Trip Review: Southern Vermont

This review just kept getting shunted to the backburner, and for no good reason! The trip was fantastic.

An unexpected woodland pond, surely a playground for moose

Southern Vermont Weekend Trip Review

Background: A friend of ours who had never gone backpacking asked Jeff if we all could go sometime so he could see what we make a big fuss about. I think that was a Monday. By Wednesday night we had half-cooked a plan to go to Vermont. I had a strange work schedule that week which allowed me to both run down to Paragon Sports and pick up a map of Vermont and also to stop by my alma mater to borrow some extra equipment.

baby ferns unfurl in the new warmth

Transportation: Our dear friend Matt took the train to his parents house in New Jersey Thursday night to pick up his car, drove it back to the city, and we left after work on Friday June 5. Gas and tolls were about $60 altogether.

Our trail started just outside Bennington. Getting there (including time spent a little disoriented/lost in Vermont) took 3 and a half hours from northern Manhattan.

A calming view from the top of Glastonbury Mountain. Not a building in sight.

Trail Conditions: The only other people on the trails were through-hikers doing the Appalachian Trail. They are a varied group, and very odd people to share trails and lean-tos with. The weekend was gorgeous, sunny, clear, but not too hot yet. Matt had forgotten his sleeping bag and was moderately cold in his makeshift wrap of the tent's rain fly, a tarp, and his hammock.

Vermont is not extreme in its mountainry. When we summitted the 3748 foot mountain/hill above our second shelter and shimmied up the firetower, we were greeted with a very pleasant view of rolling verdant hills. It's the kind of scene that gives me peace in my soul, but does not necessarily suck the breath out of my lungs with awe. This is by no means an insult to Vermont. Anyone living in New York knows that peace in the soul is absolutely priceless.

The trails were bursting with new life. Trees, shrubbery, the forest floor, all were exuding nuanced shades of green. Frogs, moose, chipmunks and squirrels were as excited as I was. Unfortunately for me, the gnats were also out and about and quite thrilled to have me around as a snack.

As we started hiking on Saturday morning, I giggled with glee at an exciting discovery:

ramps were growing everywhere. (They are the elongated leaves above)

I immediately harvested a few untrampled specimens, shook off the dirt and tied them to my pack.

At dinner, I rinsed them off, gave them a rough chop, sauteed them in olive oil, and tossed them into our pasta.

Food:

Breakfast
10 packets oatmeal--a little short of the 12 I should have rationed. My only excuse is not being used to planning food for 4.

Lunch/Snacks/Emergency Rations
1/2 jar of peanut butter
10 tortillas

1 large tub of hummus
1 gal. homemade GORP
1/2 lb. parmegiano reggiano (mostly used for dinner, but also eaten as "cheese flakes" for lunch)

I think most people would be happy to eat this at home, let alone in a beautiful forest after a good day of hiking. It's no harder to make on the trail than boxed mac & cheese, so why not?

Dinner
1 lbs. Barilla Plus angel hair/thin spaghetti

1 packet Knorr creamy pesto sauce
1/2 c pine nuts [as I've said before: bad for dieting, great for backpacking]
pint-container olives in olive oil
foraged ramps

CSA Week 2

In our CSA share for the second week, we got the following delightful treats (clockwise from bottom left)

garlic scapes, scallions, basil plant, dandelion greens, strawberries,

lance-leaf kale, red romaine, japanese turnips, and snow peas

The kale, along with week 1's swiss chard went into a modified version of one of my favorite dishes: giant chipotle white beans. Jeff and I modified it by using black beans we had cooked a few days before, and 2 bunches of greens.

Snow peas, along with store bought Jersey Fresh fava beans and sweet peas, became spring vegetables with parmesan curls and citrus vinaigrette.

Breaking out of the same vein of slow-fermenting sourdough with part whole-wheat, part unbleached all-purpose flour, I opened the Macrina Cookbook and found this gem: Onion Rye Bread

I think it's worth buying the book for, it is that delicious. It doesn't hurt that it's a pretty easy bread to bake.

