Beacon Bits -- Old News

Summer seems to be flying by. I see that I had no posts in July; there just wasn't enough time to do everything and write about it too. So I thought some highlights were in order. The next several posts will showcase some of what happened in Beacon betwixt and between the heat wave of the summer of 2013.

 

Second Saturday in July was the last for Gallery 508, owned by Jens O. Bille, a Danish-born artist who designed for Georg Jensen, and his wife, Betty Ann Lopate. They operated a very special and successful gallery on the East end of town for a couple of years before Roundhouse came to town. They featured works by Jens - handcrafted jewelry and landscape paintings reminiscent of scenes from Babette's Feast, filmed in the coastal areas of north Denmark - as well as local artists who were showcased in monthly exhibitions - Christine Hartman and Barbara Koffsky among them, and an assortment of antique sculpture and porcelain collectibles. For those who will miss seeing Jens in person, have no fear. He will continue to be a presence in Beacon and online for all his patrons.
 

 

 



Some food for thought:

It's always hard to say goodbye to friends. Even when goodbyes are not really goodbyes. Transitions and changes come in all shapes and sizes. The familiar turns into the unfamiliar, we adjust, and we eventually get used to the idea that the old has passed and the new has arrived. We habituate to the old and we adapt. to the new We crave novelty in order to broaden our repertoire. The cycle is a natural way for us to move on. We are the better for it. We take the 'old' with us and never lose it. So long as we appreciate it when we had it, we will never long for what was. We will accept what is. And become what will be.



Beacon Bits -- America's Bounty

Looking back a year, I see that I spent the day doing similar things: catching up in the kitchen with all the items that I’ve been gathering at Common Ground Farm’s weekly harvest so that they don’t go to waste. It seems as though a critical mass accrues by this time in July. It’s been a year of bounty on the farm. We’ve had a most wonderful variety of lettuce, arugula, turnips, beets, fennel, celery, green onions, radishes, broccoli, kale, mustard greens and other greens, kohlrabi, basil, cilantro, dill, cucumbers, bok choy, scapes, patty pan squash, green zucchini, peas and garlic thus far. Despite the blanching of greens and freezing for future use, the best salads I’ve been eating for lunch, and the sharing of some of the harvest with friends at work, I found myself in the kitchen today preparing several dishes so that I could be on top of the bounty. Given I did this on Independence Day last year, it felt like a tradition was emerging; a tradition that seems to be rooted in the rhythms of the Hudson Valley where local farming has taken root.

Of course there are other traditions for 4^th of July. And where else to feel so connected to them but living along the Hudson River where bombs did indeed burst in the air! This year, I’ve been invited to a barbecue and a chance to see the Beacon fireworks in Memorial Park up close and personal. So spending the morning in the kitchen was a simple and centered way to begin the holiday.  Cooking is a flow experience for me. I never feel as present in the moment as I do when I wash, slice, cut, chop, sauté, stir, whip, season, bake, broil, and taste. Even the anticipation of the finished product doesn’t distract from the tasks at hand. It’s a wonderful experience to feel rooted in nourishing the body, mind and soul---all at the same time.

I’ve had years of being inspired by great chefs on TV shows: the Frugal Gourmet, Julia Childs, Jacques Pepin, Lidia’s Italy and now Andreas Viestad and Tina Nordstrom of New Scandinavian Cooking. I call it inspired cooking because there are times that the only measurements are done by eye and taste, not spoons and cups that are exact; inspired because it is the spur of the moment-- what is lying in wait in the cupboard, refrigerator or basket on the counter and what has been purchased that needs to be used up before it spoils. I’m not sure if the only motivation is getting to prepare something that is worth eating or if it’s the challenge of analyzing and predicting what will actually taste good. Either way, it’s a great outcome.

I guess that’s why I find barbecues boring. There is only so much you can do on the grill. From start to finish, it is a bit more precise. So I think I’ll continue to leave the grilling to those who may not want to spend hours in the kitchen, lost in the moment, grounded in the present, and in no need to rush.

