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  • The Only Constant Is Change

    Mellisa Hannum 4:12 pm on August 31, 2010 | 0 Permalink
    Tags: BriarPatch Co-op, sales

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    Over two thousand years ago, Heraclitus of Ephesus said, “Nothing endures but change.”

    That truism is something that fills some with excitement and others with dread. Hopefully, the new changes to our sales program fill you with the former.

    Beginning September 1, 2010, you’ll find a revamped, more gorgeous, sales flyer in the store. Vibrant pictures will please your eyes. New recipes will inspire. More deals will help the wallet. Plus, we’ll have more things that are BriarPatch-centric – including new Fresh in the Deli specials.

    The Sept. 1-Sept. 14 flyer lists Brown Cow 6oz yogurt in selected varieties for 69¢, Kashi Organic Strawberry Fields Cereal for $2.99, Seventh Generation Bath Tissue 4-pack for $2.69, selected Clif Bars for only 99¢, selected Giovanni shampoos and conditioners for $4.99, BriarPatch Deli’s new pizzas for $7.99, $8.99, and $9.99 in cheese, vegetable, and pepperoni, respectively, as well as so many, many, more amazing deals.

    With this revamp in deals, we’re able to offer more things throughout the month on special. Keep that in mind when choosing which sales items to special order. To guarantee the sales price, make sure to place your special orders the same week in which the sale starts.

    And maybe the best part of our new flyers – they’re printed on Forest Stewardship Council-certified paper.  FSC-certified paper is created from a common vision that requires, “the paper industry to maximize recycled content whenever possible, and to source any remaining virgin wood fibers from FSC-certified forests.”

    Make sure to pick up one of the fancy new flyers on your next trip, ooh and ah at the greater range of products, and remember, you get the opportunity to do it all again in a couple of weeks.

     
  • The Sweetness of Summer

    Mellisa Hannum 11:39 am on August 25, 2010 | 0 Permalink
    Tags: BriarPatch Co-op, melon, , tomatoes

    honey rock melonMy sweet tooth has been incredibly satisfied this week, due to an offering in my CSA box as well as a new produce item.

    Summer produce is no stranger to sweetness, of course, but these were two new experiences for me. The first was the introduction to Honey Rock Melon, an heirloom variety that lived up to the honey in its name. Toothsome, rich, and syrupy with a slight hint of musk, it baptized this melon-hater into a fervent follower. ground cherry tomatoes_singleThe second taste bud debut was of Ground Cherry Tomatoes, also known as Husk Tomatoes, from Downtown Farm in Colfax. These wee, golden wonders in their papery shells are related to tomatillos but exist in a world all their own. I freed one from its husk, popped it in my mouth, and exclaimed, “It’s candy!” It had zero acidity and tasted exactly like pineapple upside down cake.

    ground cherry tomatoes_group

     
  • A Flower Feast

    Mellisa Hannum 10:28 am on August 18, 2010 | 0 Permalink
    Tags: , BriarPatch Co-op, , ,

    David, our produce manager, popped his head into my office just before the end of my shift yesterday. His eyes were shining with excitement as he said, “One of our local farmers just brought in edible flowers. Do you think you could put something up on Facebook about them tomorrow?”

    Shoot, I’d do one better than just put it up on Facebook. How could I resist the concept of local, edible flowers for my Eat Local dinner? And if I was going to eat it, I should blog about it, right?

    I clocked out and headed to the produce department, giddy with anticipation. I was going to craft a dinner around flowers! Awesome, awesome, awesome! My brain began to spin with options. Obviously, I was going to make a salad with the flowers as the main ingredient. Local greens, blackberries, and Sungolds rounded out the edible posy. We had some green beans we had picked during our last visit to our CSA farm. If I kept it simple and tossed them with some regional butter, they’d compliment the sweet greenness of the salad. Then a little bit of protein… Charles helped me out with that decision – regional chicken it was (and it was reduced – score!).

    The minute we walked in the front door, I started warming up the stove-top, cast iron grill and put a pot on to boil for the green beans. Then I began arranging the salad. I must admit that almost half of the local blackberries didn’t make it into the bowls. They’re wild, so they have that wonderful untamed tang as well as sweetness. A healthy amount of Sungolds, sliced in half so their juices incorporated with the greens were next, and then I added the flowers. It was like arranging in a vase, but better, because it would soon end up as our meal. As soon as the green beans and chicken were cooked, dinner was served.dinner!

