This afternoon I went to the Cleveland Botanical Garden’s RIPE! Food and Garden Festival.  The advertising said that RIPE! celebrates the edible gardening revolution and our region’s thriving commitment to local food.  Boy, oh boy, if anyone doubts that the culture of food is undergoing a real revolution, just show up next year.

I watched the folks from Snowville Creamery make vanilla ice cream using an old fashioned churn whose paddle was attached to a stationery bike.  The result was truly extraordinary.  I also drank a glass of their creamy milk, a gift from 235 Jersey cows who spend their days grazing on a farm down in Pomeroy.   

Meadow Maid  was sampling a wide variety of their delicious cheeses, also from grass-fed cows.  I met Andrew, of Kitchen Basics’ Real Cooking Stocks (beef, chicken, vegetable, seafood, veal), and learned that all their stocks are made locally.  Who knew?  I love that stuff; I buy it by the case and use it all the time.  I also ran into Green Pastures Poultry‘s owner, Ariella Reback, whose poultry I’ve purchased and enjoyed in the past.  The name says it all.

I sampled 12-year-old balsamic vinegar and Coratina Marcinase extra virgin olive oil at The Olive Tap‘s  (Medina) booth.  I drank an exquisite elixir made from Andean Fire Orchid, courtesy of Nora Egger and her company, the Lounging Gourmet.  There were gorgeous tomato and vegetable pizzas being grilled on a huge outdoor oven, and my friend bought herbal tea from a local vendor whose granola is sold at Heinen’s under the store brand name. 

I met Jody Lathwell, who runs the Tremont Farmers’ Market , and we revelled in the large number of markets that have been established in the past few years, including the Downtown Farmers’ Market at Public Square (Fri), the mid-week market on the grounds of the Cleveland Clinic, the Coit Road Farmers Market (Mon, Wed, Sat), the Chagrin Falls Market (Sun), Kamm’s Corners (Sun), Lakewood (Sat), and Shaker Square Market (Sat), the granddaddy of them all.  I am filled with joy to know that almost none of these markets existed just a few short years ago.  And I know that there are many more.

I had the good fortune to meet, from Kent, Lucky Penny Farm‘s Abbe Turner, whose business cards advertise her as CEO, cheesemaker, entrepreneur and optimist!, to taste honey from Bedford Heights’s Beecology, and to eat three different kinds (pumpkin, black truffle and garlic chive) of artisanal goat cheese (chevre) brought in by MacKenzie Creamery  from nearby Hiram.

I saw trucks advertising grass-fed milk shakes and burgers for sale, butternut squashes, apples, heirloom tomatoes, herbs, flowers, homemade chocolate chip cookies, displays of sculpted vegetables and an expert pumpkin carver hard at work.  All well and good.  But what’s for dinner?  So, now, the moment we’ve all been waiting for — a couple of interesting recipes for your enjoyment:

#1 Mexican cucumbers.
Sprinkle a cucumber with chili powder, salt, and the juice of 2 limes.  Enjoy.

#2 Pickled Red Sandwich Onions with Mustard Seed (from Jess Thomson)
Combine 1 c. sugar, 5 c. vinegar, and 1 T. kosher salt in a large pot and bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally as the sugar dissolves. Place 2.5 lb. sliced onions in a large bowl (or two), pour the vinegar mixture over the top, and let sit for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Into squeaky-clean canning jars, place a few dill blossoms, a few peppercorns, and a big pinch of mustard seeds. When the onions have softened and turned bright pink, stuff each jar full. Add brine until it comes to 1/4” from the rim, wipe rims, add lids, and process in a water bath for 20 minutes after the water returns to a boil.  The onions are ready to eat as soon as the jars cool.  Yield: 4 pints pickled onions

P.S. Instead of throwing away the extra leftover brine, return it to a boil and pour it over fresh, clean baby carrots, green or yellow wax beans, or cooked, sliced beets.  Refrigerate for a few days.  These are called refrigerator pickles.

Hope to celebrate real food with you at RIPE! next year.  Hearty appetite!

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