Our spring onions/scallions went into onion-rye sourdough bread--a serious contender for best thing I've ever baked. Also the loaf was enormous, the size of a newborn child. I whipped up some garlic scape pesto which went smashingly with the bread, but did give me terrible breath when I ate it at work for lunch.

The turnips waited a long time for their turn and then got cream-braised with their greens, sliced onion, garlic, and a couple more scapes. Their flavor was almost exactly like a steamed broccoli stem, but they had a soft texture that simply melted in the mouth. Cream-braising is really the best way to cook a vegetable you're not sure about. It makes everything scrumptious and irresistable.

We ate about 1/3 of the strawberries plain, and then churned the rest into some amazing strawberry frozen yogurt. As the weather finally starts to feel like summer here, this is a very welcome addition to our kitchen. Note: if you have an abundance of fruit that's, err, well, approaching an untimely demise, macerate it! That word always makes me think I should put stuff in a mortar and pestle and grind it to a pulp, but no--you should wash and cut your fruit, put it in a bowl, coat with sugar, and a bit of alcohol. After you let it sit for a while the color picks up, and the flavor intensifies. You can learn a bit more about the hows and whys the same way I did, by reading Lynne Rossetto Kasper's thoughts (and iced peaches recipe) here.

Our lesson from the first week was to just add more vegetables to every meal. We washed and cut the dandelion greens and romaine to have quick salads with each dinner until they got eaten up. I think in large part due to our increase in veggie consumption, I'm feeling extremely healthy of late, despite the fact that my level of exercise hovers ever-so-slightly above zero.

CSA Week 1

We picked up our first bundle of produce from our CSA last week. It was chock full of some of the prettiest vegetables I had ever seen.

Clockwise from top left: swiss chard, red (purple) and white (green) kohlrabi, romaine, scallions, red russian kale, strawberries, french breakfast radishes, garlic scapes. We also ordered extras not included in my upfront-membership-payment, notably in this picture two cheeses from Consider Bardwell. Little did I know when I ordered the cheeses that they are critically acclaimed and are featured at several of my dream restaurants. They deserve all the praise. Jeff, upon biting into a piece of the Manchester, proclaimed: "This! This is a cheese!

First night of dinner: faux-Caesar salad with romaine, radishes;

roasted cauliflower (not from CSA) with Old Bay; cut strawberries; cheese

I had never eaten, let alone cooked, kohlrabi before. My approach was very similar to my approach for cabbage two ways: make a mayo-free slaw with half (I subbed homemade garam masala for toasted fennel seed), and cream braise the rest. I really enjoy the taste of this unlikely vegetable both raw and slow cooked. It's kind of like a potatoey radish. For more kohlrabi ideas and musings, check out:

the Kitchn: top 5 ways to prepare kohlrabi

the Kitchn: try this roasted kohlrabi and butternut squash

Tonight, to ease Jeff's sudden-onset sore throat, I made a soup with chicken stock that's been waiting diligently in the freezer for such an occasion, some pearl barley, two eggs, a splash of lime juice, and the entire bunch of red russian kale. It was delicious, and I watched Die Hard while it cooked.

Fresh Kale Soup with Barley

• 3 c good tasting chicken stock
• 1+ c water
• 3/4 c pearl barley
• 2 eggs
• 1 bunch kale or other leafy green, washed well

1. Bring chicken stock and water to a boil. Add barley, reduce heat to low and let simmer covered 50 minutes. Taste the stock; if unpalatably bland, stir in soy sauce 1 teaspoon at a time until flavorful.
2. Cut kale stems one inch from the bottom, and discard ends. Cut the remaining stems into roughly 1/2 inch long pieces. Continue this halfway up the bunch. There will be some leaves in your stems. Toss the stems into the soup, then continue cutting the kale leaves.
3. Make sure the soup is merely simmering, not boiling. Gently break two eggs into the pot, and let poach a minute or so. As the whites become a little opaque, add in the chopped kale leaves, cover and let wilt slightly (about 3 minutes).
4. Ladle the partially wilted kale into bowls. Then set a poached egg, some barley and broth in each bowl to let the kale wilt further.
5. Splash with a tiny bit of lemon or lime juice (or vinegar if you have no citrus) to perk up the soup.
6. Eat immediately.