    The flowers gave a green pop to the palate. I especially enjoyed the nasturtiums. They presented a sprinkling of spice across the tongue followed by a delightful burst of mandarin oranges. Charles wasn’t as enthusiastic about his edible arrangement, so I helped myself to his nasturtiums too. Because of the wild, green flavors of the flowers accompanied with the chicken and green beans, I’d recommend a Sauvignon Blanc made in the New Zealand style. It complements the range of flavors wonderfully.

    A little bit of exotic beauty for dinner – it’s so great to work in a place where I get to be introduced to so many wonderful, new experiences, especially when those experiences are on a plate.

     
  • I want tomatoes!

    Mellisa Hannum 10:06 am on July 21, 2010 | 0 Permalink
    Tags: BriarPatch Co-op, , ,

    I want tomatoes. If I have to deal with the intense weather that makes me melt into a puddle of mush, I at least want heirloom tomatoesthe satisfaction of biting into a ripe, sweet, flavor-packed tomato.

    So far this year, I haven’t been able to have that experience. The plant at my house has a small collection of blossoms. The plants at the farm through which I have my CSA have more blossoms, but no fruit. It’s almost August, and I ain’t got no tomato satisfaction.

    Such is the way of the world of produce. Some years, the bounty overflows. Others, your garden yields up your first harvest at the very end of the season. Our house is at 3600 feet, so the garden’s timeline for growth is already shorter, and during a year like this, it’s even less.

    wee green houseThank goodness for the wonders of modern invention, like porch green houses. I wouldn’t even be able to harvest a handful of fruit this year if it wasn’t for that glorious creation. Isn’t it amazing the good that can come from a few metal pipes, shelves, and plastic? (My fresh herbs like it too.)

    And thank goodness for local farmers that are just down the hill. Because of those wonderful farmers with their steadier, slightly warmer weather, we just got heirloom tomatoes in the store. While nothing can completely replace a fresh tomato plucked from the plant and still warm from the sun, these come a close second.

     
  • the first blueberry is almost blue!

    Kathy Laible 12:31 am on July 9, 2010 | 0 Permalink
    Tags: BriarPatch Co-op, Lazy Valley Ranch

    My patio pots have a record crop of berries this year …. I’m so excited – and the netting is up … I know better now, after losing my entire crop (15 berries) two years ago – to the big blue jays – they watch the plants as closely as I do.

    Last year there were 159 tasty little berries !  yep, I counted.

    Checking the three happy plants on my patio is the highlight of my morning. They live in pots because they are transient … chasing the patches of sunlight that reach the ground through the oak trees.

    Like most of my garden plants, flowers and veggies alike, the berries and I spend a lot of time scooting around to catch the best warm sun.

    I’ll keep a running tally as the berry harvest continues.  That should keep you’all glued to this blog!  “Exciting, breaking berry news … ”

    But, even with this season’s potential bumper crop, I know that until I have my own blueberry farm ….  I will be snatching up all of the berries I can find to satisfy my blue-habit.  I’m lamenting the rumors of hardships on local berry farms, due to the late season frost.  I count on, and am sometimes fooled by, the rumors of blueberry-sitings at BriarPatch Co-op and the farmers markets.  The elusive Lazy Valley Ranch bulk blueberry shipments come in and go out – by the bag-full, so fast that even the produce department staff aren’t sure they’ve really been there.

    Fresh, frozen, cooked .. in pies, on icecream, with my oatmeal, in a salad …  by the handful !  In July, blue is my favorite color !first blueberry

     
  • Understanding Your Hamburger

    Mellisa Hannum 9:35 am on July 7, 2010 | 0 Permalink
    Tags: BriarPatch Co-op, ,

    I’m half town mouse and half country mouse. My mom loves her creature comforts — full-service cable, air conditioning, and oodles of places to eat out on a whim. My dad grew up on a dairy farm, getting in scrapes, being a buddy with dirt, and being happiest sans roof.

    Mellisa and calf

    Me with the calf I rescued from a ditch

    By the time I came into the picture, my paternal grandparents had shifted from dairy cows to beef, Polled Herefords to be exact, and moved to Montana. My brother, sister, and I spent many a summer day up at their ranch, getting into our own scrapes, helping where we could, and learning the all-important lesson of farm to table.

    I was really lucky to get these experiences. To look at me, you’d think I’m all town mouse. In fact, whenever playing, “To Tell the Truth,” my story about herding cattle always gets chosen because, well, no one looks at me and thinks, “Well golly, of COURSE she’s herded cattle.” Part of my luck, I feel, is that I was exposed to the whole circle of life and have a pretty priceless understanding of how a calf that I rescued from a ditch would someday end up as hamburger, and I was okay with that.

