Restaurant Widow

Inaugural 2010 Market Report

 

Cue the birdies chirping. I think it's officially Spring.  We might be a few weeks away from our safe planting date, but the trees have leaves, our jardin potager is back with fennel in force, sage, oregano, and mint, and I heard a rumor that the very first local asparagus spears are arriving in restaurant kitchens.

I wasn't really planning on going to the market this week (I've been enjoying sleeping in, I'll admit it), but at work this week Chef shared a plate of this amazing arugula which Tim from Toad Hill Organics had just brought by the restaurant, and after one taste I knew it was time to start heading back to the market.

I braved the drizzle and headed to the North Market.  It was a light wee - just a bag of arugula, a dozen eggs, and a bunch of chives from Toad Hill.

Husband turned the arugula into a simple salad to go with frozen pizza, and I'll be turning the eggs and chives into a pile of creamy scrambled eggs tomorrow.

Nothing crazy, but isn't it nice to get back to the markets?

Did you venture out?  What did you get this week?

Market Report for February 28th (brief!)

I get restless and can't sleep very well this time of year, so I was up bright and early to hit the farmer's markets of Saturday morning.  My first stop was at the Columbus Indoor Farmer's Market, where I found sweet potatoes (which I turned into curry), kale (which I sauteed with olive oil and red pepper flakes), onions, sprouts, honey hand lotion which turned my ashy, flaky winter hands into something which actually looks like skin, bee pollen, and several kinds of sprouts.  Alas, they were out of eggs by the time I got there, so I headed north to Worthington.

From Worthington, I picked up some really tasty chicken chorizo sausages, chicken thighs, and a dozen eggs from Speckled Hen Farms, and then got some ground beef from Up the Lane Cattle.

Although I am really happy we have successful winter markets here in Central Ohio, I am so ready for the late spring and summer markets.  Around this time of year, it seems as though winter will never end.

But hang in there. It will.

Go Local & Handmade for the Holidays this Year

A few years ago, one of my New Year's resolutions was to incorporate more art into my life.  Unfortunately, this did not include getting said art framed and put on the wall.  I currently have about 4-5 works of art awaiting some sort of mounting.  But that's my fault, not the artists'.  I thought I would gather a few of my favorite local crafters and artists and sources for these things so that everyone could get a heads up on their holiday shopping.  Supporting local artists and crafters - and locally-owned businesses - keeps your money in the economy, cuts out the middle man for the most part, and probably helps someone get one stop closer to realizing their dream of working for themselves.  I also have a dream of working for myself one day, so I realize the importance of this.  It's kind of similar to supporting your local farmers - keeping your money in the local economy helps foster a sense of community.

Of course, I spend tons of money at Target every month, so I am a complete hypocrite.  Just wanted to get that out there.

If I have missed you, please let me know!! If my link goes to the wrong place, please let me know!

There are some excellent events for purchasing from local artists during the holiday season.

The first event is Tiny Canary at Junctionview Studios.  Tiny Canary is held November 15th & 16th and features tons and tons of great art and crafted items at all price levels.  It's great to meet the artists.  If you are looking for really unique gifts for hard-to-buy-for people, Tiny Canary is the perfect event.

C Note Art Show provides a great opportunity to buy art from local artists for a mere $100.  This is the place to start working on your own collection or help someone you love start theirs.

Sprout Soup is a mother & child shop in north Clintonville which specializes in things like carrying wraps, organic mattresses, and wooden toys.  On December 6th, they will have their annual holiday craft fair.  Another local business, Baying Hound, stock reusable bags and bottles in the shop as well, so you can doubly support local businesses!

Also on December 6th, the North Market holds their Holiday open house and Craft Extravaganza!  Lots of the artists I've mentioned in this list will be there, so don't miss it.

Wholly Craft! is a shop in Clintonville which features tons of locally-produced crafted items. 

On Paper is one of my favorite places in the city.  They sell amazing cards and paper products.  Husband loves it because he knows he can go in and buy anything there and I will love it.  On Paper prints the best business cards (mine are from them) and I've made lots of friends go there for their cards as well.  Husband's Euro-sized cards are also sourced from On Paper.

I haven't been to European Papers yet, but I just signed up for my first class there.  I am trying to work on my crafty life, and they offer some great classes.  If you love paper like I do, their online store will have you mesmerized and dreaming for hours.

Here are some Crafty/Artsy kids here in Columbus . . . if you know of more, I would love to add to the list!  Or, if you already let me know about someone and I

Little Allouette is a collaboration of Columbus blogger Amy and her master woodcrafter Husband.  They make heirloom-quality toys, teethers, rattles, and other items.  Their products can even be found in Mid Atlantic Whole Foods stores (including ours) throughout the holidays!

Yumi Yumi makes delightful prints of original artwork.  Many of the prints feature nature - either realistic or fanciful - in bright colors and in color studies; birds are a recurring theme.  The prints lend themselves to being paired in groups (in my opinion, although I am no artist).

Sweet Stella makes rings, pins, bracelets and pendants which frequently feature fond food memories, such as a set of s'more-making supplies and s'mores or buttered toast cuff links.

I absolutely love paper.  So it might seem strange that my chosen media is the internet and I never get around to sending thank you notes (chances are if you know me, I owe you a thank you note). At any rate, Queen Bee Paper will personalize all sorts of stationary, holiday cards, and notepads for you.  I am particularly fond of these nature note pads, which can be personalized with up to 35 characters.

