Chus On Chow

Spinach planted last fall that simply overwintered, ready for tonight’s salad. And the asparagus is over a foot tall already!  Whoopee! It’s spring!

With farmer Della’s permission, I’m reprinting this wonderful announcement that she recently sent her customers. We’ve been getting all our meat from her for the past four or five months and really love it. What’s more, we think Della is simply an angel.

    Hi Y’all.
A few weeks ago I offered a reduced reservation fee that included a discount for reservees off the price of our Certified Organic No-Soy Pasture Raised Chickens to be harvested this coming year throughout the summer and fall.

As if that wasn’t good enough I am additionally offering freebie heritage breed chickens with your reserved purchase of our meat chickens.

You probably have heard about the destruction of male chicks of egg laying breeds, which are essentially all of the heritage breed chickens.

I routinely “rescue” day old chicks from the hatchery that would be thrown out otherwise and (more…)

We saw them in Canada long before they came to the States, dozens of Tim Hortons running around. Yeah, we’re grammar geeks totally put off by the lack of apostrophes on their signs. Someone must have stolen them for use at the end of plural noun’s.

We’d never been in one, not until this morning. I mean, with great coffee in both countries, why? Because we got bored. Having decided that 2012 is the year of trying new things (dancing tango, growing cilantro, eating paleo – sometimes), we finally gave in to the urge and went over to the Tim Hortons on Thompson Road. (more…)

In brief, this is how I drastically improved my health and lost 25 pounds:

• Consulted with Chris Kresser, L.Ac., and followed his instructions:
• Stopped eating all grains
• Stopped eating all refined foods
• Ate basically all the fats I wanted from these three sources: olive oil, coconut oil, and organic heavy cream
• Ate lots of fresh vegetables, berries, some nuts and coconut
• Ate lots of grass-fed beef and organ meats, as well as quality fish
• Took the supplements that he determined were right for me based on his expert reading of blood tests he ordered

That’s the simple version but it pretty well covers it. Carbs are fresh foods and are complex. And yes, dairy fat is good for you. It has been found that a “compound in dairy may substantially reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes.”  Read more about it in the Harvard Gazette.

Creamy just-ripe avocado with crunchy, healthful Hawaiian black lava salt. Perfection on a midwinter day.

When Dave and I were at the Westcott Street Cultural Fair in September, we noticed that a new Indian restaurant had opened up just around the corner from Westcott Street, Taste of India at 124 Dell Street, Syracuse. But it wasn’t until yesterday that we took the opportunity to try it out when driving through the neighborhood, hungry for lunch. (more…)

Just got this in today’s email:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Syracuse, NY January 16, 2012

What do a Norwegian liquor, the island of Bali, fish cookbooks, and Syracuse’s own Better Brittle all have in common? Each were chosen as part of the Saveur 100. Every year Saveur Magazine scours the planet for the best meals, restaurants, cook books, kitchen tools, beverages, and food products. They call these 100 items “instant classics” and feature them in their first issue of the year. Saveur is one of the premier food publications in the world, having won dozens of publication and food awards, including 15 James Beard journalism awards. (more…)

Over the summer, I lost 25 pounds by following a grain-free diet and eating the right supplements as instructed by my excellent doctor, Chris Kresser. (Contact me if you want to know more about that.) Chris really does his research and his blog posts are invariably excellent. A few weeks ago ago he posted one entitled How plastic food containers could be making you fat, infertile and sick. (more…)

I just have to let everyone know what’s up at Sparky Town, 324 Burnet Ave at Catherine, one of our favorite restaurants. This just came into my inbox:

Sparky Town News!

Mon-Thu, 11AM-8PM – Fri, 11AM-10PM – Sat, 8AM-8PM

Thank You!

All of us at Sparky Town want to thank you for your support.
We are carrying on the goal of offering Fresh Healthy Comfort Food in a place that is welcoming to EVERYONE.
Your part in that means so much to us. (more…)

Syracuse suffered a terrible loss upon the sudden passing of Linda “Sparky” Mortimer, owner of Sparky Town cafe and restaurant. But her legacy lives on in the wonderful people who continue to serve some of the best food and coffee in town. (more…)

Last week Dave and I decided to try out Sitrus on the Hill, in the Sheraton Syracuse University Hotel, given that they were throwing a grand opening party that included free food and drinks. Described by the SU New Services as “the new beverage outlet of the hotel” (did they say beverage outlet?), it is, in fact, much more than something that spews beverages. It is a bar/restaurant that features a very pleasant, upscale atmosphere, friendly personnel, beverages of course and, believe it or not, really good food. (more…)

Syracuse has recently suffered a great loss upon the sudden passing of Linda Mortimer, otherwise known as Sparky, owner of Sparky Town cafe/restaurant. Anyone who has ever met her must be feeling a personal loss as well, for Linda had a way of making everyone who came in contact with her feel special, welcome and valued. (more…)

Dave and I went to the Pride of New York Harvest Fest today. While there didn’t appear to be as many vendors this year as last, there were still huge numbers of wine, beer and food exhibitors – 74 altogether. It really is fun to mill about with other people who love food and see what this amazing state is putting out. (more…)

It’s nearly November and the garden is still coming forth with food. But it’s dwindling, for sure. A couple days ago I mixed onions, garlic, parsnips and spinach in a sauté and it turned out quite well. However, I’d never eaten parsnips in the fall before. By gum, it’s true that they sweeten over the winter! They were incredibly starchy and less flavorful than they are in March when I joyfully pull them from the newly thawed ground. (more…)

NOTE: We have two winners already! 
Katie Kasych wrote in:

I have not heard of this event before. To be honest, I’d like to go because I am still learning/trying to love CNY! I moved here from NC to be with my (now) fiancé. Let’s just say I am less than thrilled with the seasons, particularly the never ending winter.

And Lisa Allen wrote: (more…)