Bucks County Taste » Blue Moon Acres

A simple winter salad

Lynne Goldman — Tue, 22 Feb 2011 16:13:47 +0000

The interesting thing about eating seasonally and locally is that once you start listening to your body, you realize you don’t really want vegetables only growing in Chile this time of year. The bagged salads one often gets at restaurants now are rather tasteless and somehow feel unnatural. Not to mention the pale pink mealy tomatoes some restaurants still insist placing on the ubiquitous dinner side salad.

Just like root vegetables fit winter, so do the intensity of baby greens grown by Blue Moon Acres Farm in Buckingham. We buy these greens year-round but in winter they impart a spicy, complex flavor to salads, which stands up well to roasted beets and a sharp, soft cheese, like goat or feta.

It’s such a simple salad that I’m almost embarrassed to present it as a “recipe.” It’s become one of my standards. In fact, I’m afraid that sooner or later some dinner guest will say, “Oh, we had this the last time we were here.” But people love it. Served with a nutty vinaigrette (courtesy of Mark Bittman, in How to Cook Everything) it is easy, presents beautifully, and even people who swear they hate beets manage to clean the plate, much to their surprise.

You can purchase the micro greens at Blue Moon Acres Farm (2287 Durham Rd.) on Tuesdays and Fridays from 10 am to 4 pm, or stop by None Such Farms Market nearby on Route 263 who regularly carry Blue Moon Acres’ greens.

Salad of Micro Greens, Roasted Beets and Cheese

Serves 6-8

INGREDIENTS

One 6 oz container, Micro Greens Sampler, from Blue Moon Acres
1 – 2 beets, roasted and peeled (can use red, orange, yellow beets – or a mixture!)
3 oz of soft cheese – goat or feta
Nutty Vinaigrette (see recipe below)

HOW TO

Roasting beets. Preheat oven to 400°. Scrub and clean beets, cutting off the root “tail” and the greens to one inch if need be. Wrap each beet completely in silver foil, place on baking sheet or roasting pan, and bake for 40 – 60 minutes. After 40 minutes, test doneness by inserting a thin knife into beets. If it moves easily in and out, beet is done. If not, give it 5 – 10 minutes and check again. Cooking time will vary by size of beet. Let beets cool to room temperature and refrigerate. This can be done ahead of time.
Assembling the salad.
- Unwrap individual beets and peel by rubbing skin off under running water. Slice thin, or julienne (nicer presentation).
- Pull micro greens out of container, choosing different types, and sprinkle on salad plate.
- Place beets over greens, then sprinkle crumbled cheese over all.
- Drizzle vinaigrette over salad and serve immediately.

Nutty Vinaigrette
from How to Cook Everything by Mark Bittman

Makes about 1 cup

You can use almost any nuts you like for this dressing; peeled ones are best

INGREDIENTS

1/2 cup almonds, pine nuts, pecans, or walnuts
1 small clove garlic, peeled
1/4 cup sherry, balsamic, or good red wine vinegar, plus more if desired
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

HOW TO

Toast the nuts in a dry skillet over medium heat, shaking almost constantly, until fragrant. Place them in the container of a blender of small food processor along with the garlic and pulverize.
Place the ground nuts and garlic in a bowl and add the vinegar, salt and pepper; stir. Add the oil a bit at a time. The mixture will become creamy and quite thick. Taste to make sure the acid balance pleases you and add more vinegar if you like; if the taste is good but the mixture is too thick, add warm water, a teaspoon at a time. This is best made fresh but will keep, refrigerated, for a day or so; bring back to room temperature before using.

Help the garden grow

Lynne Goldman — Tue, 15 Jun 2010 22:00:48 +0000

Here’s a unique opportunity to help out a great local gardening cause while enjoying some terrific local food from the Bucks County foodshed.

Slow Food Bucks County and Dish Catering of Frenchtown, NJ, are hosting a benefit on Friday, June 25th for the Neshaminy Manor Long Term Care Facility where a therapy garden is being sown this summer. A vegetable garden is part of the plan and will be maintained by the residents as part of a horticulture therapy program. The harvest will be served in the dining halls.

The benefit was the idea Slow Food Bucks County member Amy Popkin of Dish Catering. Ordinarily Slow Food does not ask for food donations from local farmers because their events are about raising awareness and helping to sustain local farming. But since this is for a community project, they have asked some farmers to help in donating food to make the donation portion larger and boy have they ever come to the table!

Local food producers contributing include: Milk House Farm Market, Blue Moon Acres, Ducky Life Tea and Bobolink Farm. The event will include a local beer and wine reception, but bring your own bottle for dinner.

Here’s the delicious menu, conceived and prepared by Dish Catering:

Appetizer Reception
Cheese and Artisan Bread Table provided by Bobolink Farm
Dish Catering’s Own Cuban Pork Sandwiches made to order served with Grilled Red Onion and Garlic Aioli

First Course
Blue Moon Farm Baby Lettuces with Orange Slices and Fennel in a Dijon vinaigrette

Main Course
Bedminster Farm Raised Bison Braised in Local Red Wine, or,
Portabello Napolean with Classic Corn Spoon Bread Pudding
Grilled Farm Vegetables from The Milk House Farm Market
Brandied Cream Mushrooms

Dessert
Fresh Berries and Whipped Cream and Mini Crème Brulees
Ducky Life Tea and Coffee Service

The dinner will be held at the Tinicum Barn in Tinicum Park in Erwinna on River Road, Friday, June 25th at 8:00 PM. Tickets are $80 per person. Purchase tickets online at Brown Paper Tickets at www.brownpapertickets.com.

