New Boise Farmer’s Market

17 Saturday Aug 2013

Posted by Bob and Robin in Acme Bake Shop, Acme Bake Shop Breads, Baking, Boise Farmers Market, Bread, Buy Idaho, Local Farmers Markets, Local Markets, Locavore, Photos By: Bob Young, Potato Bread, Sourdough Bread, What's For Dinner?

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Acme Bake Shop, food, fresh eggs, Goat Cheese, potato bread, sourdough bread

Yup, it’s Saturday and time to stop at the market. We needed some fresh vegetables and eggs. And I always stop at Rollingstone Chevre (see the link in the sidebar) and talk to Karen for a moment or two. My other routine is to stop in at Acme Bake Shop booth and get some their fresh baked sourdough. And Soraya said, “Bob. You must try this Potato Bread.” Now, Soraya has never misled us …. never. So I accepted her challenge and bought a loaf, and a loaf of sourdough also. Robin and I don’t normally eat white bread, but the Potato Bread is really good. Here are some photos of the bread this morning after I took it home and sliced it. Enjoy!

Acme Bake Shop Potato Bread

This is a new item, I think. It is a light potato bread that will make a great substitute for your “everyday” white, doughy, pasty white bread. This Potato Bread is definitely not that!

Acme Bake Shop Sourdough Bread

This is an amazing sourdough bread. It toasts wonderfully and has a unique sour taste that a sourdough must have. In my opinion, this is the best sourdough in Boise, right up there with the Acme Bake Shop Rye.

I did pick up some fresh vegetables. Turnips, garlic, beets, herbed goat cheese and fresh eggs. So it was not just a “bread run”, although my shopping bag looked that way. A good time at the market. I will hate to see it close later this fall.

Garlic Explained

20 Saturday Jul 2013

Posted by Bob and Robin in Ethnic Foods, Food Photos, Food Prep, Food Trivia, Garlic, Healthy Eating, Herbs and Spices, Interesting Information, Local Farmers Markets, Local Harvests, Locavore, Special Information, What's For Dinner?

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food, garlic scapes, hardneck garlic, northern gardeners

Here is some great information about some of the different garlic varieties that are available at the New Boise Farmer’s Market. There are many, many varieties. This is but a small sampling that is available here in Boise. Enjoy!

Edible Garlic

Note: All of these garlic types are available at the New Boise Farmer’s Market, 10th and Grove. The following information was produced by Glenn’s Farm.
“Hardneck and Softneck garlic are described as some are mild and others are Hot. It is hard to describe the slight differences.”

This information is from organic gardening at about.com.
“Hardneck garlic varieties are generally hardier than softneck varieties. They are the best option for northern gardeners. They are also the best option if you want to enjoy garlic scapes in early summer, since hardnecks are the only type that send up a strong central stalk in spring (this is the scape.) Hardneck varieties tend to form fewer cloves per bulb than softneck varieties, but they also are usually a bit larger.

Within the hardneck family, there are nine sub-types of garlics: Purple Stripe, Marbled Purple Stripe, Asiatic, Glazed Purple Stripe, Creole, Middle Eastern, Turban, Rocambole, and Porcelain. The Purple Stripe and Rocambole types are the hardiest, best for gardeners who live in the northeastern U.S. and Canada. Gardeners who live in mild climates will have good luck with Porcelain varieties.

Softneck Garlic Varieties (Allium sativum var.sativum)
Softneck garlic varieties are the best ones to grow if you live in a milder climate. They don’t form scapes, and generally form several small cloves per head. They mature quicker than hardneck varieties. Softneck varieties tend to store better than hardneck varieties, so this is the type to grow for long-term storage. Sub-types within the softneck family include Silverskin and Artichoke varieties.”

Chinese Pink: The first garlic of the season. Mellow with a pleasing after taste.

Asian Tempest: Asian hardneck. When eaten raw it is breath taking. When baked, the flavor is sweet.

Chesnok Red: Hardneck. All around good for cooking. Full bodied flavor with a delightful aroma. When baked, it holds it’s shape and has a creamy texture.

German Red: (One of my favorites) Hardneck rocambole. Strong, hot and spicy.

German Porcelain: Hardneck. Good, all purpose garlic.

Zemo: Hardneck. Smooth and hot flavor and aftertaste.

