Welcome back to the second edition of Plate & Escape! The autumn markets are absolutely bustling right now, so I was in my ultimate happy place, spending a morning at the Wednesday Union Square Greenmarket to indulge in the seasonal beauty and pick up a few things for this week’s recipe, which celebrates the connection between you and your food.
If you guys are anything like us, your fall has been utterly bursting with apples. From our annual Apple Palooza event to our Dutchess Farm Fresh apple-picking tours the past two months to our days sitting in the Greenmarkets, our crispers are BRIMMING with New York apples. But, alas, I just can’t help myself: I was like a moth to a flame, drawn yet again to the gorgeous array of apples at Dutchess County‘s Breezy Hill Orchard. The Hudson Valley Orchard offers endless apple goodies. Honey Crisp, Gala, Jonah Gold, Mutsu…the apple varieties were just beautiful. They also have apple cider donuts, apple cider, baked goods, pears, and many more autumnal goodies. I picked up 5 medium-sized apples (a mix of Jonah Gold and Mutsu). And that’s when I saw a giant, vibrant bucket filled with fresh cranberries. It felt particularly timely since I was shopping on November 1st, with Thanksgiving on my mind, that I added some cranberries to my culinary adventure. So I grabbed about 2 scoops of the little rubies (I spent $5 total for the apples & cranberries) and continued on.
These fall fruits really had me thinking about warm spices and sweet treats, so it was at that moment that I decided on a two-part edition for these ingredients. First, Apple Cinnamon Overnight Oats. Second? You’ll have to tune in next week to find out.
I wandered over to the Greenmarket Regional Grains Project and knew exactly what I wanted. After admiring the varieties of beans, flours, and grains, I landed on a 1.75lb bag of local Maine Grains rolled oats ($6). Such versatile ingredients — I know that I’ll be able to use these for so many recipes.
Next, I headed over to Hawthorne Valley Farm for a quart of plain yogurt ($5). If I didn’t already have milk at home, I would have definitely grabbed some of their fresh, creamy cow’s milk!
Now, I have an enormous jug of Roxbury Mountain Maple syrup at home, which I’ve been chipping away at since EscapeMaker’s Maple Fest! But if you don’t have any real, pure, rich maple syrup (we’re not talking Aunt Jemima’s here), do yourself a favor and invest in a bottle! They come in all sizes, and OH, does it make a difference!
With my fruit, my oats, and my dairy, I was ready to get back to the kitchen!
Overnight Oats have become a highly praised food trend in recent years, and I’m telling you they are worth the hype! They are easy, delicious, nutritious, and pretty much “unscrew-up-able.” You can mix and match your oats with anything your heart desires! Add your oats. Choose your liquid — milk, almond milk, coconut milk, etc. And pick whatever mix-in combo you’re in the mood for…apple cinnamon, pumpkin pie, berries and cream, PB&J, the options are endless. You just set them in the fridge, forget about them while you’re catching some zzz’s, and voila: flavorful, filling, healthy breakfast as soon as you wake. Here’s how I made mine:
INGREDIENTS
1/2c rolled oats
1/2c plain yogurt
1/2 cup milk (I used skim, but use any kind you have)
1 tsp ground cinnamon
2 tsp maple syrup
pinch of salt
half an apple, chopped
INSTRUCTIONS
- Add your oats to a 16 oz (at least) container with a lid. I used a mason jar because I use a mason jar for everything. Pour your milk over top of the oats. Add the yogurt, cinnamon, maple syrup and salt to the jar. Mix well.
- Put your jar in the refrigerator overnight.
- When it’s time for breakfast, add the chopped apple to the mixture. Feel free to add any additional sweetener or liquid you like to reach your perfect consistency. BON APPETIT!