Trip Review: Revisiting Harriman

Our tent on a nice boulder face

Background:

Having spent the previous weekend in the Texas Hill Country, we were feeling pent up after a week in the office. We decided to take advantage of the extra day on Memorial Day Weekend to do a quick trip to the outdoors and get our nature-fix. We had visited Harriman in the fall and were really impressed by the variety of terrain and the fantastic views. Wanting to further explore this lovely park, we picked out a trail that started near a train station and the rest of the pieces fell into place.

View Larger Map

Transportation:
This was by far my least favorite part of planning trips. Happily, since the last time I wrote a trip review, GoogleMaps has updated their beta public transit directions to both incorporate schedules from MTA/MetroNorth and NJ Transit as well as provide an option to choose when you will be traveling. This development makes it downright shameful for anyone to say that they can't get out of the city without a car.

Google told me to take a NJ Transit bus from the George Washington Bridge bus terminal (not far from our apartment, but for those farther downtown, it would be easier to take the NJ Transit operated Metro-North train on the Port Jervis line out of Penn Station) to a station in New Jersey and then get on the train there. We left our apartment at 7:50 and were on the trail by 10:30.

We did yoga on our sleeping pads and contemplated
the beautiful view from unusual angles while in each pose.
Jeff cooked our dinner while I goofed around with my camera.

Trail Conditions:
The wildlife was out and seemed to be just as excited as we were about the warm weather. We saw white-tailed deer, chipmunks left and right, lots of birds, toads and salamanders.

There were a few people out, though we didn't see them on Sunday. Monday morning we ran into some very loud college students who were not practicing Leave No Trace principles. Needless to say, Jeff and I were a bit peeved. I think I did a pretty good job of quietly guilt-tripping the group leader for leaving a campfire with live flames. Aside from that mild unpleasantry, the trip was quite nice.

Sun peeking out from thunderclouds

There weren't any particularly boggy sections of trail. The recent rains had been adequately absorbed by the newly verdant trees. We camped in one of our favorite sections of the park on a relatively flat granite boulder facing west, did some yoga, watched thunderstorms pass to either side of us, and made vegetarian chili for dinner.

delicious bubbling spices

Food:
We brought half a gallon of GORP, a sandwich bag of crushed potato chips, and chili fixings--1/2 sandwich bag parboiled pinto beans, 1/4 sandwich bag TVP, donated bag of tomato sauce (we usually carry a can of tomatoes), and a chili seasoning packet. We had pretty much no food left after we got out

Final Thoughts:
Thoughts of camping are rife with the cultural image of the campfire. Singing songs around the fire and eating stick-roasted foods hearkens back to an imagined past of pure human emotion. and makes us feel like we are really roughing it. Moreover building campfires was an integral part of how American dads were taught to camp, and that's how many families went camping when we were little. It's hard to react against this culturally hegemonic thought that "camping requires campfires," however, we should still try because campfires have incredibly detrimental ecological effects.

The Leave No Trace website does the best job of succinctly stating why we should avoid making campfires:
Fires vs. Stoves: The use of campfires, once a necessity for cooking and warmth, is steeped in history and tradition. Some people would not think of camping without a campfire. Campfire building is also an important skill for every camper. Yet, the natural appearance of many areas has been degraded by the overuse of fires and an increasing demand for firewood. The development of lightweight, efficient camp stoves has encouraged a shift away from the traditional fire. Stoves have become essential equipment for minimum-impact camping. They are fast, flexible, and eliminate firewood availability as a concern in campsite selection. Stoves operate in almost any weather condition, and they Leave No Trace.

