In search of fertilizer, a chef-turned-farmer finds something unexpected.
People
The 49-year-old with a curly mop of hair and slightly hippie sensibility was a computer programmer until just three years ago.
After a year of eating wild foods, winter brings the season to drink them.
A few months back we asked you to tell us about your favorite Edible-minded businesses–the farmer who raises the most perfect ruby radishes and pastured pigs; the chef who rocks not just the kitchen but a sense of community; the non-profit that’s changing the way people eat in parts of the borough that need it most; the cheesemonger with a heart of gold and even better Gouda. You talked to us–especially those of you who live in Red Hook, and at last, we have the results. We can’t offer these folks much more than our respect and our eternal gratitude–and maybe a listing in the magazine–but we hope you’ll take the chance to get to know all of them a little better. To that end, below are the winners of the 2012 Edible Brooklyn Local Hero Awards:
In case you missed it the first time around, this week NY1 is airing a repeat of one of our current favorite Edible segments: The one on the beautiful new 3,000 square-foot bean-to-bar factory built by Mast Brothers Chocolates right on N. Third Street in Williamsburg. Last year we covered Rick and Michael Mast as they sailed to the Dominican Republic for cacao collection, but this story is on their homebase. If you haven’t taken one of their tours (Thursday through Sunday at 4:30 pm) or been to the really lovely new tasting room (where a new pastry chef makes cookies, cakes, brittle, truffles and other constantly tweaked concoctions) we urge you to make the trip to the Northside. Or just watch us take ours right here.
For all those headed out there in the next few days to hunt down one last gift for your holiday list, we’ve got a few ideas. In fact, last-minute gifts are practically the only kind we give. So here goes… 1. Buy a couple of Ball or Mason jars from your local hardware/kitchenware store and any of the canning, pickling and preserving books cataloged here by the Punk Domestics, a very modern DIY site dedicated to preserving traditional foodways. (We must admit our favorite is Tart & Sweet, by Brooklynite Kelly Geary, whom we’ve lauded countless times on these digital pages ourselves.)
The anti-hunger advocate on how he slimmed down, why soda should remain in the Food Stamp Program and why you shouldn’t volunteer at a soup kitchen on Christmas.
The explosive flavors of Brooklyn’s Chinatown include so much more than dim sum.