Lexie of Balaton Fibers spins her own yarn, some even come from Ohio sheep & llamas!  She makes great-looking scarves and collars from these yarns, some of which have been left close to their natural state, making for very interesting finished products.

UpUp makes great art quilts out of organic cotton, original pendants from recycled Scrabble pieces, and I really like her "I Have Everything I Need" print, just as a friendly reminder when we start to think why why why can't I have a 1000 square foot professional kitchen full of great appliances and open to a giant dining room where I can teach cooking classes?! That all good things in time, with hard work and patience (right Mom & Dad?)

Kristy makes great fancy aprons - including a very pretty one I wore to the Apron Gala.  You can mix and match fabrics, and there are also aprons for the kiddos.

Jane from Funky Fragments makes super cool stained-glass items - coasters, mosaics and magnets.  The coasters can be used as trivets as well, and they would make a great addition to an artsy table.

Sharon H Bell makes really cool and creepy works of art - some to hang, some are three dimensional.  I love "Tuber" and would really like to have it in my kitchen!  I also love Sharon's "Postmortem Pussy" character and have the patch, which I received in my Crafty Columbus Sampler, on my backpack.  I also discovered Sharon and a few other artists through this project, and I hope they do it again next year!

A Thurn's Revisit

If there is a place in Columbus which smells better than Thurns, I haven't found it.  Just to avoid confusion, we're talking about the meat Thurns, and not the bakery.

Thurns is like a shrine to smoked meat products - mostly pork - and as soon as park your car, the delicious aroma hits you.  For a first timer, Thurns can be a bit overwhelming - just what is landjager (heavily cured dried sausage which lasts forever - perfect for traveling)? What's the difference between Wieners and Franks (casing size - wieners are small and franks are big)?  How many types of tongue are there (three. or is it four)? 

The best way to tackle Thurns is to start small, with familiar things, and occasionally throw in something new and exciting.  Their bacon is amazing.  It might be the best bacon being made in Columbus - surely Blues Creek is right up there - hey, maybe we need to have a bacon show-down!.  The bacon is smoky and thickly cut.  This is more of the cutting and flavoring variety than the breakfast eating variety, in my opinion.  But we all know that all of the Autumn foods we have in abundance right now love bacon, right?  Brussels sprouts, cabbage, squash, apples - everything loves bacon.

The Knackwurst at Thurns is also amazing.   I've written about it before here; it's so great to dump a few links into a crockpot, maybe add in a small piece of pork shoulder, cover the whole thing in sauerkraut, maybe throw in a few fennel seeds and cloves and then go to work.  It's one of the best and easiest dinners imaginable.

If you are a liverwurst fan, their braunschweiger is amazing - a great base for an all-local Banh Mi, I would think.  Also, my cats go crazy for it, although they won't eat any other brand.

Thurns' hot dogs (pictured at top of post) have natural casings which snap when you bite into them; they have a completely different flavor from a grocery store hot dog, namely the hint of smoke.  Like the knackwurst, they are very rich and demand some relish and good hot dijon and a good roll.

I also bought some of their country liverwurst after one of the cooks from work brought it in.  It is really great, and I wanted to have it at my last dinner but when I made it to Thurns, they were closed. Another easy thing to try is the servalot (above), their version of salami, which is of course house cured (Thurns might be the only place in Columbus to make and cure their own sausages); it has a great flavor.  The servalot falls into their category of "Summer" sausages, which are cured; the black Leona is also great, being double smoked and having a dark and smoky. 

So, head south and try out Thurns.  I can't believe how many foodie types I've met recently who have never been there.  Start with something easy like a few of things I've mentioned, and then you can move on to the souse and tongue.

Thurns is an old-school sausage maker and meat packing house.  They've been open for something like 110 years, the staff is friendly, and it is one of the best things in Columbus.  I am ashamed I don't make it there as often as I should.  Aside from the fact that everything at Thurns is delicious, it is really inexpensive.  1/2 pound of ham salad, 1 pound wieners, 1 pound bacon, 1 pound country liverwurst, and 3 inches of servalot only set me back $20.  Gotta love that.  Oh!  and if you snag a deer this hunting season or your car does, no need for it to go to waste - Thurns will dress it all up for you!  Deer sausage is amazing, just in case you've never tried it.

Info: Thurns Specialty Meats 530 Greenlawn Ave (South side) Thurns has limited hours - I believe they are open Thursday through Saturday; the other days they are smoking.  They do have extended hours around the holidays.  No plastic is accepted - cash or check only.

Where to Find Things

I am sorry I didn't specify where to buy the ingredients for my Monkfish Cheeks & Morels!

Both were purchased from Weiland's.  They had halibut cheeks ($18/pound) and monkfish cheeks ($14/pound); cheeks can be few and far between.  I have also purchased halibut cheeks in the past from Whole Foods.  You can interchange the two, but halibut cheeks are much more delicate and don't take as long to cook as monkfish.  I would probably only cook them 1 minute per side.

Morels were also from Weiland's.  Don't let the $60/per pound scare you.  I bought $11 worth and it was plenty.  There were about 12 morels.  They are hollow, and mushrooms don't weigh very much anyway.  You can probably also find morels at Whole Foods and the Greener Grocery.  These are white or "blonde" morels, black morels are more common.

