Buckwheat Honey

I'm a honey slut. I put it in my smoothie in the morning, I drizzle it on my skyr in the afternoons, and let it melt into my tea in the eve. I will be experimenting with different sorts of honeys in the upcoming months.

I bought a pound and a half of the stuff from Whole Foods about 3 weeks ago (aaand it's gone today.. oh dear). You know, the "organic Amber" honey. It tasted good, like honey, but there was nothing particularly remarkable about it. And then I saw that it was sourced from at least two different places, and that thrilled me even less than the flavor, so I told myself that the next time, I would buy a more interesting honey.

Flash to today and the Buckwheat Honey that I just opened. This is a whole other animal. This was the sexiest honey I've ever tasted. It's almost purple, and reeks, and is faintly smoky. It would be amazing as a component of a glaze for barbecue or whatnot. I had it over my skyr, and it was awesome as well.

Of course, honey is honey. Nutritionally it's all the same ... the flavors just come from the different sort of flower the bees use. But, man is it a different experience..

I bought McLure's brand. Any honey suggestions?

-R

Raffetto's

okay. i'll keep this short. fresh pasta that they CUT FOR YOU RIGHT IN FRONT OF YOUR EYES AS THICK AS YOU WANT for 2.50/pound.

Raffetto's. it's been around since the early 20th century. 144 Houston St. Go there. Just go. Just do it. They carry other Italian imports.

And apparently, the fresh ravioli is the star of the place. I have a feeling my thick cut fettuccine isn't going to let me down, though.

-R

Homemade Chicken Soup

The real deal.

And you don't have to use a whole chicken. Just buy a pack of drumsticks. 4 or 5... toss them in a big pot with whole black peppercorns, celery, one onion, carrot, dill, parlsey, a few garlic gloves and get boiling. After it boils feel free to add some potato. Then, after, feel free to add some already cooked fresh pasta or rice.

Yom.

-R

Sixth Street CSA

So excitement: this week I just turned in my forms for a CSA! Sixth Street Community Center gets most of the produce from Sun Valley Farms and R-Best produce: see the lovely spread of edibles for the season.

Sample Deliveries
November	December	January
Empire (red) apples Mutsu (green) apples DeVoe pears Bananas Arugula Kale Onions Russet potatoes Broccoli rabe Japanese turnips Cranberries Carrots Celery Pumpkin Green leaf lettuce Asparagus Cherry tomatoes	Rome apples Jonagold apples Bosc pears Cantaloupe Grapefruit Yellow onions Russet potatoes Alfalfa spouts White beets Celeriac Radishes Squash Lemons Eggplant Peppers Cherry tomatoes Arugala Carrots	Fuji apples| Ida red apples Seckel pears Satsuma tangerines Bananas Blue potatoes Yellow onions Pumpkins Radishes Broccoli Carrots Kale Zucchine Romaine lettuce Cherry tomatoes Cucumbers Eggplant Gold bell peppers
February	March	April
Empire apples Seckel pears Red grapefruit Tangerines Bananas White mushrooms Tomatoes Bok choi Broccoli Carrots Cauliflower Celery Romaine lettuce Garnet yams Yellow onions Chevre	Empire apples Red grapefruit Bartlett pears Bananas White potatoes Shallots Green beans Broccoli Celeriac Green leaf lettuce Spinach Cherry tomatoes Cucumbers Carrots Cauliflower	Spartan apples Blood oranges Mangoes Bananas Grimini mushrooms Green bell peppers Broccoli Green cabbage Carrots Kale Green leaf lettuce Jewel yams Zucchini Yellow onions Eggplant Tomatoes

I'm pretty sure there are still spots left, it's a lot to put down for the whole season, but it breaks down to about $30 a week..and you'll probably have more that you can eat. Point of contention: there's bananas and stuff on there...and upon further investigation a lot of the stuff is from R-Best Produce. So, I'm going to see where it's actually coming from and give an update.

S.

Veal Chops

Brian cooked me an amazing dinner the other night! Veal chops in a mustard cream sauce with roasted baby potatoes and sauteed chard on the side. Yay. :)

-R

Japan Premium Beef: prelude

So when a new classy food-related store opens up on my street, it won't be ignored! I've noticed this gleaming meat shop many days on my way to school and always wondered whether it was as good as it looked. By the way it's on E. 3rd st. (actually the block where it's Great Jones street) and the meat is from Oregon. Today I'm going to go get some beef there! I'm getting more excited since I just read a review on yelp.

Let me just excerpt some comments:

"My wife and I were very excited to see this shop open in our neighborhood, as we met in Japan, and had good memories of the beef there."

"If you're a Japanese housewife living in Japan who've never lived outside of Japan, you might not understand why I'm sooooo exited about this place."

"First thing's first, it's like stepping into a set from Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey -- the scene in the glowing-room toward the end of the film (where Dave approaches the Monolith and becomes a free-floating fetus and, metaphorically, returns to and equals Mother Earth)... Perhaps I've said too much?... Anyway, needless to say, the storefront is is stark and austere, a thing of beauty of art -- and the service is phenomenally informative and patient."

Well. I'm sold. I have yet to discover what cut of beef awaits me, but I am duly excited for this gem of Great Jones street.

-----------------

update: It was delicious. I got the marinated beef (strips...pieces???) a cause de laziness at $9.99 a pound. Just sauteed those bad boys with an onion and voila a tasty beefy sauce...served with long grain brown rice and kale! Yes, there are quite a few things over $20 a pound, but cheap stuff is still amazing...next on my list: burgers with their sassy ground beef at $4.99 a pound.

S.

OMGZ I found the perfect apple

It is named "Macoun". It's a cross between McIntosh (which I've NEVER liked) and something else...

Holy godz is it good. Honestly, I've never been so excited about apples in my life.

Read about them: apparently, they have a very short season and are loved by people with extreme sweet teeth (like me!)!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Macoun_apple

it is also really small and cute.

-R