ScotteeM

I usually go to the Burke market, but went to Falls Church yesterday. The layout is not as easy for me to navigate, and parking is a long walk for me, compared to Burke. I got a few things, but wasn't shopping for much. Apple cider was delicious, albeit Pasteurized. Some bicolor corn made a fabulous corn pudding last night. There were some nice tomatoes still, and beautiful green beans and rapini. I'll go to this market in the winter, when the Fairfax County markets are closed, especially to get meat from Cibola Farms. But I'll stick with the flat layout of Burke in the meantime.

I really enjoyed the surprise aspects of my CSA experience this year, although after a few weeks some monotony did set in. I subscribed to Bull Run Mountain Farm, for the Monday drop in Arlington/Falls Church.There was a certain convenience in picking up vegetables at one time in one place, but Monday is about the worst day for me, mainly because of my Chronic Fatigue--after a full day's work and facing another on Tuesday, a 90-minute round-trip to pick up the veggies and then go home and wash and store them all got to be a bit too much. I partly solved it by having Monday's dinner already cooked and ready to warm up. I've already identified another CSA (Potomac Vegetable Farms) that has a drop 2-3 blocks off of my normal commute route on Wednesdays. That will be perfect because I have a shorter work day on Wednesdays and I'm off on Thursdays--plenty of time to sort and prep for my weekend cooking. I didn't always get through my veggies in a week. Some I just gave away, like hot peppers and tomatillos--why did we get tomatillos for 5 successive weeks? I never tried the epazote, and didn't really get why that was so plentiful (every week) and we didn't get other herbs as often or at all. I subscribed to the fruit share, which included the most divine nectarines and peaches for a few short weeks, and then more apples than I have any idea what to do with! The CSA experience has helped me tune in more to what is in season when in the immediate vicinity, and I like that. I also like the idea of investing in the farm and sharing the risk the farmer takes.

Sounds great! Tonight I'm going to try a beet carpaccio, and sweet potatoes from the CSA, along with rapini from the Falls Church farmers market and a Wellshire Farms ham.

Two of my brothers graduated from Overbrook High School, in the music magnet program of the early 1970s. Neither went on to play pro hoops, but one is a professional musician. My husband and I recently had a very romantic dinner to celebrate our anniversary (>30, and that's all I'm saying) at Vidalia. We booked an early table, and contacted Chef Cooper ahead of time to ask him to cook for us. We left it all up to him, but one could be more specific as to number of courses, food preferences, and price range (not to mention wine pairings). We had a lovely dinner, with well-wishes from staff and personalized menus--even though it was our first time in the place! I'm eager to go back and try their regular menu, as well. I concur on the suggestions of Komi or Palena. I thought PS7 was very nice, too, but it would help to ask for a table with a little more privacy than some. The same would go for Palena.

Way to go, Grover! Now you know more about US history and the Constitution than most native-born citizens! Congratulations!

I love making corn pudding--I use John Shields' recipe. Sometimes I spread mayonnaise on the shucked ears, sprinkle a little powdered cayenne, and grill. If it's really fresh I'll just cut the kernels off and put them in a salad. But most of the time I steam the ears in my Cuisinart convection steamer. When my parents gave it to me 4 years ago, I thought, "Oh no, another gadget I'll never use!" But it makes corn just the way I like it, as well as other veggies and fish.

Our first visit was lunch today. We each ordered a Bento box--mine was salmon teriyaki and his was beef teriyaki. It included miso soup, which was very good and a salad bar, which we did not investigate (next time). I thought the rolls and tempura that were included were well-prepared, and the teriyaki was very tasty. All in all, we had a filling, delicious lunch for around $20 plus tip. I look forward to more trips in the near future. I like that it is about 5 minutes from home!

