Buffalo Rising Online

Last Sunday, as I was about to make away with my purchases from the Wintermarket, I noticed dozens of fresh eggs stacked up on the table belonging to the fantastic Blossom Hill Farm. Blossom Hill is best known to most of us for its phenomenal pork, but not being in the market for meat that day I had swept past their table without looking carefully. I cannot believe that I almost missed out on a gorgeous dozen of their marvelous eggs.

Lovely ovals peeked out of the carton at me, in designer shades of speckled blue and soft brown. What a treat! We city folk really don't know what we're missing when it comes to fresh chicken eggs produced with love and care. We've grown accustomed to the rubbery, dull replicas pawned off as the real deal by our local supermarkets.

Its game day, folks, and if there’s anything that Americans love as much as football, it’s probably the food that accompanies it. For many, Superbowl provides welcome relief from the rigorous diet and exercise that many have committed themselves to since their New Year’s resolutions were made. (Might I suggest that they allow themselves another day or two of freedom, as Mardi Gras is only two days away?) For others, it’s a chance to really strut their stuff when it comes to casual entertaining.

I like to keep it simple. Hearty, one-pot, American fare is the way to go as far as I’m concerned. I decided to cook up a pot of chili this year, nothing fancy, just good. It seemed like a good opportunity to try out one of our city’s coolest products: Growing Green’s Amazing Chili Starter.

Growing Green is a…

The basement of the Lafayette Presbyterian Church may not be the chicest marketplace in town aesthetically speaking, but true foodies will be thrilled with the selection of artisan goods available at Elmwood's new Wintermarket.

I was in a rush, but managed to pop in for a few minutes this afternoon. The crowd wasn't huge, but the vendors assured me that they had done a steady business throughout the day.

The always natty Patrick of White Cow Dairy was there with his full line of farmstead dairy products. Not only with the yogurt and custard we’ve all grown to love, but also with a reformulated batch of thick chocolate pudding. He was also displaying a copy of the most recent Bon Appetit magazine in which his fine products are featured.…

As many of our regular readers know, Wintermarket on Elmwood will open for the first time tomorrow, January 13th. This will present a great opportunity for area residents, food producers and farmers alike. Open Sundays from 1 PM - 4 PM, this collection of businesses, usually found at the Elmwood-Bidwell Farmers Market during the summer, now has a venue in which to sell their fine products in the chilly season.

I recently had the chance to speak with David Setzer of The Artful Table and Slow Food Buffalo, who has spearheaded the project, about his motivations for bringing this project to life.

"First and foremost, it was the desire to create an additional route to connect the local food producer to the consu…

A few weeks ago, David Setzer of the Artful Table sent me an email to tell me that a farmers market was searching for a winter home on Elmwood. I was, of course, excited to hear this. Quite honestly, I hear all kinds of exciting ideas every week-- but bringing them to fruition is often another story. Not this time.

I am happy to announce that many of the vendors from the Elmwood-Bidwell Farmers Market, along with a few others, will kick off the opening of the Wintermarket on Elmwood on January 13th. Located inside the Presbyterian Church at the corner of Lafayette and Elmwood, it will be open on Sundays from 1 - 4PM until the Elmwood-Bidwell Market re-opens in May.

This is fantastic news for the entrepreneurs who will have a venue in which to sell their handcrafted and farm-raised products in the "off-season", and it's a great opportunity for the neighborhood as well. I've…