Food News for Summer 2013

Australian Designed Wood Fire Oven

By Chad Tyler

We may as well leak the news that our 2013 summer guests are in for a nice culinary surprise when they return next summer. The work has begun and there is no turning back at this point, even though we had our first frost of the season.

We could tell Quintin had something up his sleeve at the end of the season purchase meetings and then lo' and behold what happens to turn up on a truck a few weeks after we close but the reason for his beguiling demeanor... a beautiful Australian designed wood fired oven! A very HEAVY oven! We had to enlist the help of Bob Beaulieu our neighbor down the road and his large tractor just to lift it off the truck!

You will notice that I called this beauty a "wood fired oven" NOT a "pizza oven". Chef Dave wants us all to know that he has meals planned far beyond simple pizzas for this new outdoor oven. The proximity to the Inn makes a variety of dishes and activities possible for our guests. Cooking demonstrations, tastings, freshly cooked cocktail appetizers, bread, roasts and yes the occasional pizza. Add the traditional dishes we can cook on the grill that will sit nearby and we may actually have a hard time getting Dave to come back to the kitchen at all!

We have found the perfect location (view photo slideshow) just below the Inn for the oven and what I enjoy most about designing this project is the fact that my family has been grilling in the exact same location for the last seven decades! There is a very good chance that a grill or fire pit even sat there during the camping days of the late 1800's as well. I found a number of old photographs showing guests enjoying a freshly cooked meal there, but I love this one showing one of our family reunions at the site (click here to enlarge the photo above). You can see Grandfather, Mrs. T, Pixley and even try to spot Ted as they take advantage of the old grill that sat there in the mid 1940s. We were amazed to find the remains of this grill still there when we began excavating the site.

The other enjoyable part of this sort of project is the collaboration. Quint found the oven and I'll design its installation with a lot of help from Nature Dave's younger brother John and plenty of practical advice from Dave and Jeff in the kitchen. John is an artist with an excavator and you can see a fine example of his stone work in the wall he rebuilt in front of the Farmhouse two years ago. We have no choice but to design as we go so the input and ideas are endless. From the start however we all wanted the oven to fit into the landscape so we sourced the stone to build it all right here on the property (that low water was well timed!). If all goes well we will recreate a place out on the property where our family and our guests can enjoy the pleasures of a freshly made meal for oh...the next century or so.

Tyler Place Apple Cider

In the last two weeks of our season at Tyler Place we put our apple cider press to work along with our guests. After sterilizing the whole apparatus We started chopping the apples in half to get them ready for the press, no need to peel, core, or anything, since we had a beautiful selection of hand-picked apples. Hand cranking an apple grinder can be very laborious, so our guests kept taking turns while the kids were filling the press with apples.
During our last session during Family Time we processed over 6 bushels of apples and ended up with almost 10 gallons of sweet tasting apple cider which filled the tummies of the participants and bystanders.

Stephen the TP Garden Spider

Spotting our new friend is quite a treat as his unique shape and striking colors add quite a “punch” to the vegetable garden landscape. We named him Stephen because only the male builds a nest with a white zigzag band across the middle.
Black and yellow spiders are highly beneficial residents in a home garden as they feed on a wide variety of insect pests.
Although some people are concerned about being bitten by the black and yellow garden spider, these large spiders are not considered dangerous. They may bite when harassed, but the venom does not cause problems for humans.
The kids seem to love watching this spider, it looks so quick and agile, just like Spiderman, and the counselors have even helped him have an exciting menu.

One of Summer’s Forgotten Secrets

By Claudia (TP Gardener)

While strolling in and around the Tyler Place, you might have noticed the beautiful, bright red berry  cones on the Staghorn Sumac trees.

Sumac is a well known feature of the North American landscape, and yet  few people know that these little trees have provided a delicious and refreshing summer drink throughout much of the world for thousands of years.
Yes, there is one poisonous sumac but you probably won’t ever see it and it really doesn’t look like the rest of the sumacs. It resembles an alder, has white berries that grow out of leaf axils and prefers to live deep in swamps, meaning you will have to wade to find it.
The past  hot  summer days at TP had a great impact on the ripening process of the Sumac berries, so I couldn’t resist to pick the first dark red berry clusters.
I take my half-dozen berry clusters, cram them into a pitcher, pour cold water over them, crush them up a little with my hand, and then let the pitcher sit in a cool place for a while.  The longer the berries infuse, the stronger the drink will be. When the flavor is to your liking, just strain the drink through a cheesecloth to remove seeds and hairs. Sumac-ade is pleasantly tart with a light pink color. Some people add sugar, but I prefer it without.
If you are unsure when to pick your berries, just touch your finger to a berry then your finger to your tongue  to test, but not right after a rain, which washes off the citric acid.

You can also prepare it the early pioneer/ native American way:

1 quart of sumac berries
1 gallon water
sugar to taste
Bring water to a boil
Place sumac in a large teapot or non-metal container
Pour boiling water over the sumac
Steep for 20minutes - 2 hours
Strain through cheesecloth or a coffee filter
Enjoy over ice
Add sparkling water for a little fizz
Enjoy!

