Kennett Square, Part One

Thursday, January 17, 2008

On Saturday, M and I made a pilgrimage to Kennett Square in Chester County.  I’ve been wanting to do this trip for some time, and when some of my in-laws gave me money at Christmas expressly to buy mushrooms (at my request), I knew it was time.

I’ll talk about the mushrooms in part two, because here I’d like to talk about the vineyard we visited.  Stargazers Vineyard and Winery (http://www.stargazersvineyard.com) embodies what Farm to Philly is all about—local, good food (or, in this case, drink) made by people who are interested in local, good food.  Stargazers has an additional draw, which is that they are deeply committed to sustainable farming.

Although we had to borrow my parents’ car to get there (it’s near Coatesville), it was well worth it.  The vineyard is open to the public Sundays from 12 to 5. The first thing we noticed was that the roof of the winery has a quilt of solar panels blanketing it.  Also, one side of the roof of the main house has windows for passive solar collection.

Alice and John Weygandt and Brian Dickerson (who, with wife Jennifer, are now the General Managers and are being groomed to take over at some point) were on hand to greet us.  Knowing we have a particular interest in sustainable housing, the Weygandts kindly showed us how their “envelope” house regulates the temperature using a double north wall and a solarium on the south side.

We talked about the farm markets in which they participate (Brian had just returned from Headhouse), and their efforts at sustainability.  Their grapes are not organic, because our climate makes mold a stumbling block, but they are surprisingly chemical-free.  Their website has a short page about their work in this department that’s worth reading.  The solar panels we saw cover the electricity for the winery and their house, and Alice Weygandt said they sell the extra to the Energy Coop. 

We went down from the farm house to the winery.  (The house is designed in such an architecturally unusual and energy-saving way it’s hard to think of it in the same category as my family’s damp and drafty farm house in Wales.) We had a tasting of several of their very reasonably-priced wines, including a warming port-like Tinto Forte, a lovely Chardonnay, and a Pinot Gris that they’re not making again (so we bought three bottles!).

As always, it added just that extra zing to the wine to know that what we would be drinking for months ahead was grown and made by the people who stood in front of us.  There’s just nothing like shaking the hand of the farmer who feeds you!

Finally, we both used their bathroom.  I wouldn’t normally mention the toilet, but even this had evidence of their interest in the environment.  The water for the sink is ingeniously looping into the tank for the toilet, and it involves two kinds of pumps, and let me just say, it was awesome.  Use the bathroom when you go there.  Let’s leave it at that.

We have already enjoyed some Pinot Gris we gave my parents (as a thank you for the loan of the car) with dinner at their house, and we will likely enjoy every bottle with some local veggies on the table as well!

Local Vino Steps Up…

Saturday, November 24, 2007

...says this article in today’s Inquirer.  I’m still searching for some go-to wines from the region.  Any favorites that are must tries?

James and Sly Fox Beer Dinner

Thursday, September 13, 2007

On Monday, September 17, 2007 at 6:30 p.m., Chef Jim Burke of James is teaming up with Brewmaster Brian O’Rielly of Sly Fox Brewery for James’ Inaugural Beer Dinner.  This five course dinner will be made with local/seasonal ingredients and will be paired with local beers from Sly Fox.  The menu will feature the following dishes and beer pairings:

Hors d’oeuvres
The chef’s selection of hors d’oeuvres will be paired with Sly Fox’s Saison Vos, a Belgian style ale brewed with German Pils malt, hopped with East Kent Goldings and fermented with a special proprietary yeast that gives it a dry, spicy character.

1st course
Mussels in soppressata broth with olive crostini, which will be paired with Sly Fox’s Pikeland Pils—a light-bodied, Northern German style Pilsner brewed with imported German Pils malt and hopped with German and Czech hops.

2nd course
King salmon confit with crisp apple salad and potato rosti, which will be paired with Sly Fox’s Phoenix Pale Ale, a medium bodied American Pale Ale brewed with British Pale and Crystal malts and hopped with Centennial and Cascade hops from the Pacific Northwest.

