Bethlehem Food Co-Op | Bethlehem Food Co-Op Bethlehem Food Co-Op | The Online Home of the Bethlehem Food Cooperative

Posts Tagged ‘Bethlehem Food Co-Op’

Help Your Co-Op! Volunteer Opportunities

May 10, 2013 by Colleen M

The Bethlehem Food Co-Op has numerous opportunities for volunteers in the upcoming weeks. The co-op needs your help!

We have a bunch of fun events coming up and we will be needing cooperators to help out. Spread the word about the Bethlehem Food Co-Op while participating in some awesome events. Check out the list below, and please contact Heather at heather@bethlehemfood.coop ASAP if you are able to volunteer. Your help is always greatly appreciated!!

South Bethlehem Greenway Celebration
Saturday, May 18
Shifts available: 11:30am-1:30pm & 1:30pm-3:30pm
Family event at Polk and Filmore Streets. The co-op will have an informational table.
Click here to volunteer!

Bicycle Safety Day
Saturday, May 25
Calypso Elementary School
Shifts available: 8:30am-11am & 11am-1:30pm
The co-op will have an informational table and hand out healthy snacks & water.
Sponsored by the Bethlehem Bicycle Cooperative (Yay for co-ops!)
Click here to volunteer!

Familia
Saturday, June 8
St. John’s Windish Church, 4th St.
Shifts available: 9:30am-Noon, Noon-2:30pm, 2:30pm-4:30pm
Community fair to highlight resources available to the neighborhood. The co-op will have an informational table and hand out healthy snacks. Bilingual Spanish/English speaking volunteers would be especially helpful at this event.
Sponsored by Esperanza for Bethlehem
Click here to volunteer!

Summercraft Fair
Sunday, June 9
Secret Art Space, Rink St.
Shifts available: 11:30am-2pm & 2pm-5pm
***We also need people to donate baked goods and/or handmade items to sell as a co-op fundraiser at this event.***
Popular indie craft fair. The co-op will hand out information and sell baked goods and handmade items to raise money.
Click here to volunteer!

South Side Film Festival Children’s Film Festival
Wednesday, June 12
Godfrey Daniels, 3rd St.
Shift available: 5-8pm
The co-op will provide healthy snacks to the children & hand out brochures for the Children’s Film Fest opening night.
Click here to volunteer!

Category Events, Fundraising, General Info | Tags: Bethlehem Food Co-Op,volunteer | No Comments
Membership May Meeting!

May 3, 2013 by Colleen M

The Bethlehem Food Co-Op will meet Monday, May 6, at 7pm at the Fowler Family Center in room 638 (511 E 3rd St. Bethlehem)

We are gearing up to start the membership drive, so come prepared to learn what you can do to help!

Our meetings are always optional potlucks, so if you’d like to bring something to share, feel free!

Here’s a basic overview of the agenda:

7:00 Potluck Serving

7:10 Welcome & Introductions

7:20 Co-Op Basics & History

7:25 Board Report

7:35 Membership Report

7:45 Finance Report

7:55 Communications Report
8:05 How to Talk Co-Op
8:25 Q&A & Wrap-Up

Category Events | Tags: Bethlehem,Bethlehem Food Co-Op,cooperative,meeting | No Comments
April Meeting Agenda

April 1, 2013 by Colleen M

The Bethlehem Food Co-Op will meet
Monday, April 1, at 7pm
at the Fowler Family Center in room 627
(511 E 3rd St. Bethlehem)

One of the highlights of this meeting will be the proposal of our membership structure. We want your input! Please come out to hear the plan and give us your vote of confidence.

Our meetings are always optional potlucks, so if you’d like to bring something to share, feel free!

Here’s a basic overview of the agenda:

7:00 Potluck Serving

7:10 Welcome & Introductions

7:20 Co-Op Basics & History

7:25 Board Report

7:35 Membership Report & Structure Proposal

7:50 Finance Report

8:00 Communications Report
8:10 Fundraising Update
8:20 Grant Update
8:30 Working Group Breakout Info Sessions
8:45 Q&A & Wrap-Up

Category Events | Tags: Bethlehem Food Co-Op,public meeting | No Comments
March 2013 Meeting Notes

March 26, 2013 by Matty

Bethlehem food co-op, meeting 3/4/13 (“call to order” 7:02pm)

Agenda:

Introductions (welcome and thank you to our new friends from Ambler Food Co-op!)

Description of what a food co-op is

Main goal: open community opened grocery store – likely south bhem where there is greatest need for a grocery store.

