Farmhouse / Vol. 3

FARMHOUSE A Farm & Food Magazine / Volume 3

FREE

The prairie skies can always make you see more than what you believe.

- Jackson Burnett

“We love selling our produce to Hy-Vee. They value the work and care we put into our products. It’s great that Hy-Vee offers the people of Kansas great products produced by family farmers.” ~ Angela Britt of Britt’s Garden Acres, Manhattan, Kansas

www.hy-vee.com Manhattan

Topeka

601 N 3rd Place (785) 587-8609

2951 SW Wanamaker Rd (785) 272-1763

Lawrence 3504 Clinton Pkwy (785) 832-0044

4000 W 6th St (785) 832-9449

Handcrafting the best of our Midwestern harvest and serving it up alongside 30 beers on tap

Meet our farmers, see the seasonal menu, check out the tap list & make reservations at

MerchantsOnMass.com

Open Daily Happy Hour 4-6p & 9p-late 8th & Mass. in Lawrence

Please Join Us for the

Lawrence Farmers Market Holiday Open House December 13 / Lawrence Holiday Inn

1446 E 1850 Rd / Lawrence, Kansas

(785) 843-1409 / www.Pendletons.com

FARMHOUSE Volume 3

KANSAS AGRICULTURE BY THE NUMBERS

14

HOMESPUN HILL FARMS

20

MARKETPLACE / HY-VEE

24

HANK CHARCUTERIE

26

TALLGRASS BREWING COMPANY

32

MERCHANTS PUB & PLATE

38

SEASONAL RECIPES

44

THE POINT(S) OF WINE APPRECIATION

50

photos by FARMHOUSE, except where noted FARMHOUSE is a project of Four Birds Media (785) 766-5669 / info@fourbirdsmedia.com Kansas / The Great Plains / America

Whether it’s a place to jump, play or go out of this world, I can help you find the perfect fit‌ for all the things that move you.

The Numbers of Kansas Agriculture

by Allie Divine

In Kansas, fall is a season of color, low humidity, moderate temps and perfect conditions for harvesting specialty crops of fruits and vegetables or bulk commodities of soybeans, corn and sorghum.

Reviewing Kansas’ contributions to the US and world food supplies illustrates why we should be ever mindful, and thankful for the gift of Kansas agriculture.

Kansas is home to more than 61,000 farms and ranches which cover about 46 million acres. Kansas generates nearly $18 billion in agricultural cash receipts annually and accounts for roughly 25% of the state’s total economy.

Our state produces feed grains of wheat, corn, soybeans and sorghum that are used for many products. Kansas leads the nation in wheat production and produces 20% of all wheat produced in the United States. In 2013, nearly 9.5 million acres of wheat were planted in Kansas with an estimated harvest value of 2.2 billion dollars. In an average year, Kansas wheat farmers produce enough wheat to make more than 36 billion loaves of bread.

Corn is one of the most valuable crops in Kansas. In 2013 Kansas ranked 7th in corn for grain production. Nearly 4 million acres of corn were harvested for grain with a value of over 2.3 billion dollars. Corn is used for foods, livestock feed, and ethanol production.

Kansas is also highest producing sorghum state in the country. In 2013 over 3 million acres of sorghum were planted in Kansas with an estimated value of nearly 680 million dollars. Sorghum is used for livestock feed, ethanol production, and now included in gluten free foods.

In 2013 Kansas had 3.6 million acres of soybeans valued at nearly 1.6 billion dollars. Soybeans are one of the state’s top five exports as well. Processed soybeans are the world’s largest source of animal protein feed and the second largest source of vegetable oil. Just one acre can be used to make 2,500 gallons of soy milk, more than 40,000 servings of tofu, 82,000 crayons, and many other products. The US produces and exports more soybeans than any other country in the world and is responsible for 32% of all soybeans produced globally.

Kansas farmers and ranches are among the nation’s leaders in beef production. Kansas ranked third nationally with 5.80 million cattle on ranches and in feedyards as of January 1, 2014. The value of beef in Kansas is more than 7.75 billion dollars. Kansas ranks third in the nation processing over 6.2 million head and exports are valued

at over 639 million dollars. The US produces 19% of the world’s beef and Kansas is a vital part of that production.

