Potato Salad–German Style

I make a very unique potato salad. Since I am giving up my recipe for my famous potato salad (probably only in my mind), for the first time ever, you have to humor me as I tell you the history of this dish. When I was in the 8th grade the Einsendel family moved in next door to us. This was a really big deal because Frank Einsendel was my age. We had seen enough movies that we knew all about “the boy next door”. I waited for romance to bloom. Alas, it was not to be; However, we were very good friends. When I graduated from high school in 1972 Gerda Einsendel, Frank’s mother, made potato salad for my graduation party. I remembered the delicious potato salad. In the late 70′s I recreated this dish from memory as I thought about the taste and what was in the potato salad. I have no idea if this is the way Gerda made her potato salad; However, I have used my version over the years. I have gotten many compliments on this dish. I pass it on to you in time for you to make it for Memorial Day.

Potato Salad
8 all purpose potatoes
1 pound of smoked cottage ham, diced
8 green onions
1/2 cup diced dill pickles

Dressing
2 cups of mayonaise
1/4 cup of dill pickle juice
1 Tablespoon of yellow mustard

Boil the potatoes for 45 minutes (until done), remove the potatoes and allow to cool. Peel the potatoes and use the side of a grater to thinly slice the potatoes. Put the potatoes in a large mixing bowl. Add the diced ham. Wash the green onions and trim off the roots. Dice up the green onions, stems and all. Add to the potatoes. Add the diced dill pickles to the Potatoes. Mix the dressing ingredients together with a whisk, and pour over the potato mixture. Add salt and pepper to taste. Refrigerate overnight. You now have my famous potato salad.  I used Farmer Brown’s green onions in this batch.  I think it was my best ever.  He will be at Sherman Provision on Saturday May 25th at 12:00 noon.  Stop out for information on container gardening.

Have a safe Memorial Day. Remember those who sacrificed that we have the freedom to celebrate this day.

Until next time, From our Butcher Block to your Table.

Container Gardening

We are now in the middle of May.  Today was absolutely beautiful.  It feels like summer is right around the corner.  I told you about Farmer Brown in my last blog.  Last Saturday Farmer Brown and Joyce stopped at Sherman Provision and they did not come empty handed.  They brought me a beautiful bushy tomato plant.  Tom said it would produce yellow tomatoes in between the size of a cherry tomato and a regular tomato.  I can’t wait.  There is something incredible about the smell of a tomato plant.  Am I the only one that thinks so?  Also, Tom and Joyce brought me fresh baby spinach just picked that morning.  The roots were still on the plants.  They also brought me green onions that had just been pulled that day.  Joyce also supplied me pictures of their lettuce that is already being harvested.  I can’t wait until I can go out on my deck and make my own salad with the lettuce, tomatoes, onions, spinach, and peppers growing in my own container garden.

Farmer Brown is going to be selling exotic herbs and plants. In addition, he is going to give us tips on how to produce our own vegetables from April through November. I have asked Tom and Joyce if they can set up in our parking lot on Saturday May 25th. I am waiting for confirmation, and will let you know as soon as the date is set.

Also, we are planning on launching the Farmers Market on Thursday, June 13th.  Please have interested vendors contact me at 330.825.2711.

Now to let you know what I did with the spinach.

Spinach Salad
3 cups of fresh baby spinach washed and dried
2 hard boiled eggs peeled and diced
1/2 cup of bacon fried crisp and crumbled
1 small red onion peeled and sliced
1/3 cup of Marzetti California French Dressing

I mixed all of the above ingredients. I had never had a more delicious Spinach Salad. I have never had spinach that fresh before. I can not wait until I am growing my own spinach.  Please let me know if you are interested in getting additional information from Farmer Tom Brown and Joyce.

Until next time, From our Butcher Block to your Table.

Wilkins Run Farm

When I was a child we had a garden every year. It wasn’t an option.   It was a major source of our food.  We had fresh produce all summer.  Mom canned and froze everything we didn’t eat.  For a family of 6 it was a necessity.  I can remember going out with my dad to check our garden. I loved those times with my dad. What I wouldn’t give to be able to walk out one more time with him to inspect the work of his hands. I haven’t had a garden for well over 30 years. Our yard at home has so much shade that it isn’t practical to have a garden. Still, there is nothing like going out to the garden to pick a fresh, sun warmed tomato and eat it. Alright, sometimes you have to fight off tomato worms, and they are really ugly, but it is so worth it.