– Introduce board of directors

Accomplished:
Feasibility study – where to go, how much money, square footage needs
Worked with Keystone development Corp
Incorporation
Opening official bank acct with KNBT – board of directors voted
Can start fundraising once acct is open

Introduction of Ambler food coop folks – our co-op twin, began a few months of when
Bhem did

Ambler:
Very walkable – mini urban in a suburban sprawl outside Philly
NO grocery store, but lots of other commodity options
Getting into bylaws, not yet incorporated, working with KDC now
Decided to do pledge drive – interim organizing thing (pledge to become a member when
the time comes
Will start taking money once they’ve hit 400 pledges
Builds systems for handling money and information once they are ready to start
taking money, trains them to know what to expect

Question: How are they reaching out to people?
A: Internet/facebook/webpage/restaurant event/brewer made them a beer, emailed
contact list, tabling at events
Now need to: phone bank, 5k, tabling at local events, store information
Creekside will come and train folks
Manny’s suggestion: ask for referrals of folks who might be interested

Question: Problems with demographics?
A: They have. Mostly relatively affluent, with a little mix. Thinks a solution would be
to go out and around door to door, if there are volunteers who are willing to do so.

3. Board of Directors report – elected new board position
a. Colleen – chairwoman of the board
b. Treasurer – John
c. Secretary – Matty
d. Santiago – St. at arms to keep us in order

Amber: fundraising, will try to organize fundraising efforts

Anyone with ideas contact her – she wants to get started,
amber@bethlehemfood.coop

Cathy – grantwriting interest or experience, contact her! cathy@bethlehemfood.coop

Made connections with folks to preliminarily start looking at real estate

Amber: got to go to a conference for up and coming food co-ops
a. how to get members – training, be enthusiastic, stress community
b. info on membership structure – voting postponed from this evening
c. now more than ever – there’s lots of help available out there
d. CCMA – in Austin, TX (Wheatsville Co-Op) in early June, scholarships
available – anyone who might be interested in representing the co-op talk to
Cathy and Colleen

Vegfest (9/2013): involved again this summer – will let us do a silent auction, all
proceed to co-op
Want us to run it, collect donations (vegan, cruelty-free, vegetarian friendly)
Will talk about it at board meeting, if interested in helping talk to Heather,
Cathy, or Amber

Addy award: Christian Weber and communication committee designed a poster series
(Available on facebook page if interested)
Series won a gold Addy award! (for adverts and advert firms) – big deal that the
co-op won

Communications committee – met last week
Big agenda item – website is currently a blog, needs to be more than that to
collect data, pledges, streamline the process.
Been doing research – looking to purchase Nationbuilder (tracks lots of important
data), will need to seek board approval
Looked at doing a free software, but decided to go for the pay service
Churches – will be calling local southside churches to see if there’s a way to get
our information out to the local area
Spring Newsletter – look for it in the next month
Outline for MAFCA – Mid Atlantic Food Coop association – get an outline and
information to meet other coops and get feedback (March 16 @ 11:00) – if interested in
joining contact Cathy or Colleen
New idea from Matty: First Words Workshop (info coming soon)
Learn how to talk effectively about the coop, improve public speaking

Finance committee: John none (setting up corporate bank acct)

Will: Cookbook status (Sharon had a baby, was running it but is a little busy at the
moment)

Looking for people to help him get it done – find/ email
(will@bethlehemfood.coop)
Currently have about 50 recipes, looking for about 150
Have a recipe? Head to the website to submit a recipe (needs to be your recipe)

Heather (membership/community outreach committee): nothing major to report
Involvement in upcoming events
Bumper stickers! (Amber is looking at pricing for such a thing)
If interested in helping out with membership/community outreach, or you have
ideas, contact Heather (heather@bethlehemfood.coop)

Question: Any grants?
Answer: Yes, found some, working on grantwriting. If any experience or want to help,
contact Colleen.

Max: Suggestion: Local companies willing to help out. Ex: Justborn
Raising Social Capital:
Booster program at Dorney (5-10 ppl) – signing up now til 4/30 – take volunteers 16+
and work 8 hr shifts for $50 each, Friday bonus extra $25
payment made to your organization
Guest bartending: $1 per drink that night, silent auctions, Amber will call

Questions from Ambler: What technology are you using? Matty and Colleen explain
College involvement/connections

Adjourn: 8:14

Next meeting Monday, April 1 @ 7:00, Fowler Center – will communicate the room.

