Farm to Fork 101: Presents Seeds To Roots at the Stoop Kitchen

My family had a dear friend who had the most incredible garden while I was growing up. It took up a huge section of his backyard and it was his pride and joy (second only to his family)! Visiting his garden and picking the fresh vegetables was something we looked forward to all winter and spring.  Bringing home the vegetables and preparing them in new ways was almost as fun as getting to spend time with him! He would pickle and can the vegetables in the fall and gift them throughout the winter. Not only was he generous with his bounty, he would happily teach you how to pickle the copious amounts of green beans he grew each year! Seeing how much he loved his garden and the passion he had for all of the vegetables he grew made everything that much tastier. Not all of us are fortunate enough to have a friend with a garden or if we do have access to home grown vegetables, we may not know what to do with them once we bring them home. The various farmer's markets we have around Central New York can be a bit intimidating if you have absolutely no idea what to do with all of the local produce procured. This predicament is the inspiration behind Farm to Fork 101.

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Good Nature Farm Brewery

When Chris and I first started dating he wasn’t the most adventurous eater. While I had an expansive palate, he pretty much stuck to the same few meals that primarily consisted of meat and some kind of potato. His open mindedness was one of the things that most attracted me to him. After all, he ate sushi on our second date! It was around this time that my parents and I were patrons of Circa-New American Bistro in Cazenovia and, of course, Chris became one as well. To say that we are huge fans of its owner and chef, Alicyn Hart, is a complete understatement! She was and is our culinary rockstar. Dining at Circa and eating the thoughtful and innovative meals created with local, sustainable and organic produce and meats was the gateway to a true love affair with food for him. Circa was the restaurant we frequented the most while we were dating, so much that we hosted our rehearsal dinner there in 2009. We had fabulous food at our wedding, but nine years later people mostly talk about our rehearsal dinner. It remains one of the most incredible meals we have ever had! Circa closed in 2014 and we still feel the loss of our favorite restaurant. When Chris and I discussed branching out and blogging about our culinary experiences, we both agreed that we had to start with Alicyn and her new home at Good Nature Farm Brewery in Hamilton, NY.

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