Kansas ranks tenth in the nation in overall pork inventory, and with more than 1,500 hog farms, accounting for roughly 2.7% of the nation’s total pork production. The US exports pork all over world but primarily to Mexico, Japan, China, and Canada. Kansas companies that produce, process, distribute and sell meat and poultry products employ nearly 19,500 people and generate an additional 48,070 jobs in supplier and ancillary industries.

Kansas is growing as the “Premier Dairy Frontier” due our plentiful farmland, feed supply and farm-friendly climate.

The wide open spaces in Kansas are optimal for dairy expansion and growth. Currently, the state is home to over 137,000 milk cows. Kansas dairies produce 341 million gallons of milk annually and ranks 16th nationally in total milk production. Last year, the value of milk produced in the state totaled nearly $592 million, adding nearly $131 million to the Kansas economy and 482 jobs. If you travel Kansas highways, you’ve likely seen the sleek silver dairy trucks moving milk to consumers. Over 80% of Kansas milk is sold in Alabama, Arkansas, Iowa, Louisiana, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas and Wisconsin.

In addition to these commodities, Kansas has a vigorous hay market valued over 900 million dollars, and is vital to livestock production. Kansas’ producers also grow sunflowers on nearly 71,000 acres with a market value of over 19 million dollars. Other commodities of potatoes, cotton, oats, beans, and barley are also produced in sizable quantities in Kansas.

Issues surrounding food production and access generate heated debates at home and abroad. Issues of agriculture’s impact on the environment and economic growth of countries are under continuous scrutiny. As the global population nears nine billion people, those issues will intensify. Today, we do not debate those points, but simply marvel at the thought of millions of tiny seeds developing into fields of grains that feed people around the world.

Allie Devine is a partner at Devine & Donley, LLC, a Topeka based law and lobbying firm. Allie served as Kansas Secretary of Agriculture from 1995-1999.

FN_DCFJad.pdf

1

9/17/13

9:41 AM

fieldnotesbrand.com

Homespun Hill Farm 137 East 1400 Road Baldwin City, Kansas

Debbie Yarnell loves to raise livestock.

On the top a small hill a few miles north of Baldwin City, Debbie Yarnell sits on a metal lawn chair, smiles and rubs the head of her faithful dog. Ducks waddle through the front yard and about 20 head of cattle graze in a pen across the driveway. After a few minutes with Debbie, it becomes clear that this land, her farm, is what she’s always wanted.

The drought in 2012 was particularly hard on her cattle, so Yarnell made a decision to scale back Angus production, selling some of her cattle - both Mama cows and steers. She has invested in a new breed of cattle: South Poll. The breed was developed in the American Southeast and is more sustainable in the hot, dry Kansas summers.

Debbie Yarnell grew up visiting her grandfather’s dairy farm. At a young age she fell in love with cattle and the honest work and open air. She knew she was meant to work the land and raise livestock.

“After 2012 I knew I had to make some changes,” Yarnell says. “That was a tough, tough year on the farm. I had heard of these South Poll cattle and I knew there wouldn’t be a better time to make the change. These cattle are pretty unique to the area. I think there is only one other farm in the region raising South Polls.”

“Some of the best memories of my life are from my grandfather’s farm,” Debbie says. “I don’t know what it was, but I did fall in love with cattle and the work that it takes to raise them.”

Yarnell currently has about 20 head of South Poll, but plans to grow the herd to 50.

Yarnell maintains 30 acres on which she raises cattle and sheep. She leases another 100 acres for grazing. Her livestock are completely grass-fed and her entire operation is sustainable. Yarnell both grass-feeds and grass-finishes her cattle, thus ensuring they are never in a feedlot situation. She keeps a smaller count of cattle to help maintain the health of her pastures. Cattle are processed at Santa Fe Meats in Overbrook, Kansas.

“It only seemed natural to me to preserve a piece of small Kansas farm land and develop it into a sustainable grassfed farm, given my first opportunity,” Yarnell says. ““I was raised in the 60’s and 70’s in Eudora by parents who understood the value of natural foods. My four brothers and sisters cherished our jars of local honeycomb, our drives to the country to get our weekly raw milk, the colorful canned fruit and veggie jars on the pantry shelving, Dad’s garden bounty and grinding the wheat for Mom’s golden loaves of bread.”

Yarnell started raising grass-fed, anti-hormone livestock about 15 years ago.