    Understanding breeds acceptance. When I became a vegetarian, my beef-raising family accepted that change with nary a blink. When I returned to eating meat a fhamburgerew years later because of my health, that too was accepted. While I never came back to the place where I ate as much meat as I had before going veggie, I gotta say, a good grass-fed, grass-finished steak or hamburger is a lovely thing to experience.

    Locally, we’re gifted with a wonderful beef rancher by the name of Jim Gates. His beef tastes as good as it gets – lean, juicy, and chock full of flavor. Jim is something of a rock star around these parts, and if you’ve ever had some Nevada County Free Range Beef or talked to Mister Salt-of-the-Earth himself, you know why.

     
  • Heaven and Cherries

    Mellisa Hannum 9:58 am on June 23, 2010 | 0 Permalink
    Tags: BriarPatch Co-op, cherries, , llano seco pork,

    In Heaven, there are cherry trees.Eric in the cherry tree

    I know this. There just have to be. Every summer afternoon spent up in my grandma’s cherry tree was a little bit of Heaven. The still, dusty, oppressive heat of the Sacramento Valley would retreat under the shade of the old, wizened tree. I’d scramble up the trunk and sit on my favorite branch, kicking my legs with their perpetually skinned knees as I gathered a bucket’s worth of cherries and consumed another bucket’s worth.

    That first taste of a summer-ripe cherry brings me back to those long-gone June afternoons. For the moments that I’m savoring that sweet, plump fruit, I’m a kid again – sitting high in a tree and having pit-spitting contests with my brother and sister. Cherries are one of the reasons that I love June. Though the month may blindside you with a few triple digit days, it always makes up for it in the sweetness of its fruit.

    My brother in the cherry tree.>

    Pork Chops with Brandied Cherry Sauce

    Serves: 4

    Ingredients

    • 15ounces of Mountain Sweet cherries
    • 2 rounded spoonfuls sugar
    • 4 large, boneless center-cut Llano Seco pork chops
    • Salt and pepper
    • 2 tablespoons Calolea extra-virgin olive oil
    • 1 large shallot, finely chopped
    • Splash of brandy
    • 1/2 cup chicken stock
    • 2 tablespoons regional butter
    • 3 tablespoons fresh mint leaves, finely chopped

    Directions

    cherriesPreheat oven to 375 degrees F.

    Put cherries in a small bowl with the sugar.

    Heat a skillet with an oven safe handle over medium high to high heat.

    Season chops with salt and pepper. Add 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil to a hot skillet. Place chops in skillet and sear meat on both sides to caramelize the chops. Place a loose tin foil tent over the pan and transfer the chops to oven to finish off, 7 or 8 minutes, until meat is firm to touch, but not tough.

    Remove meat from oven and transfer to dinner plates. Cover chops with foil to keep warm. Place chop skillet back on stove over medium heat. Add a tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, 1 turn of the pan. Add shallots and sauté 1 to 2 minutes. Add cherries and warm through. Add brandy, then add stock. Reduce stock a minute, then add butter in small pieces. Toss sauce to combine and sprinkle in mint. Pour sauce down over chops.

    Adapted from a Rachael Ray recipe

     
  • Local Food Adventures Begin...

    Mellisa Hannum 9:40 am on June 16, 2010 | 0 Permalink
    Tags: BriarPatch Co-op, , ,

    garlic scapesOne of the things I thoroughly enjoy about the local produce season getting under way is the challenge of trying new things. Before Heaven and Earth Farm brought garlic scapes into the store last week, I had never heard of them, but typing the words into Google gave me a few ideas about how to cook up these bad boys. Specifically, this blog gave me a recipe that screamed to be made.

    So I did. I don’t have a food processor, (someday, oh one beautiful someday, I shall!) but I do own a blender. The blender worked okay, but I ended up needing to put in about a tablespoon more olive oil to get it to mix together properly.garlic scapes pesto pasta

    I tossed the pesto with some al dente fettuccine, sprinkled some extra Parmesan on top, and WHAMO! Talk about a taste sensation – the intense flavors of garlic and greenness danced upon my taste buds in a very pleasing samba.  We paired it with a Viognier from Pilot Peak Vineyard and Winery which was an extremely good call. The garlic amazingness brought out pear flavors in the wine that were lovely counterpoints.

    Thank goodness for the adventure of trying new, local foods and getting some terrific meals out of it.