When you’re finished scarfing down your delicious oats, it’s time to make an escape! Better yet, tidy jars of oats are a perfect on-the-go breakfast for a road trip or train trip. This particular shopping excursion was inspired by EscapeMaker’s FIRST-EVER Agritourism Ambassadors Calendar. Support Greenmarket and its many projects and initiatives and local farmers and producers by purchasing the first-ever calendar dedicated to LOCAL agritourism. The LIMITED EDITION calendar features friendly, fuzzy animals you might meet when you visit Greenmarket farmers and producers in New York State and Vermont in person – from honey bees to alpacas!
These calendars are an amazing way to shop local and support your community, which is the entire inspiration behind our Plate & Escape series. 60% of calendar proceeds go to Greenmarket and directly to the farmers and growers themselves, and 10% goes to GrowNYC’s charitable non-profits, like Grow to Learn, a citywide school garden initiative, and Project Farmhouse, a community and food education center.
You can plan a visit to any of the thirteen destinations featured in this calendar, one of which is Roxbury Mountain Maple. A family-owned farm located in the beautiful Catskills region in Delaware County, Roxbury Mountain Maple has been providing the region’s purest maple products since March 2011. This is a new adventure on an old farm with hundreds of acres of sugar maples. Years ago, some of the trees were tapped by hand, and the sap was boiled down in an old sugarhouse. Now the full potential of the property is being realized, with an impressive state-of-the-art sugarhouse, 21,000 taps, fresh inspiration, and a commitment to produce all-natural, organic maple products that delight our customers. The farm is a gorgeous place to visit year-round, particularly in March during the maple-tapping season. Check out their website for info on events and activities during the New York State Maple Weekends at the end of March. Hop in a ReachNow car-share for an exploratory road trip to visit the farm, or jump on a Trailways bus from NYC to Delhi or Margaretville and take a short cab over to the farm.
Also featured in the calendar, make an escape to Hawthorn Valley Farm in Columbia County! Established in 1972, Hawthorne Valley is a diversified, 900-acre Demeter-certified 650A Biodynamic® farm (Demeter remains the oldest ecological certification organization in the world) in upstate New York. Their goals are to establish a true Biodynamic farm; to connect children and adults with the land and the food that nourishes them, and to provide agricultural products of the highest quality. Through the farm’s products, Hawthorn Valley hopes to open an educational dialogue about our environment, our economy, and ourselves. Visit the beautiful farm and its many value-adding programs and products like their creamery, farm store and bakery. For a day trip or weekend getaway, take Amtrak to Hudson, and the farm is just a short cab ride from the station.
Other farms included in the calendar are Bad Seed Cider & Wilklow Orchards, Castello di Borghese Winery, Consider Bardwell Farm, Fishkill Farms, Garden of Eve Farm, Hawthorne Valley Farm, Katchkie Farm & The Sylvia Center, Lavender by the Bay, Nature’s Way Farm, Rosehaven Alpacas, Samascott Orchards and Shannon Brook Farm. The calendar features info about the farms, bios on their furry mascots, a list of featured events throughout the year, and mass transportation information for your planned escapes. You can order yours today! And in the meantime, visit these guys at a Greenmarket near you.
You can also make plans to visit Breezy Hill Orchard to collect apples and cranberries straight from the orchard itself! Although the apple-picking season has passed for 2017, the gorgeous farm has events all year long, making it an ideal getaway location. They are the producers of award-winning Hudson Valley Farmhouse Cider, which you can taste on the farm when you visit! Breezy Hill, located in the heart of the Hudson Valley in Dutchess County, has been growing great-tasting fruit since 1949. They grow beloved heirloom fruit varieties as well as some of the most flavorful newer ones. They also operate Breezy Hill at Stone Ridge, an orchard founded over 200 years ago just across the Hudson River. They use progressive ecological farming methods and take their responsibility as land stewards seriously. Their long-standing commitment to sustainable agriculture, local economies, and a healthy environment is reflected in their active involvement in the local community. The farm is one of the founders of New York’s Union Square Greenmarket! Close enough for a car-free day trip, you can hop on Metro-North Railroad to Poughkeepsie and take a short cab over to visit the farm for some of their exciting events like cider tastings, musical performances, and annual dinners on the farm.
Comments