Category Meeting Notes | Tags: Bethlehem Food Co-Op,meeting notes | No Comments
Meet the Interim Board!

March 19, 2013 by Colleen M

Since our incorporation in January, the steering committee of the Bethlehem Food Co-Op has transitioned into its current role of Interim Board. This board will be in place until our membership meeting in October, when those who have become member-owners of the co-op will elect a new board. Any interested member will be encouraged to run for the board at that time.

Many of the faces on the interim board may be familiar to those who have been at public meetings or other co-op events, but we wanted to take the opportunity to officially introduce ourselves and let everyone know a bit about our backgrounds.

Interim Board Members

Joe Amedeo

Joe Amedeo joins the newly created board to serve as sustainable design adviser. A graduate of Penn State’s Stuckeman School, Joe has contributed as a designer, educator and researcher on multidisciplinary projects in Asia, Europe and the Americas for over a decade, maintaining Accredited Professional standing in the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED rating program since 2009. When he’s not renovating his home and studio in downtown Bethlehem, Joe can usually be found on a bicycle, exploring landscapes of local food.

Cathy Frankenberg

Cathy Frankenberg was born and raised in New Jersey. She went to school in Pittsburgh and got her masters degree at the University at Buffalo. Her former job at Clean Water Action brought her to the Lehigh Valley in 2008. She currently works for the Appalachian Mountain Club as their Mid-Atlantic Policy Associate. She lives with her fiance, Jason, and cat, Pearl.

Jaime Karpovich

Jaime has lived in Bethlehem for nearly eight years. She is a freelance writer and Vegan Lifestyle Coach, and her blog Save the Kales! has won awards for Best LV Food Blog in 2011 and 2012, and became a half-hour tv show on RCN cable last May. Her passion for plant-based foods has lead her to teach cooking classes and demos at local colleges and provided content for companies like Vitamix and VegNews Magazine. She loves to read, visit coffee shops and quaint towns, and lives in downtown Bethlehem with her boyfriend, a cat, and a dog.

Heather Manning

Heather grew up in the Finger Lakes Region of Upstate NY and moved to Berks County in High School. She graduated from Kutztown University with a BS in Psychology and Women’s Studies. While finishing up college, she began working at KidsPeace, a mental health organization for children and adolescents. She worked at KidsPeace for nearly 15 years, where she was the head of the Admissions Department for both the psychiatric hospital and PA residential programs. Currently she is the stay at home mom for Lucas who is 7 and Miles who will be turning 1 this month. She is an active volunteer at the Swain School and the South Side Film Festival. She is an avid runner and is training for her first full marathon this year.

Colleen Marsh

Colleen serves as the interim chair woman of the board. She grew up in Bethlehem and the surrounding Lehigh Valley. She graduated with a BA in Graphic and Interactive Design from Moravian College and now works for the institution, doing marketing, photography, graphic design, and writing. She has begun work towards her MBA, and hopes to develop a custom curriculum on cooperative enterprise. In addition to the co-op, she co-leads five Girl Scout troops involving girls grades K-12 and enjoys hiking, camping, cooking, working a share at her CSA, and creating art. Colleen lives in downtown Bethlehem with her husband Kevin and two cats.

Amber Ott

Amber was born and raised in Bethlehem. She is a waitress at the Mayflower Restaurant. In her free time, she is a local food activist and helper at the NCC community garden, and loves to hike, camp, and play disc golf. She resides in west Bethlehem with her fiance, 2 dogs, and 2 cats.

Santiago Rivera

Santiago serves as the board’s sergeant-at-arms (to keep us on track!). He is a real estate investor and owner of SoBeCoWorks (A Community CoWorking Space), located in South Bethlehem. Santiago has served as a member of the Board of Directors for several non-profit agencies including Community Action Development Corporation, Alliance for Building Communities, Rising Tide Community Loan Fund, Puerto Rican Cultural Coalition & is a ITE Committee Member with the Lehigh Valley Economic Development Corporation. Santiago has lived in the Lehigh Valley since 1992 and has been a small business owner since 2002. He has been married since 1986 to Margarita Gonzalez-Rivera.

Matty Sarro

Matty serves as the secretary of the board. He has lived in Bethlehem (mostly) consistently for the past 12 years, since attending classes at Moravian. He currently works at Comcast Cable as a Product Development Engineer. He loves food— real food— and wants to do as much as possible to educate people about how to provide for themselves, save money, eat better and healthier. He brings more than 16 years of IT experience at both the small and enterprise levels.

