Made by hand. Made from scratch. Made by nature. This is local.
When we originate food from local sources it IS made by hand usually in small batches or crops or butchering. When we order our meat from Robie Farm, we order the week before then the animal is harvested for us. Fresh. When we order freeze-dried apples from Harry in Canterbury, Dustin makes them just then. Fresh. When we order jam from Laurel Hill in Bedford it is made just for us. Fresh. When we order Glines corn is it picked that morning. Fresh.
Eating local and buying local is just not kitsch. It is about freshness and good taste AND about keeping the traditions of farming and making alive. It is easy when our budgets are tight to get stuck in looking-for-the-best-price rut—we get it; us too—but if we only get one thing a week that is truly local we can keep our regional economy going.
Inspite of politics. Inspite of hoopla. Inspite of too much rain or hot weather or tariffs.
Back for the fall
News from our artisans…
The elephant in the room.
If we follow the news even a tiny bit we will hear the word Tariffs quite a lot. And while most of us don’t feel the effects of it, our artists do. Jim tells us that the price of wood he uses in his beautiful rolling pins and bowls has sky rocketed due to tariffs. Nathan tells us that the cost of his blown glass pigments has sky rocked due to tariffs. Andy, David, Steve and Sue tell us that the cost of clay for their pottery has sky rocketed due to tariffs. Vicki tells us that the cost of the plant extracts she uses in her soaps has sky rocketed. And Fred tells us that the cost of framing his artwork has sky rocked due to tariffs.
Supporting work made by hand from real artisans may cost us more going forward but it stands to reason that the imported fake art will cost more too. We support our local artists by absorbing some of their cost, unlike most galleries, and we will continue to do so. And we hope that in the coming months that you will also help support them with your gift giving or beautifying your home.
ONE WEEK ONLY!
You can’t get more local than this… for ONE WEEEK ONLY come look at some of the wonderful quilt work from your neighbors and read the stories of the stitching.
Monday the 8th through Sunday the 14th the Feed Loft will be filled with small quilts. Saturday the 13th the gazebo will be hung with larger quilts.
Let’s cook.
Warm heirloom bean salad with sweet onion aioli
A tasty twist on eating beans, this heirloom variety cooked with fresh corn and spices takes on a sweet fresh taste that compliments fresh vegetables from the garden and caramelized onions. Makes enough for 4 generous portions.
- Rinse one cup of our heirloom beans Bert Goodwin variety.
- Cut the corn off two cobs of fresh corn (Canterbury’s Glines Farm corn is used here)
- Chop onion to equal 1/2 cup
Place all ingredients in a heavy pot and add:
- 6 cups of water
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- 1 tsp ground cumin
Bring the water to a boil then reduce heat to medium low. Cover and cook for 1-2 hours until tender. NOTE: by not sautéing the onions and corn first they retain their natural sweetness which releases into the dish.
While the beans are cooking prepare your salad and make the dressing. See below.
Remove the beans from any left over water and toss them with kosher salt to taste. NOTE: if you wait to add the salt after beans have cooked they will be more tender. Keep the beans warm while you assemble your salad.
Make a bed of lettuce; crisp lettuce holds up best in this recipe. Place the warm beans on the greens then scatter with cherry tomatoes, sliced cucumbers and top with the aioli dressing. If you are a carnivore, this is also very good topped with fried bacon bits. Serve at once.
Onion Aioli Dressing
Mix equal parts of mayonnaise and Divina’s Caramelized Onion Jam. That’s it. Easy.
Have a great week-end,
Jane and Dave
Click here to see our September menu of prepared foods
Canterbury Country Store 