Northern: Hardneck. A very pungent and one of the best for baking.

Music: Hardneck. Medium hot with flavor that lasts a long time.

Romaine Red: Porcelain hardneck. Hot with a long lasting bite.

Georgia Crystal: A hot garlic.

Metechi: Very hot when eaten raw.

Siberian: (Another of my favorites) Hardneck with a medium-strong heat. Rich earthy taste. Has a high allicin content. Allicin supports normal cholesterol levels and helps boost the immune system.

Spanish Rojo: Hardneck Rocambole. Rich flavor. Also called Greek Garlic or True Garlic.

Polish Jenn: A medium strength garlic.

Italian: (Another favorite of mine.) Softneck with a great taste and a good cooking garlic. Great to roast.

Silverskin: Softneck with a strong flavor and another great cooking garlic.

Inchillium Red: Softneck garlic with a mild flavor. Great baked and the blended with mashed potatoes.

I hope this clears up some of the mystery of garlic. Or does it just add to the question? Cheers.

July Wine Club Dinner at the Buzz

10 Wednesday Jul 2013

Posted by Bob and Robin in Appetizers, Bistro, Dinner With Friends, Local Harvests, Locavore, Main Dish, Party Time, Photos By: Bob Young, Salads, Special Dinners, Special Events, Things To Do, What's For Dinner?, Wine and Food

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Asparagus Soup, flatbread pizza, food

Another great wine club dinner at the Buzz last night. A blind tasting this time. Interesting and fun! I know. In Boise during the summer months, folks have many adventures to follow and attendance at these events are low. Even when Robin and I were dancing, the summer dance events had extremely low attendance. But, everyone must still eat and have liquid refreshment. Why not at the Buzz for one of these events? $15.00 per person that includes 6 or so wines and a full, five course dinner, is a great price. And just think of all the new information you will gain and the new friends you will meet. Here is what we had and what you missed. Enjoy …. We did! Sorry for some of the photo quality, but I forgot my camera. Had to use my phone.
We started off with Cristi’s Choice, a 2007 Lan Rioja Crianza that was good, but not as good as the 2009 Alsace Classic Pinot Gris that she offered. You can find my review of these two wines on my Vivino page. Download it – it is free – to either your IPhone or Android and then follow me. It’s a great and fun little program that allows you to keep a record of the wines you try. I even use it to keep track of some of the beers I try, although the program is not setup to track beer. Vivino App for either IPhone or Android.
As a sample of a blind taste, Cristi had us work with this wine. 2010 Tin Roof Merlot 13.5% alc. not bad, as all the wines tonight were scored on the high side. This went well with the pizza – I saved a little. [18]

Flatbread Pizza and California Roll
2008 Renwood Barbera
14.5% alc. Barbera is not one of my favorite wines. But went well with the pizza and California Roll. [18]

Chilled Asparagus Soup
(Awesome)
2011 Toad Hollow Chardonnay
13.5% alc. One of the better wines and matches for tonight. This wine went extremely well with this delicious soup. [19]

Citrus Salad
(This was a great salad. Cristi said she will post the recipe for the dressing. Loved it!)
2011 Wentz Sauvignon Blanc
13.0% alc. Good Sauvignon Blanc with this salad. The citrus and the wine were perfect. [19]

Fish Tacos
with
Hominy and Bean Salad
2011 Garnet Pinot Noir
13.0% alc. Not the best match with the tacos. [17]

California Walnut Pie
and
Grilled Peaches
NV JJJ US Sparkling
Great match with the dessert. Full of almond and delightful. [19]

Homemade Pasta. Yum!

14 Friday Jun 2013

Posted by Bob and Robin in Captain's Shack, Classic Sauces, Eggs, Herbs and Spices, Homemade Pasta, Locavore, Main Dish, Pasta, Photos By: Bob Young, Recipe by: Robin and Bob Young, Salad, Seafood, Talapia, Vegetables, What's For Dinner?, Wine and Food

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dinner, homemade pasta, talapia

Robin said that she wanted to make pasta sometime this week. So we bought the supplies, 2 dozen eggs and semolina flour. Combine that with talapia and look at our dinner tonight.