When shopping for morels, look for soft morels which are feel slightly spongy and aren't dried out.  It can be hard to find nice-looking morels, so if you find some and they are all dried out, kindly ask the produce manager when they expect a fresh shipment.

The Elusive Whole Foods Cheese Ends Basket

A few of you emailed to ask me about the Whole Foods Cheese end basket, so whilst shopping at the Lane ave location yesterday, I snapped a picture of it to assist your search.  While I was at it, I picked up a nice little chunk of Parmesano Stravecchio (aged 3 years) for around $3.50.  Especially nice since there was no rind on the Parm! 

The funny thing about this picture, and my shopping incedent at Whole Foods, is that I was frustrated because, while shopping, I could not find hummus.  I was going to write about how irritating this was until I looked at this picture as I was preparing to upload it.  Notice anything?

The New Whole Foods, fka Wild Oats

Spicy Shrimp Inari from the OSU Whole Foods, fka Wild Oats

It's probably common knowledge by now that the Wild Oats chain of earth-friendly groceries was purchased by Whole Foods.  The Columbus Wild Oats store is located far more conveniently to my domicile, so this was good news.  Mostly.  I have to admit that I had mixed feelings about Wild Oats, stemming from one incident years ago, when I was just a poor recent college graduate.  I had the idea I would make a red cabbage salad, and stopped by Wild Oats to pick up a few ingredients for it.  When I got to the register, the medium sized head of red cabbage was $11.  I was completely shocked.  An eleven dollar cabbage? 

So, over the years, I have tried to forgive them.

The transition from Wild Oats is a work in progress; you can see evidence of Whole Foods throughout the store, but there is still a bit of W.O. left - such as the sign out front.

Here is where I have a little concern for the WO store and those who loved it just as it was.  You see, although I do enjoy Whole Foods, and think their store brand products (365) are some of the best value brands around, Whole Foods has always seemed a little too slick, a little too perfect, a little too pretty to be an organic store.  Maybe it's because I'm used to stores like the Clintonville Co-op, which has that small, earnest, hippy-love thing going on which I associate with organic stores.  And it's about the only place in Columbus where they don't look at you like you have 4 heads when you deny a bag and volunteer to carry your oranges and avocados out of the store in your own 2 hands.

Wild Oats always seemed to bridge the gap pretty nicely - they had a great café area which was always full, they had a coffee and smoothie bar, and a salad, soup and prepared foods area, and their sushi was beyond compare, for grocery store sushi in Columbus Ohio.  I thought they had way too much in the way of natural health and beauty products, but they always had a nice selection of beer and wine, and the bulk section was also great.

Wild Oats also seems to have really great social events - most of which are free, unlike the WF events.  They have events for singles, outdoor clambakes, and lots of free seminars in the café for everything from laughter therapy to getting in your whole grains.

The good parts of Whole Foods have migrated - the pizza, for one thing, and that's something everyone can rejoice about, the 365 brand, and the great WF cheese selection, along with the super cheap cheese ends basket, where once can purchase a tiny chunk of some sort of raw milk extra aged this-or-that for far less than its typical $22/pound price tag.  I didn't sample any of the prepared foods (and I am not a fan of WF's prepared foods - the chefs at WO had more freedom, I believe, to adjust the flavoring of their dishes); but it appeared to be a mix of WO & WF usuals.  There is still a large bulk selection, and the two giant aisles of beauty and health products.

My concern is that Whole Foods will assume their way is the better way, in all things.  I fear for those who loved the old curried turkey salad with raisins at Wild Oats; that it will be replaced with the corporate-approved Whole Foods recipe, which in my experience in other WF prepared foods certainly haven't been as good.  I did try the sushi; it is the same company which supplies the Whole Foods in Dublin; the spicy shrimp inari (pictured) were good, but the eel & avocado rolls were very lackluster.  I'll just keep getting those from Tensuke.

It seemed as though the meat counter had transitioned, and the fish appeared to be a work in progress.  I would like to see some more of the specialty produce Whole Foods carries, particularly in the mushroom and egg areas; while WF carries a large variety of locally-produced eggs (from 2 Silos) & mushrooms (from Mushroom Harvest), I couldn't find anything comparable on my trip to Wild Oats.  I couldn't find very many local products at all at WO, actually, which was kind of a surprise.  I can only hope it changes as we get closer to the growing season.

All in all, I am happy with the transition as it stands.  I hope Whole Foods will allow Wild Oats some autonomy as they go forward, to please both the Wild Oats lovers and those of us closer to downtown who are happy we might not have to drive 25 minutes away for our favorite yogurt. 

New Jeni's Store Opening Imminent

Cassis Yogurt, originally uploaded by Lisa the Waitress.

Well, one of my commenters scooped me before I could get home, but a little birdie stopped by work to let me know the Jeni's store will be open by Gallery Hop this Saturday. And maybe even sooner. Husband was lucky enough to be walking by one day and got a little tour. The space seems pretty cool, and is intentionally more simple than the Grandview store. The new store keeps a "gallery space" sort of feel to incorporate it seemlessly into the neighborhood. I sense a lot of ice cream eating coming on. *sigh* (those were my favorite jeans sighing)

Should I Get a Costco Membership?