Jon Soden

Jon serves as the board’s treasurer. He was the owner and operator of Body Dynamics, Inc. in Bethlehem Township from 1993 through 2001. In 2002, he joined Legg Mason as a financial advisor. Since 2006, he has been a partner in Magellan Financial team. He has been actively investing since college, when he served as a member of the Amhrein Investment Club at Moravian College, beginning in 1989. In addition to working with the co-op, he leads sustainability efforts at Moravian College and is a competitive marathoner and triathlete, finishing the Ironman four times. He and his wife, Teresa, live in Bethlehem Township.

Category General Info, Resources | Tags: Amber Ott,Bethlehem Food Co-Op,Cathy Frankenberg,Colleen Marsh,Heather Manning,Interim Board,Jaime Karpovich,Joe Amedeo,Jon Soden,Matty Sarro,Santiago Rivera | No Comments

Co-Op Sunday Suppers: Spatchcocked Chicken

February 17, 2013 by Andrew Bench

Chicken can be prepared in countless ways. Few other ingredients are susceptible to the range and breadth of culinary technique as is the humble chicken. In rural Pennsylvania, certainly, the most common preparations of chicken would have involved stewing and fricassees. Typically, hens were only sacrificed for meat consumption once their productive eggs laying days were behind them. Young chickens (like broilers and fryers) required for fast-cooking techniques (like roasting and grilling) were prized more for their eggs than their meat.

However, even on the most frugal of farms, occasions were bound to come up which required a good meal fast. And so was born one of the great words of the English language: spatchcock. Different dictionaries have different takes on the etymology of the word, but, the Oxford English Dictionary presents the consensus view that the word is originally from Ireland and an amalgam of the words “dispatch” and “cock” (French for chicken). Dispatch in a now archaic use of the word meant to kill, so spatchcock literally meant to kill a chicken and implied a certain hurriedness to the procedure.

The dispatched chicken would then be prepared for a quick grilling (most Europeans did not have access to ovens). Of course, a full bird does not grill particularly well, so a method of even and quick cooking needed to be devised. The technique that developed was to remove the backbone and then internally remove the sternum of the bird. (It sounds a lot more complex than it actually is). This allowed the chicken to lay flat and have all parts evenly exposed to the fire.

If all this seems a little archaic, don’t fret, there is good reason for holding on to the technique. Even with modern ovens, most cooks struggle to produce a perfect roast chicken. Why? Invariably the breast meat dries out before the thighs. However, if you could flatten the bird out, the thighs and breast would finish simultaneously. Hence the need to spatchcock your chicken.

This is the first recipe where I also want to stress the quality of your main ingredient. Cooking is often a trade off between the quality of your ingredients and the amount of technique you use to prepare those ingredients. When you are in Provence in August, you don’t have to be a particularly talented chef to throw together an inviting meal. The ingredients do the work. But, come February and it gets quite a bit harder without proper technique. A roast chicken is similar, its all about the quality of the meat—there is not much technique beyond cutting up the chicken and smearing on some butter. So, if you get the chance, this is when you want to splurge on the best quality broiler your budget allows.

This recipe involves quite a bit of unattended time while the chicken brines and then dries out. If you need dinner done yesterday, just omit these steps and you’ll still have a great result.

Spatchcocked Chicken with Roast Root Vegetables

Ingredients

Directions

1/2 cup kosher salt1/2 cup sugar

1 2.5 lb broiler

chicken in brine

Mix together the salt and sugar in a bowl and add enough cold water to dissolve.Place the chicken in the salt / sugar solution and add additional water if needed to cover chicken.

Place the bowl in the refrigerator overnight

Remove chicken from fridge in the morning and spatchcock the chicken. There are several good videos on Youtube showing the procedure.

Pat the chicken dry and place on a plate back in the fridge, breast side up.

Fingerling potatoes, quartered1 Turnip cubed

1 Carrot, cubed

1 onion, slivers

Table oil

Salt

pepper

Preheat oven to 500 degrees F.Combine root vegetables, oil, salt and pepper in a single layer on the bottom of a cast iron skillet large enough to hold the chicken.

Root Veggies

4 tbs. butter (room temp)2 tbs. fresh tarragon, minced

1 tbs. parsley, minced

black pepper

Spatchcocked Chicken over Root Veggies

Mix together the butter, herbs, and pepper.Carefully create a space between the chicken’s skin and the breast and thighs with your fingers (careful not to break the skin). Once you have excavated the space, fill it with the herbed butter. Smear any left over butter on the outside of the skin and sprinkle generously with salt and pepper.