“I was doing this before it was cool,” she jokes. “I had always sold my cattle after processing and, initially, it was tough to get folks interested in the grass-fed meat. Then some national media started to run stories on the benefits of sustainable meat. Things really took off then. I was one of the only outlets in the region to offer the product.”

Homespun Hill Farm also produces grass-fed sheep. Her farm features both Katahdin and St. Croix sheep, two breeds known for their sweet and mild succulent flavor.

The lambs are rotated on grass forages with the calves and roam the back pasture of her property.

“I keep about 50-60 sheep a year,” she says. “They are pretty easy to care for and, knock on wood, I’ve never had a problem with coyotes. And I have Jake to watch over them.”

Jake is a beautiful Appaloosa that shares a pasture with the sheep. If a visitor gets too close to the herd, Jake is quick to get between the sheep and the intruder.

“I can’t explain it,” Yarnell says with a laugh. “Since I got him, Jake has been protective of the sheep. I think that’s what keeps the coyotes away.”

Though Yarnell will sell her meat to local restaurants, or anyone that’s interested, she’s not in a position to be making sales calls.

“I don’t even go to the Farmers Market much anymore,” she says. “The majority of my product is sold to the same people every year. I’m not that accessible here and don’t have folks stopping by to purchase meat. Unless I increase the size of my cattle and sheep, I don’t have a need to market my meats. I’m happy with that and I don’t really know if I want to increase my workload here. I’ve developed a great life here with my acres.”

FH

MARKETPLACE Hy-Vee believes in Kansas farms.

The regional grocery store thinks so highly of the products local farmers grow they want to buy as much from Kansas farmers as they can.

“Without question, buying local is a priority for our stores,” says Sarah Thacker, Marketing Coordinator for Hy-Vee’s Lawrence, Topeka and Manhattan stores. “It makes good business sense for two reasons. First, our customers want it. Kansans want produce from Kansas. Second, our produce managers love the local products because they are of such high quality.”

When Thacker says local produce is the most fresh, she isn’t spinning a marketing term. Produce is often purchased from the back of a pickup the same day it was harvested from the field.

“Yep,” Thacker say with a confident nod. “We can meet a farmer in the parking lot of the store and inspect their crop. If we like it, we’ll write them a check and get the product on the shelves as soon as possible. Unless you pick something from your own garden, you can’t get more fresh than that.”

Lawrence Store Manager Tara Jo Brown says the buying program is completely driven by consumer demand.

“Of course we want to offer the best products,” Brown says. “Our customers have told us they think the best products come from the fields and farms in our area. The fact that we get to satisfy our customers’ request and support local producers is an absolute no-brainer business decision for the store. It has also benefitted our bottom line. If people know that our store is selling the highest quality and the freshest produce around, we will earn their business.”

Richard Britt, owner of Britt’s Garden Acres in Manhattan, says his biggest customer is Hy-Vee. The store purchases tons of corn a year from the farm and then sells the product across Kansas. Tall and soft spoken, Britt isn’t the type of man to waste words being superfluous.

“They treat us right,” Britt says plainly. “They give us a

good, solid price. We know they won’t back out of agreements and they respect the work we put in raising these crops. That’s really important to me. I’ve dealt with other buyers that didn’t seem to respect us. Those deals don’t seem to last. We’re grateful to be working with them.”

Though Hy-Vee does make major purchases from local farmers, a local producer doesn’t have to have a silo full of product for the store to be interested.

“I tell farmers all the time to fill up the back of their pickup and come to the store,” Brown says with a laugh. “A lot of them don’t believe me, but it’s true. I’ll meet them, or maybe our produce manager, will meet them in the parking lot and look through their product. If we like it, we buy it. Farmers love it because if we do buy their product they don’t have to wait to be paid. We write a check on the spot.”

The business model is simple, and that’s the point.

“We like having relationships with our suppliers,” Thacker said. “I think the consumer market is beginning to demand more transparency and by working with local suppliers as much as we can our customers know just where their food was produced.”

That transparency is exactly what Kelly McNames appreciates. The Topeka shopper recently switch allegiances.

“I think buying as local as possible is incredibly important,” McNames says. “I’m by no means a chef, but the more I research into processed and packaged foods, the more I’m convinced accountability and knowing where my food comes from is important. I mean, I live in Topeka. I’m surrounded by farms. Getting local food should be easy.”

