Friday Foodstuffs 7.17.09: Drowning Here in South Jersey's Summer Food Cauldron

Drowning here in Summer's Cauldron
Under mats of flower lava
Please don't pull me out this is how I would want to go
Breathing in the boiling butter
Fruit of sweating golden inca
Please don't heed my shout I'm relax in the undertow

When Miss Moon lays down
And Sir Sun stands up
Me I'm found floating round and round
Like a bug in brandy
In this big bronze cup
Drowning here in Summer's Cauldron

"Summer's Cauldron" by XTC

Summer's Cauldron - XTC

Whenever you can work XTC into a blog post, I say go for it!

This time of the year is equally wondrous and frustrating. It's wondrous in that there are so many food events taking place around South Jersey, and it's frustrating in that, well, there are so many food events taking place around South Jersey. I would love to be able to just fly around all weekend and partake a bit in everything, but then I get an image of Lisa and the kids chasing me around shaking their fists (even our baby, and she can't even walk yet) while the sounds of 'Yakkety Sax' play in the background, just like an ending to a Benny Hill show. So, to keep the sanity of the house, we pick and choose our events wisely.

And what choices you have this weekend!

Let's start with the county fairs, which are coming fast and heavy. The Cape May County 4-H Fair & Chicken BBQ is going on now until the 18th, while the Ocean County Fair runs through the 19th. Peeking around the corner are the Burlington County Farm Fair (7/22-25) and the Gloucester County 4-H Fair and NJ Peach Festival (7/23-26).

Looking for something a bit more ethnic? The 134th Feast of Our Lady of Mt Carmel is still going on and will run through the 19th. The South Jersey Caribbean Carnival is happening tomorrow at Wiggins Park on the Camden waterfront. On Saturday and Sunday, cultural diversity is being celebrated (with food included) at the Culture Fest at Historic Cold Spring Village in Cape May. And on Sunday you can travel to Russia and other parts of Asia by way of Vineland and Cherry Hill, respectively.

Jersey corn? You got it.

Jersey tomatoes? It's covered.

Jersey seafood? On the case.

Jersey ice cream? Not a problem.

Jersey ice cream and own a British motorcar? You too.

Jersey beer??? Yes, we've even got you there.


And speaking of beer, which I seem to be doing a lot of these days, High Street Grill has its Summer Beer Lunch taking place this Saturday. Next week is the big honking Farm to Fork Week, with many many MANY restaurants participating in Burlington, Camden and Gloucester counties. Looking ahead to the 22nd, you have a Wine Tasting Dinner at Annata Wine Bar in Hammonton.


Cook Learn Eat-wise, it's another busy weekend as well. The cooking class series at the Burlington County Farmers Market in Moorestown continues this Saturday with Chef John Pilarz of Anthony's in Haddon Heights. And from this article, it sounds like folks are enjoying the classes. Saturday is also a day for making tortilla pizzas at The Long Beach Island Foundation in Loveladies. Passion Vines in Somers Point will be having a vodka tasting that afternoon as well. If you want to get outdoors, take a blackberry hike at Crystal Lake Park on Axe Factory Road in Mansfield Saturday morning. And finally have your kids enjoy making ice cream sundaes on Sunday at Kitchen Kapers in Moorestown.



Blogging Out Hunger

As was mentioned earlier this week on Jersey Bites, 3500 pints of Jersey blueberries were donated by members of Farmers Against Hunger on Tuesday to folks in need all around South Jersey. This gesture was very well received.

Rutgers Against Hunger has raised almost $49,000 and has collected 20 tons of food since November.

A "Community Food Pantry Fund" is being considered by Gov. Corzine as the demand on food banks continues to increase. This is a bill that has already passed through the Assembly and Senate, and would allow individual taxpayers the option to donate a portion of their refunds to the fund.



Recipe Rewind

While I don't have specific recipes this week, I do want to take a moment to mention one of our favorite South Jersey food blogs, South Jersey Locavore. Every week this summer, Robin Shreeves is posting recipes where she has used only local foodstuffs. She definitely has the South Jersey pride. Keep on locavoring South Jers-ily, Robin!



And in the news (for the last couple of weeks)...

Pastry chef John Gallagher of Medford was named to be part of the American Culinary Federation's National Pastry Committee.

The rain in June has made it tough for some local farmers, and some harvests may be smaller than usual.

A young man tragically dies from falling into a chocolate vat in a plant in Camden - a plant which may have been operating illegally.

Some time back, I mentioned a story about a man who tried to steal 91 pounds of lobster. Well, for this man's five-finger discounted seafood buffet, the final bill came to 4 years in prison.

And lastly, kudos to Kelly Feeney for her 'Eight Great Barbecue Joints in New Jersey' article in Gourmet magazine. Along with our wineries, roadside barbecue places are one of our great culinary secret weapons.

Enjoy your weekend!

- John

We Support Flying Fish's Exit Series

While catching up on my Google Reader reading after a nice weekend away with friends up in North Jersey (which we'll post about soon), I started reading about the controversy that Flying Fish has gotten into with the Turnpike Authority and Mothers Against Drunk Driving over the Exit Series beers. It seems that these organizations think using exits from the Turnpike is somehow promoting drinking and driving. Well, here's my take on the whole situation.

