Bloomin' & Growin'

The Windmill's garden is bursting with buds and tiny fruits everywhere you look!

We try to fill every container, planter and bed with something edible, showing that we can use the ground for both edible and beautiful things at the same time- it doesn't have to be one or the other!

Thanks to Father Nature Landscapes, who makes it all work for us while we stay busy with the restaurant and grocery.

The most interesting things popping up are our tomato plants, which we did not plant on purpose. We recently shifted our compost operation to make room for more back of house space. All the restaurant fruit and vegetables scraps have recently been going to feed Little House Farms heritage breed black pigs instead of making compost anyway, which we think is a fine use for all that. So the remaining compost was added to the beds a few weeks back. The millions of tiny tomato seeds down in the compost that we never once thought about decided to sprout and we now have tomato plants growing from our ears! Out of the base of fruit tree planters, in garden beds, you name it! What a treat to watch these accidental plants grow strong and make food once again!

Pictures of the tomato plants are below, as well as a few other delicious things just starting to pop out. Come by and check it all out for yourself!

Tomato Plants Taking Over!

Tomato Plants Growing Under Our Fruit Trees

Blackberries

Blueberries

Figs

Lettuces Sprouting out of the cracks in the sidewalks and the corner of raised beds!

Tiny Peppers still going and growing strong form last Summer! Mild Winter, I guess...

McDonald's hamburger looks the same after 14 years

A US man has shown off a 14-year-old McDonald's hamburger that looks the same as the day he bought it.

The Telegraph, By James Brooks   1:52PM BST 24 Apr 2013

David Whipple, from Utah, had originally planned to keep the burger for two months in order to show friends how its preservatives would maintain its appearance.

But, after accidentally leaving the product in his pocket for two years, Mr Whipple decided to keep the burger for even longer to see how long it could continue looking normal.

"It wasn't on purpose," Mr Whipple told US television show The Doctors.

"I was showing some people how enzymes work and I thought a hamburger would be a good idea. And I used it for a month and then forgot about it.

"It ended up in a paper sack in the original sack with the receipt in my coat tossed in the back of my truck and it sat there for, I don't know, two or three months."

However, Mr Whipple's experiment was then forgotten after the coat was tossed in a closet.

"My wife didn't discover it until at least a year or two after that. And we pulled it out and said 'oh my gosh, I can't believe it looks the same way."

Doctors on the CBS show noted that aside from the pickle disintegrating, the burger showed no signs of mould, fungus or even a strange odour.

Mr Whipple admitted that at one point he had considered selling the burger via online auction site eBay.

But, despite bids reaching close to $2,000 (£1,300), he and his family decided to keep the product for educational use.

He now admits he uses the burger to convince his grandchildren not to eat junk food from restaurants such as McDonalds.

"It's great for the grandkids to see. To see what happens with fast food," he said.

Alabama Gulf Seafood Summit

Statewide elected officials, fisherman, retailers, wholesalers, and chefs gathered today at the Mobile Convention Center for the first Alabama Gulf Seafood Summit. What I hope will be the first of many organized events to promote the industry and bring all the necessary folks to the same table seemed like a big hit for all involved. I was honored to be there, listen and observe some heavy hitters of the industry, like the Governor, buyers for Whole Foods, the Ag Commissioner, folks from the Dept of Conservation, the Grocers Assoc and more. There were lots of interesting ideas, networking, and plenty mention of the debilitating oil spill and its effects on the industry.

With all that said, I left the event as confused and frustrated as ever before- and not just because a stalled out train was blocking my car under the Convention Center for what seemed like an eternity. I feel like there continues to be a disconnect between the Alabama seafood industry and the consumer… and I don’t know why.

I have been watching the large-scale PR campaign for Alabama Gulf Seafood since the oil spill and am impressed with the imagery of these evocative ads. They motivate me to go right now, “Turn here!” as some billboards say, and buy Alabama seafood. But where???

It is rare to find Alabama seafood in local and chain restaurants. It is rarer still to find it in grocery stores. It is next to impossible to find a seafood market anywhere between Orange Beach and Bayou la Batre. That means thousands of consumers in Mobile and Baldwin counties have inadequate access to local seafood. I know people who drive to Pensacola, Florida (another state entirely) to buy their fresh catch! My own house is within spitting distance of our waters and I do not know where to go to find seafood.

As a consumer I am frustrated enough, but as a buyer for a local grocery and restaurant, I feel the frustration on this end as well. There are very limited options for local catch. For a while I thought perhaps I was new to the industry, just didn’t know the right people or have the right suppliers. But at the Summit I found myself in a conversation with several other market and restaurant owners, chefs and caterers who said the same. Where is the local seafood? Why is so hard for me to buy for my stores and my customers?

Why is there such a disconnect between the seafood producers and the consumers? Is the demand for local products just not there? There must be some obstacles preventing this fresh seafood from reaching Alabamians. Perhaps its government regulation, or conservation limits on fin fish, or irregular supply from fisherman and uncooperative distributors. When it all comes down to it, though, I think the blame needs to be put squarely on the face of the consumers. I really can’t think of anyone else.

I know a few restaurants serve Alabama shrimp, or oysters when in season, but Swai and Tilapia are the norm, don’t kid yourselves. And if consumers are ok with that, or don’t care enough to even ask where its sourced, how will anything ever change?

Farmer Feature: Craine Creek

We work with anywhere from 50-60 farms throughout the year supplying our grocery store, our cafe and our Produce Club. We admire their hard work and enjoy their bounty on a daily basis. We'd like to introduce you to a few of them, starting now!