3rd course
Poularde, which was recently awarded Best Entrée by Philadelphia Magazine, served with a wild mushroom fricassee.  The Poularde will be paired with Sly Fox’s Octoberfest, a smooth, medium-bodied, malty brew made with German Vienna malts and German hops.

4th course
Pork loin with melted shallot and fennel jus, which will be served with Sly Fox’s Incubus, an Abbot Style Triple brewed with German Pils malt and invert sugar.

Dessert
Beer mousse, almond cake and brown butter pears served with Sly Fox’s Instigator, a classic, full-bodied German-style doppelbock brewed with German Munich and Roast malts and Hallertauer hops.

The price for this event is $65 per guest, tax & gratuity not included.  Seating is limited.  For reservations, call Kristina at 215-629-4980.

James
824 S. 8th Street
215-629-4980

Home Sweet Homebrew

Thursday, August 16, 2007

The other day I ran across a notice that Seven Bridges Cooperative (an organic homebrew company out of California) is sponsoring the 2007 National Organic Homebrew Challenge!  All entries must be brewed using malt, hops, and adjuncts that are verified organically grown and non-GMO.  Yeast must be non-GMO.  It made me wonder what kind of effort it would take to brew beer from locally grown ingredients. 

Certainly, if you’re going to make a fruity beer, you could use locally grown fruit in the production.  But what about the barley and hops?  Or even other beer additives, like wheat or oats?  Beer making used to involve only locally grown ingredients, so surely there must be a way for local homebrewers to get their hands on local grains, no?

The nice folks at Wine, Barley & Hops Homebrew Supply in Feasterville do say that making beer from locally grown ingredients can be tricky, but it’s possible.  In some cases, you would really need to grow your own.  They do sell hop plant root cuttings in the Spring, so it’s possible to grow your own hops.  There are plenty of places to buy various types of hop plants on the internet and some great growing tutorials. 

There may or may not be a source for locally grown malting barley, but it seems easy just to grow your own.  Not any old barley will do, you understand.  I’ve found some good sources for seed: Chin Ridge Seeds and Amazon. Malting your own barley doesn’t seem too difficult.

There are a million different things you could probably grow to facilitate making beer from locally-grown ingredients.  I even found a great article about planting a beer lover’s garden.  I may just need to incorporate a few things into next year’s garden.

Buy Fresh Buy Local Happy Hour at James

Tuesday, August 07, 2007

The folks at Buy Fresh Buy Local asked Jim and Kristina Burke of James to host a happy hour to kick off the summer.  Jim and Kristina had a better idea:  “We said, why not the whole summer?” Kristina said.

And that’s what they did. 

Every Tuesday this summer, James has hosted a Buy Fresh Buy Local happy hour from 5pm to 7pm.  The specials include:

• Half off of all local draft beers, including Philly’s Sly Fox Royal Weiss and New Jersey’s Flying Fish;
• Half off of all cocktails made with fresh fruit sourced from Green Meadow Farm, including and the B&B made with Philly’s Blue Coat Gin and local blueberries and the insanely popular Strongberry Lemonade made with local strawberries and lemons; and
• Free bites made with farm fresh, local ingredients!

Last week, the free apps, which change every week, included focaccia made with sweet cherry tomatoes from Green Meadow Farm.  But one of the more impressive selections was the diverse platter of bruschetta and vegetable spoons.  The diced beets, also sourced from Green Meadow, had an intense fresh-from-the-ground earthiness.  The Country Time Farm pork pate bruschetta was smooth and satisfying.  The Vineland, New Jersey spinach topped with ricotta cheese, however, stole the show—deep, rich, meaty greens without any bitterness.

There are only a couple of these summer happy hours left at James, so make sure you stop by.  But don’t worry if you miss out; James’ commitment to fresh local ingredients lasts all year-round.  Chef Jim Burke admits it can be challenging to source locally during the winter months, but he doesn’t mind.  “It makes you more creative,” he says.

James
824 S. 8th Street
(215) 629-4980