Tara Jo Brown says there’s no turning back for her store.

“If you’re running a grocery store in Kansas and you don’t take advantage of the resources outside your door, you’re really missing a great opportunity,” Brown says. “It’s good for business and it’s good for our community.”

FH

Hank Charcuterie 1900 Massachusetts Street Lawrence, Kansas

Chef Vaughn Good is an artist and his tool is a sharp knife.

At his shop, Hank Charcuterie (1900 Massachusetts St, Lawrence), Good artfully butchers beef, sheep, lamb, hogs, turkeys, chickens and duck. He is silent and efficient. His shop is open to the public and Good carves carcasses without a care of who watches. When he butchers a side of lamb, he isn’t putting on a show; he’s getting the job done.

“I’m not here to prepare fancy or obnoxious dishes,” Good says with a nonchalant tone. “I’m here to give Lawrence the best meat available. Lawrence has been very supportive of locally produced food, but high quality meat hasn’t been very accessible. I’m working to change that.”

Good spent the better part of the last year refurbishing the quaint building on the busy corner lot into a butcher shop and restaurant. About a quarter of the space is dedicated to patrons and a service counter. The bulk of the building serves as a kitchen, cooler and carving station. The space, much like Good, is informal and unpretentious.

“I want this place to be like a throwback to when everyone knew their neighborhood butcher,” Good says. “I think we can get back to that sense of community and knowing where our food comes from.”

Good sells only locally sourced meats and fresh plates.

The menu changes daily and completely relies on what meat the shop has in the cooler. Daily specials range from Smoked Oxtail or Lamb Pate Pain Perdu to Sea Island Peas or a Hank Burger on a “shitty” bun. The dishes Good serves are rich, simple and often old fashioned. Good works with smoke and coal and wood and fire. He strives to keep things as simple and flavorful as possible.

“I don’t wont to complicate anything here,” Good says.

“The meat and produce we’re working with is so good and so fresh, that sometimes I think it’s best just to get out of the way and let the ingredients do the work. I think people appreciate that.”

Though his cooking is often simple, Good’s training is not. Good spent the previous 3 years working the line at Pachamama’s. Before that he earned a degree from the

International Culinary Institute in New York City. It was while in New York that Good started to focus on the art of charcuterie. That focus developed into a passion and then an idea.

“While I was at Pach I started to work a lot of charcuterie into the menu,” Good says. “Ken (Baker, Pachamama’s owner) was great about letting me try new things with meats and charcuterie. Anytime I had the chance to work on a charcuterie project I really got into it. After awhile I just decided it was time for me to see what I could do to challenge myself. I started to focus on opening this shop.”

Since opening this summer, business at the corner shop has been very good.

“To be honest, business has been even better than expected,” Good says with a slight smile. “It’s not uncommon for us to sell out of certain cuts of meat, which is a good problem to have.”

Interest in the shop and Good’s work with the knife has been so high that he recently began offering butchering demonstrations. Once a week or so Good announces what he’s cutting and welcomes whomever would like to watch.

“People are really interested in the process of breaking down an animal,” Good explains. “If people want to watch me work, that’s really cool. We want people to have a better understanding and appreciation of where their food comes from and how much work goes into preparing a lamb chop or making sausage.“ That appreciation for locally sourced food is the main reason located his shop at 19th and Massachusetts in Lawrence. The neighborhood is experiencing a boutique food shop boom.

“With us and Alchemy Coffee and 1900 Barker down the block, we are forming this really great neighborhood, food hub,” Good says. “It’s pretty cool that we are all doing our own things, and those things can all be combined to create something pretty cool.”

FH

The 2015 Dodge Ram

2121 W 29th Terrace / Lawrence , Kansas (785) 843-3055 / www.briggschrysler.com

Tallgrass Brewing Company 8845 Quail Lane Manhattan, Kansas photos by Tasha Keathley-Helms

The man makes a living by making beer.

Jeff Gill starting making beer as a hobby in his garage. He has turned that hobby into Tallgrass Brewing Company, a Manhattan-based burgeoning regional craft beer player. And yes, he understands how cool that is.