Lemon and Thyme Baked Talapia
Homemade Pasta with Fresh Peas
in
browned butter infused with fried fresh sage
Fresh Green Salad
2011 Dusted Valley (WA) Pinot Gris

A really yummy dinner! Left-Click the photo to see it enlarged and then grab a fork. Sorry, but there is no “Smell-A-Vision”. And please VOTE above. Thanks! Goot Essen.

Grilled Lamb and Good Friends Start the Summer Season

25 Saturday May 2013

Posted by Bob and Robin in Acme Bakery, Appetizers, Asparagus, Baked Onion, Boise Farmers Market, Captain's Shack, Cooking Styles, Friends, Grillin' and Chillin', Lamb, Local Farmers Markets, Local Harvests, Locavore, Main Dish, Onion, Party Time, Photos By: Bob Young, Salads, Special Dinners, Vegetables, What's For Dinner?, Wild Game, Wine and Food, Wine Dinners

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chocolate liquor, food, grilled lamb chops, lamb chop, vanilla ice cream

It is always a “great start” to any event when you are joined by friends. Geno and Debra (pictured here) were in town, so we had them over for a grilled lamb dinner. The weather was super good and we ate outside. Most of the food was local, too. The lamb was and the onions and asparagus were from Washington. The wine was from California. Still, a delightful time. I even helped Debra with her blog. She is doing fine with it. So here are some photos of the food that we had. Enjoy and please cast your VOTE above. Thanks. Cheers! Left-Click any of these photos to see enlarged.

Asparagus Stuffed Walla Walla Onions getting ready for the oven.

This wine was awesome with the lamb. We have more of the wine.

Robin made this super Mousse d’Phaison and Chukar Pâté with Toasted Acme Bakery Rye Wedges (not pictured). Those are fresh chives from our garden.

Grilled Lamb Chops
Fresh Green Salad
Asparagus Stuffed Walla Walla Sweet Onion

Geno enjoys a lamb chop.

French Vanilla Ice Cream with Idaho Peach Half and Chocolate Liquor Cup . What a great dessert!

Grand Opening-New Boise Farmer’s Market

04 Saturday May 2013

Posted by Bob and Robin in Boise, Boise Adventures, Boise Farmers Market, Hard To Find Foods, Herbs and Spices, Local Farmers Markets, Local Harvests, Local Markets, Locavore, Photos By: Bob Young, Special Events, Special Information, What's For Dinner?

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fiddlehead ferns, food, Goat Cheese, potted flowers, tomato plants

The New Boise Farmer’s Market at 10th Street and Grove in downtown Boise, held their Grand Opening today – it rained the day they had originally scheduled the Grand Opening. Today was crowded, no rain and sunny, and everyone seemed to be enjoying the food, the produce, the beef and buffalo and lamb and chicken. Fresh herbs are also available along with fresh tomatoes and tomato plants. Do you like goat cheese? See the Rollingstone Chevre booth for fresh made goat cheese. All types. Bleu Goat Cheese is coming in about 3 weeks. Here are some photos from today. Enjoy. Left-Click the photo to see enlarged and don’t forget to VOTE above. Thanks.

Potted flowers. Here are some Pansy’s.

Food is available at the market. Here is a Waffle Stack.

Fiddlehead Ferns

Fresh, hard to find mushrooms.

The New Boise Farmer’s Market

05 Friday Apr 2013

Posted by Bob and Robin in Boise Farmers Market, Buy Idaho, Healthy Eating, Local Farmers Markets, Local Harvests, Local Markets, Locavore, Organic Foods, Special Events, Special Information, Things To Do, What's For Dinner?

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Boise Farmers Market, Buy Local

Great news! The all new Boise Farmers Market will be opening this Saturday, April 6 at 11th between Front and Grove in Boise. The market will be open from 9:00am – 1:00pm. In the Idaho Statesman article New Boise Farmer’s Market Finds A Home, “… You’ll find produce grown within 200 miles of Boise and local specialty foods. Each vendor is required to have at least one product that contains one locally grown ingredient. For example, Cucina di Paolo lasagna will be made with local spinach.
The market will open with about 25 vendors – though growers with late-season produce will be coming on board later. The lineup includes Meadowlark Farms, Homestead Natural Foods, Triangle C Ranch, The Jelly Lady, Cucina di Paollo, Rice Family Farms and Malheur Meats.”