Some food for thought: Traditions are important. They are anchors, touchstones, bookmarks and the rituals we create in our lives. How many years does it take to have an event become a tradition? I think it depends on how important the task or the routine is. Sometimes it takes a while to see the pattern of repetition. Other times, it is evident from the start that this is something to return to over and over again. Guess I’ve found my 4^th of July tradition: connecting to the earth’s bounty and identifying with the work of farmer’s wives who pickled and ‘put up’ food for future use; feeling independent from fast and processed foods; and being content with the here and now. And after tonight's fireworks with new local friends, Jens & Betty Ann, Steve & Barbara and Mindy [a.k.a. "Princess WOW!"] & Roland (among others), and good food, I hope this new tradition lasts for years to come.

To the right of Beacon's fireworks, which were delayed after a quick and fierce moving thunderstorm, nature had it's own display of lightning behind some nimbo-cumulus clouds, competing and outlasting the colorful and beautiful manmade version

 

America's 4th of July Bounty

Roasted Beets

Wash beets and trim. Place into tin foil. Sprinkle with tarragon vinegar and salt. Close foil. Bake at 350 degrees until tender. Rub skins off. Beets are ready to be a side dish or as an add in for salads.

Quick Pickled Cucumber

Place 1 cup water in a small saucepan. Add 2 tbs. chopped onion, a handful of celery leaves, and 2 sprigs of dill. Bring to a boil. Add 1/3 cup tarragon vinegar and 1 generous tbs. sugar. Simmer for a few minutes. Set aside to cool. Slice cucumber into container. Pour vinegar over cucumbers. Refrigerate.

Farmer’s Delight Vegetable Soup

Chop ½ cup yellow onion, 1 white turnip, ½ large green zucchini, 3 stalks celery including the leaves, 3 stems basil, 1 stalk of fennel, 2 garlic scapes, 4-5 large beet green leaves, peas and 1 dried cayenne pepper. Heat 2 tbs. olive oil in a medium saucepan. Add onions and the garlic scapes and sauté until onions are transparent. Then add turnip, zucchini, celery, and fennel to the mixture. Finally, add the peas, basil, greens and pepper flakes. Saute together for approximately 15 minutes. Then ½ cup wine (whatever you have open in the fridge) and 32 oz. Pacific Foods organic beef (or chicken or vegetable) broth. Bring to a boil; lower and simmer for up to 1 hour. Halfway through, open a can of cannellini beans, rinse and add to the soup. Add salt to taste.  This can be frozen for a rainy day. (The cayenne pepper is something that was leftover from last season; I was afraid to use it. It reminded me of the red pepper flakes on the counters of pizzerias that I avoided. But it seemed appropriate to add the ‘heat’ today being 4^th July.)

Roasted Vegetables du Jour

Chop onion, turnip, patty pan and green squash, fennel, basil and celery leaves and place into a roasting pan. Drizzle with oil, sprinkle salt, chopped cayenne pepper pod and toss to mix well. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hr. or until tender, depending on how much you prepare. This is a great way to have vegetables ready ahead of time for several days.

Red-White-and-Blue Dessert for Betty Ann and Jens’ Barbecue

Make 1 pound cake from scratch. (I use a recipe, “Grandma’s Pound Cake”, passed down from a tried-and-true family kitchen, that gives ‘pound’ a new meaning – pound of butter, flour, confectioner’s sugar, eggs and flavored with vanilla and almond extracts.)  Rinse 1 pint blueberries and 2 pound strawberries, hull and slice the latter. Place ¾ cup white wine (I used a German, organic Riesling -- Weingut Heymann-Lowenstein Riesling Uhlen Erste Lage Blaufusser Lay Mosel 2006 from Artisan Wine Shop) and ½ cup maple syrup (I used the local Crown Maple Syrup) into a bowl. Chop 5 to 6 stems of spearmint leaves and add to the mix. Macerate the berries for several hours. When ready to serve, whip 1 cup of Hudson Valley Fresh heavy cream, and when the cream forms peaks, add 2-3 generous tablespoons of crème fraiche (I used Ronnybrook Farms), 2 tbs. powdered sugar and the grated rind from 1 lime. Slice the cake, spoon on the berries with lots of juice, and top with the whipped cream for a finish equal to the fireworks display.