“I definitely know I’m living a pretty great life,” Gill says with one of his big laughs. “I think that’s kind of the dream. You know, start your own brewery and get to make beer for a living. I can tell you though, this wasn’t some happy accident.

When I decided to get serious about brewing, I knew I had to have a plan to make it work. We’re working that plan now.”

Jeff is a bit of an oxymoron. He clearly likes to laugh. Spending time with him in the Tallgrass offices rarely does a minute go by without him laughing about something. He has a broad smile that rarely leaves his face. But Gill is the type of man that is capable of stepping back and appreciating what he has. He also knows he has created his life through a combination of hard work and well-thought decisions. There is no “flying by the seat of our pants” at Tallgrass.

Gill was born and raised in small-town Kansas. He has an appreciation for the blood, sweat and fears that go into making a living working the soil. After graduating from Kansas State with a geology degree, Gill set out to conquer the rocks of the world. He worked stints in the Utah oil industry before finding his was back to Kansas and settling in Topeka. It was there that the spark of home brewing really started to ignite.

“My boss in Topeka was a phenomenal brewer,” Gill says.

“He took the idea seriously and was instrumental in getting me on the right track. Because of me being the way I am, I really got into it. Soon I stopped thinking about making a few bottles to have for myself and started focusing on how I could make the best possible beer.”

The more serious Gill grew about brewing, the more he thought about making it a career.

“Finally, one night at dinner with my wife, Tricia just looked at me and said: ‘So what do you want to do with the rest of your life?’” Gill says with a laugh. “Obviously I hadn’t hid my desire very well. But we decided that night that we were going to open a microbrewery.”

Gill knew on thing for sure.

“I knew that if we were going to do this, the only place I wanted to do it was in Manhattan,” Gill says. “We both wanted to return here. We want to raise our daughters here. And this is the only community I wanted to open a brewery. This area of the state is gorgeous. The people are the salt of the earth.

And, maybe most importantly, the mineral content of the water is absolutely perfect to use in brewing beer.”

Gill found some investors, a spot on the east side of Manhattan and, in 2007, started brewing beer.

To say that the road from the first bottled beer in 2007 to being distributed in 14 states was smooth would be misleading.

Of course trouble occurred and beer was spilled. More than once Gill found himself in the brewery alone at night wondering just what the hell he had done. Those moments faded quickly though.

“Like I said, I had a very well-thought-out business plan,” Gill says. “I knew this was an enormous risk and I knew that if I screwed it up I would be financially spent. So I didn’t fuck around. I got to work and built a company.”

A moment of clarity came in 2010. Tallgrass had been bottling their brews and hadn’t considered another option. One afternoon Gill heard from a Tallgrass fan in southwest Kansas who didn’t have access to a recycling center for his bottles.

He wanted to ship them back to Manhattan for the brewery to reuse. Gill instinctively knew there had to be a better way.

“To be honest, I hadn’t ever thought about using anything but bottles,” he says. “I did a bunch of research and it was amazing. Cans are less expensive to produce and less expensive to ship and they are easier to recycle. It was a no-brainer.”

The Tallgrass “canifesto” was adopted. Since making the switch 16-ounce cans in 2010, Tallgrass’ annual sales revenues have increased by an average of 72 percent each year.

Yes, 72 percent.

“We’ve been able to get into certain markets almost solely because we use cans,” Gill says. “A lot of distributors and stores appreciate the cans because they are easier for them to handle and consumers really like the 16-ounce can size.”

Gill says the crew at Tallgrass likes to keep things simple.

They don’t create a new beer just for fun. They create a new beer because they have a distinct idea for a brew, and work for months to perfect the product. Tallgrass offers 5 yearround beers and 3 or 4 seasonal brews. The best-selling beer is 8-Bit. A “Hop-Rocket” infuses the character of Australian grown Galaxy Hops into an American Pale Ale, with a unique tropical, almost melon aroma in a classic American style.

The future for Tallgrass is very, very bright. The company is in the process of relocating to a significantly larger space in Manhattan and plans are in the works for Gill and a partner to open The Tallgrass Taphouse, a brewpub and full-service restaurant opening in downtown Manhattan.

“The new location is exciting because we are just outgrowing this space,” Gill says. “The restaurant is a work in progress.

It will celebrate Kansas, good beer and good people. It will be realization of our main goal. We want to bring people together over a great beer. We brew the beers you want to drink with your best friends.”