'What exit?' has become a source of ribbing that those from other states have given to us Jerseyites. I remember going to a marching band camp in high school (sure, go ahead...laugh all you want) with kids from all over the country, and as soon as one of the kids knew I was from Jersey he said 'I'm supposed to ask you: what exit?' So when I heard that Flying Fish was doing this Exit Series, I thought it was a great idea to turn this joke around, as if to say 'OK, not only will we tell you about our exits - proudly - we'll give you some great beer on top of that!' I'm all about those with Jersey pride.

But I never for one moment thought that using exits would in fact be encouraging people to drive while intoxicated. I didn't think of it before reading the article, and I'm still scratching my head after reading. I'm certainly not cavalier when it comes to drinking while driving; it is a stupid, selfish act to get behind the wheel while not being fully capable of handling the responsibility - and endangering the lives of those on the road and inside the car. Having said that, if someone decides to get drunk by having too many Exit 4s and then takes it on the road, that is a person with their own issues - and that is NOT the fault of Flying Fish. The people who I have talked to about the Exit Series and were excited about it were folks that a) had at least half a brain, b) show signs of common sense and decency, and c) enjoy beer for its flavor and do not look to beer as a launching pad to inebriation.

From the article, it sounds like Flying Fish and the Turnpike Authority have reached an understanding, which is fine. After all, the beers do not have the Turnpike logo; we all know the exits by heart in Jersey anyway, so having the logo would be superfluous. As far as MADD goes, while I have a lot of respect for what they do as a whole, I don't see their argument here. This is about Jersey pride - and nothing else.

We welcome any and all comments about this topic.

- John

Friday Foodstuffs 7.10.09: Dining Out...In The Fields

On becoming a food blogger (I guess I can call myself that now), I felt that I needed to be more up on what was going on in the culinary world, and not just in South Jersey. Well, I'm still working on that idea....BUT, one of the concepts that I have stumbled upon (and I don't mean StumbleUpon) in my reading was Outstanding in the Field - a dining experience where a table is set up in the middle of a farm field and the dishes served are from local food sources (maybe even the very same farm) and prepared by local chefs. I love this concept because it really makes the point to connect the food that you see and taste on your plate with where the journey actually begins for that very same food. Outstanding in the Field has been roving the countrysides on this country since 1999 and will be making a stop in Princeton in September.

If you cannot be on the lucky few to make that dinner reservation, fear not! South Jersey chefs and farms and teaming up to bring you the very same concept close to your own backyard (and if you happen to live at one of the farms, it could very well be your backyard). South Jersey Hot Chefs are planning a series of these dining events, calling them Feast in the Fields, and the first of these will be taking place this Saturday at Duffield's Farm in Sewell. The restaurants that will be participating are Anthony's, Swedes Inn and Filomena's of Berlin.

Here's the rest of the Feast in the Fields events that will be taking place this summer:

August 2nd
1895 Organic Farm - 303 Landing Street, Lumberton. 609.267.5953.
Participating restaurants: Robin's Nest, Ted's on Main, Braddock's.

August 23rd
Hunter's Farm - 1101 Union Landing Road, Cinnaminson. 856.829.6834.
Participating restaurants: Bacio, High Street Grill, Dream Cuisine, Villari's.

September 13th
Moorestown Farmers Market - Hartford and Centerton Roads, Moorestown.
Participating restaurants: Elements Cafe, Coriander, La Esperanza.

SJ Culinary Events is also offering a special dining event out, called Dinner Under the Stars, at Springdale Farms in Cherry Hill on the 28th. The restaurants participating will be: Mirabella Café, Andreotti’s Café, Blackbird, The Tortilla Press, and blueplate.

If you're the type that likes air conditioning and not possibly stepping in a 'present' from a farm animal, you have two great events coming up that will also celebrate the goodness from the farms. The "Farm Fresh" Collingswood Restuarnt Week, offering four courses for $28, begins on Sunday and runs through the 16th. SJ Hot Chefs will then come back the following week for their annual Farm to Fork Week, running from the 19th to the 25th.

Whether you choose to venture into the fields or your favorite restaurants, the next several weeks will be offer you many chances to enjoy the bounty that our farms here in South Jersey can offer being prepared by many of our best local chefs. We are lucky to have such a tasty combination so close to home.



This weekend is loaded, and I do mean loaded, with Festivals of Food events! Starting, well, today is the New Jersey State Barbecue Championship in North Wildwood. Having gone last year, we can highly recommend it. The event runs through Sunday. Still wanting to get your blueberry fix? Well, check out the Blueberry Festival at Mood's Farm Market in Mullica Hill on Saturday and a Blueberry Tasting at Whitesbog Village in Browns Mills on Sunday. Saturday will also be the day to enjoy the SummerFest Chili Cook Off in Millville and the Red, White & Blues Festival at the Tuckerton Seaport in Tuckerton. 609.296.8868. And speaking of wine, wineries throughout South Jersey will be doing their Walk in the Vineyard Wine Trail Weekend this weekend. Looking ahead to next week, you have the Ocean County Fair and the Feast of Our Lady of Mt Carmel in Hammonton starting on Tuesday the 14th.



I will get to the news later this weekend. We're actually heading out to spend the weekend with our foodie friends up in North Jersey. We will have some things to blog about from our visit, I'm sure. I hope everyone enjoys their weekend!

- John