Place over top of the root vegetables in the cast iron skillet.

Place in 500 degree over for 45 minutes, turn the skillet a quarter turn ever 10 minutes or so.

Remove and let rest for about 20 minutes (slightly warm is better than hot). The root vegetables might need an additional 10 minutes or so in the oven without the chicken to brown up fully.

Serve with some sautéed greens, like kale.

Spatchcocked Chicken over Roasted Root Veggies with Greens

I used a combination of tarragon, parsley, and black pepper for the herb butter. If you prefer, use whatever herb combination you have on hand, its still going to be excellent.

Leftover Chicken with Tarragon Cream over Rice Leftover roast chicken is not particularly inviting in my opinion (if eaten plain). However, when sauced, the chicken comes alive again. I particularly like to save the breast meat for the next day, prepare a simple cream (or roux thickened milk) sauce and add a generous dollop of Dijon mustard, black pepper and tarragon. Insanely good stuff served over rice or noodles in under ten minutes.

One last recommendation, make sure you put the root vegetables in the bottom of the skillet, otherwise the high temperature will cause the drippings to burn and make quite a bit of smoke.

Category Member Reflections, Sunday Suppers | Tags: Andrew Bench,Bethlehem Food Co-Op,root vegetables,spatchcock chicken | No Comments

Bring a Friend February Meeting

February 4, 2013 by Colleen M

Bethlehem Food Co-Op February Public Meeting

The Bethlehem Food Co-Op will meet TONIGHT,
Monday, February 4, at 7pm
at the Fowler Family Center in room 638
(511 E 3rd St. Bethlehem)

Anyone who brings a friend to tonight’s meeting will receive a nifty little something, and the person who brings the MOST friends will receive an awesome gift bag full of co-op swag and treats from local businesses.

Our meetings are always optional potlucks, so if you’d like to bring something to share, feel free!

Here’s a basic overview of the agenda:

7:00 Potluck Serving

7:10 Introductions & Icebreaker/Bring-a-Friend February

7:20 Board of Directors Report

7:30 Communications Report

7:40 Membership/Outreach Report

7:50 Finance Report

8:00 Talking Points
8:10 Q&A
8:20 Group Activity
8:30 End

Category Events, General Info | Tags: agenda,Bethlehem Food Co-Op,public meeting | No Comments

Co-Op Sunday Suppers: Braised Cabbage & Sausage

January 28, 2013 by Andrew Bench

I can’t think of a single more important staple crop to the Pennsylvania farmer than cabbage. Cabbage, a member of the truly amazing genus Brassica was available eleven months a year. When produce got really scarce at the end of March and start of April, cabbage and its fermented brother, sauerkraut, was still lingering on, providing much needed nourishment for the spring planting.

If you have only ever shopped in a supermarket, you may not be aware of the shocking diversity of cabbages that are available to grow. Cabbage itself breaks down into three main categories: smooth green cabbage, red cabbage, and crinkly savoy cabbage; of these three, the standard smooth cabbage is available in spring, summer, and winter varietals. These varietals are differentiated based on how long they take to grow, how well they store, and how large their heads become. Also, generally, summer and spring varietals have less cellulose content and make for lighter greens for cole-slaw and other cabbage salads.

Because of the multitude of cabbage styles, the careful farmer could ensure an almost year-round supply of cabbage. An early April planting of spring and summer varietals meant fresh cabbage by early July through October. A June planting of winter varietals meant giant heads that matured in mid-September and could potentially stay in the field through early to mid-November. Once harvested, these winter cabbage could hold for up to four months in a root cellar, which meant much needed roughage into March.

The winter cabbages also meant something else—sauerkraut. When fresh cabbage is sliced thin and salted, water leeches out and bacteria on the cabbage start to convert sugars and carbohydrates into lactic acid. This lactic acid builds up, lowering the pH, and inhibiting microbacterial growth and enzymes that would otherwise turn the cabbage into mush.

Side note* acids, on the tongue, cause the taste sensation of sourness, thus sauerkraut’s name. (In German, sauer means both “sour” and “acid”).

It takes about a month to ferment sauerkraut and held at low temperatures, the kraut will hold for four months or longer. This meant a supply of cabbage into May, just enough time for the first salad greens and peas to emerge from the Pennsylvania loam.