Janie Burns, Board President and owner of Meadowlark Farms in Nampa, says that there will be a some artisan products available, but they must reflect the local agriculture. Artisan tempera paints will be produced from local eggs and sweaters and wool products will be spun from local wool.

From the The Boise Farmer’s Market web site, Janie Burns goes on to say that the market “… will focus on local food, cultivating new farmers, incubating new food ideas, and creating a community space to learn about food and sustainability. The vendors who have committed to supporting this market have over 200 years of farmers’ market experience and are dedicated to a vision of authenticity, education, and renewal of our agricultural economy.”

Let’s all try to support this new source for locally grown and fresh produce. Hope to see you there. Below is a map to the Boise Farmer’s Market! Left-Click to see the graphic enlarged. Then, if you want to print a copy: Ctrl+Shift+P.

Boise Farmer’s Market

Happy Nowruz! (Sal No Mubarak!) Persian New Year

22 Friday Mar 2013

Posted by Bob and Robin in Anthropology of Food, Beef, Buy Idaho, Celebrations, Chicken, Ethnic Foods, Food Trivia, Kabob House, Lamb, Locavore, Main Dish, Party Time, Persian Food, Photos By: Bob Young, Rice, Special Dinners, Special Events, Special Information, Vegetables, What's For Dinner?

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food, Kabob House, persian new year, restaurants, traditional fashion

What a great evening of music, dance and food! And such a great restaurant for the celebration – Kabob House, located at Maple Grove and Emerald in Boise. So what is “Nowruz”? To quote from a flyer they gave everyone, “Nowruz means “New Day” in the Persian language (Farsi), and is widely referred to as the Persian New Year. It also corresponds to the first day of spring and the beginning of the year in the Persian calendar … Nowruz is celebrated on the day of the astronomical Northward Equinox, which usually occurs on March 21 or the the previous following day, depending on where it is observed”. “…Originally being a Zoroastrian festival, and the holiest of them all, Nowruz is believed to have been invented by Zoroaster himself, although there is no clear date of origin. Since the Achaemenid era the official year has begun with the New Day when the Sun leaves the zodiac of Pisces and enters the zodiacal sign of Aries, signifying the Spring Equinox. Nowruz is also a holy day for Sufis, Bektashis,Ismailis, Alawites, Alevis, Babis and adherents of the Bahá’í Faith.” [Wikipedia] Interesting. Did you know that in 1752 England and it’s Colonies (the American Colonies) changed the new year from March 25 – the English calendar – to January 1 – the “New Style” calendar? (Connecticut State Library) The March 25 date also corresponded to the spring and the appearance of new plants. Left-Click any of these photos to see a large view. Here are some photos of the celebration. Cheers!

Yes, there were dancers! And there are rules as to where to place the dollar bill. The Dancer explained to me that there is no “set routine” to many of the dances, but rather the music “tells” them what movements to make. The dancer interprets the music. Much like a Latin Rhumba, for example, where the dancer interprets the music.

“Nowruz celebrations last for many days, during which people visit with relatives and friends. Gifts are exchanged and parties are hosted. There is even a special display [pictured here] known as “Haft Seen” (the Seven ‘S’s) with items beginning with the Persian letter for “s” that have special symbolic value…The tradition of placing seven items in a display dedicated to the New Year (typically March 21) has its origins in the pre-Islamic Zoroastrian faith of the Persian civilization, and each item represented seven of the Zoroastrian divinities. The coming of Islam resulted in the adaptation and replacement of many Zoroastrian customs, and the haft sin table setting evolved to include the following:
sabzeh: wheat, barley, or lentil sprouts growing in a dish – symbolizing rebirth.
samanu: a sweet pudding made from wheat germ – symbolizing affluence.
senjed: the dried fruit of the oleaster tree – symbolizing love.
sīr: garlic – symbolizing medicine.
sīb: apples – symbolizing beauty and health.
somaq: sumac berries – symbolizing (the color of) sunrise.
serkeh: vinegar – symbolizing age and patience.
In addition to the above, however, you will also find a number of other haft sin items that harken back to Nowruz’s Zoroastrian origins. These items may include a mirror (symbolizing sky), candles (symbolizing fire), rose water (symbolizing water), goldfish (symbolizing the beginning of a new year), and painted eggs (symbolizing fertility) — a rather interesting coincidence for those who celebrate Easter.” (Kabob House)

One section of the restaurant is decorated in traditional fashion.

