Day 1 of Allison Lehman's 30 Day Photo Challenge. I'll be sharing most of my pictures in this Flickr set.
Apple Hill Orchards, Mansfield Ohio {Pick Your Own Farm}
I wanted fresh Ohio fruit last Monday though none was ripe in the backyard. With the company of two young girls and a few hours to spare, I trekked to a new-to-me orchard, Apple Hill, near Mansfield Ohio.
We made a spontaneous stop at a beautiful park in Lexington, Ohio. The Bicentennial Park has play spaces for children of all ages, several picnic shelters, swings, shady areas, and tennis courts. The girls enjoyed playing and picnicking before the five minute drive to the farm.
Ample signage and a helpful employee directed us to Flaming Fury and Contender peach and Paula Red and Ginger Gold apple trees. Bags were available, though we chose to reuse boxes from previous picking excursions.
The fields are spacious and mowed. All was quiet on a Monday afternoon except for the roar of race cars from Mid-Ohio School once in awhile.
The peach and apple trees were very well pruned and easy to pick without climbing. In less than an hour of work, I picked a bushel of peaches and half bushel of apples. The girls' 'help' was fairly limited to tasting the fruit.
The Contender variety tastes like the perfect fresh peach. The juicy thick flesh falls off the pit and peels easily, making me wish I waited for Contenders for my peach canning marathon. The Apple Hill weekly update says they are still picking Contenders and I urge you to go soon if you want a delightful Ohio peach.
I am unsure of the chemical practices at Apple Hill. I saw several mating interceptor devices, a natural way to control insects. The apples had a bit of visible spray residue. There was ample wildlife in the field, a good sign that the farm is being managed with concern for a wide variety of species.
Apple Hill's prices are incredibly reasonable at $15-17 per half bushel depending on the fruit variety. Their cute store also offers cider in season (advertised on their website as available soon), home baked goods, and pre-picked produce.
Apple Hill advertises that nectarines, pears, and several more varieties of apples are now available. I need to plan a return trip!
Date of Visit: August 23, 2011
Apple Hill Orchards 1175 Lex-Ontario Road Mansfield, OH 44903
Open August through Thanksgiving 9am to 6pm Monday through Saturday and 12pm to 6pm on Sunday
(419) 884-1500 or Toll Free (888) APPLE50 (277-5350)
Hounds in the Kitchen pick-your-own farm profiles: Branstool Orchards Charlie's Apples at Windy Hill (no apples for 2011 season, boo) Schacht Family Farm
Taste the Future at CSCC {Giveaway!}
Culinary school has always been a fascination to me. People from all walks of life end up in school to train how to stand behind a hot stove for long hours. Why?
Columbus State Community College (CSCC) invited me to find out. Anna and I sat in on an International Cuisine course session, part of the culinary apprenticeship program.
Making of a Chef, Columbus State Style
Columbus State has a dual approach of intense classroom instruction combined with 6000 hours of apprentice work. Students learn about everything from sanitation to accounting, and menu planning to food preparation in the culinary apprenticeship program. They graduate with an associates degree and three years of restaurant experience.
By the time I met the third year students in the International Cuisine class I observed, they knew their way around the well-stocked kitchen. Prep work was focused and jolly. Students sought the advice of instructor James Taylor, Certified Executive Chef, as needed.
I chatted with students about their aspirations. Many were looking forward to continuing in their apprentice kitchens after graduation. One wants to find a place in a military base, as her husband recently enlisted in the Army. Another hopes to continue on to a fine pastry school, such as the Le Cordon Blue.
Taylor provided some additional insight into why a person might come to CSCC: for the confidence to cook great things. Taylor teaches students that a "recipe isn't a be all, end all thing - it doesn't excuse you from using your brain."
Joking voices were replaced by pans clanking on stove grates and the sizzle of meat on the grill as the plating deadline approached. The teaching kitchen was a whir of activity.
Students delivered their dishes to a central table where they were gently critiqued by Taylor. The chefs-to-be analyzed their own work too, guessing why dishes prepared with the same recipe looked different and evaluating plating looks. Students practiced using the dish tank before serving themselves. As we tasted the dishes together, the students were clearly exhausted but endeared to this program.