We often forget how great of an impact we have on the natural environment because we so rarely visit it. It's easy to think, "what's one campfire going to do?" or "it's not so bad that I walked off trail to avoid mud because I'm just one person," but we can physically see the ramifications of universalizing this mindset across all hikers. Huge numbers of people visit the same places in the Northeast, and the accumulated impact of all these individuals is perfectly clear. The hills feel almost tame without naturally decaying trees, with Little Mermaid sing-alongs drowning out birdsong, with unfortunate plants trampled alongside the original trail. Dead trees are a crucial habitat for insects and birds. By burning them in campfires for the sake of tradition, we rupture the circle of life. And no one wants to ruin such a beautiful song.

More typical Harriman landscape

Buttermilk is so hot right now

Perfectly flaky biscuits. I am so proud of these little fellows.

Buttermilk has had a reputation as being an old-fashioned food without much place in modern urban life but like many other country staples it is gaining popularity again.

Buttermilk comes from whipping cream into butter. The fats solidify into the butterball, and the other liquidy bits are buttermilk. [More on that here.] This fresh liquid naturally ferments into a rich, thick, tangy cream. However, most commercial buttermilk has bacteria cultures added to it to speed this up.

I love buttermilk. It's acidity reacts with baking powder to produce delightfully fluffy biscuits, scones, cakes, etc. Martha Stewart's Whole Living site says: "Buttermilk also makes an ideal marinade for lean meats, particularly chicken and fish, since the lactic acid has a tenderizing effect on proteins. Baked chicken stays tender and juicy after just an hour of marinating, without any additional fat." It also lends a pleasant flavor in other foods.

Cucumber Buttermilk Soup we made earlier this year

Southern Foodways produced a new film Buttermilk: It Can Help; it's playing this weekend at the NYC Food Film Festival. The New York Times covered the lovely people behind the film and their deep love of buttermilk in April (with recipes for poundcake, biscuits, and fried chicken). This guy says he could drink a gallon of buttermilk everyday. I'm working up to that feat.

For a more gradual transition of buttermilk into your diet, try some of these!

Bulgarian Buttermilk, like most things Bulgarian...more intense than the American version

Cakes and Pies
Raspberry Buttermilk Cake from Gourmet
Maple Buttermilk Pie also from Gourmet, might get made soon in my quest to use maple syrup (more on that in a later post)
Vanilla Bean Buttermilk Cake from Orangette. I made this for myself on my birthday without the orange glaze. It is very tasty and makes for an excellent breakfast.

Ice Cream
Buttermilk Rosemary Ice Cream from the Kitchn
Blackberry Buttermilk Ice Cream also from the Kitchn
Nectarine Ginger Buttermilk Ice Cream, from Martha. YUM

Biscuits and Rolls
Buttermilk Fantail rolls from Gourmet look really elegant

Savory Treats
Buttermilk Fried Chicken
This Buttermilk Leek Tart would be fantastic now with leeks in season.
Rajasthani Buttermilk Curry, this one is great--delicious and ready in about 15 minutes. Eat with rice.
Buttermilk Mashed Potatoes
Ranch or blue cheese dressing

Soups
Jeff and I made a chilled cucumber buttermilk soup similar to this one. It was pleasant and refreshing as an appetizer, but not great for a one-dish meal.
Vichyssoise, however, I could probably eat every day and be happy
Chilled Radish Buttermilk Soup from Gourmet
Bulgarian Buttermilk Walnut Soup is one I might not make in the near future.

Other Applications
Buttermilk Lassi from RecipeZaar
Creme Fraiche
Braised Bananas with Caramel?!
Buttermilk Panna Cotta
Buttermilk Cumin Crackers
Fresh Ricotta
Gorgonzola Cream Pasta Sauce (following article)

Fun Results from the New York Times Archives
1883, The start of a buttermilk-drinking trend
1905, Senator cuts off mustache to facilitate buttermilk drinking.
1907, Humor(?) piece touting the benefits of buttermilk microbes
1913, Complaint of faux-buttermilk being sold around town

Sourdough for Sour Days

Why hello. That's quite the gluten structure you've got there.

Mmm yes, I do see your pores are steaming.

I have officially completed the most difficult task set to man!