String beans? You got string beans? I do the Monday drop in Arlington, and we got squash (again). I kind of agree with you, which is why I asked in the regular CSA thread what everyone's experiences have been this year.Bull Run's entire corn crop was wiped out by the drought--it was in the field that wasn't irrigated. But I agree that it has seemed rather monotonous lately. I baked one of our sweet potatoes last night (we have a 2-person share) and it accompanied leftover roast (Cibola Farm) pork. I'll saute the squash tonight (I don't know too many other ways to do summer squash), or maybe grill it. The tomatoes were just sliced for a salad Monday night, because they don't seem to keep too long after we get them. Not sure about the beets. Last time I roasted them and diced them and tossed them with toasted walnuts and Gorgonzola. The garlic is nice roasted, and I've done that with a few of my heads. I'll probably bring some of my apples in to work to share, because I don't know what to do with them all. I loved the nectarines and peaches we were getting in the fruit share, but they didn't last very long.

I just tried to read the list on the website and gave up in frustration. It's impossible to do a quick scan--I have to scroll through everything! And I would never have known it existed if not for this thread. I read last week's Food section and didn't notice a mention of it, but I'm not the most thorough reader.

Has anyone subscribed to this CSA? The pickups are extremely convenient for me, and I'm thinking about signing up for '08.

As summer winds down and fall approaches, I'm eager to know how everyone feels about their CSA experience this year? Was it as convenient as you thought it would be? Were your culinary horizons expanded, or did you get bored? Did you just get through your share in a week, or did you have leftovers? Did you preserve things for later in the year? Was there enough variety? Too much? Will you subscribe again next year? To the same CSA or a different one?

I went, I sniffed, and I bought a few more things than I had planned on . . . This is a great way to buy spices, herbs, and seasonings--where you can sniff before you buy. I bought a few things I didn't expect to, based on fragrance, and some things I thought I'd want I passed by on this trip after sniffing them. Maybe later. It's nice to have this so close to home!

My husband enjoys grass-fed beef and bison when it's in a braise, or as the sausages from Cibola Farm, but he still wants his rib eye steaks to be corn-fed and dry-aged. I just bought The Grass-Fed Gourmet, and I'm looking forward to some nice meals from the Cibola bison short ribs resting in my freezer. We both love the pastured pork from Cibola, most definitely! It has ruined me for eating supermarket pork ever again.

Best wishes to you both!

My beloved wants to take a drive out to Middleburg this Saturday, and stop for lunch in the town. I've been to the Red Fox Inn, but about 2 years ago for dinner. And 15 years ago I had lunch at the Coach Stop. OK, so I don't get out that way much. Has anyone been there recently, and what did you like or dislike out there?

Sixteen months later . . . When our plans for an evening out were scuttled due to brief car trouble last night, and we had not gone shopping for anything to eat, and we were hot and tired and cranky, I finally persuaded my husband to try San Vito in Kings Park. It's a nice neighborhood place. We were early and got a table right away (they don't take reservations), by the window, which later provided a lovely view of the thunderstorm that rattled our neighborhood. A carafe of the house Chardonnay was reasonably priced and not bad to drink. It went well with our food. We started with the grilled calimari ($8.95), which we've had several times as carry-out. It was even better eaten in the restaurant. The spinach and tomatoes under the squid were fresh (but not local, obviously), and made a nice background for the smoky squid and balsamic vinaigrette. I had hoped to try one of the daily specials, veal osso buco ($24.95), but the early diners had gobbled it all up by the time I ordered at 6:00. Instead I had Pollo Michaelangelo: chicken breast stuffed with lobster, shrimp, and artichoke hearts, coated and fried or baked (it was crispy), around angel-hair pasta with a sherry cream sauce. I wound up taking about half of it home, but I thoroughly enjoyed it. For $14.95, it was a nice dish. My husband had Ravioli All' Aragosta ($15.95): "Fresh homemade agnolotti, stuffed with plump lobster meat and mascarpone cheese, sauteed with vodka cream sauce and fresh spinach, sprinkled with pinenuts." What's not to like? He ate the whole thing. For a quick dinner 5 minutes from home, it was tasty and very reasonable. Service was cheerful and attentive, even with every seat in the house occupied. My husband (who is very picky and usually wants to go to "nice" places) pronounced it worthy of a return visit.

I've made some progres with my tomatoes. I estimate that I had around 10-11 lbs, about 2/3 Romas and 1/3 large round types. Some were already too far gone to salvage--mainly those at the bottom of the box and bag, which had cracks in them (is that from the drought?). I think I tossed about 10%, which isn't bad. I slow-roasted about 4 lbs of the Romas yesterday, and they are now in bags lying flat in my freezer. Now I have another 1-1.5 lbs in the oven to make "charred tomatoes" for a pesto recipe I ran across on StephenCooks.com. We've eaten a few of the larger ones as salad. A couple are earmarked for recipes this week, and I hope to try a tomato marmalade that I also found on StephenCooks.com.