I already got one, so the title is the musing in your head.  For some reason, I woke up Tuesday and decided to get a Costco membership.  I was strolling around the giant store, thinking about how it kind of worked for me and kind of didn't, and I thought it might be helpful to offer my thoughts, just in case you were thinking of getting one.  I always think of Polaris as being a drive to another city, and was surprised to find it took a mere 12 minutes to get from 670E/71N to the parking lot.  Of course, there was no traffic, a bonus for those of us who work in the off hours and can do our shopping when everyone else is working.

First of all, watch your fingers around the sample tables - there are loads of greedy people who would probably knock you over just to get to the table of popcorn chicken first.  The same goes for the parking lot, where those of you driving fuel efficient Civics might want to just park far away from the entrance, to avoid the dangerous rush or SUVs angling for the close spots.

Enough with the warnings, let's talk about the deals: #1 deal of the day was Copper River Sockeye Salmon for $9.99 a pound.  That's right.  I bought a 1.8 pound side and immediately brought it home, sliced off a 4 ounce fillet for my dinner, and turned the rest of it into gravlax (more on that later).  Also, I bought one of those famed Costco rotisserie chickens for $5.  It was really tasty.  A very moist chicken, although the skin had a slightly burned taste to it, which was undesirable, but it did keep me from consuming an additional 400 calories in chicken skin, so there is that benefit.  It was a big bird for $5, considering a Giant Eagle bird is about 3/4ths the size and costs $7 (I've gotten 4 meals for one out of it, by the way, and still have some left in my fridge).  If Costco were on my way home from work, I would definitely be picking one of these up at least once a week.  Of course, the Weiland's bird is better than both, but it's only available on Saturdays, and we aren't talking about Weiland's.  I also bought 2 pounds of fresh mozzarella for $6, and a giant barrel of pretzel rods for $6.  They also had large tubs of my favorite brand of hummus (Basha) and Tzatziki, which they also sell at Whole Foods, but it is almost always sold out no matter what day of the week I go, and strangely enough, although it would seem they would go through it fast enough, it's always on the verge of expiring.  Costco's hummus is good through August 10. I have 6 weeks to shove it out of the way in favor of cheese. Perfect.  Box of 20 Skinny Cow ice cream sandwiches for $10?  Yes, please.  Costco is also good for people like me who hate buying things like paper towels every week.  I buy so much kitty litter at one time that, inevitably while standing in line, someone looks at me with concern and says "just how many cats do you have?!" If it were up to me, my basement would look like a dry goods store, aisles of TP and lotion and dish detergent, simply so I wouldn't have to do shopping for dry goods every week.  I will always buy the biggest package of paper towels, etc. 

There was a giant display of flat screen TVs as soon as you walk in - screens so big I can't even fathom having a living room so large I might need one.  I can't say how the prices were, as I have never shopped for a flat screen TV.  They had a few digital cameras whose prices seemed in line with other retailers.

In some states, Costco is legendary for their amazing wine prices.  Ohio's picky wine laws prevent Costco from selling anything at a lower price than anyone else can sell it for, so we are sort of luck out there.  I thought their wine selection was okay IF you are interested in primarily big California names (Stag's Leap, St. Supery, Dominus, Mondavi, etc) which are big California wines - those "chewy" (read not ready to drink) Cabernets we are so fond of guzzling in steakhouses, and those overoaked chardonnays.  That kind of thing doesn't really fly here at Chez Widow, but I did find a bottle of Magnificent Wine Company White Table Wine (you might know them for such nice things as House wine) for $11.  My little secret is that I rarely have to pay retail for wine, so it's always painful.

And then there's the produce.  Of course, while we like to keep things as local as possible, there are things that just don't grow in these parts.  But then I'm left in the produce section thinking, "can I really use a flat of mangoes? a bag of 12 avocados?"  There is a large selection of pre-cut fruit & veggies for under $20, which is really nice if you work in one of those offices where bagels and donuts show up on a regular basis - a quick stop to Costco on the way to work will help you get into your Speedo this summer.

There were lot of things at Costco that seemed good for other people - especially people with a lot of processed food their lives - just impractical for our small household - boxes and boxes of processed frozen food, giant packages of Lean Cuisine meals which seemed as though they could only fit in a commercial freezer, endless rows of giant boxes of cereal and juices, gallon jars of mayo and relish; a lot of these things are perfect for families or people with big freezers, but it's just impractical for me to buy hot dogs in 150 dog packs, just for that twice a year when we have to have one.  For those who have to pack lunches, or for those who have a lot of kids to feed - I don't even have the energy to think about keeping enough food in the house for a handful of kids or the army of their friends running in and out of the house all summer, but if you have to, then the boxes of 225 count fruit snack packs and granola bars, I'm sure it's a blessing.  Husband can go through a box of Popsicles in 3 hours flat, so the 200 count box makes perfect sense.

All in all, I think a case can be made that the $50 membership is worth it, particularly for those 100 roll packages of paper towels and flats of kitty litter.

When do the Markets Start?

It's finally time to start talking about hitting the farmer's markets on a regular basis.  This is just a look at the Central Ohio markets I frequent, along with a brief description - as I get more information on start dates, I will update.

If this is your first year as a marketer, or if you are looking for some guidance, you might want to check out my weekly market and CSA reports from last year.  I always find it helpful to look back, so that I have an idea what will be available on a weekly basis, just so I can have some sort of menu in mind.  Here's also a general list of what's growing when, also for menu planning.