**Please be aware that Sumac is related to cashews and mangoes, anyone allergic to those foods should avoid it, or proceed with extreme caution.

Angelica Tincture

Angelica is also known by the names Archangel Root, Masterwort, Wild Celery, Root of the Holy Ghost, and Dong Quai. 

Angelica is an anti-spasmodic for strong menstrual cramps with minimal flow and an expectorant for coughs. It also aids in alleviating intestinal colic and poor digestion. Angelica is used to strengthen the heart and lungs and improve liver and spleen function. Small amounts stimulate digestive secretions. It is commonly used for loss of appetite, peptic discomforts such as mild spasms of the gastrointestinal tract, feeling of fullness, and flatulence.

1.  Fill a glass jar with chopped Angelica, including flowers, stems, and leaves. Slowly pour dark rum until the herb is  entirely covered. Then add an inch or two of additional liquid.

2.  Seal the jar tightly so that the liquid cannot leak or evaporate. Put the jar in a dark area or inside a paper bag.

3.  Shake the jar every day.

4.  After 2 weeks pour the tincture through a cheesecloth into another jar or dark colored tincture bottle. Squeeze the saturated herbs, extracting the remaining liquid until no more drips appear.

5.  Close the storage container with a stopper or cap and label.

6.  Use half an eye dropper twice a day when needed.

Shiitake Farming

·      Find a good, freshly-cut tree log between 4 to 10 inches wide and cut to no more than 4 feet long. Oak  tree logs are recommended, but other hardwood trees, such as Maple, Beech, Alder work well too.

·      Depending on how many logs you have you need to estimate how much of the mycelium you need. I use dowels/plugs ( you need about 25 per log)These are wooden dowels that are colonized by shiitake mushroom mycelium. They are usually about ¼-inch wide and 1-inch long. . I get my plugs from Fungi Perfecti  (FUNGI.COM)and cost about $44.00 for 1000 plugs.

·      Drill holes in the log with a 3/8-inch drill bit. The holes need to be about 2 inches deep and 4 inches apart. A spiral pattern will result in a beautiful appearance once the mushrooms begin to grow.

·      Push the plugs into the holes on the log and tap on each with a rubber mallet until they fit snugly. Be careful not  to damage the log bark.

·      Melt cheese wax .. Cheese wax costs around $5 for a 10-pound blocks. I get mine from www.cheesemaking.comSeal each plug with melted cheese wax using a brush or turkey baster. This will protect against other fungi and insects.

·      Stand the log up in a shaded area. The log can be set against a fence, wall, or any other structure. Make sure logs don’t touch soil underneath. I covered the grounds with straw.

·      Water the log regularly to maintain an internal moisture level of about 35 to 60 percent. Every 2 weeks will do. Be sure to only use chlorine-free water, such as filtered water, well water or rain water.

·      Wait for 6 months to 1 year for mushrooms to appear. A well colonized log will last  up to 6  years, until most of the wood cells have been replaced by shiitake mushroom mycelium cells.

·      Patience, regular moisture checks, shady location, and more patience are a must. You can tell that the Shiitake spawn has begun to colonize the logs when white fungus-like growth rings appear on the ends of the logs. This happens 4 to 10 months after inoculation. Your first harvest will not be far behind. When the weather is right, small brown buttons will rise from the bark. This is called “pinning.” Mushrooms will follow in a few days if it stays warm and damp; cold temperatures and drying winds can stall them for weeks.

·      For the finest taste and texture, harvest Shiitakes when the mushrooms are not fully opened. If you prefer larger mushrooms, let them grow until the cap expands completely, a day or two after the veil that protects the gills has separated from the stem.

·      At full fruit stage, the Shiitake has a cap that is maroon-brown and speckled with lovely gem-like dots around the rim. Gently break or cut the stems off the logs and place them in cardboard boxes or paper bags. Once picked, the mushrooms will only stay fresh for a couple of days during hot weather. With refrigeration, they can keep for two to three weeks.

·      After first fruiting, it can be forced every 2 months by shocking the mushrooms with ice cold water. This can be done by soaking the log in cold water for 24 hours, or set outside for a few days in the winter. Freezing will not hurt it. After shocking, remove the log from the water and stand it up again in a room temperature location. The mushrooms will think that winter has just passed and it is now spring, causing them to grow in a few weeks.

Hope this helps. Let me know if you have any more questions,

Claudia

Claudia's Newest Staff Members

By Claudia (TP Gardener)

"Five little ducklings
Went out to play
At the Tyler Place
On a sunny day..."

All five of them are enjoying the sunny days at TP, love taking their regular splashes in the pond, and already trying to pick up unwanted bugs.  A couple more weeks, and they will probably be able to swallow them too. (Let’s hope so!)

Max, Moritz, Heinrich, Gretel and Liese have been added to our staff. After our rooster chose an early retirement, we took applications for the open pest control position in our vegetable garden. After a thorough background check -- we wanted to make sure there are no affiliations with any invasive critters out there –- Max and Moritz (two Peking ducklings) were hired on the spot. A week later, Sally our Front Desk Clerk and Kindergarten teacher added three homeless Khaki Campbell ducklings to the crew and as you can see from the photos in that week Max and Mortiz doubled in size.