We visited a new greenhouse last week that will be supplying some wonderful (and slightly unusual) greens to the Windmill in the coming weeks, and hopefully ongoing. Their arugula is to die for, the bok choy and rare varieties of mustard greens or lettuces are so exciting! We began our tour by scrubbing up like we were going into surgery, donning shoe covers and preparing to enter a sealed environment. Every painstaking measure is taken to ensure the quality and life of the plants being grown at Crain Creek.

Anita showed us the crops that our customers will be having for dinner soon. Enjoy the pictures, and come by for some of that good stuff next week!

Butter

We've made butter a number of times at the Windmill and thought we'd share the pics! When locally made butter is in short supply, what is there to do but make your own? And who knew how easy it was! No more churning a big wooden stick for hours until your arms fall off. All you need is an electric stand mixer and some good heavy cream.

We start the mixer on high, whipping our cream for several minutes, and end up with some delicious looking whipped cream...

And we make a huge mess in the process...

A few minutes more on high and it starts to look like butter. Still too chunky and way too much moisture in it, though... keep going.

Now we have buter. Strain out all the liquid.

Flavor it, salt it, do what you like to it and then seal in an airtight container and refrigerate! 

It won't last long... especially when you have some of Sweet Olive's fresh baked bread on hand. I recommend the Cracked Wheat or Multigrain, lightly toasted, and topped with some of the Cinnamon Honey Butter we made this week! Or try your hand at it!

Al.com: King Cakes are a sure (and tasty) sign of Carnival

By David Holloway | dholloway@al.com

on January 28, 2013 at 1:49 PM, updated January 28, 2013 at 2:45 PM

Click here to view the story on al.com.

MOBILE, Alabama -- Mardi Gras is steeped in mystery and intrigue, a celebration marked by odd customs that can seem odd to folks unfamiliar with our brand of revelry.

Standing on a corner, for instance, and having strangers hurl trinkets and foodstuff to you from passing floats is an unusual way to get ready for the solemnity of Lent. As my good friend Wendell Quimby likes to say “It ain’t for everybody” and we know this and we like this.

But one of the more endearing and unusual customs of Mardi Gras involves a delicious cake that is only available during Carnival.

The King Cake goes on sale, according to legend, around New Year’s Day and is offered throughout the Carnival season. But come Ash Wednesday, when the 40 day lead up to Easter begins, the cake pans are packed away until next year.

Though the King Cake dates back to the 1600s, it is a relative newcomer to the Coastal Alabama party. It is widely held by folks who know (me) that the King Cake was first introduced to Alabama’s Mardi Gras celebration about 1959.

The man who is credited with bringing this tasty cake to the party is the late Fred Pollman of the famous bakery that still bears his family name. Mr. Pollman had visited the Crescent City and he discovered the locals there were all about a brioche cake that was decorated with the colors of Mardi Gras – purple, green and gold.

He fiddled with the recipe and, made it a tad lighter and less dense and he rest is history. It is often sold with a variety of fillings, from cream cheese to jellied fruit; among purists, though, the plain version is also very popular.

Yeah, but what’s the deal with the baby?

A tiny, pink, plastic baby is often hidden within the cake and the finder is then bound by custom to bring a King Cake to the next social gathering of the season. Some commercial bakers now opt not to include the tiny baby inside the cake, choosing to include it with the cake so you can put it in if you like.

King Cakes are widely available from a number of outlets, both in person and online. But if for some reason you don’t have access to one you can make it yourself at home. Be advised, it is a detailed and lengthy process but the cake is delicious.

Take heart, gentle readers. The folks over at Windmill Market in Fairhope, Ala., are going to show you how it’s done. They are hosting a series of King Cake-cooking classes, the next of which is Thursday, Jan. 31.

“Our cooking classes are small and intimate groups where everyone gets a chance to get their hands dirty and get in the middle of the cooking,” said Maggie Lacey with Windmill Market. And if you don’t want to get your hands dirty, she said you can just sit back and watch while enjoying a glass of wine.

“We offer private classes at any time for groups of 8 or more at no additional charge,” she said, adding that if the class is a success they will immediately plan more.

For information on the classes you can call the market at 251.990.8883. 

Recipe Files from September Produce Club

Much-belated recipes from September Produce Club are featured below -

Curried Okra with Chickpeas and Tomatoes

Chicken Stew with Okra 

Red Potato Skewers with Garlic and Mustard

Recipe Files From August Produce Club

Much-belated recipes from August Produce Club are featured below -

Goat Cheese Quiche with Hash-Brown Crust

Thai Basil Shrimp ‘n Okra

 Boiled Peanuts

Kale Goes to the Spa for a Massage?

A Produce Club customer shared this "Massaged Kale" recipe with us, and while we can't stop giggling about the name, I think the end result is the real thing. She recommends replacing the mangoes with local satsumas, as tasty this time of year as any citrus anywhere! And with kale just beginning to roll off the local trucks, this salad is right on time.

We have other great kale recipes on this blog as well so be sure to search for those recipes from last season's Produce Club Recipe Files!

Massaged Kale Recipe

Ellen Mitchell: An all Alabama diet, is it even possible?

Mobile Press Register (via al.com)

"In an attempt to explore Alabama produced food and the people that supply it, Mobile-based business reporter Ellen Mitchell will eat only food that is grown, raised or caught in Alabama for five days. 

On the first day of her project, she visits Oak Hill Tree Farm in Grand Bay and talks to owner Brian Keller about his hydroponic lettuce, the trend of eating local and the struggle to find a variety of Alabama produce this time of year.

The haul for the day includes cucumber, zucchini, squash and of course, lettuce."

Click here to see the article online and read the subsequent days challenges.