Not long ago, my friend Sarah launched a service called Nourishing New York, where she provides traditional foods for purchase. I thought it was a wonderful project/business and wanted to learn more about it, and share it here. I hope you enjoy learning about Nourishing New York, and please give Sarah some of you business if you are local and so inclined.
Tell us a little bit about yourself.
My name is Sarah Milcetic. I’ve been living in Astoria, Queens for about 8 years and I live with my husband, 10 month old son and our pack of cats. We had up to five cats at one point when we were fostering. My education is in Psychology, Environmental Science and Web development. I’ve been working from home for almost 5 years, creating websites for small businesses and individuals (designedbysarah.com).
I’m also very passionate about sustainable and non-toxic living, which I write about – among other things – on my personal blog (arealhousewifeofnyc.com).
Tell me a little about Nourishing New York. Why did you call it that? Why did you start it?
About a year and a half ago I joined a meetup.com group called the Traditional Community Kitchen. Through the group I learned about eating nutrient dense foods, prepared in traditional ways. I slowly started incorporating these foods and methods into my diet.
I have several friends who are interested in adding some of these same foods to their diets but have either been intimidated to get started or haven’t found the time yet. Since I’ve been feeling really passionate about traditional foods and I’ve always loved to cook and be in the kitchen, I thought I could spend a little more time in the kitchen and make extras of the foods I’m already preparing for my family.
I decided to use the name Nourishing New York because the recipes I use are based on recipes from Nourishing Traditions. I was originally thinking of Nourishing Astoria but didn’t want to exclude anyone outside of Astoria.
What products do you offer?
Right now I’m focusing on broths and ferments. I feel they are two of the most important aspects of a traditional diet and provide huge health benefits. When I first learned about traditional foods I thought fermenting seemed a little out there and didn’t understand the benefits of having the proper balance of bacteria in your body.
Some of the fermented foods I’m making recently are daikon radishes, carrots, sauerkraut, ketchup, mayonnaise and beet kvass. I also am offering seasoned meatball and sausage mixtures. In the future, I plan to expand to other foods such as kombucha, nut butters and treats like homemade chocolate from raw cacao.
What are your products made of?
Most of the produce comes from a certified organic family farm on Long Island and the animal products come from local, organic family farms. Anything that I can’t find from these farms, I purchase from local organic markets such as Sai on 30th Avenue or FreshDirect. Right now I’m using distilled water but just purchased a water filter from Doulton, which removes chlorine, flouride, etc from tap water and I will be switching to filtered water as soon as I install it.
How much do they cost?
The prices depend on the cost of ingredients, and range from $3 for a 7 oz jar of diakon radishes to $10 for a quart of chicken bone broth and $13 for a pint of ketchup made with tomato paste packed in glass (no BPA!). Most products also have a $2 refundable jar deposit.
How do you distribute your product and how can people purchase them?
Right now I am accepting cash and asking that customers come by to pick up their purchases in Astoria. I may offer delivery services in the future.
Is there anything else you’d like to share about Nourishing New York?
I offered one class on how to prepare chicken bone broth and it was great. We all had a lot of fun. I had one batch of broth ready to come off of the stove when everyone arrived and we set up another one. We also made and tasted a few dishes that incorporated the broth. I hope to do more events like this as well so that those who are interested in learning to make traditional foods themselves can get some experience.
Thanks, Sarah, for a great summary about your new venture! If you are interested in Sarah’s products, you can contact here here. Follow her on Facebook, too!
Photo credits: © Sarah Milcetic
There is an error in your text for the answer to how much her products cost. I thought you’d want to know.
I’m getting water kefir grains in a couple weeks and I’m so excited for my first foray into a product like this. I’ll be eagerly reading your posts