I feel fortunate in many ways. For our wonderful guest bloggers, most of whom came to me, offering to write for Bucks County Taste (for free!). Thank you Susan, Emily, Rich and Elisabeth. What great people you are. And most of all, for my special husband, Mark, who encouraged and praised me, and shared A LOT of calories.