• North Market - as I mentioned before, this weekend's Cinco d'Ohio marks the official opening of the North Market's farm market.  The North Market, of course, has a huge indoor market as well as an extensive farmer's market outside.  I love the Market, both parts - you can seriously do all of your shopping for the week and be sure you are buying 90% local products - I love the meat at Blues Creek, and like to hit them before hitting the fruit and veggies to help me round out my shopping.  I was also notified that one can indeed purchase basics such as milk (from Curds & Whey) and paper towels (from the Good Earth).  Here's a secret about the market - don't tell anyone.  Skip the market parking lot!  Unless it's raining, it's a nightmare trying to get in and out.  Instead, opt for street parking (High street meters).  If you don't mind walking a little and you can get to the market early, there is always a lot of metered parking in the Short North, and there is also a free lot (between the Burgundy Room and the Yukon building).  Of course, the earlier you go, the easier it is to park. 
  
  Some of my favorite North Market farmers:  Toby Run Mushrooms - hands down the best shitakes I've ever had.  I have to buy these every week and try to get to the before Husband.  Dearsman Farms - a conventional farm who grows everything - the basics we all need like broccoli and onions, as well as loads of different beans and the like, greens, and of course, sprouts.  Also they sell tons of things for canners, small cucumbers and lots of peppers.  Prices are beyond reasonable.  Quiverfull Farms - locally grown and milled oats, wheat and corn, plus granola.  Toad Hill Organics - can always be counted on for a vast assortment of greens (including lots of interesting Asian greens including my favorite Mizuna) in the Springtime, tomatoes in the summer, and potatoes in the fall.  The variety of potatoes alone is astounding; each has a description.  Just This Farm - garlic and garlic scapes galore.  Wayward Seed Farm - growing unusual and hard-to-find things (salsify, anyone?), especially for foodie types who are looking for that unusual ingredient.  And of course, Elizabeth Telling Farm, my CSA provider - always has lots of good-for-you greens which are picked small and delicious.  Also fabulous eggs which are reserved for the CSA subscribers, alas.
• Clintonville Farmers Market, located just North of North Broadway on High Street at Orchard.  The Clintonville market has a mix of non-produce and produce vendors, food vendors (granola, bread, cookies, etc) as well as the occasional art and jewelry vendors.  The market takes place on Saturdays at 9am and will commence on May 19th. 
  
  Some of my favorite Clintonville vendors: Sippel Family Farm - always have the basics, plus fun things like personal size watermelons.  Magik Granola Company - love the blueberry.
• Worthington Farmers Market takes place at the just south of the intersection of High Street and route 161, in picturesque Olde Worthington.  Like the North Market, this can be a crowded market and it pays to get there early.  Parking is more readily available, however, as there are lots of free public lots around.  The Worthington Market is probably the largest, most spacious in the Central Ohio area, and it's my favorite for strolling (something I rarely have time to do).  Vendors sell everything from produce and meat to preserves, sweets and dog treats.  The Worthington Farmer's Market will kick of on Saturday, May 12th with the annual plant sale. 
  
  Some favorites at the Worthington Market: Zemnicki farms sells lots of basics, can be counted on for onions, peppers, leeks and things.  Pop & Judy's farm sells kohlrabi and red popcorn - two favorites of mine, as well as great catnip sachets, which the cats love.  Sundog Organics grows giant flowers to brighten your house.  Gillogly Orchards keeps in me in nectarines all summer long, and Garden Patch Produce sells really great tomatoes and tomato plants.
• Westerville Farmer's Market will begin Wednesday, May 9th - another good weekday option for those of you who can't make it through the week.  The market is located in charming uptown Westerville at the intersection of Home and State Streets from 3pm - 6pm.
• Another weekday option is the Pearl Alley market, downtown on Tuesdays and Fridays, 10:30 - 2pm beginning June 1.  The Market is located on Pearl between Gay and Broad streets.  Park on Gay at meters - bring lots and lots of change, a nickel buys you one minute and the meter maids are vigilant, to say the least - or in lots on Long Street.  Or walk over from your office.  Farmer attendence can be spotty, but I always find lots of strawberries in June.  The other bonus is being right next to El Arepazo, my favorite lunch spot. 

I'm Shopping at Tensuke Market, Now What?

Recently, a friend of mine was commenting on how much he loved Tensuke Japanese Market for their carryout sushi and sashimi, but sometimes stood there, staring at the aisles of foreign packages, unsure of what to buy, or what to do with said purchases.

I should write something about that!  I exclaimed.  Japanese food can be very approachable; you might not want to start with the ready-to-stir natto bowls, but there are many things one can discover at Tensuke to round out one's diet.  Especially if one is thinking about how one might incorporate some healthy items into one's diet.  Japanese food seems effortlessly healthy; it's the antithesis of the typical American diet.  To learn more about Japanese food, I highly recommend The Japanese Kitchen, which is a relatively easy-to-follow and approachable introduction to homemade Japanese cuisine, and Washoku, a more in-depth and advanced journey into the intricacies of the Japanese diet.  The principles of Washoku (the "way of food") center on balance and, according to the author, are instinctive to the typical Japanese person.  Basically, there are five colors: red, white, black, green and yellow.  Each meal should contain each of these colors.  You can see this illustrated pretty effectively in this bento I purchased at Tensuke, during our first spring a few weeks ago:

There's the white rice, the red salmon, the yellow omelet, the green veggies, and the black salad.  There was also a sheet of nori covering the salmon, which would qualify as something black.  A Japanese meal also contains various methods of cooking - there will always be rice, soup and something pickled, and then there might be something fried, grilled, and steamed.  When we had our omakase at Kihachi, for example, Chef Kimura gave me his menu (after reading it to me); he had it broken down into cooking preparations: "steamed items," "fried items," "grilled items," etc.  Am I getting too far off track?  Okay, let's get on with a few starter, non-threatening, not scary ingredients from your local Japanese grocery store.