Taste the Future
Low tuition is a hallmark of the community college system, as is a strong scholarship system. Taste the Future is Columbus State's nod to their successful culinary program and their biggest community fund raising event.
At Taste the Future, visitors enjoy drinks, music, and tastes of the finest dishes chefs have to offer. Many participants are CSCC graduates who return at Taste to give back to their school. Read the Hounds in the Kitchen 2009 Taste the Future recap for an idea of what the event entails.
This year's Taste the Future will be held on September 13, 2011 from 5:30 to 9 pm. Tickets are $100 each, available online or by calling 614-287-2436.
Giveaway (Now Closed)
Wish you could spend an evening sampling chefs' best at Taste the Future? You can! Organizers provided me with two pairs of tickets to giveaway.
To enter, leave a comment below with the offering you most wish to try at Taste the Future 2011. The menu of dishes is expanding every day.
Giveaway Details:
Contest entries close at 12:01 AM EST on Tuesday, September 6. Two winners will be selected with random.org. Winners will have 24 hours to respond to email notification with their mailing address for delivery of the tickets.
Winners must have a US address. Only one entry per person please.
Retail value of each pair of tickets is $200. Tickets are for the 2011 Taste the Future event held on September 13, 2011 at Columbus State Community College Downtown campus, 550 East Spring Street, Columbus, OH 43215.
Disclosure: I received a pair of tickets to Taste the Future, a tour, lunch, and tastes at the cooking class. All opinions are my own.
August 28, 2011 {Meal Plan}
Ingredients and Inspiration:
- Lots of green beans in the garden. Tomatoes are infrequent but still around. We have just a few beautiful white patty pan squash ready to eat.
- We didn't meal plan last week and I hated it. Too much questioning what to make for dinner!
- On Wednesday, Alex and I have a quick night away to Cincinnati to hear Gillian Welch. Yay!!
- This week will end with our annual labor day camp and feast. I want to eat cheap and healthy meals leading up to the gluttony.
Sunday - pad thai with green beans
Monday - wild rice soup and carrot muffins
Tuesday - pork stew with patty pan squash, carrots, and purple potatoes
Wednesday - something on the road?
Thursday - Lunch at Ikea, pasta with garden veggie sauce
Friday - sandwiches on the way to East Harbor State Park
Saturday - pancake breakfast, sandwiches for lunch, African Safari potluck dinner and potato packets
Sunday - eggs, bacon, and toast breakfast, lunch on South Bass Island (Put in Bay), hot dogs and sausages, chips, fruits and veg dinner
Great Reads This Week {Friday Five} +1
1) Amy Turn Sharp's essay Teeth Never Die nibbled it's way into my head and required re-reading after Lil lost her first tooth this week. Amy's is no parenting prattle but a trip down a twisted memory lane.
2) In Op Ed: The Raw and the Deep-Fried, Bear of Slow Food Columbus elevates a New York Times op-ed about TV stars Tony Bourdain and Paula Dean to a call to action around the truth of the state of American cooking: we want to believe in the characters Bourdain and Dean portray but we do not want to cook well and cheaply.
3) Michael Procopio of Food for the Thoughtless connects vampires, self-image, and chicken with humor and a great recipe in his post Die, Vampire, Die.
4) I read the New York Times article Do You Suffer From Decision Fatigue? on Sunday morning and have not stopped thinking about it since. The women in my family (Lil and myself included!) are prone to indecision and this article clues me in to why and how to live with it. Fascinating stuff.
5) Bloggers Without Borders launched this week with A Fund for Jennie, to benefit the Perillo family after the tragic death of Mike (who loved peanut butter pie). Bloggers Without Borders is a nonprofit agency that gives legitimacy and support to fund raisers and networking among bloggers in need.
BONUS 6) First Food is Real Food Justice popped into my reader just before the Friday Five roundout was scheduled to run. Civil Eats gets it right again with this post about how newborns in food deserts also lack in breastfeeding rates.
What great words did you read this week?