UPDATE: Sorry. Due to low ticket sales this event was cancelled. We’ll have to find another way to help out this great project. Anyone in a garden club?

Local asparagus is here!

Lynne Goldman — Fri, 23 Apr 2010 12:00:11 +0000

My friend Elaine, who grew up in wartime England, told me how the appearance of asparagus in the spring was a source of real joy during her childhood. It was the first fresh vegetable after a winter of canned goods.

I think we’ve lost that feeling of excitement at seeing the first fruits of our local soil. After all, we’ve been seeing asparagus (from Mexico) in the supermarkets for the past month. I’m guilty. I bought some. But this is different. After such a long, snowy winter, each sign of spring is particularly welcome.

And now, the first local vegetables are poking their heads out of the soil. I’ve spotted local asparagus in two places – None Such Farm Market and the Center Farm’s serve-yourself farm stand on Forest Grove Road (members of the Slack family also). I’m sure there are other places in the county. We grilled the asparagus last night (sigh). Quite wonderful.

In addition, Blue Moon Acres in Buckingham is now selling lovely little Cherry Belle radishes. I picked up some at None Such, but you can also buy them directly from Blue Moon on Tuesdays and Fridays from 10 – 4 pm. Blue Moon is located at 2287 Durham Road (Route 413), just south of Route 263. Check out their Facebook page too.

The Doylestown Farmers’ Market opened last week and the Wrightstown Farmers’ Market will open on Saturday, May 1st. I’ll be publishing an article on all the seasonal farmers’ markets in Bucks, as well as year-round markets and farm stands, next week.

Here’s to spring and the beginning of our local growing season!

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Bucks County Farmers’ Markets 2010

Earl’s Bucks County goes local

Lynne Goldman — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 00:09:51 +0000

As some of you may know from our tweets Monday night, Mark and I attended the preview party for the “new” Earl’s restaurant in Lahaska (Peddler’s Village).

First, let’s get the whole price thing out of the way. Most people I know (“locals”) have avoided Earl’s for the last few years due to a rather expensive menu and bar. Good, interesting food but…

So if that’s been keeping you away, it’s safe to come back. Both the menu and the price point have changed – the former toward an all-day, “family-friendly” yet still sophisticated selection, and the latter downward, to a reasonably priced and varied choice of items (tapas, small dishes, salads, sandwiches and entrees).

I’m not going to do a traditional restaurant review of the food. As we’ve mentioned, we don’t see ourselves as critics. That said, we have eaten our share of good food (!) and we enjoyed the samples of the new menu served at the preview party. It was an interesting variety of tastes, flavors and influences, fresh, and beautifully presented [see the photos]. And, need I say again, at a reasonable price for the ingredients, preparation and service.

Of most interest to me is the local food connection that Earl’s – now called Earl’s Bucks County – is aiming for. General Manager David Zukerman is focused on bringing in local ingredients and doing great things with them.

And he’s done his homework. David has spent the last six months or so visiting local farm markets in Bucks and nearby, talking with food producers, meeting vendors and tasting. From my knowledge of local food sources, and from chatting with David last night, he’s obviously gotten around. He’s already bringing in some of these products and with a menu that will change with the seasons, plans to bring in more when the growing season starts. For example, you’ll see on the menu right now a cheese plate with local cheeses from Valley Shepherd Creamery, Cherry Grove Farm and Bobolink Dairy Farm, and a Speck Ham dish with apple marmalade made from Solebury Orchard apples. One of the entrees is an olive-brined chicken from Bolton Farms. You’ll also see Blue Moon Acres greens popping up here and there.

These, you might say, are the “slam-dunks.” Kind of easy local sources to go with. But it is February, after all. There’s not a lot growing around here. It will be interesting to see how the menu continues to evolve as the seasons change. David says he is still working on his beef sources, although his fish purveyor is sending him only sustainable seafood. There are also plans to grow a restaurant garden on the property and serve guests at a “Chef’s Table” al fresco.

The local/organic/sustainable approach doesn’t stop at the food. Earl’s wine list has been revamped to include some organic, sustainably grown wines and some local wines. A new feature will be a “Local Pour” – a glass of local Bucks County or Pennsylvania wine, always available, and starting with some of Chaddsford Winery’s best. And if you’re watching your budget, come to Earl’s on a Tuesday night with your own bottle. They’ll be happy to open it with no corkage fee, and will also offer 25% off wine on the restaurant’s list. They are even offering some organic alcohol at the bar – 360 Vodka - and organic tequila and gin (who knew?).

I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the service and ambiance at Earl’s. During the three weeks the restaurant was closed for renovations, the staff – many of them long-time employees – received training in the new menu, seeing how the food was prepared and getting to taste everything. They’re happy to describe any dish, and they do it with relish (no pun intended). In fact, in addition to a warm, friendly atmosphere, there is a palpable excitement among the staff – like they can’t wait to open the new Earl’s and start sharing the good stuff.

Earl’s Bucks County
2400 Street Road
New Hope PA 18938
215.794.4020
Open Tuesdays – Saturdays, 11:30 am – 10 pm
Sundays, 11:30 am to 8 pm

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