Spring 2013

Brooding over what it means to be a chicken

Photo by Laura Field

A certain type of hen is about as useful for egg laying as a porcupine is for cuddling. This hen will monopolize a single nesting box for months at a time and lay next to nothing for eggs. If you happen to be another hen who wants to lay an egg in that box, too bad, you’re out of luck because this primadonna chicken doesn’t give a damn about your feelings or your problems. The only thing she cares about is doing whatever it takes to hatch the few eggs underneath her, no matter how long she has to sit. I’m talking, of course, about The Broody Hen.

Each spring I find about one broody girl in the flock. The morning that my sweet-tempered Diane glared at me from inside her nest, fierceness dancing in her orange … Read the rest

In the Global Age, the top superstar chefs now have empires stretching from both coasts of this country, with an additional obligatory outpost in Las Vegas. We are now on a first-name basis with many of these star chefs, like Nobu, Mario and Jean-Georges. There are no outposts of superstar chefs in the Berkshires. Instead, there is an unusual number of chef-owned restaurants, where on a daily basis working chefs filet fish, make sauces and cook the food you eat. On any given night, you can be fairly certain that the chef has actually prepared your meal.

When we think of culture in the Berkshires, we usually think of the area’s exceptionally diverse offerings of classical music, modern dance, classical and modern theatre and art museums. This is what enriches our lives, and why many of us are attracted to living here. The Food Culture in the Berkshires is likewise … Read the rest

Haven’s Café & Bakery, Lenox

The wheat-free morning glory muffin at Haven has been a customer favorite since we opened. We receive more requests for this recipe than any other. We are happy to share it, for the first time, here.

We adapted this recipe from a standard, all-purpose wheat flour base into a wheatfree edition in order to satisfy our community’s desire for wheat-free alternatives. If gluten intolerance is a health concern in your household, be sure to use oats that are labeled as gluten-free. Even though oats are naturally gluten-free they are often contaminated by being processed in the same facilities as wheat, rye and barley.

Removing gluten from a recipe necessitates substituting another “glue,” something to hold it all together. We chose eggs. You’ll notice that this recipe contains 5. We bumped it up from the original 3.

Another interesting aspect of this recipe is its use … Read the rest

Vision from the Past, Revisions for the Future

Photographs by Caroline Alexander

A few thoughts about 1983 stand out: Firstly, there wasn’t Internet, and secondly, there weren’t any commercial organic vegetable farms in the area. Anne Banks, my then-wife, and I moved to Hillsdale, New York, that April. Our intention was to grow food for ourselves and sell the surplus.

Working by hand, we cleared 3½ acres of shrubs and tangled land. In early June, our first sowings went into the newly cultivated ground. By mid-August we had our first harvest of leafy greens, roots and fruits. We had plenty to eat; the main question was where to sell the excess bounty. This necessitated knocking on restaurant and food purveyors’ doors.

I met many chefs and produce buyers as a result of my intensity (my desperation) to sell our produce. Initial responses were a mix of apprehension and curiosity. For … Read the rest