Bean Farm Public Forum

Monday, Dec. 7 at 6:30pm at JFK Middle School.

Fate of Bean Farm: Boys Soccer or Broccoli? December 1, 2009

Featuring:

Interview with Wayne Feiden who will talk about an upcoming public forum on the fate of the Bean Farm. Listen to the show tonight at 6:30 to hear Wayne's side of the story. Feiden is Northampton's Director of the Office of Planning and Development. The city will seek funds for the property appraised for around $2M from the Community Preservation Act.

Also we will be speaking with Writer Jennifer Acker and Amy-Louise Pfeffer, owner of an olive oil distribution company called Tuckaway Farm in Conway. They will be speaking of olive groves in Umbria, where Amy-Louise got her chops. Today Pfeffer and Michael Sola bring the harvest of Trasimeno mill in Italy to the Valley in the form of first press virgin olive oil; opaque, green and viscous....
plus news & upcoming events......

This Week's Show - November 17, 2009

Featuring:

Interview with Anne Diamand, owner and proprietress of Diamand Egg Farm in Turner's Farm. Anne will discuss this season's turkey flock and the challenges of poultry production during the busiest season of the year.

We'll also be speaking with Garth Shaneyfelt who will pair a couple of his brews and elixer with poultry.
plus news & upcoming events......

This Week's Show - November 3, 2009

Featuring:

Interview with Mary Schjeldahl, Elmer's General Store Cook & Manager who will outline the menu and the strategy behind an upcoming 100-Mile Thanksgiving.

We'll also be speaking with Sarah Swartz of Swartz Family Farm in Amherst. The farm that grows throughout the year has a history of hydroponics and hopes to extend its footprint by selling shares in the enterprise.

plus news & upcoming events......

This Week's Show - October 20, 2009

Featuring:

Interview with Danny Botkin, owner of Laughing Dog farm, will discuss preparedness for winter with minimally heated hoop houses and more tips on creating your own utopia of flora and fauna in New England. Seed saving, permaculture and other topics under discussion. (Photo of sunflower and bee by Dan Botkin.)

and.....

Recipes from Amherst resident, Don Lesser, writer and cook.

plus news & upcoming events......

Farm2Fork Recipe: Zucchini Pasta

Zucchini Pasta

The recipe is pretty loose on this one. It is more a technique than a polished recipe. The key is to have a mandoline, the French slicer not the instrument. It has a number of blades that you can raise up to cut your ingredients in varying thicknesses and cuts. Use the rippled cut blade and make a couple of passes to get the adjustment correct: you want shreds that look like linguini or al chittara.

This recipe works well on those large footballs you somehow overlooked in your zucchini patch. Exact amounts will vary, but if you’re making it, you might as well make a lot. One or two big zucchini or four or five smaller ones will probably serve 4 as a side.

Adjust your mandoline. Cut the ends off of the zucchini and slide it all the way down the mandoline. Repeat until you hit the seeds in the center. Rotate 90 degrees and repeat. When you have all four sides done, discard the seeds.

Place in a colander and sprinkle with 1 – 2 tsp kosher or sea salt. Let sit for 15 minutes. This will draw some of the moisture out of the zucchini and make it a little more firm. You can wash the salt if you want, but make sure to drain well. I usually don’t bother.

Heat 3 TBS olive oil or butter in a large saute pan or wok. Saute the zucchini over medium heat until it is cooked through. Again, your timing will vary so taste or press one edge against the pot with a spoon to see whether it is as done as you like. Al dente is better than mushy.

While it is cooking, in another pot, saute some garlic in about 3 TBS olive oil. Add a minced hot red pepper if you like. Add three or four chopped tomatoes and cook briefly. Place the zucchini pasta in a bowl and top with the tomatoes. Sprinkle with julienned basil leaves and coarse ground black pepper. Pass with plenty of parmesan cheese.

--Don Lesser

This Week's Show - October 6, 2009

Featuring:

Interview with CDC's Larry DiLuzio, Manager of the CDC of Greenfield. Hear about CDC's entrepreneurial support services and discover how a commercial kitchen can turn your pickled green tomatoes into ..... cash.

and.....

Jon Reske of UMass Five College Credit Union will talk about farm share loans and coop month. River Valley Coop members can join the credit union.

finally,

Recipe from Amherst resident, Don Lesser, writer and cook. Don will share his recipe for Zucchini Pasta at the end of the show.

plus news & upcoming events......

This Week's Show 9/22/09 from 6:30 to 7:30 PM

Featuring interviews with:

Joel Berg, author of "All You Can Eat."

Berg will be the Keynote Speaker at The Food Bank's 1st Western Mass Hunger Summit, Making The Connection on Thursday, September 24 at the MassMutual Center, Springfield, MA

plus

News & Current Events

This Week's Show - September 8, 2009

Featuring:

Interviews with people from:

WGBY's "On the Menu" food show
&
Northfield Mount Herman Farm

plus

News & Current Events