     
  • Mixed blessings and mixed greens-

    Kathy Laible 1:51 am on June 6, 2010 | 0 Permalink
    Tags: BriarPatch Co-op, Country Rubes' Farm, , Mill Street Certified Farmers Market, Nevada City Farmers Market, Nevada County Certified Growers' Market

    So often, the opportunity to enjoy early spring vegetables, fresh from the garden, just passes me by. Salads made with early peas, tender sprouts and lettuces are merely wishful thinking or incomplete thoughts that float by as the weather begins to warm up, but never actually make it to my table. There’s so much to do in the spring. Then, suddenly the rains stop, the temperatures rise, and the delicate spring greens disappear like dew in the morning sunshine.

    My sympathy goes out to the farmers and gardeners who planted on time this spring, and were surprised when the weather didn’t seem to be following the same calendar. If I hadn’t been so far behind with my own garden, I might be writing a very different tale – but this time my procrastination was a good thing! No seedlings lost or time wasted here. While early-planted tomatoes and squashes are struggling through chilly nights and unseasonably cold storms, … I’m selfishly enjoying the extended strawberry season.

    I realized all of this as I found myself smiling with my mouth full of juicy English peas and tasty mixed lettuces, from a salad that was simply bursting with the flavors of spring. I didn’t miss it! I felt like Ebenezer Scrooge when he found out it was Christmas day – giddy with my guilty pleasure.

    So many of our local farmers are recovering from the setbacks brought on by the late-season low temps. But, farmers are tough, resilient, and determined – thank goodness! Markets are open and the sun – finally – is shining. Look for asparagus and apricots, cherries, strawberries and peas. And thank those farmers while you’re there, for staying motivated through this challenging spring weather. I’d like to send a special thanks to Country Rubes’ Farm and Living Lands Agrarian Network/Harmony Valley Farm for my inspiring salad! And to BriarPatch Co-op Market for always featuring seasonal produce from our local growers!

    Farmers/Growers Market Schedules:

    Tuesday Afternoon: Nevada County Certified Growers’ Market
    3pm – 6pm   Sierra Presbyterian Church, Nevada City

    Thursday Afternoon: Nevada County Certified Growers’ Market
    2pm – 5:30pm   Seventh Day Adventist Church, Penn Valley

    Thursday Evening: Mill Street Certified Farmers Market
    5:30pm – 8pm   Downtown Grass Valley

    Saturday Morning: Nevada City Farmers Market
    8:30am – 12:30pm   Downtown Nevada City

    Saturday Morning: Nevada County Certified Growers’ Market
    8am – Noon   North Star House, Old Auburn Rd, Grass Valley

     
  • The Northern Sierra Wine Trail

    Mellisa Hannum 10:11 am on June 1, 2010 | 0 Permalink
    Tags: BriarPatch Co-op, food,

    This last weekend was the Northern Sierra Wine Trail. It was a glorious weekend to have the Trail. The sun was out. It was warm for the first time in a long while, and everything was gorgeous and green.

    BriarPatch was one of the sponsors this year, so Charles and I got to wear badges with the Co-op’s name and look all official. This also meant that we got to answer questions from folks about the store wherever we went, which was a great opportunity. Since the Trail hosts people from out of town as well as locals, getting to introduce people to our cool Co-op concepts was awesome. And since Charles is the Wine Buyer (as well as the Grocery Manager), we got some great VIP treatment.

    Our first stop was Montoliva Vineyard & Winery. Mark Henry’s wines, as always, were a treat. Our visit was super-special. We got a tour of the grounds, AND we got to barrel sample Mark’s 2008 Teroldego. I can’t wait until this beauty, with its nose of wild roses and vanilla bean, is bottled. Plus, we got to try the Barbera. Yum, yum, yum! Look for it on our shelves soon.

    Then it was off to Naggiar Vineyards & Winery. Naggiar’s wines are fantastic, so we tasted every one that was offered during the Trail. We had their WOW! factor Petite Sirah with our lunch of pulled pork sandwiches, fresh veggies, and fresh fruit. If you haven’t been to their new tasting room, you really need to go. Like this weekend. You won’t be disappointed. In fact, you may not want to leave.

    Food1

    We finished our wonderful day at Pilot Peak Vineyard & Winery. Again, we tried everything that they were pouring because, well, they’re great wines. We fell completely in love with their LiVedo. We were already in love with their Cabernet Franc, which we enjoyed with Pilot Peak’s famous coleslaw and their tri-tip sandwich.

    It was a perfect day. Driving in the foothills, admiring the different terrain, and enjoying the different wines our region has to offer made for the best Saturday I have had in a long time. Of course, there’s no reason not have have such enjoyable weekends as often as I’d like, as most of the local wineries are open on the weekend. Their schedules are just a click away, and there are 12 more wineries that I didn’t get to…

     
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