I think sauerkraut has a bad reputation because it is rarely prepared with any sort of technique. Most people’s experience is a stinky, sour mess of brine-laden cabbage on a cheap hotdog—it can be off-putting. But, sauerkraut prepared in the Alsatian way is amazing; much of the brine and sour character is removed by soaking the kraut in a few changes of water. The result is something close to shredded cabbage that is then brined with bacon lardons, juniper, and aromatics. The result is phenomenal, and served with roasted sausages makes for a rustic and satisfying meal.

Pa. Dutch purists may turn up their noses at washing the brine out of the sauerkraut. The German method is to keep the stuff as pungent as possible, but, just across the Rhine river from the Palatine (the region in Germany from which the Pa. Dutch hail) is the Alsace region of France. Throughout history, ownership of the Alsace has been hotly contested and it was only after World War One that the area was officially ceded by Germany to France. Given it’s varied history, I’d find it hard to believe that some families in the Palatine didn’t adopt this amazing braised Alsatian recipe.

Making your own sauerkraut and sausage is a time consuming, messy, and olfactorious endeavor usually best left to professionals. At the Allentown farmer’s market, the pickle shop has excellent barrel fermented kraut and a number of stalls sell bratwurst and other traditional German sausages. Great stuff dirt cheap.

Braised Sauerkraut and Roasted Bratwurst

Ingredients

Directions

1 quart sauerkraut

Sauerkraut

Drain the sauerkraut and soak it in a large non-reactive bowl of cold water for about 15 minutes. Change the water once during the soaking time.

After 15 minutes, drain the cabbage in a colander. Then (wearing gloves to prevent your hands from smelling like sauerkraut for three days) take the kraut into your hands in small balls and squeeze the water out. Reserve pressed sauerkraut in another bowl.

1/2 lb chunk of bacon

Bacon

Cut the bacon into 1/2 inch lardons

Place the lardons in boiling water and simmer for 15 minutes. Drain and reserve lardons.

1/2 cup cubed carrots

1 cup sliced onions

4 tbs. butter

enamel covered dutch oven

In the dutch over, melt the butter over low heat. Add the carrot, onion, and reserved lardons. Cook over low heat for about 10 minutes.

Veggies Sautéeing

Add in the reserved sauerkraut. Stir well to coat with butter. Add lid to Dutch oven and keep on low heat for 10 minutes

4 sprigs parsley tied with twine

bouquette garni comprised of

1 bay leaf

6 peppercorns

10 juniper berries

1 cup dry hard apple cider

2 to 3 cups chicken stock

Dig a small hole and bury the parsley and bouquette garni.

Add the hard cider and enough stock to slightly over the sauerkraut.

Braise at 290 degrees for 4.5 to 5 hours until all the liquid has been absorbed.

Sauerkraut, Veggies, and Liquid

1 lbs Bratwurst

Grill or roast bratwurst at 400 degrees until cooked, about 15 to 20 minutes.

Sausage Grilling

Once the bratwurst is done roasting, put it on a plate with some of the braised sauerkraut. Paired with some good whole-grain German mustard and bread, this makes for a very substantial, and rib sticking meal. The vinegar in the mustard really pulls together all the flavors and should not be overlooked.

Braised Sauerkraut and Sausage

Category Member Reflections, Sunday Suppers | Tags: Andrew Bench,Bethlehem Food Co-Op,Co-Op Sunday Suppers,PA Dutch,sauerkraut,sausage | No Comments

Co-Op Sunday Suppers: 3 For 1!

January 23, 2013 by Andrew Bench

Preservation through Desiccation

Before modern preservation, like refrigeration and freezing, winter in Pennsylvania presented some real challenges to people who lived off the land. Namely, how do you keep food nutritious and free of spoilage over winter and early spring months?

Most food spoliation occurs for two main reasons: microbacterial infection and enzymatic self-destruction. In modern times, our primary method of food preservation is refrigeration. By decreasing the temperature, microbacterial growth is slowed, as are enzematic reactions. This works well in the short term, a cluster of grapes, for instance, will hold for a weak or so before they go to waste. But, as anyone who has kept grapes too long knows, soon enough, fungus starts to grow and the grapes break down into a watery mess.

Our ancestors needed food preserved for longer periods. For obvious reasons, before refrigeration, it was not possible to have fresh grapes in the winter, despite their over-abundance in the summer months. Hence the need for preservation techniques unrelated to temperature. Other than chilling, there are two main ways to stop microbes and enyzematic reactions: drying and changes to acidity.

Acidic foods, like sauerkraut are a subject for another day; today I want to talk about preservation through drying. I am presenting three dishes where a key ingredient was preserved through dehydration. The dishes are corn chowder, brandade de morue (salt cod casserole), and Lima bean and Brussels sprout salad with hot bacon dressing.