FH

Merchants Pub & Plate 746 Massachusetts Street Lawrence, Kansas

photos by Tasha Keathley-Helms

Emily Peterson knows her husband.

“He’s the most generous person I’ve ever met,” she says with a serious tone. “Without question, TK loves to make people happy. He loves to make people feel appreciated. I think that’s why he’s such a great chef. When he cooks he thinks of each dish as a genuine offering.”

Together, TK and Emily own and operate Merchants Pub & Plate in downtown Lawrence. The bar and restaurant are, at their core, a celebration of Kansas. Dishes steam with robust, rich flavors that hark back to forgotten times. Ingredients are sourced as close to the front door as possible and TK takes great pride in serving meal that can warm your heart and put some meat on your bones.

“I don’t screw around in the kitchen,” TK says with his big, hardy laugh. “I take the food very, very seriously. It’s so important to me that when guests leave Merchants, they are full and happy. That’s all that matters.”

TK has a big personality. He talks loud and laughs even louder. It takes only a few minutes with TK to begin to absorb his energy and passion. It’s clear that he loves to cook and he loves running a restaurant.

“Yeah, I do love this place,” he says while gazing at dinners from the bar area. “We’re doing what I’ve always wanted to do and sharing the food I was raised on.”

TK is a no stranger to the Lawrence culinary scene. He graduated from the Culinary Institute at Johnson County Community College and immediately cut his teeth on the line at the now-defunct The Blue Jacket. Peterson made news when he was selected as the first Executive Chef at The Oread in 2011.

He ran that shop for 2 years before undertaking plans for Merchants last year. Developing and running the restaurant has been a dream come true for Peterson.

“This is the restaurant I’ve always wanted to own,” TK says with obvious pride. “That is the kitchen I want to run and these are the meals I want to cook. I’ve worked for nearly militant chefs in very strict restaurants and I appreciate the discipline I learned. But that’s not how I want to run my kitchen. I want our cooks to take this food seriously, but have as much fun as possible.”

The motivation behind Merchant’s evolving menu is an earnest quest for the classic taste and composition of Midwestern meals from days gone by. The restaurant is creating a community of appreciation for local and regional food sources.

The back of their menu is, literally, a map of Kansas with pinpoints highlighting the farms from which they purchase ingredients.

“A lot of our dishes are taken from grandparents’ and stories of growing up in the Midwest,” Emily says. “It is comfort

food. We want everything about Merchants to be welcoming.

I think trying to source as many ingredients from as close to our kitchen as possible is a big part of the comfort people have with our dishes. There is something reassuring about knowing exactly where the rabbit or the chicken is from. We are proud of our partners and we want our guests to know our sources.”

When TK talks about his menu, he returns to two words: pride and comfort. When you eat the Sweetlove Farm Chicken or the Bison Bolognese (page 47), TK wants you to feel the pride he has in the Kansas products.

“Hey, I’m so proud to be from Kansas,” he says while shrugging his shoulders and raising his eyebrows. “I think we have access to some of the best ingredients on the planet just minutes from that kitchen. The food from our grandparents’ kitchen tables is some of the best food ever. It’s simple but filling and satisfying. That’s what we want to do here. We want you to come in, have a great meal and a couple great beers.”

As good as the food is, Merchants has earned a reputation as one of the best beer bars in the region. They boast 30 taps of microbrews from across the county. Their beer selection evolves with consumer demand. If drinkers are asking for more ciders, Merchants offers more ciders. If folks want lagers, they find new lagers to offer.

“We want to help people find new favorites,” Emily says. “It all goes back to making people feel included and welcome.

Tell us about a great beer and we’ll probably find a way to get it on tap.”

As the restaurant enters its second year, TK and Emily are very excited about the seemingly endless possibilities.

“We have so much planned. We are trying to figure out just how to accomplish everything,” Emily says with a laugh.

“Right now we are stepping up our catering options, which is great. TK has a strong history of catering, so he’s very excited about that. And we’re working on a plan for a rooftop bar, but we’ll talk about that later.”

When TK talks about the future, he leans back in his chair and shakes his head in near disbelief.