I am so excited.  I feel just like a young girl again.  One of our vendors at this year’s Farmers Market will be Tom Brown.   According to Farmer Brown, “If you’ve got a deck, you’ve got a garden.”  I have a deck, and now I have hope about having a garden!  I thought I would share some of his products along with some of his tips.  He has rare vegetable plants from all over the globe that he and Joyce are making available to us. He has over 75 types of Cherry Tomatoes from around the world. They are in 5 different colors. I can’t wait to see them. He has strains that range from 50 to 100 days to maturity. He also has hanging baskets with 3 tomato plants per basket. I am starting to get excited. I can see myself picking cherry tomatoes from my hanging basket. Everyone has room for a hanging basket. He has full size beaver lodge tomatoes. He told me they are an extremely early variety. You can set the fruit in temperatures down to 45 degrees. That’s a very good thing, because in Ohio we can get 45 degree temperatures in June. He has late heirloom tomatoes. He has Mountain fresh tomatoes. He has yellow Roma tomatoes for clear tomato sauce. He said this is a gourmet delight. He also has cucumbers from around the world–miniature and Japanese to name two.

He also has melons from France, Africa, Southeast Asia and Brazil. We will have an International Farmers Market for sure.  Also he has over 40 types of sweet peppers from every corner of the globe–orange, red and yellow. They are all different shapes. He has over 30 types of lettuce. He also has herbs. The herbs he uses are the right variety for container gardening.   I can’t wait. I can see my deck garden already bringing in a bountiful harvest!

A tip from Farmer Brown about planting.  Since it has been extremely cold and wet this spring, there has been very little corn planted. Farmer Brown will not start offering plants until the middle of May, at the earliest. He said the tropical varieties do not tolerate the conditions we have been having so far this year. He said don’t jump the gun this year. Let the ground warm up and dry out before planting the rare varieties. You will have a greater chance for success.  My dad always said, “Don’t put anything into the ground until after Memorial Day.”  There were times that I planted before Memorial Day, and I regretted my decision.

For information on container gardening or a plan for a garden on your deck, contact Farmer Tom Brown or Joyce at jars1968@yahoo.com.  Can’t wait to show off the produce from my deck garden.  Until next time…From our Butcher Block to your Table.

Biscotti for the Butcher’s Wife

Last week the Butcher’s wife was a little under the weather. I did yard work on Monday, and paid for it dearly the rest of the week. I had itchy eyes, a scratchy throat, and then no voice. It was not a fun week last week. There was one really bright spot. My neighbors, Dr. Mike Jack (orthodontist extraordinaire in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio) and his lovely wife Cindy, made home-made biscotti for me. It was really Cindy that did the baking; However, I know Dr. Jack cheered her on.  Cindy dropped off the home-made biscotti. I was so excited when I saw it. I had been drinking tea with honey all week.  After all, you can only drink so much tea before you get “burned” out. Pardon the pun. (I haven’t been around human beings a lot lately.)  I don’t think Cindy was out of the driveway before the Butcher and I were attacking the biscotti. It was really good. They had vanilla chips and craisins in them. I had two right off the bat. When you are sick, calories don’t count.  Besides, the Butcher had two and I had to keep up with him.

Today, I was feeling a little better. I went for a walk and enjoyed the beautiful sunshine. I stopped by the Jack’s home. Cindy was there. I told her how much I enjoyed the biscotti. Actually she got the abbreviated version. I didn’t want to embarrass myself–she is just starting to know me. I did tell her I would love to have the recipe if she would share it. She said she could give me a copy. She brought back a copy of an e-mail with the recipe on it. The sender was Debbie Kaludy. I told Cindy that Debbie Kaludy was my cousin. Her husband,  Michael, and my husband, the Butcher, are first cousins. I told her, “Cindy, this might actually be an old family recipe that I am getting by way of you”. I thought this was way too much of a coincidence and I felt I needed to share this on my blog.