After the Pop - How to Manage Home Canned Goods
You've heard the most delightful sound in the kitchen - the popping of lids fresh from the canner - and your jars are completely cooled. Now what? Prepare Jars for Storage
Remove the rings and wipe down the outside of the jar with a warm wet cloth or sponge. Often a bit of juice, brine or jam escapes during the vacuum process. Being outside the seal, this can spoil and rust the lids.
Wash the rings by hand or in the dishwasher and store them in a dry place for later (see below).
Label each lid with the contents and date. You can do this with a sharpie marker or label maker. I love how neat jars look when labeled with my Brother p-touch label maker. Lil gets a kick out of making the labels too.
Where to Store
Home canned goods last longest when they are stored in a dark, dry place with cool and consistent temperature. My basement is great for this. A cool closet, root cellar, or cupboard will also work.
If you have them, I find jar boxes to be excellent for storage of filled or empty jars. The high sides prevent light from discoloring food and the cardboard dividers keep the jars from clanking during transport.
Empty Jars and Rings
In the fall, the larder is full of filled colorful jars. But as winter progresses and the contents are used, what do you do with the rings and empties?
You may reuse the rings for canning so long as they aren't dented or rusted. You also will need one per jar to keep home canned goods in the fridge after opening.
I store rings in a kitchen drawer with my dish towels. You'll note some lids in there too; I keep them around for when I want to store leftovers or dry goods. Lids cannot be reused for canning but they are fine for non-sealed storage.
I stash a small selection of empty jars in a kitchen drawer (with some other miscellany like our cider press bag) for storing leftovers. When this drawer overflows, I take the excess down to the basement and sort by size on a shelf. When I have a dozen of a given size, I load them into a box and stack these for use during the next canning season.
I'm sure that my system is not the only one that works. How do you manage canning jars?
Added to Simple Lives Thursday 58.
Autumn 2011 {Events and Classes}
Fill your calendar and your belly with some of the local food events scheduled for this autumn! Hounds in the Kitchen classes at Franklin Park Conservatory: register by calling 614.645.5923 or download, print and mail a registration form.
Puttin' Up
Keep the summer bounty easily at hand all year long with tried and true preserving techniques. Homesteader Rachel Tayse Baillieul will guide class participants to make freezer basil pesto, water-bath canned applesauce, "sun" dried tomatoes and home frozen fruit.
Sun., September 11, 4 – 6pm
$15 Members (Member Madness Pricing!); $35 Non-members
Fermented Foods Fermented foods, like traditional sauerkraut and kefir, are believed to improve digestion and increase absorption of nutrients. Plus, they taste delicious! We will sample a variety of fermented foods and demonstrate how to easily make kefir, buttermilk, sourdough, pickles, and sauerkraut at home. Sun., October 16, 4 – 6pm $30 Members; $35 Non-members
Whole Bird Cooking Fear the holiday turkey and goose no more! Participants in this class will practice carving, eat a small meal, hear tips and tricks for flavorful juicy roasting, and learn how to use leftovers to best effect. Leave with the confidence to add roast birds to your menu year round. Sun., November 13, 4 – 6pm $30 Members; $35 Non-members
Fruit or Vegetable? PreK Using the powers of observation, preschoolers will identify what is a fruit and what is a vegetable, explore the gardens to see crops growing on trees, vines, and plants and then cook and taste nutritious recipes with local and seasonal produce. Thursdays, September 8, 15, and 22; 11am – 12pm $30 Members (Member Madness Pricing!); $70 Non-members (for the three-class series, price includes one child age 3-6 and one adult)
Harvest Fun PreK The harvest season is full of kid-friendly foods and activities. Kids will cook with local favorites including apples, potatoes and pumpkins during this series. Each week series will include a food-related craft. Thursdays, October 13, 20 and 27; 11am – 12pm $63 Members; $70 Non-members (for the three- class series, price include one child age 3-6 and one adult)
Whole Grains PreK Kids will explore nutrient-dense grains, from familiar rice and wheat to exotic tabouli and quinoa, through measuring, cooking and tasting a wide variety of grains. Your family may find a new favorite! Thursdays, November 3, 10 and 17; 11am – 12pm $63 Members; $70 Non-members (for the three-class series, price include one child v and one adult)
Hounds in the Kitchen Classes at Wild Goose: register online through Wild Goose
Apples Year Round Rachel will share her favorite ways to enjoy apples in all seasons by dehydrating, canning applesauce, and storing long term. We'll focus on more advanced ways of preserving apples including making cider vinegar and hard cider. Tuesday September 20, 6:30-8:30 pm, $30 per individual, $55/pair (one person takes two classes or two people take one class)
Home Charcuterie Learn how to make pancetta and bacon at home with no special tools or equipment! We'll also demonstrate how to stuff sausage and sample a variety of home cured meats. Tuesday October 18, 6:30-8:30 pm, $30 per individual, $55/pair (one person takes two classes or two people take one class)
Hounds in the Kitchen appearances: Bacon Camp 2011! Rachel will be part of the judging team for the annual bacon camp hosted by Wild Goose Creative at the North Market. There are still tickets available for next Saturday's event. August 27, 1-4 pm, $10 for bacon samples and fun. Register online.