“I’m so excited about coming up with new menus,” TK says with wide eyes. “Now that we have established that we want to celebrate local ingredients, local growers trust us. We get people bringing in things all the time. It’s so cool to have a local grower walk in with a box or a sack of, you know, mushrooms or peppers. And you just know they pulled them out of the dirt that morning. Cooking with ingredients like that is just so fucking cool.”

FH

ON THE TABLE

Seasonal recipies from local cooks.

Thick Cut Pork Chop with Jalapeno Bacon Corn on the Cob and Green Beans Manhattan Hy-Vee Kitchen

Pork Chops 4 1 1 1 1 1

Thick-Cut Pork Chops (3/4-inch thick) Tbsp Salt Tbsp Black Pepper Tbsp Paprika Tbsp Garlic Powder Tbsp Onion Powder

Rub with season then grill for about 5-7 minutes on each side. Internal temp should read 145 degrees.

Jalapeno Bacon Corn on the Cob 4 Fresh Ears of Corn 8 Slices of Jalapeno Bacon Cajon Seasoning

Wrap bacon around corn then season.

Wrap in aluminum foil and grill for 15 min. Rotate the corn as needed.

Green Beans 1/2 1/4 1 Lb 1 Tbsp 1 Tbsp 2 Lb

cup Diced Onions cup minced garlic Bacon diced Salt Black Pepper Fresh green beans

Sautee bacon, onions and minced garlic mix with cleaned green beans. Then add salt and pepper. Bake in over at 350 degrees for 15 minutes.

Bison Bolognese / Chef TK Peterson / Mercants Pub & Plate in Lawrence Âź cup 1 each 1 each 1 bulb 2 each 4 cloves

olive oil medium sized carrots, chopped yellow onion, chopped fennel bulb, chopped celery stalks chopped garlic, chopped

1lb 1/3 cup 1 bottle 2 T. TT As Needed

Ground Bison Tomato Paste Red wine, yes you need the whole thing, so buy extra Chopped fresh thyme Salt and Pepper Chicken stock or Water

Patience is the name of the game with this recipe and if you don’t take the time to get the well caramelized flavors your Bolognese will be totally mediocre.

Place all the vegetables in a food processor and chop into a slightly chunky paste, not completely pureed but almost.

Heat olive oil in a large frying pan or cast iron pan and add the vegetables, turn the heat down to medium and cook the vegetables for about 15-20 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and cook the vegetables until they are well browned.

Add the bison and cook for an additional 20-25 minutes, again until well browned, season with salt and pepper and add the tomato paste, turn the heat down to medium-low heat and cook the tomato paste for 20 minutes until mixture has turned into a more brown than red color, don’t worry if you start to have bits stick to the pan, we will capture them when we deglaze with the wine. Once the mixture has browned again, add the wine and scrape up all the stuck on bits on the bottom of the pan, increase the heat to medium and simmer until all the wine has reduced out and you once again have a brownish paste.

Add enough stock or water to completely cover the meat mixture but just submerged, place a piece of foil over the top but not completely sealed, you want to have steam escape from the pan. Simmer the sauce on medium heat, once the liquid is reduced out add more and repeat this process really as many times as you want, the more time it cooks the more concentrated the flavor will be, but for at least 1.5 hours. Check seasoning along the way.

Once you are ready to serve, cook the liquid down until there is only about a cup of liquid and toss with one pound of your favorite pasta, top with grated pecorino or parmesan and a drizzle of good quality olive oil.

Sunny Kansas Granola / Chef Alli’s Farm Fresh Kitchen

1/4 cup 1/4 cup 2 large 1/3 cup 1 tsp 1 tsp

honey from Kansas Foods pure maple syrup egg whites vegetable or corn oil vanilla extract ground cinnamon

1/2 cup 1/2 cup 1/2 cup 1 cup 1/2 cup 1/2 tsp

raw pumpkin seeds (pepitas) quinoa sunflower seeds from Sunflower Food Company wheat treats from Wheatland Foods slivered almonds kosher salt

2 1/2 cup whole rolled barley or rolled oats Paramount Grain Foods 1/4 cup whole flax seeds or 2 tbs ground flax seed 2 cup mixed chopped dried fruit, such as apricots, prunes, dried cherries, blueberries, cranberries, raisins or golden raisins

Preheat oven to 275 degrees. Place honey, maple syrup, egg whites, oil, vanilla, cinnamon, salt, and orange zest in a large mixing bowl; mix until all ingredients are well blended. Set ½ cup of this honey mixture aside. Add oats, flax, pepitas, barley, sunflower seeds and almonds to mixing bowl and mix with a spoon (or your hands) until all ingredients are well combined and coated. Add the dried fruit to the reserved honey mixture and toss to combine; set aside.