Fortunately, the Butcher and I were able to restrain ourselves, so that there were still some biscotti left to photograph. I can’t wait to try this recipe. In the meantime I am enjoying Cindy’s labor of love.

Chocolate Chunk Biscotti
1/2 cup butter
3/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 teaspoon baking  powder
2 cups flour
1 cup each of vanilla chips and chocolate chips
1 cup chopped and toasted hazelnuts, almonds, pecans or walnuts

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla. Beat well. Add remaining ingredients. Divide in half and shape into two rectangular logs on a greased and floured cookie sheet. Bake 25 to 30 minutes (until slightly firm to the touch in the middle). Cool for 10 minutes. Cut across in approximately 1″ wide cookies. Place upright on cookie Sheet and bake for another 1 minutes.

Melt 1/2 cup chocolate chips with 1 teaspoon shortening. Drizzle over biscotti. Refrigerate to firm icing.

Until next time…From my Neighbor’s home to our Home!

The Butcher’s Birthday Dinner

Yesterday was the Butcher’s Birthday, and what a day it was.  The day before we had just discovered we had a family of raccoons living in our crawl space.  We met one of the little critters last night.  I have been fighting laryngitis, and I finally lost the fight yesterday.  It really wasn’t starting off to be a great day.  The Butcher had requested barbecued ribs for dinner.  I got into the store yesterday morning, and brought him donuts.  The Butcher loves his sweets.  I brought in my crock pot, my Smokey barbecue Seasoning, and baked potatoes washed, rolled in butter, sprinkled with coarse salt, and wrapped in aluminum foil.  As I wrestled all of this paraphernalia into the meat market, the Butcher informs me that we don’t have to have barbecued ribs for dinner.  I took on the demeanor of a “mad” woman and told him we were going to have barbecued ribs for dinner. This conversation is reminiscent of parents taking their kids to Disney World.  The kids don’t really want to be there.  The lines are long.  It is hot.  They are whining.  The parents are yelling at the kids that they are at Disney World and they are going to have a good time, whether they like it or not.  The Butcher is one smart man.  He knew he was going to have the ribs and enjoy them whether he liked them or not.

Barbecue Pork Ribs                                                                                   
2 Pork Ribs cut into 2 bone servings
2 Tablespoons Smokey Barbecue Seasoning Rub
1 to 2 Bottles of Old Fashioned Barbecue Sauce

The Butcher very nicely took 2 meaty pork spare ribs and cut them into two bone pieces.  I rubbed the pieces with the 2 Tablespoons of Smokey Barbecue Seasoning and put them in the crock pot.  I cooked them on high for approximately 4 1/2 hours.  I then removed the ribs from the crock pot and drained the juice.  I returned the ribs to the crock pot and covered them with 1 bottle of barbecue sauce.  If you prefer unsauced ribs, you can eliminate the barbeque sauce.  If you like yours saucy (like the Butcher and I) you can add a second bottle of barbecue sauce about 1 hour before you are going to serve them.  I added the baked potatoes at this point, and put the crock pot back on high to continue cooking.  At 5:00 when I left the meat market the potatoes were not done.  I heated the oven to 375 and cooked them for 45 minutes in the oven until they were done.  Next time, I will put the wrapped baked potatoes in the crock pot from the beginning.  I can remove them and reheat them once they have finished cooking.

All told, I cooked the ribs for about 8 hours in the crock pot on high.

I picked up some cole slaw in a bag and blended Mayonaise, sugar, vinegar together to make dressing and voila, we had coleslaw.

The dinner turned out good.  In fact, tonight we are having leftovers, and I think we will enjoy it even more tonight–not nearly so much drama today!

Until next time…From our Butcher Block to your Table.