No, I haven't dragged myself out the bottom of an ice crevasse and across a scree slope with a shattered knee cap. No, um I did not figure out how to laser-inscribe/transmit instructions for life to other planets.

Maybe I should amend my statement: I have officially completed the most difficult task to arise in my pitifully un-hardcore life. I made myself leave my apartment where the freshly baked sourdough loaf of my dreams sits alone in the warm kitchen; I ventured out across the chronically flooded intersection, up into the subway station embedded in the hill where thunder, lightning, and copious amounts of water made their battlestand; and I made myself go to work.

Such a little cutie, and I left it all by its lonesome.
Attractive duotone crust formed by a quick slash of the dough with a sharp knife just before going in the oven

Best Sourdough Loaf Yet
Moist interior, light sour flavor, deep caramel crust, good air bubble formation...truly the stuff of dreams. This recipe makes one goodly-sized round loaf.

• 1/4 c stiff sourdough starter*
• 1 1/4 c warm water (roughly 100°F)
• 13 oz all purpose flour*
• 2 oz dark rye flour
• 1 1/2 t salt

In a medium-large bowl, mix starter and water.

Theoretically mix your dry ingredients together in another bowl, but really just toss them in with the swampy looking sourdough water. Add the salt after the flour because it will kill your wild yeast if unadulterated contact occurs.

Thoroughly combine with a sturdy wooden spoon. The dough will be sticky.

With a scooping motion, pull the dough up out of the bowl with one hand, stretching the dough. Rotate the bowl a little with the clean hand, and continue scoop-stretching and turning for a few minutes. You'll be able to see ropy texture develop as the gluten builds bonds. Your hand will be completely covered in dough. Rinse. Let the dough hang out for about half an hour.

Generously sprinkle flour on the counter and your hands. Work dough on the floured surface, patting more flour on as needed to keep it from sticking. The fold and smoosh method of kneading works exceptionally well. The dough should soon hold a ball shape and spring back when prodded.

Reflour the counter. Flatten the dough into a wide rectangle. Fold like a trifold brochure or an overstuffed burrito. Pat down slightly. Rotate dough 90° and repeat the folding process . Place dough ball seam side down on a piece of parchment paper & let sit at room temperature covered with a cloth towel 12 hours.

Preheat oven to 400° for 30 minutes. Slide dough (still on parchment) into oven, preferably on a baking stone, but cookie sheets work too. Close oven, fill a cup with maybe 2/3 c water. Quickly open the oven, toss the water in the bottom to create steam and close the oven immediately.*

Let bread bake 45+ minutes until browned. Makes one loaf.

*Good tips on making your own starter here and here. I also have a LOT of happily active starter in the fridge, so if you're around, I can share. I will post my own thoughts on what worked well soon.

*Weighing is the most precise way to measure dry, compactable ingredients like flour. We use an oxo digital scale.

*Steam retards the crust formation which allows those precious little air pockets to expand and give your bread structure. Alternate method is to put a roasting pan on the shelf below bread and toss water or ice cubes in there.

This seems really involved, but it's a remarkably forgiving recipe. You can let the dough rest anywhere between 10 and 19 hours at room temp. The longer it rests, the more sour its flavor. You can also refrigerate the dough for part of the time to expand your window. Just make sure to let the dough come to room temp (1 hour min) before chucking it in the oven or your bread will be very dense.

My timeline went a little something like this:

6:00pm get home from work, mix ingredients for double batch in bowl. Do something else, vacuum rugs, etc.

7:00pm decide to de-gas half the dough (folding process). Eat dinner, fall asleep.

6:30am wake up, turn oven on, shower.

7:00am put bread in oven. Get dressed, read the internet. Refrigerate other half of dough.

7:45/8:00am determine bread is done. Turn off oven. Cut a slice, butter it, stare at thunderstorm incredulously, brave the world and get on the subway.

7:00pm bake other half of dough

The Foodoir: memoir with recipes

I am totally part of the machine. I have bought into "the money-making imagination of the publishing industry," with its pet: the foodoir. Check out the New York Times article on the phenomenon. For a better listing of books in this vein, see my BFF's blog.