A very generous client dropped off a huge amount of tomatoes from her garden on Thursday, and they unfortunately sat in their box and paper bag until I brought them home this evening (we weren't there to receive them Thursday, and I wasn't told about them until late today). I've washed and sorted them into various collanders, and I estimate that I have 2-3 quarts of beautiful, firm Roma tomatoes, and about the same of large round, over-ripe, soft tomatoes. I hope they will hold up until tomorrow morning, when I can actually do something with them. I'm thinking some sauce, and some oven-dried tomatoes. I want stuff that I can possibly stow in the freezer to use at my leisure. Can anyone share some recipes or guidance? Is there such a thing as a recipe for tomato sauce that doesn't require peeling first? (I have Fibromyalgia, and don't know how long I can peel tomatoes before I fall over in a heap on the floor.) I'm determined to do my best for these red beauties, and will appreciate any and all advice. I am a total novice in this area, so I guess I need "Tomato Recipes for Dummies." Porcupine, would you mind sharing your sauce and confit recipes--by PM if not on this thread? Anyone else? Thanks in advance for any and all input.

I got my chest freezer at least 10 years ago, when I started feeding my dogs raw food in earnest. I chose the chest over the upright, because I anticipated having to accommodate some large items (it seemed logical at the time, although years later I can't for the life of me think what the large items were that I expected to store). I bought mine at Circuit City, although these days my usual first stop for such appliances is Sears. I think CC was having a good sale. My recollection is that chest freezers were less expensive than uprights, in terms of price per cubic foot of storage. The problem with chest freezers is accessibility. Stuff that winds up on the bottom is almost lost forever, or until you empty the freezer to defrost. I think that if I were buying a freezer now, I would spend the extra money for an upright. It would make my life a lot easier! HTH

It sounds interesting! What are some of your favorite ways to consume this delicacy?

Potatoes don't stick around very long at my house, and we've been loving the ones Bull Run has given us this year. Last night I adapted a recipe from "Grass-Fed Gourmet" that involved thinly sliced potatoes layered on the bottom of my broiler pan, and a spatch-cocked chicken on the top, baked at 475 (after appropriate seasoning and oiling). The potatoes soaked up the chicken drippings and got nicely crisp. I'll do that recipe again! We also love oven-browned potato wedges--tossed in melted butter and olive oil, with some minced garlic and onions. They get crisper in a metal pan, IME. We still have half of our red-skinned potatoes from this week's share, and I think I might just boil them with a nice piece of salmon filet. Or maybe mash them. Did I mention how much I love potatoes? ETA: They should keep for a while in the vegetable crisper of your refrigerator, as long as they don't get damp. They probably don't need such cold storage, so if you have a cool place in your basement where you won't forget them, you can store them down there.

Still trying to map this (and glad you had a good dessert out of it all).

Stinging nettle is a spring vegetable, and I don't think it's available now locally. Last Thursday the soup was vichyssoise, and I've also had a delicious roasted tomato soup there very recently. I'm getting tomatoes and potatoes in my CSA basket now, so they are in season locally now and may appear on the menu at RE. The menus on the website are samples, and may not reflect what is being served now. Rest assured that you will have wonderful choices made from fresh, local, seasonal ingredents for your lunch. I especially recommend any of the house-cured meats. They had steamed mussels on the menu recently, but I didn't notice oysters. I haven't seen soft-shells on any menu for a while now (although my husband spotted some at American Seafood Company last weekend). Now I'm getting jealous, and I was just there last week!

Vincent, Emanuele, and all of the FOH people I spoke with are planning to stay on.

I didn't ask that direct question last night, but I was told by Vincent and Emanuele that they are still looking for the next chef, nothing is firm, and they hope to have one in time to open on October 2, but may have to postpone the opening. There seem to be a few rumors flying around, and the speculation is interesting. I can only go by what I heard from the two closest to the process.