Country Living Fair Held on the beautiful Ohio Village, the Country Living Fair is an annual gathering of fans of antiques, farm fresh cooking, and crafting. Rachel will present "New Ideas with Ohio Apples" on Friday at noon. The fair runs 10 am to 5 pm Friday, Saturday, and Sunday September 16-18. Tickets are for sale online ($13) or at the gate ($16).
Recommended Events:
Hungry Planet at Franklin Park Conservatory - August 20 - November 6 The conservatory hosts a food show this harvest season. See food art installed throughout the horticultural displays, tour the Edible Campus, and wander through a blown glass garden. A Food for Thought lecture series and special events like Market Days and Food Truck Sundays compliment the exhibits.
Lobster Days at The Hills Market Join The Hills Market in Worthington as they serve traditional Maine Lobster Rolls (filled to the brim with 1/4 pound of fresh lobster placed atop a buttered and toasted roll) with Ballreich's potato chips (from Tiffin, Ohio), lemonade and a slice of Judy's blueberry pie (from Waldo, Ohio.) Seatings are at 1 and 5 p.m. August 27 and September 3. Reservations for the $15 dinner are required by calling 614.846.3220.
Farm to Table Dinners at Murphin Ridge Murphin Ridge in West Union, Ohio will offer two different opportunities for travelers to enjoy the inn's memorable farm-to-table dining experience, with dinners slated for Sat., Sept. 3 at 7 p.m. and Sat., Oct. 1 at 7 p.m. The dinner is only $50 per person or $65 for wine pairings. Lodging is also available.
Horn of Africa Benefit at Solay Bistro> The Horn of Africa benefit dinner at Solay Bistro promises to be one of the most interesting cultural exchanges in Columbus this fall, and a delicious one to boot. Solay Bistro will prepare a African foods buffet on September 7 and 14th to raise funds for starving Africans, many of whom have relatives living here in Columbus. Tickets cost just $35 each and proceeds will go to CARE, a highly regarded non-profit doing work in the Horn of Africa.
Taste the Future - Columbus State Community College The 23rd annual culinary showcase, Taste the Future, will be held on September 13, 2011. More than 50 chefs will prepare samples for guests to enjoy on the Columbus State campus. All proceeds benefit student scholarship. Be sure to read Hounds in the Kitchen this Monday for a ticket giveaway!
Kids World at Independents Day - Saturday, September 17 10am - 8 pm at Gay Street and Pearl Alley Kids World will be a special area for children up to the age of 13 along the Gay Street sidewalk between Sugardaddy's and Pearl Alley during the Independents Day celebration. Openheartcreatures will perform in body puppets, the Cooking Caravan will put on a performance and pass out food samples, there will be a kids fashion design/creation hour and fashion show, and an art station where they can make music shakers and bird feeders. The SBB will host a "Start Your Own Business" seminar for kids with ideas of how they can get involved with the community through entrepreneurship, and then will run a kids parade through the fest to show people that children are our next community leaders.