Kewpie Mayo.  Everyone loves mayo, right?  Kewpie mayo - the stuff which helps makes your spicy tuna rolls so delicious - is different from American mayo in that it tastes more savory and rich than light and tangy.  This is probably due to a dose of MSG - don't fear it.  Of course, there's also the fun packaging to take into consideration, and the weird material from which the bottle is made - it seems to shrink as you use the mayo.

Togorashi Shichimi.  You can see from the picture this is a much loved product here at Chez Widow. Togorashi is a Japanese spice blend which you might recognize if you have spent any time slurping udon noodles in a restaurant.  The blend, which contains the slightly hot dried togorashi pepper, orange peel, nori, and black sesame seeds, among other things, has a tangy, very slightly spicy flavor which is delicious when added to above-mentioned udon noodles.  It also makes a nice seasoning for fish and chicken.

Carryout sushi, bentos, and rice balls.  I love to pick up sushi and bentos at Tensuke, and I also like to grab a few onigiri ("big rice ball").  These rice balls are filled with things like shrimp tempura, tuna, salmon, or bits of pickled plum.  Wrapped with nori, thrown in the microwave for a few seconds and doused with a little sriracha, they make a great snack at work. 

Rice.  There are many varieties of rice available at Tensuke.  I'm not going to pretend I know a lot about rice, but if you have ever been frustrated trying to make the perfect rice you find in better Japanese and sushi restaurants, you might find yourself more satisfied if you try some of the rice available here.  Most of the rice comes from California, and brown and white varieties are available.  The pearly, short-grained rice preferred in Japanese cuisine is more expensive than most Indian and Thai rices, which are available around the corner at Patel Brothers.  A 20 pound bag of Jasmine rice was $11.99 the last time I purchased one at Patel Bros, and 20 pounds of Harome rice from Tensuke was $23.99.

Sushi Grade Seafood.  Tensuke is probably one of the only places in Columbus where one can purchase uni (sea urchin roe) and bluefin otoro (fatty tuna belly) to prepare at home.  Of course, with most of the tuna and salmon they sell, you don't really have to prepare beyond slicing.  Everything is fresh - they have rapid turnover - and expertly filleted for you, just slice and serve.  One could also purchase tobiko - flying fish roe - which add a crunchy texture to rice which I love.

Pocky.  Husband and I consume lots of pocky.  For the uninitiated, pocky is a Japanese snack whose base is a crunchy, pretzel-like cookie in a stick shape.  It's typically covered with chocolate - sometimes chocolate and almonds, chocolate and cookies, or white chocolate flavored with strawberry or green tea - there's even black sesame pocky - there's even pocky for men, covered in extra bitter chocolate.  The thing I love about pocky, aside from the taste, is that it is usually packaged about 4 sticks to a pack, each pack averaging around 75 calories.  This means you can eat the pack and not feel as though you've consumed a 300 calorie candy bar.  They're perfect for packing in your lunch box.

Knives.  If you can't afford to buy great knives, you might as well buy decent cheap knives.  These thin steel knives hold their edge for a long time and are a reasonably priced alternative to bad cheap knives (such as the Henkels sold at Target).

Miso.  Miso is fermented soybean paste; it can be found in the refrigerated section.  It has a rich, savory flavor which makes it perfect for soup-making, of course, but it is also great when added to sauces, marinades, salad dressings, etc.  It adds a great depth of flavor.  There is even a traditional Japanese sauce, tama miso, which I think of as Japanese hollandaise - it's egg yolk and miso with a little sake.  We had this at Kihachi on our geoduc (giant clam).

Panko bread crumbs.  There's little that can't be improved by panko.  These traditional Japanese bread crumbs are unbelievably crispy - they make the best breading.  Although they are great for deep-frying, they can also be used for pan-frying in just a small amount of oil.  They make a great coating for chicken, fish, and crab cakes.  Friends of ours even used them to fry poached eggs for a salad last summer - that was a great idea, too. 

These are just a few things to get one started in a Japanese grocery store.  In a few months, maybe we can explore some more things - maybe we can even move on to the noodle and curry section.

Info:  1167 Old Henderson Road, Columbus (in the Kenny Shopping Center) 614.451.6002

5 Reasons to Love Carfagna's

A pictorial tribute - and I didn't even visit the meat counter this time!:
1.  My favorite canned tuna:

With the tab opening on the bottom:

2.  This isn't the most expensive tin of tuna in the store.  By half at least.

3.  White anchovies.  If you've never had one, you don't know what you're missing.  You'll never look at anchovies the same way again.