Spray a rimmed baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray and line with parchment paper. Spread oat mixture out on the prepared baking sheet in an even layer; bake for 30 minutes. Add reserved fruit mixture to oat mixture and stir to combine. Spread the granola out again in an even layer and bake until oats are golden brown and crunchy, 35-40 minutes, stirring halfway through baking time, taking care to leave some clumps. Let granola cool; store in refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

The Point(s) of Wine Appreciation

by Steve Wilson & Jamie Routledge of City Wine Market / Lawrence

Anyone who’s visited a liquor store or wine shop in the last 20+ years has probably noticed those little slips of paper taped to the shelves and emblazoned with a number, usually from 87 to 100. These numbers represent wine reviews, presented as calculated and objective and based on the same scoring system used in school, i.e. 90 to 100 is an “A”, 80 to 89 a “B”, etc.

If it’s truly a 100-point scale, why is it that consumers rarely hear about the wines that scored under 80? In practice, isn’t it really more like a 20-point scale?

We have a difficult time with “scores.” Proponents of the 100-point scale will say these reviews make better wine consumers by steering them to what’s worth drinking and away from what’s not. And that may be true. The difficulty we have with them comes not from the questions these reviews do answer but from the questions they seem to avoid answering.

Did you pay face value for all the wines you sample?

And if so, were they randomly selected from the shelf of a US liquor retailer? After all, that’s where the majority of your readers are going to get the wine. If not, how come?

Does the winery whose wines you are critiquing advertise in your publication or on your website? If so, doesn’t this present a conflict of interest?

Where did you taste the wines? At the winery? At your office? At your home in Tuscany?

Among the questions we’d like to pose to the reviewers: Mr./Mrs. Wine Pundit, are you aware that high scores have the potential to grace some people with significant financial gain, while low scores may cause financial ruin? If yes, how do you prevent these facts from influencing your reviews?

Given that high scores show up on retailers’ shelves and low scores don’t, are you at all motivated to give wines higher scores in order to get your reviews posted more widely?

At the time of the tasting, were you tired, dehydrated, hung over or over suffering from jet lag (actually, being hung over is said to improve tasting ability)? When was the last time you’d eaten?

When you were conducting the review, how many different wines did you taste that day? Two? 10? 75? And when you gave Chateau Blá Blá Blá’s Cabernet Sauvignon a score of 100 points, was it the first wine you tasted, the last wine you tasted or somewhere in between?

What does 89+ mean? What does 99+ mean? When you award a wine the score of 89+ or 99+, do you point out exactly what prevented you from rounding up to the next whole number? If not, shouldn’t you?

If one for-profit reviewer gives a wine the score of 89 and another gives the same wine a 95, who is right and which score should a retailer use?

If you were at the winery, were the samples taken from a barrel at the winery or poured from a bottle that had never left the winery? Given the most consumers will never get taste the wines from barrel or from bottles that have never left the winery, are these really representative samples?

Do you allow your personal likes and dislikes to influence your reviews in any way? If not, how is this possible?

What’s wrong with a review of One Star, Two Stars or Three Stars? After all, the best restaurants in the world are reviewed this way (e.g. Michelin).

This is not to say that wines can’t be reviewed. They absolutely can, just not with the precision that a 100-point scale suggests is possible. Wine appreciation shouldn’t be given a Sleep Number setting. A good wine review should be like a friend telling you about a restaurant he ate at last weekend. If it was good he might say, “Good food, good atmosphere. Very solid. You’d like it.” Maybe it was fantastic. “I ate there Friday night and again Saturday night... and then again for brunch on Sunday. I would have eaten there on Monday but I had to go to work! You have to try it.” In both cases you have some idea about what to expect but the experience is still yours to have.

Isn’t that the point?

Steve Wilson & Jamie Routledge operate City Wine Market in Lawrence. The shop offers a vast selection of wines and craft beers. Wine tasting, wine pairings and answers to any wine questions available.

(785) 856-2489