North Market's 6th Annual Microbrew Festival The North Market will toast the end of summer with the 6th annual Columbus Microbrew Festival on September 16 and 17. Celebrate locally brewed ales, lagers and stouts in the company of the brewmasters from participating local microbreweries. Admission free; beer tasting is $20.
Farm to Table Dinners at Jorgensen Farms After an informal tour of Val's organic herb and lamb farm in Westerville, guests will enjoy a chef-prepared meal of seasonal ingredients every third Sunday through December. Dinners start at 5 pm and cost $40 per person.
Local Foods Week - locations across Columbus, presented by Local Matters From a movie night to local drink tastings to the harvest ball, September 30 - October 8 will be a celebration of all things local. Events for are scheduled for foodies of all ages. Stay tuned to Eat Local Ohio for details and registration.
I know there are more events out there. What did I miss?
(Not) Back to School
It's official. As the sidewalk fills with students walking to the school on our block, we are choosing to homeschool. Mixed Feelings
Until a few years ago, I judged that homeschooling was crazy and relegated to people who want to indoctrinate their child in some religion. I feel that same judgment now from some with whom I share our choice. Thanks to friends who homeschool and the books they've recommended, I now believe homeschooling is a good fit for us. I still feel like an outsider to the 'normal world' by taking on home education.
Most of Lil's friends are starting kindergarten and her social options are changing. Because I generally hang out with the parents of her friends, my social life is changing too. I like my current friends. I don't want to extend my neck and make new relationships, yet I know this will all work out.
On the very day I mailed our notice to homeschool, we were notified that Lil's lottery number came up and she could go to the informal school down the street. I hesitated but ultimately declined the opportunity.
Why We Homeschool
Alex and I have good reasons to homeschool and do believe it is best for our family right now. Here's why:
I am an experienced teacher. I am confident in my ability to produce learning opportunities for Lil. I like exercising my brain in this way.
Alex, too, excitedly does experiments with Lil. They recently discovered together that a simple aluminum foil airplane flies just about as well as a paper one. Next, they will approach how to build a house. They will use the study to design and create our new chicken coop.
Columbus has amazing experiences for young minds. When homeschooling, we can take advantage of our many great parks, museums, and programs when they are least crowded during the week. Many of these resources are now offering homeschool specific classes that we will take advantage of as well.
With no responsibility to attend daily school, we can take full advantage of travel opportunities. Alex travels for business every few months and we hope to accompany him on domestic and international trips. We are also planning short driving trips to further explore the Midwest.
How We Homeschool
We are generally following an unschooling way of home education. This means that we follow Lil's lead about what she wants to learn and use life experiences to teach academic skills.
We began 'practicing' homeschooling in December of 2010. With a simple mental shift, we started accepting responsibility for Lil's education. We interrupt daily routines to explicitly explain is happening and challenge Lil. For example, I recently showed her how to read a nutrition label in the grocery store. I challenge her to find the difference in nutrients between two brands.
I set up a homeschool shelf in our dining room for more formal education. I gathered four baskets and filled them with math manipulatives, writing supplies, science tools, and art supplies. A file box holds workbooks, lined paper, graph paper, and a dry erase board. Lil and I work on writing and math from these resources every day.
The shelf also holds a three ring binder with plastic sleeves. I periodically insert stories that Lil writes, pages of math work, and brochures from our travels. This binder will serve as documentation for the certified teacher who will review Lil's progress at the end of the year. Lil and I also like to page through it to see how well she is learning.
As far as socialization, the primary argument against homeschooling for many, I have no concerns. We eat dinner and play with family and friends three to four times a week. Lil will see friends at classes, play dates, and around the neighborhood.
Homeschooling on the Blog
I promise not to change the direction of Hounds in the Kitchen but I will be including some more homeschool-related material. I have several posts in the works about field trips that are exciting and educational for families and those without children. I am starting a website redesign process that will hopefully allow me to create separate feeds for the basic categories of the blog so you can completely ignore the homeschooling posts (or feed on them only) soon.
Thanks for reading my thoughts on homeschooling. Take a gander at Lil's ideas if you wish. Are you back to school?