4.  Real D.O.P. San Marzano tomatoes:

5.  Italian cookies "with fiber."  So-called cookie-hating Husband can eat these by the bowl full:

Info: Carfagna's Italian Market 1405 E. Dublin-Granville Road (NE side) 614.846.6340

Getting in Touch with My Inner German: Thurn's

Correction:  I originally stated that Thurn's was east of German Village; it is, of course, west.  I apologize for the error and for anyone who was driving around lost.  Thanks, editors!!
I've been meaning to visit Thurn's for about 2 years now, and my desire has finally caught up with reality.  Thurn's is an old school German charcuteir located just west of German village.  The other day, Chef was regaling me with the delights of Thurn's giant smoker, their delicious knackwurst, and their livery braunschwager.  He couldn't believe I had never paid them a visit, and warned me not to expect anything fancy.  Another friend, who has more business writing a food blog than I do, to be honest, described it as a place where he has seen "men in rubber pants spraying blood off the walls."  Hm.  This, I had to see.

Fortunately, I got to see into the hanging room, but it was filled with all manner of sausagey wonders and no blood or sides of pig.  What I did see was a lot of sausage.  And a few pigs' feet, and 2 kinds of head cheese.  I chose a variety pack, I like to think, having never been to Thurn's before and wanting a sampling of the wares.  So it was (left to right on above picture) braunschwager, a lightly smoke spreadable liver-based sausage (which the cats love); bacon; black leona, a heavily smoked and robust summer sausage; and knackwurst, a lightly smoked veal and pork sausage.

There are far too few of these sorts of places in Columbus, Ohio.  Being the fast food carryout bag of the country, although located in an agricultural wonderland, we seem to be the first to jump onto every convenience bandwagon offered.  Take some time to search out these local treasures and support them so they will always be around. 

Thurn's is open for retail Thursday - Saturday from 8am - 6pm.  The rest of the days are for smoking and preparing the products. 

Info:  Thurn's Specialty Meats 530 Greenlawn Ave (just west of I71) 614.443.1449

On the Question of Eating Locally in the Winter

This post has been brewing for quite some time.  While I was neglecting my canner in the bounty of August, while I was snatching up homemade preserves, while I was consuming pounds of my most beloved pink-hued potatoes from Arbor Hill, and eating juicy peaches and pears, when I bought nectarines and berries and strawberries by the pound, when I picked up my last CSA share last week: how do we keep a local focus in the winter in a place like Central Ohio, where it gets cold (sometimes) and snowy (sometimes)?

It's a tough question, one that not even the best among us has the answer to.  Of course, if you are of the diligent old-school sort (my mother, even though she doesn't do much canning anymore, comes to mind) and spent your summer as I should have, canning and freezing the bounty, making giant batches of tomato sauce and pickled beets, your worries are few.  But, if, like me, life got in the way of stocking away for the winter, you are now left prowling the aisles of your local grocery store, trying to wrap your head around sugar snap peas and strawberries in January.

So, here are a few of my suggestions.  Nothing will replace summer's bounty, of course, but do we want it to?  Although I get tired of Ohio winters somewhere around December 26th, I still like it because the anticipation for summer is fuel to keep me going.  I love to look through my pictures of vegetables in the middle of January - I think of all the things I'm going to make in the coming year, all of the things I'm going to look for at the markets, all of the things I will ask farmers to grow, and all of the sweet corn I will eat.  Some of these suggestions aren't immediate - placing your focus on eating locally is a process; it takes time and planning, but hopefully if we all start thinking about it now, we'll be better prepared when next summer rolls around.

- My farmer, Sandy Sterrett, will be at the North Market until December 16th, if the weather is decent.  She has greens and cabbage as well as squash and potatoes - there is still time to stock up on these items, squash particularly lasts forever and is a great item to store in a cool, dark place.  Potatoes don't last quite as long, but they are still good keeps and a good supply should last at least into January.
- There are still some local options for green things and especially mushrooms at local grocers.  However much I might speak ill of Whole Foods on occasion, they are a good resource for some locally grown products.  Lately, they have featured local produce and have a running count in their store of their local products.  Sunflower Foods also stocks a good variety of local products from squash to eggs and mushrooms, and the staff has been well-educated in pointing customers to the local products. 
- As far as eggs go, there is simply no reason to be eating a mass-produced egg, local or not (in fact, you would be hard-pressed to find an egg which wasn't produced near us, thanks to Ohio Egg, but that won't necessarily make it a good one), try some 2 Silos eggs, available at Whole Foods, Weiland's, and Sunflower Foods, and you'll see what I mean.
- The North Market is a great source for local products.  Locally grown meat and eggs are especially easy to find, and Curds & Whey stocks some of your favorite products sold at the farm markets, such as Rohini's Chutneys.  Try the hot mango, it's fantastic with pork.
- Stores such as Weiland's offer more value-oriented local products, such as excellent Amish chickens and Ohio beef.  I find myself purchasing a lot of chicken from them at $1.70 a pound, versus upwards of $3 or $4 at some stores in the North Market.  I'm not begrudging the stores in the market, mind you, but not everyone can afford a $20 chicken, no matter how responsibly it was raised.  Although I love my roasted chicken, it's more of a desperation meal for me - if I'm going to splurge, we're having beef or lamb.
- Weiland's also sells trout from local (Urbana) trout farmers Freshwater Farms, who have an outstanding product.  Before you get your tail feathers in a bunch over farm raised fish, please keep in mind trout are only really available farm-raised, and their small size and quick growth mean they are a perfect fish for being farmed responsibly.  Freshwater Farms also raises shrimp and has an onsite market for their products and other local items.
- Wishwell farms, located in Bellefontaine, sells Christmas trees and other items at their farm, and they have hothouses, so they still have lots of products which, although out of season, are still local.  We'll all be eating broccoli from somewhere this winter, won't we?  Wishwell was at the Market this Saturday selling trees as well as veggies, and my guess is they'll be there until Christmas.
- Even if there's no fresh local produce available in the winter months, you can keep a lot of your spending power in the area by supporting your local independent grocer.  I realize not everyone can afford to shop at independent retailers, what with the mega box stores offering organic produce under a dollar, but when possible, it's good to support the people who actually care about what they are selling.  The thing I love about Weiland's is every time I've requested a product, they have brought it in.  In some instances, it wasn't a big hit with their clientele (who couldn't support Brown Cow yogurt), but they have still made the effort which I love.  You just put a suggestion in their pig-shaped suggestion box and you can actually see the result.  Carfagna's, on the Northeast side, is another great independent grocer with an outstanding meat counter (their sausages are inexpensive and wonderful), and Hill's Market (Worthington) is another winner, with a vast wine selection and wonderful prepared foods.
- Patronize restaurants which use local products.  Alana's, Northstar Cafe, G. Michael's, the Worthington Inn, and Latitude 41 all lead the pack in the using of local farmers - thank them for doing so.
- My last suggestion is to start planning for next year.  Think about what you can preserve by freezing/canning/confitting, etc.  About what you can keep in cold storage - if you have place for it.  We have an old boiler room in our basement which stays the perfect cellar temperature, and I did manage to put away some potatoes and onions for the winter.  Books such as Preserving the Harvest and websites such as the National Center for Home Preservation offer excellent advice and step by step instructions, as well as recipes.

