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Queens Swap This Weekend

I’ve talked a little bit about this over social media, but wanted to write about it here – the next Queens Swap is this weekend!

We – myself, and my friends Judith and AJ – will be holding it at Sweet Afton, one my favorite Astoria institutions. It’s a wonderful gastropub that serves one of the best burgers in the neighborhood (they use a blend of meats from Pat La Frieda), and they were the first to bring fried pickles to the area, which have been a smashing success. I also love their cocktails – last time I had the spicy margarita, it was really spicy!

They also are one of the few places in town that tap a cask ale – a naturally fermented beer.

The space is also beautiful, made from reclaimed materials. It’s dark and cozy, with lots of wood.

We’re grateful to the guys behind Sweet Afton for lending us the space for a few hours. The swap will take place on Sunday, February 19 from 4-6:30pm. As usual, homemade, home grown, and personally foraged foods are welcome. I’ll be bringing some water kefir soda – probably raspberry, blueberry, and lime-ginger – and some almond shortbread. Maybe something else, but for now it’s the kefir and shortbread.

So, if you are in the NYC area – especially in Queens – I encourage you to sign up and come swap. It should be a really good time. Here’s an easy way to register, too:

See you on Sunday!

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Happy 2nd Birthday, Harmonious Belly!

beets, glorious beets

Well, turns out I totally spaced on Harmonious Belly’s second birthday! It was February 8. A lot has happened in this past year – a layoff sprurring on lots of writing, preserving, and food experimentation. My garden was awesome this past year (no blight, hooray!). And a little guy entered my life (I love you, Linus) and captured my heart, while my beloved girl passed on (RIP Marina).

I developed collaborations with entities like the Queens Swap, the Queens Harvest Food Co-op, the Traditional Community Kitchen, and the Vanderbilt Republic, among others. And I was interviewed and featured in various places around the intertubes.

So happy birthday, little blog! Here’s to many more collaborations, learning more, nurturing old friendships and creating new ones, and lots of delicious food! Paid work would be nice, too, universe. 🙂

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I’m On the Alphabet Soup Podcast!

alphabet soup header

At the end of January, I met up with my friend Autumn (of Autumn Makes & Does) to chat about food, Queens, and urban gardening for her Alphabet Soup podcast, which is “a podcast about food & words.” I had a great time talking with her and we explored many topics, including the secret fruit trees of Queens, my years as a vegetarian, preserving produce with lacto fermentation, water kefir, creativity, my love of teaching.

We also ventured into commentary about social and political issues as they relate to food. It was a nice, relaxing time, and I think we both enjoyed ourselves. The podcast is a little over an hour.

I hope you get a chance to listen. I was struck by how much – at least to my ears – I sound like I’m from the West coast still, after 10 years in New York. I wonder what my friends from high school would think of my accent. I’m still amused by my story about becoming a vegetarian, too.

Check out the podcast here:

Episode 9, Meg Cotner (here’s the mp3 audio file)

You can also listen on iTunes.

Thanks so much, Autumn. I had a blast!

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What I’ve Learned While Making Cheese

mozzarella stone ball

As you would know from my Harmonious Belly Facebook page, I’ve embarked on a cheese making project. It’s one of those things I promised myself I’d explore in the new year, and I’m really glad I kept that promise. It, among all my recent projects, has been the most humbling.

I’ve made what can only be described as beginner’s mistakes. But I have developed a certain appreciation for the trips and falls I’ve made, and forgiven myself for them – it’s been a big learning experience.

Now, I’ve only attempted to make cheese twice now – a batch of ricotta and a ball of fresh mozzarella. Both are fresh cow’s milk cheeses, and both are what I originally considered to be beginner cheese making projects – in my mind, that meant “easy.” Perhaps for some people it is easy, but for me it wasn’t – in that I did not attain the desired result. The cheeses were certainly edible, but they didn’t take the form or texture that I desired.

So, here are some of the things I’ve learned so far during cheese making.

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Beyond Kombucha

three varieties of kombucha

Last week I had the opportunity to visit the Beyond Kombucha office and brewery. They are located right here in Astoria and are producing a lot of kombucha in their relatively small space. The visit was both educational and fun, plus I got to try some different flavors, all of which were delicious.

As I walked to their office from the train, I totally missed the entrance to the space!  It’s actually located in the back of a parking lot in amongst a bunch of other small industrial spaces and warehouses; more specifically, the space is located below the Rent-a-Center in Astoria.

Once I figured out where they were exactly, with help from Liz (Beyond Kombucha’s Project Co-ordinator) on the phone and a couple of nice guys in the parking lot, I descended the stairs to the office. As I did, the aroma of kombucha hit me – that lovely sour smell I like so much. I met Liz and Spiro, the founder of the company, and Liz took me on a tour.

First, we visited the room containing the second fermentation vessel and the final vat for the kombucha ale, but we then realized it would be better to start where the kombucha itself was brewing. That room currently contains wooden barrels brewing vanilla rooibos tea as well as a “SCOBY farm” – lots of large jars containing SCOBYs. I have to admit, the idea of a SCOBY farm is pretty cool.

scoby farm

I love the look of the wooden vessels brewing the vanilla rooibos for the Mava Roka, Beyond Kombucha’s own kombucha ale. Yes, you heard that right! Beer!

mava roka cask fermenting

I believe these are oak barrels in which they are brewing the vanilla rooibos.

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Almond Shortbread

This weekend, I was craving something just a little sweet and with the texture of cake or a cakey cookie/brownie – fruit (citrus, primarily) and dark chocolate have been my main (though not solo) source of sweets since the beginning of the year, but sometimes I crave a different texture from fruit flesh and the snap of a chocolate bar. I remembered having come across a very simple almond shortbread recipe, and decided to give it a try.

My friend Marija posted it originally on her Facebook page, with a positive review accompanying it. This shortbread is gluten-free, appropriate for those following SCD diet, and a nice sweet treat if you are eating paleo/primal. It also gave me an opportunity to use delicious (and healthy) grass-fed butter and virgin coconut oil, along with some raw honey.

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My First Oysters

oysters

Yesterday, I tried my first oysters ever. I’d been squeamish about them for a long time, but they were presented to me and I knew this was the time to try them. I’m really glad I did. They tasted like the sea!

Oysters are quite nutrient dense. They have a lot of iron, tons of Vitamin B12, and a huge amount of zinc. They are also an excellent source of calcium.

Like with most sea food, I liked them with fresh lemon juice. I also like spicy things, so a drop of hot sauce also went really well. I know I could be a purist and eat them with nothing, but as a newbie, I wanted a little help. I’ll try them solo another time.

oyster detritus

I will admit, we found opening the oysters a little challenging. We had an oyster knife, and I can totally see why you’d use something like that, as opposed to a regular paring knife. It’s got a thick blade with a curved tip, shaped to dig in and pry apart the oyster. We found it challenging, still, to open them – those suckers really don’t want to be disturbed.

We had a great time eating the oysters. It can take a lot of effort getting these guys pried open, which makes eating them even more satisfying. We had to work hard to get our food!

Here’s to more oysters in my future.