So, it's been a while since, I've posted anything, and I figure it's time.
The Fall season up here in the Hudson Valley is a little nuts. First off, here in Poughkeepsie, we're a college town, there are four major college's all in a 10 mile radius, so there's the students. But I'm pro student, from recently NOT being one anymore, and from working at a College, I like students. They can stay.
Second, is the leaf peepers. These are the people that have never seen leaves before. They generally come from NJ, or other inconsequential states. They drive real slow, slam on the brakes with no notice, and are an overall pain in the ass. They come up here to drive around, clog up traffic, look at the leaves and leave. Now, tourism is great. I love tourists, they come and spend money. Leaf peepers on the other hand, must have left their wallet at home?
Lastly, and most importantly is the fact that the Hudson Valley is economically, an agriculturally dependent region. Many people don't know or don't recognize this fact, but the Hudson Valley has a very viable and active agricultural based economy. From the produce that's grown everywhere from individual back yard gardens, so the "mega" 200 acre farms. (Yes, I know that to most of the country 200 acres is barely a pot to piss in, but here in NY that's BIG. But then again, we'll buy a one bedroom apartment for 300k too. So, what the hell.) There is a fair amount of livestock that is farmed up here too. Typically grass fed beef, swine and goats. But there are the occasional yak, llama and sheep farms too. The Hudson River provides is with Blue shell crabs, sturgeon and a great disposal for bodies. Long story short, the Hudson Valley produces a LOT of stuff in a very small space. The Fall is the culmination of all of this, it's when farmer's markets are everywhere, the grocery stores are packed with local produce and even places like Stop and Shop are able to find some space for local foods.
This year was a hard year for the farmers. This was a challenging year for everyone, but the farmers here in NY had it especially tough. With heavy rains all through May, June and into the beginning of July. Farmers had to adapt their fields to adapt to the heavy rains. Crops had to be moved, many were lost and even those that were able to be grown and harvested all too often fell prey to mold and mildew in the constantly wet environment. Although the overall yield was low in 2009, the markets were full of some amazing stuff. Tomato's had a rough year, but August was a good month, and all through August and September there were some beautiful and delicious heirloom tomato's.
Plums, nectarines and Peaches were great, the supply was low, but the quality of the market selection was spot on.
Even in "Bad" years, there are always going to be successful crops, and those were some of ours.
It was a delicious, colorful, flavorful and exhilarating Fall up here in the Hudson Valley
The Hudson Valley is a fun place to live. Thousands upon thousands of people have come here to go to school, Marist, CIA, Vassar, DCC alumni. A select few have stayed and made it home.
As for me only time will tell, I do love the Hudson Valley but there are so many great places on this earth that I would like to call home one day too...
Long story short we're New Yorkers, we do things a little bit differently. Frankly, we're better then the rest of the world, and we're ok with that. So YOU stay at YOUR home, and when you DO visit, please buy, and proudly wear your "I [Heart] NY" shirt. We like our local foods, we despise chemicals that don't give us that little "something" and generally speaking New Yorkers as a whole take about as much bullshit as your average drill sergeant.
Food in the information age is a different species. Back before we could iphone search all 233 types of apples and get flavor profiles right there in the produce department of the local grocery store and decide exactly which one would suite our current mood. Food was a mystery to many people. Correction. Food IS still a mystery to many people, but as a whole getting better... Now, many more people are questioning their food, where it came from, how it was treated, what it was fed. There are now a whole laundry list of concerns that people have with their food; where as before it was food, you were hungry, you ate it.
I deal with many concerned parents of freshman and prospective students almost every day. Whether it be in person, an email or an irate parent on the phone, I'm never surprised by the list of concerns that they may have for their son or daughter. Dietary restrictions and allergies aside. I get questions like: "what kind of soap do you use in your dish machines, and is it eco friendly? Are your egg's cage free? is your chicken natural? Cagefree? What percentage of your annual purchases are from local purveyors? What do you do with the waste?"
Now, these are all very good questions, don't get be wrong, but the fact that people who do not work in the food or hospitality business to have the knowledge and where-with-all to come up with these questions is impressive. Consumers are getting smarter, and we as hospitality professionals are required to answer. The answer. There is a growing trend in natural, organic and bio-dynamic foods... Knowledge is power, but just because someone says it doesn't mean that it's right. There are a lot of idiots out there that know just enough to not know that they know nothing. So, question your food. Ask where it came from? Ask what it was fed, and how it was treated. When enough people start asking the right questions about the problems in the food distribution system is the only time that anything will be solved. So. For the meantime, I'll continue to buy my groceries at local, family owned grocery stores, buy my milk from a dairy farm that I can visit, and continue to know where my food comes from and what it eat. My food is REAL. I like it that way!
Here are some Brussel Sprouts that are from a local farm. Thank You farmers market. Brussel sprouts come from a bush. They do no magically end up in plastic bag's, flash frozen, treated with potassium sorbate just to "ensure freshness"... Now,really isn't that just a little fucked?
Anyway. Enjoy.
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