The Sandwich has been quiet for a bit since I’ve been in upstate New York living and working on the American Masala Farm. And a busy few weeks it’s been. We’ve mucked barns, eaten delicious doughnuts, and, of course, have made some fantastic Indian food from chef Suvir Saran‘s cookbooks. I’ve been updating the Gourmetro frequently and plan to continue until I get back to Birmingham.

After clearing about two dozen goats and alpaca out of the barn’s shade, Adam, Dan, and I proceeded to clear out two weeks of, well, muck. Thankfully, heat and humidity were relatively low and the flies stayed with the animals. Luring them out into the field went well for 15 of them, but a handful still had to be forcibly moved. We got used to the smell, as much as that’s possible, shoveled, pitchforked, and scraped 10 wheel barrels, and were left with a relatively clean barn. A thick dusting of lime when down to help absorb moisture, followed by a bit of bedding. All told it probably took us an hour. This entire process would have been much easier if we all hadn’t eaten Belly Busters at Bob’s Lunch (post tomorrow). The giant 1-lb burgers (with bacon and cheese) however local and delicious, were leaden lumps in our stomach through the smelly mucking process. Today we move on to the chicken coop, which Charlie promises won’t be as gross. We’ll see.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=WtTWqHG8D08

Skip is the producer of The Gourmetro. Mucking a barn isn’t so bad, just don’t eat a 1-pound hamburger first. Read about his culinary travels through the South as Dan over at ‘Ham Sandwich.

So far, I have found the chickens to be largely suspicious, the goats rowdy, and the sheep largely indifferent on the American Masala Farm in New York state’s green and hilly Upstate region. As some of you may know, I will be staying here for the next few weeks collecting eggs, feeding goats, building fences, and potentially clearing paths through the woods with hand tools. Chef Suvir Saran, cookbook author and co-owner of New York City’s Michelin-starred Devi, and his partner Charlie were kind enough to put me up while I learn.

While Kim Sunee was here, there was a lot of cooking but not much farm work. She left yesterday, and now I expect the heavy labor to begin later this afternoon with a good ol’ fashioned barn mucking. Pictures and commentary to come.

On Sunday, Kim, Charlie, Suvir and I prepared an American Masala feast for a few guests. Among the dishes from his books Indian Home Cooking and American Masala, we had corn curry, mixed raita, Mirchi Kaa Saalan, a pepper curry (one of the spiciest things I have ever eaten. It gave me the sweats), fried chicken, goat curry, warm lentil salad, and an cardamon-pistachio apricot and peach clafoutis. Fantastic meal, wonderful recipes.

I’ll be posting frequently over the next few weeks about my time on the farm, around Washington County, and the greater Northeast.

Skip is the producer of The Gourmetro. As he writes this, he is suffering from an acute case of burger-induced narcolepsy from a local beef Bob’s Lunch belly busting 1-pounder. He got his name on the wall, but he’s a little worse for the wear. Read about his culinary travels through the South as Dan over at ‘Ham Sandwich.

Week 12: August 1, 2009
Weather: 75 degrees and cloudy

Apples (Ginger Gold, Red and Yellow Delicious)
Arugula
Basil (green and purple)
Blueberries
Cilantro
Broccoli
Cantaloupe (Athena)
Corn (field, and silver queen)
Cucumber (long green, pickler)
Eggplant (Italian, white, Japanese)
Figs (LSU Purple, Lemon, Celeste, brown turkey, White Marseille)
Kale
Kolrabi
Leeks
Lettuce (Butterhead, oak leaf)
Lima Beans
Melon (Sun Jewel)
Nectarines (Yellow)
Okra (green and red)
Parsley
Peaches (Red Prince/Alberta, Dixieland, Tyler)
Peas (Pinkeye Purple Hull, crowder dark, black eye, zipper, lady, field)
Peppers (Bell, Purple Bell, Marconi, jalapeno, cow horn hot, cubanelle, Sweet Banana, Sweet Cayenne, Mohawk, chocolate bell, yellow bell, Serrano, Gypsy)
Radish
Potatoes (New, Yukon gold, irish, kennebeck, Dakota Pearl)
Salad Mix
Squash (zephyr, patty pan sunburst, crook neck)
Squash Blossoms
String Beans (yellow wax, purple bush beans, pole beans, October, burgundy, Dragon’s Tongue, Rattlesnake)
Sweet Potatoes (white, orange)
Tomatoes (Persimmon, Cherokee Purple, Arkansas Travelers, Red Zebras, Ava Purple Ball, Sand Mountain, Sungold, San Marzano, Cobra, Striped German, black plum, grape, green zebra, sungold, red lightning, Japanese black trifle, cherry, Bloody Butcher, and green)
Turnips Greens
Watermelon
Zucchini (8-ball, yellow)

Due to heavy rains, the heirloom tomatoes took a beating this week. There aren’t too many. Figs are still out in force, but watermelons are scarse. I was a little surprised to see some first-of-season apples (red and yellow delicious and ginger gold).

Dan is the producer of ‘Ham Sandwich. Read about his cooking adventures as Skip on The Gourmetro and learn about him on aisle-9.net.

Week 7: June 27, 2009

Weather: 86 degrees and sunny

Tomatoes and peaches are the stars of the market this week. “Tomatoes are about as good as they get right now,” says David Snow, the proprietor of Snow’s Bend Farm. Warm days are contributing to a bounty of heirloom varieties. Clear-seed peaches are coming in.

Dan is the producer of ‘Ham Sandwich. Read about his cooking adventures as Skip on The Gourmetro and learn about him on aisle-9.net. Sarah was the on-scene reporter and greatly contributed to this report.