Traditional Nowruz fruit drink. Walnuts, pistachios, raisins, apricot and almonds to name a few.

Traditional Nowruz fruit drink. Walnuts, pistachios, raisins, apricot, immature date and almonds to name a few.

Wonderful Green Salad

Sabzi Chalow: Sauteed Fresh Spinach with Basmati Rice.
Chai with Hael – Persian tea with Cardamom

Chicken Kabob: Tender chunks of chicken breast, marinated in special herbs, spices and broiled over the grill.

Tekka Kabob: Lamb (or beef) pieces marinated in special herbs and spices and broiled over the grill.

Rib Kabob: Lamb chops marinated in herbs and spices and broiled over the grill.
The two green “dips” as pictured here and above, have a spicy component but go extremely well with the entree. The onions are slightly pickled.

Bakalav: Now who can pass this up? Not me.

Baklava: Now who can pass this up? Not me.
Robin had a Shir-Berenj, a Persian rice pudding made with rose water.

So there you have our celebratory New Year Nowruz dinner party. Fun and delicious. Great to see Soraya, Michael Moss and his wife and Barbara and Patrick Myhre. The food was super and the price was nominal. You see everything that we had, except for the chicken kabob which was Patrick’s, and we paid about $20.00 per person. I think that was a very good price. We will return to Kabob House. And from their FaceBook page, “Enjoy cuisine representing the culinary cultures surrounding the legendary Khyber Pass, with an extensive menu of Persian, Afghan, Indian, and Central Asian dishes. Buffet daily from 11am – 2pm. Dinner from 3:00 – 9:00pm.” They are located at 9140 W Emerald St Boise, ID 83704. (208) 995-0915 Cheers!

Lunch At The “Bleubird”

22 Friday Feb 2013

Posted by Bob and Robin in Bleubird, Comfort Food, Local Markets, Locavore, Main Dish, Photos By: Bob Young, Restaurant Reviews, Restaurants, Sandwiches, Soup, Special Information, Things To Do, Tupelo Honey, What's For Dinner?

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food, peanut butter and jelly sandwich, restaurants, tomato basil

We were lucky enough to be in downtown Boise around lunchtime and stopped in for the first time at Bleubird at 10th and Bannock. We met our Grandson Chris there for lunch. They make some fantastic sandwiches. They look good and they taste good. The soup that we had, Tomato Basil was every bit as good at Berryhill and Co. (That statement will open some eyes and make your heart skip a beat!)And of all things, they use Tupelo Honey on some of their sandwiches, like their Peanut Butter and Jelly sandwich. The photo to the left is actually their menu on the wall.

Grilled Cheese with Caramelized Onion and Fig Jam
Tomato Basil Soup
IPA

Hopefully, you get the idea. Look at the stemware. Nothing better than an IPA from an old fruit jar! It gets busy at noon, so plan to wait for a while. Get there a little early, 11am or so, and you should be fine. Well worth the wait, though. The food was very good and taste was excellent. They have house made drinks and teas, superb local beers and some wines are available. Enjoy! And let them know you saw this review. Cheers!

Can’t Stay Away – Janjou Pâtisserie

17 Thursday Jan 2013

Posted by Bob and Robin in Baking, Breakfast, Cooking Styles, Dessert, Ethnic Foods, French Foods, Fruits, Janjou Pâtisserie, Locavore, Pastries, Photos By: Bob Young, Quiche, Restaurants, Special Information, Things To Do, What's For Dinner?

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breakfast, Cooking Styles, Ethnic Foods, Ethnoic Foods, French Foods, Janjou Pâtisserie, Pastries

Pain au Chocolate and Almond Croissant

OK! We’re hooked! We had Marnie join us this morning at Janjou Pâtisserie in the Albertson’s Shopping Center at 18th and State Streets in Boise. Oh such a delight! It is soooooooo good! The last time we were there, we rated it a 4-Star and it was well worth it. Now that we have been back, it is a 4+-Star and headed for the top 5-Star rate. The food is awesome and they try very hard to keep the ingredients local and all natural. They succeed! We urge you to try them out and let them know that you heard about them here on this blog. In the meantime, enjoy these photos! Cheers. You can Left-Click any of the photos to see them full screen.