Bon Apetit!

Beacon Bits--Hop to It!

Spring has officially arrived with the vernal equinox but it has been in the air for a couple of weeks. In the midst of all this balmy weather in Beacon, with the earliest arrival of daffodils, forsythia, magnolias and cherry blossoms that I've ever witnessed, there are several venues worthy of checking out: Hop, the new brew-oriented foodie hot spot across from the Howland Cultural Center and Gallery 508, where the featured artist, Christine Hartman, opened on 2nd Saturday in March. Both destinations are conveniently located on the East End of town with another new store, La Bella Rosa, in Russ Cusick's old gallery location. La Bella Rosa has the old feel of a traditional florist and knick-knack gift shop. Janette, the proprietor, is a friendly and knowledgeable, veteran florist who seems happy to have arrived in Beacon. The juxtaposition of La Bella Rosa amidst the row of funky and forward fashions found at Echo, Jacqueline,  and Lauren & Riley, the good eats at Beacon Falls Cafe and the Beacon Bagel, and the health-oriented Beacon Yoga, creates a time warp in the Beacon we all expect and love.

Hop -- aptly named since anyone trying to gain access at a pub crawl pace would be out-of-luck since it has had packed-to-capacity seating since its opening on March 1st. (Hop apparently will have an official opening on April 7th, so like spring, it seems to have arrived a month early!) Hop has a variety of local brews on tap, as well as bottled, international craft beers and food that can be eaten "in" (soups, cheese plates, beef jerky, pates) or items featuring Hemlock Hill Farm products and vinegars from a local monastery to be taken "out". The overall feel of the establishment is upbeat, casual and depending on when you arrive, a bit frenetic, even bordering on chaotic. It's definitely a meeting place for the younger (or young-at-heart) set in town.

For a more sedate excursion, be sure to stop by Gallery 508, owned by Jens Bille, who hails from Denmark and worked as a designer for Georg Jensen. The collection of his own artwork and  jewelry designs, as well as, antique collectibles, black-and-white photographs, and Japanese wood prints, is showcased with a featured artist who is local Beacon artist, Christine Hartman through the end of April. Hartman's still life oil paintings bring traditional and carefully placed household objects and even a cat or two on practically full-size canvases that make her art a tromp l'oeil of all that you stand before in the midst of in this well-appointed gallery. The color palate is soothing and inviting so you'll just have to pull up a chair (before it is sold) and gain your composure from all the activity that is ready to burst into being with upcoming spring and summer festivities in this soon-to-be Roundhouse section of town. Check out the progress of the Roundhouse, recently noted in Hudson Valley Magazine to be the second best thing for Beacon's development after the Dia's opening in 2003.

Some food for thought: For perspective, one has to acknowledge that Beacon has had many more seminal events in its recent history other than the conversion of two factories into a world-renowned art museum and a restaurant/conference center/loft space on either end of town respectively. It's all of Beacon's past, present and future that one finds along the full extent of Main Street -- from Bank Square to Hudson Beach Glass to Artisan Wine Shop to Beacon Institute for Rivers and Estuaries to Seed to Fruit...and everything sandwiched in between. All of Beacon is getting ready to 'hop' to it as this glorious spring leads to summer surprises along the way. With the arrival of Hop, it is a reminder that 'imitation is the best form of flattery' since the food and gourmet local goodies-to-go will remind Beaconites of the popular Homespun and the fact that it became the forerunner of Frost & Justice, the local Kingston brewery that has been in partnership with the Beacon Theatre across the street. Good ideas are easily replicated. When a community can hold more than one venue featuring the same goods or services, it is a sign that demand is dictating supply; friendly competition never hurts anyone. It just offers more choices for the consumer who wants to buy and stay local.