First up is a side dish of Lima bean and Brussels sprout salad with hot bacon dressing. I’m not positive that a remember where I ate my first Lima bean, it was probably part of a diner’s succotash, adorned, at best, with some cheap butter or margarine. What I do remember, and I don’t think this is unusual, is that the Lima beans were horrible—dry, mealy, and tasteless.

And, truth be told, I have never warmed to fresh or frozen Lima beans. Some say that certain varietals are really much better than what is commercially available, but, I have never had the inclination to use up garden space to find out. What I do know is that dried Lima beans were a revelation. Because they are reconstituted, they develop an absolutely silky texture and take on the taste of the liquid in which they are boiled—which for this recipe is a simple pork stock made from ham hock. Paired with blanched Brussels sprouts and a hot bacon dressing, this is a substantial side dish. Leftovers can be tossed with pasta the next day.

The main event today is corn chowder made from a truly unique Pennsylvania Dutch ingredient—dried sweet corn. To truly appreciate why dried sweet corn was such a clever invention requires a bit of background about corn varietals. Up until the early twentieth century, there was only one category of sweet corn, (known today as the SU class). SU corn has a delicious corn flavor but suffers from a major drawback—as soon as SU corn is harvested, enzymes in the corn kernel start to convert sugar to starch. With this first class of sweet corn, total sugar conversion happened in hours. So, if you didn’t eat the corn right away, it tasted like corny cardboard. With modern varietals, (the SE and SH2 classes), sugar conversion happens much more slowly. Unfortunately, to my palate, modern corns are almost too sweet and much of the corn character of the SU class is missing.

Enter Pennsylvania Dutch dried sweet corn. The most common brand, Cope’s corn, is still made from an SU class corn that is harvested, immediately processed (to stop the enzymatic sugar conversion) and then dried and roasted. The result is a dried product that tastes of corn and is sweet, but not too sweet, when reconstituted.

Finally up is brandade de morue, a casserole of potatoes and salt cod, which pairs perfectly with corn chowder. Fresh fish has a very short life span. However, northern Europeans discovered that fish packed in salt and left to dry in cold sea air became rock hard and stayed preserved until reconstituted in water. During the European age of discovery, the cod fisheries off Nova Scotia bounded with activity and produced tonnes of salted cod for European consumption.

After the settlement of America, salt cod also became an American staple and would have been found in Pennsylvania by way of the port of Philadelphia.

These three recipes are real throwbacks and packed with interesting, and somewhat usual (but delicious) flavor profiles, that are hard to come by anymore. Enjoy.

Lima beans and Brussels sprout salad with Hot Bacon Dressing

Ingredients	Directions
1/8 pound dried large lima beans2 tbs. kosher salt	Place lima beans in a ceramic bowl with the salt.Add enough cold water to generously cover. Soak overnight
1 Smoked ham hock2 carrots, quartered 1 onion 1 bay leaf 5-6 sprigs of thyme 5-6 stems of flat leaf parsley 5 cups cold water	Combine ham hock, carrot, onion, bay leaf, thyme, parsley, and water in a large sauce pan. Bring to a low boil and simmer for two hours.
Drained and reserved lima beans1/8 tsp. baking soda	Drain Lima beans rinse with several changes of cold water.Add drained Lima beans and baking soda to the simmering stock. Simmer for about 30-minutes or until lima beans are silky smooth. Remove from heat.
3/4 lbs. Brussels sprouts	Take bottom off of Brussels sprouts and quarter. Roughly break up sprout so leaves are separatedBring a large saucepan of well-slated water to a boil. Add the sprouts. Boil for four minutes Drain the sprouts and then immerse in ice cold water.
1/2 lbs. slab bacon, cut into 1/2 inch cubes3 tbs. red wine vinegar 1.5 tsp. sugar 1 tsp. Dijon mustard 1/4 tsp. cornstarch salt and pepper	Add Bacon to a skillet over medium-low heat. Cook until the bacon fat has rendered and the bacon has turned dark brown and is crisp.Combine together the vinegar, sugar, mustard, cornstarch, salt, and pepper, mix well. Add this mixture to the rendered bacon grease and whisk until emulsified. Add reserved and drained Lima beans and Brussels sprouts to the pan. Warm gently.