I will share more ideas and shopping suggestions throughout the winter, of course.  Here's to happy local eating!

CSA & Market Report for November 4th

The North Market was this week reduced to only a few few vendors - selling mostly apples, apple cider, greens, garlic and potatoes.  I swung through long enough to contemplate buying 7 varieties of potato, but dismissed the thought almost as soon as it hit. 

My CSA box this week included rutabagas! oh, how I love, love rutabagas - one of the most ignored of the cruciferous veggies.  I can't wait to make a little pork chop on roasted rutabagas.  And who doesn't love saying roasted rutabagas?  Along with the rutabagas were carrots, potatoes, garlic, onions, radishes, greens (a good thing since my crisper froze everything last week), scallions and eggs.  I have only 2 weeks left for my box and then my body will still wake up at 7:30 on Saturday mornings and wonder why it isn't getting up and buying produce. 

CSA & Market Report for October 28th

Look!  Thanksgiving dinner!  Anyone who has ever been in my parents' house and seen the giant picture of me, as a 4-year-old, standing next to a live turkey, knows I have a sordid past with live turkeys (how was I supposed to know not all creatures want me to pet them!?).  For that reason, I was a little nervous while sticking my camera lens into the cage to shoot this picture, but I really wanted to feature the extra skin over his beak.  I wonder how one would go about finding the real name of that particular body part...Snood!  Just looked it up at kidzone.com.  Snood!  What nice word.

The markets this week were very thin, of course, and it was cold - really cold.  There were still a few diehards out there selling squash, apples, gourds, greens and cauliflower.  I bought my last box of Toby Run shitake mushrooms for the year, and my last peppers, chiles, sprouts and onions from Dearsmans. 

My CSA box this week included eggs, potatoes, bell peppers, arugula, greens, mixed lettuce, cauliflower, bok choy, scallions and bitter greens, which I used to make this yummy bitter green salad.  There's nothing like it when eaten with or after a rich meal; I highly recommend it.  This was a mix of radicchio and frisee with the bunch of arugula thrown in for good measure.  Wash in several changes of water, spin dry, and dress liberally with olive oil, sprinkle over some nice sherry vinegar, cracked black pepper and a good shower of sea salt:

CSA & Market Report for October 21st

Radish pods - aren't they fun?  A strange mix of sweet, watery crispness with a hot radishy bite at the end, good raw in salads or stir fried - I'll let you know what I find to do with them (these came from the Wayward Seed farm).
My CSA box this week included eggs, lettuce mix, mixed mustard and other greens, potatoes, cilantro (which I donated to another, cilantro-loving member), radishes, green tomatoes, and this cute dumpling squash:

And now, a photo montage of my other purchases, most of which came from the Wayward Seed Farm (of course, I also purchased the week's shitake mushrooms from Toby Run, and onions, peppers and Brussels sprouts from Dearsman farms, but you've seen those all a million times before).

Small purple kohlrabi:

Purple scallions and undeveloped cippolini onions:

And a nice bunch of garlic from Just This Farm, who has a new website and is currently accepting orders for turkeys, one of whom I met Saturday at the Farmer's Market.  Furthermore, they are selling boxes of many of the ingredients needed for Thanksgiving dinner for $48, so you can have a local Thanksgiving.:

Pom Iced Tea in Cool Reusable Glass with Lid

Congratulations, Pom Lychee flavored Iced Tea.  Your slick packaging ensured I would part with $2.79 on something I would typically never purchase (premade iced tea).  The good news is, this "keepsake glass," as they call it, comes with a neat little lid, so you can put it by your bed at night and no cat hair will float in.  Brilliant.  It's worth every penny.  Oh, and the tea is pretty good, too, although I like the blackberry version better.  You can buy your very own at Sunflower Market (now open on Bethel road at Sawmill; much bigger than the campus store).