The Butcher’s Wife has a new story–so does the “Cable Guy”

I believe Jim Carrey starred in a movie called, “The Cable Guy”.  I haven’t seen it.  I’m not a huge Jim Carrey fan; however I couldn’t help thinking about that movie title as my day unfolded yesterday.  I have had internet with a company for over 20 years.  I called the cable company and told them that I had horrible cable connection.  On a daily basis I had to unplug my modem and my wireless router and then replug them back in to get a connection on the internet.  They offered to give me a modem if I would bring my old modem to their office.  I told them I preferred to have a technician come out to my home so he could properly assess the situation.  We scheduled the appointment for Tuesday morning between 9:00 and 10:00.  Everything was going along fine.  The cable guy showed up at 9:35.  He told me my modem was used in the “Fred Flinstone” era, and he had only seen 3 of these modems still in operation in his 2 1/2 years with the cable company.  He was going to replace the modem.  I was going to have reliable internet service.   This seemed to be a simple solution to the problem.  I was upstairs when the cable guy came running up the basement steps.  He said we would have to reschedule the service call.  I was a bit puzzled.  Everything had seemed to be progressing so well.  He looked at me and told me I had a raccoon in my crawl space.  He said he went into the crawl space to see if there was any chew marks on the wires.  Something brushed against his arm.  (That would have been the moment that I had a heart attack, and internet connectivity would have been the least of my concerns)  He shined a flashlight and discovered his assailant was a huge raccoon.  He told me to come downstairs to see it.  I refused.  I am not going in the basement again.  Not ever!  The good news is the cable guy took pity on my situation and he connected the internet for me on the first floor.  He said normally they would charge for this; However, under the circumstances they were waiving the fees.

I called several companies to help remove the raccoon; However, they were all going to euthanize the raccoon.  I finally found someone who would trap the raccoon and relocate it.  When he came out he discovered thatI the raccoon has babies and they are all snug in the crawl space.  There is now a trap in my crawl space.  I will allegedly know when the critter is trapped by the sound of the trap moving as the raccoon beats against the cage.  I have my own ideas about this.  I believe the mother raccoon is telling the baby raccoons how stupid we humans are.  She has no intention of going into the trap.  She is warning the baby raccoons to stay clear as well.  So far I have not heard any sounds indicating we have a trapped raccoon in the crawl space.

Enough for today.  Thank you for letting me vent.  I will keep you posted and this unfolds.

Until next time…

 

Farmer’s Market

I have wanted to have a Farmer’s Market at Sherman Provision for at least 10 years.  I was never sure if there would be enough room to host the Market.  I wasn’t really sure how to get started.  In March 2012 I was talking to Ty Stewart, a great customer and supporter.  I mentioned I would like to have a Farmer’s Market at Sherman Provision.  That was all it took.  Ty was engaged.  He made things happen…fast!  He filled out all the paperwork necessary to make us legal with the state.  He researched other successful Farmer’s Market.  He came up with rules and regulations for the Market.  He got printable forms on the website.  I just basically had to open up my parking lot for the vendors and customers.  We had a great time.

Now, we are approaching our second season for the Farmer’s Market.  I have already been fielding a lot of questions about the upcoming season.  I would really love to get feedback on different options for the Farmer’s Market.  I still like Thursday as the day for the Farmer’s Market.  One thing I want to do this year is make the Market earlier in the day.  Instead of 3:30 to 6:30, I would like to make the time 2:30 to 5:30 or 2:00 to 5:00.  Please let me know your opinion.  Also, what vendors would you like to see at the Farmer’s Market?  If you have a cottage industry in your home, please let me know if you would like to participate in the Market.  There is no charge for our vendors.  Also, if you are a farmer growing produce, please let me know you would like to be a part of the Market.  Tom is one vendor that has already secured his spot in the Market.  He is growing heirloom tomatoes.  He brought me a plant.  It is growing big and strong.  I can’t wait until I can start harvesting tomatoes from it.  I have a feeling I will still be buying a lot of tomatoes at the Farmer’s Market.

The Farmer’s Market will not officially open until June.  If you want to set up before that time to sell plants or other seasonable items, let me know and I will be glad to work out a time for you to set up in my parking lot.  I really want to be a blessing to the farmers and home based business owners in the area.

I am counting on all of my readers to help me get the word out about the Farmer’s Market.  Please have any potential vendors contact me either through e-mail at info@shermanprovsion.com, by telephone at 330.825.2711 or respond to this post.  There is additional information on our website, www.shermanprovision.com, in the Farmer’s Market section.

Until next time…From our Butcher Block to your Table.  Or should I say, From your garden to our Table?