Lima bean & brussels sprouts salad with hot bacon dressing

Corn Chowder with Dried Sweet Corn

Ingredients	Directions
1 package Cope’s dried Corn	Place the dried corn in a large bowl. Add cold water and salt. Wait 2 hoursTransfer the corn and water to a large saucepan. Bring to a low simmer for one to one and a half hours, until the corn is tender. Add more water if needed.
3 oz salt pork, rind removed and cut in half	Sautee the salt pork in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat, turning occasionally to render its fat, until the cubes are golden brown on all sides.
1 tbsp. butter1 large onion, fine chop 2 garlic cloves, pressed and chopped 3 tbsp. flour	Reduce heat to low; add the butter to the Dutch oven, allow it to melt.Add the onions and stir to mix. Cover the Dutch Oven and allow onions to wilt, about 12 minutes. Remove salt pork and reserve. Add the garlic, sauté for about a minute Add the flour, cook string constantly for about 2 minutes
3 cups chicken stock3/4 pound red creamer potatoes 1 bay leaf 5-6 sprigs of thyme, tied with twine 2 cups whole milk 3 cups reserved reconstituted corn	Add stock slowly, whisk to incorporate into the flour mixture.Once all the flour has dissolved, add the potatoes, bay leaf, whole milk, and corn. Bring to a low simmer and cook until potatoes are tender, about 15-20 minutes.
1 cup heavy cream2 tbsp. minced fresh parsley 1.5 tsp. salt	Add the cream, parsley, and salt. Simmer an additional 5 minutes.Season with pepper to taste. Serve.

Corn and Potato Chowder

Salt Cod and Potato Casserole

Ingredients	Directions
1 lbs. skinless, boneless salt cod	Rinse salt cod well and rub off any salt. Soak in 2 quarts cold water. Drain and change water every few hours (an overnight soak without changing is fine). Total soaking time should be at least 8 hours .
1 cup whole milk1 cup water reserved cod 2-3 sprigs of thyme bay leaf 5-6 peppercorns 2 allspice berries 1 clove	In a medium saucepan, heat milk plus 1 cup water over medium-high heat. Add soaked salt cod, thyme, bay leaf, peppercorns, allspice berries, and clove. Adjust heat to maintain a bare simmer. Cook until fish flakes easily, about 15 minutes. Remove fish and hold at room temperature.
1 lbs. peeled Yukon Gold potatoes6 garlic cloves	In another pot, cover potatoes with water and bring to a boil. Add garlic cloves and a good pinch of salt. Drain potatoes when they are soft, about 15 minutes, reserving cooking liquid and garlic.
Reserved garlic cloves1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil	Put cooked garlic cloves in a small saucepan and crush with a fork. Add olive oil and heat over a medium flame until quite warm to the touch. Set aside.
Pinch of CayennePinch of Nutmeg 1/2 tsp. lemon zest 1/2 cup crème fraîche	Put potatoes in a large mixing bowl. With your fingers, flake cooked salt cod on top. With a potato masher, roughly blend potatoes and fish. Drizzle in warm garlic oil and mash again. Add cayenne, nutmeg to taste and lemon zest. Stir in ½ cup crème fraîche and beat well to combine. Beat in about ½ cup poato cooking liquid to lighten mixture so it has the texture of soft mashed potatoes. Taste and adjust seasoning—it will probably need salt and pepper.
Dried bread crumbs2 tbs. crème fraîche 2 tbs. butter	Heat oven to 400 degrees. Use 1 tablespoon butter to grease a low-sided 1-quart baking dish or individual ramekins. Transfer brandade mixture to dish and smooth with a spatula . Paint the top with 2 tablespoons crème fraîche, and sprinkle with bread crumbs. Dot top with remaining butter. Bake until golden and bubbling, about 20 minutes .

Salt Cod Casserole

Category Member Reflections, Sunday Suppers | Tags: Andrew Bench,Bethlehem Food Co-Op,Sunday Suppers | No Comments

Meet & Greet at Molly’s

January 23, 2013 by Colleen M

Join us this Friday night for some laid back conversation, beverages, and good food at Molly’s Irish Grille & Sports Pub (East 4th & New Sts., south Bethlehem) from 7-9pm. This is our second meet & greet, and the first one was really fun! It’s a great opportunity to learn about the co-op and get to know who is involved without jumping straight into a meeting.

Let us know you plan to be there by RSVPing on Facebook. (Don’t worry, you can come even if you don’t RSVP.)

Hope to see lots of people on Friday!

Category Events | Tags: Bethlehem Food Co-Op,meet and greet,Molly's | No Comments

Older Entries