This Saturday in Hudson

Come, meet Joshua and Jessica Applestone the owners of the renowned Fleisher's Meats in Kingston, and Brooklyn, New York, who'll be at the Hudson Farmers' Market on the 27th July from 10am - noon signing copies of their book - "The Butcher's Guide to Well-Raised Meat".   The book is a must, not just for carnivores but also for those who have eliminated meat from their diets and are reconsidering their choices.  Josh, a former vegan, and Jess, a vegetarian - will tell you in their own words about their conversion back to meat, and how they think about raising and treating the animals who'll become dinner.

The Hudson Farmers' Market is located at 6th and Columbia Streets in downtown Hudson. 
I'll be there too. 

 Susan Simon Says - Food for Thought column in tomorrow's paper - www.registerstar.com (click on columnists and scroll down to mine)  has five, almost no-cook salad recipes  to make when you don't want to rely on your stove - too much.  Not with this summer's weather.

SUSANSIMONSAYS:

My friend, Mary, who was my neighbor when I lived in the East Village (NYC) - still lives there, but also has a home near where I live now.  Her fully organic, biodynamic vegetable garden ripened rapidly with the recent heat wave.  Everything matured at once.  She sent me an email at the beginning of the week inviting me to go over to her property and help myself to vegetables.  The picture shows what I harvested without making a dent in what was available .  Those poor little tomatoes, just bursting out of their skins will make a wonderful raw pasta sauce or relish.
I'll be keeping track of what I make and share the dishes with you.
Of course, Allegra came along and even went for a dip in the pond.

 

The Other Whaling Town IV

 

There were so many reasons that it was nice to be on Nantucket during the week that included the 4th of July, not the least of which is that it was almost always at least 15 degrees cooler than on the swelteringly hot mainland:
  

The blue hydrangeas that are to be found in everyone's garden, everywhere on the island, achieve their startling blue color from Nantucket's lime-rich soil.

A  Pimm's cup made by a native Englishman. Although, "Sorry, I didn't have real English lemonade", said David Lovett who put together the beautiful, refreshing, and legendary summertime drink.
Pimm's No. 1 was created in England in the early 19th century by infusing a variety of herbs and liqueurs with a gin base.   To make the drink that has become synonymous with warm weather English sporting events like the Wimbledon tennis tournament, and the Henley Regatta;
Mix 1 part Pimm's No. 1 with 3 parts chilled lemonade - the English lemonade is carbonated, so David added sparkling water to flat lemonade (I'd use San Pellegrino limonata).  Garnish with cucumbers, strawberries, orange, and mint leaves.

Fresh oysters from the Steve Bender's Pocomo Meadows oyster farm.  All that the mollusks, floating in a saline puddle, needed was a touch of lemon to complement the sweetness that you tasted once you bit into them.

Eggs gathered a few hours after they were laid, poached, and garnished with wild rose sea salt from Ambrosia.

The views that never cease to soothe me.


The variety of fresh fish at the market - or gifted from a fisherman pal. 

NANTUCKET BAKED BLUEFISH
Serves 4 - 6

Perhaps the most repeated island preparation for bluefish, the ubiquitous summertime catch, this recipe does a good job of disguising and at the same time complementing the infamous bluefish flavor.
Here's a hint:  Take a good look at the fillets.  If there appears to be a lot of dark meat on the underside of the fish, cut it away.  That's the strong-tasting part of the fish.

3 pounds bluefish fillets
unsalted butter for greasing the pan
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 cups sour cream
1/2 cup good-quality commercial mayonnaise
3 tablespoons chopped fresh chives
3 tablespoons lemon juice

1.   Heat an oven to 400 degrees F.  Wash and pat dry the fillets.  Butter a baking dish and place the fillets in it.  rub them with the salt and pepper.  In a bowl, combine the sour cream, mayonnaise, chive and lemon juice.  Cover the fish with this mixture.
2.   Bake for 20 minutes, or until the fish is firm and opaque all the way through.  the set under a broiler for 5 minutes to brown.  Serve piping hot.

 

A dog, Allegra, who still loves the beach.

SUSANSIMONSAYS:   Even although I'm posting less frequently than I have in the past, I write a regular food column for the Hudson-Catskill papers that's published every Friday in several upstate New York county papers.  You can find the column, Susan Simon Says - Food for Thought by going to www.registerstar.com , clicking on columnists and scrolling down 'til you find my column.  It would be nice if you would consider bookmarking it for weekly updates.   Thanks.

Jessica and Joshua Applestone who were scheduled to appear at the Hudson Farmers' Market this weekend, July 13th,  to sign copies of their book, "A Butcher's Guide to Well-Raised Meat" (Fleisher' Meat market) have had to postpone until July 27th.