October Events!

Every Wednesday and Saturday evening from 5 to 8pm is

FAMILY FRIED CHICKEN NIGHT!

Choose 2, 4, 8 or 12 piece fried chicken basket

Served with salad, bread, and garlic butter.

Saturday, October 3rd

1pm COOKING DEMO with Gabriela

2pm GARDEN CLASS: “October in the Garden” with Michelle. Join us for our monthly series where we go over the garden to-do list. Learn what to plant, what to harvest and other timely garden tasks. This class is perfect for the beginning gardener and those new to growing in Central Texas.

Saturday, October 10th

10:30am GARDEN CLASS “Growing Lavender” with Cathy Slaughter from Gabriel Valley Farms.  Learn how to care for the fragrant herb here in Central Texas.

11:30am COOKING DEMO  “Cooking with Lavender” with Jenn Mueth. Lavender can be used in both sweet and savory dishes. Find out how!

Saturday, October 17th

Noon – 2pm BEER SAMPLING with Bull Creek Brewery. Come try craft beers from Williamson County’s first production brewery!

1pm COOKING DEMO with Gabriela

2pm GARDEN CLASS “Organics Pest Control” with Michelle. Learn how to combat pests in your garden without the use of harsh chemicals.

Saturday, October 24th

2pm GARDEN CLASS “Backyard Composting” with Michelle. Make black gold out of your food and yard waste!

Wednesday October 28^th

5pm – 8pm BEER SAMPLING with Bull Creek Brewery. Come try craft beers from Williamson County’s first production brewery!

Saturday October 31st

Happy Halloween!

11am to 1pm COOKING DEMO “Spooky Popcorn Balls” All ages are welcome to join us anytime between 11 to 1 to make your own sweet-n-scary creation. Costumes are encouraged!

Winter Squash; It's More Than Just Pumpkins Ya'll!

I get questions all the time about what to do with squash, what types of squash are available to us Texans, and just how many varieties are there out there. Well, according to Wikipedia, there are 34 different types of squash that are grown in North America.  Each of these falls into one of four categories and because of shipping abilities, all can be available to us right here in the Lone Star State; Cucurbita maxima, which includes the Hubbard and Turban Squash, 

 Cucurbita argyrosperma that includes various pumpkin and gourd varieties,

  Cucurbita moschata which includes butternut squash and fairy tale pumpkins

  and finally Cucurbita Pepino which has the  familiar Acorn, and  Calabaza varieties. 

All winter squash is actually grown in the summer and is ripe when the outside skin is hard and tough to break open. Peak picking season are the months of September and October and because the outer skin is harder to penetrate, these squash can last longer and thus be used during the dreary, less than fruitful months of winter for a nutritious way to get vitamins and minerals that we all need to have healthy bodies and immune systems.

Squash can be used in making soups, stews and vegetarian chili as well as stuffed with sausage and fruit for baking. The common pumpkin can be made into the aforementioned as well as the familiar Thanksgiving pie; one just needs the know-how and adventurous spirit to try cooking these fruits.

Whether you are roasting, baking, boiling, stuffing, or stewing a squash, there is a safe way to cut it open and reveal the flesh and mature seeds. I personally, place the squash on top of bundled up cup towels for stability and take up a cleaver and a mallet; placing the cleaver in the center of the squash, sharp side down, and gently use the mallet to tap the cleaver into the flesh, splitting it open. Gently scoop out the seeds and then cook.

Roasting a squash is the MOST common and easiest way to cook it. Preheat your oven to  425-475 degrees. Cleave open the squash, scoop out seeds. Spread coconut or olive oil all over the squash and place flesh side down on a cookie sheet or baking pan and roast in the oven for 30-40 minutes or until a fork pierced into the skin goes in and comes out smoothly. Season accordingly and use flesh however desired. 

As always, thanks for reading and remember that you can visit us anytime at 500 S. Austin Ave Bldg 2, Georgetown, Texas, any time, any day from 8am-8pm! Lastly, don’t forget about our calendar of events, as we will be having more and more of them as the year comes to a close!

Yellow Bird~ the Next Best Heatwave Since Sriracha?

Before working as a Marketeer, I knew very little about the buy local movement. I knew that if I bought locally made products that it helped the communities from which the products came, however, I hardly knew any of the products names or who made them and I had no idea that the journey to buying local nirvana would be so expansive. One of those new discoveries for me is Yellow Bird; a kick fire hot sauce that has me by the taste buds.

I have tried all sorts of sauces, from all sorts of places, but I can say that Yellow Bird is one of the smoothest, zestiest, and highest quality sauces I have tried. I recently drizzled some on our Monument fried chicken and it was outstandingly good! Its ingredients are simple, no matter which of three it is. They pride themselves on small batches, all natural, bought locally ingredients, and it shows. 

The jalapeno sauce is my favorite. Its deep red color is deceiving since jalapenos are commonly green when picked, but this sauce is actually the mildest of the three available. Its flavor is primarily savory with the fresh taste of jalapeno, red ones, that gives a mild kick to anything it’s put on. 

The Serrano, much like the jalapeno is savory, but has more heat that lasts a bit longer on the tongue and is perfect for the hot sauce experienced.

Finally the habanero is the king of spice and heat. It made me cough a bit as the fire hit me, BUT it disappears quickly. It’s perfect for people who love a tingling sensation when consuming their favorite foods.

All three of these blends would be great on anything, and could possibly take the place of favorite hot sauces from around the world. Visiting their website, I saw recipes that intrigued me http://yellowbirdsauce.com/. If cooking is a joy, then these recipes will make feeding the masses even more enjoyable and spicier! I think that is their goal at Yellow Bird anyway. 

To purchase this, or anything else we offer, please visit the Monument Market at 500 S Austin Ave bldg #2, Georgetown, Texas, any day between the hours of 8am-8pm! Don't forget to like us on Facebook! Thanks for reading!

Spetember Events!

Saturday, September 5th

10:30am GARDEN CLASS: “September in the Garden” with Michelle. Join us for our monthly series where we go over the garden to-do list. Learn what to plant, what to harvest and other timely garden tasks. This class is perfect for the beginning gardener and those new to growing in Central Texas.

Saturday, September 12th

10:30am GARDEN CLASS “Growing First Aid in your Garden” with Grace Bryce, owner of Gracie's Garden, LLC. Grace will talk about medicinal herbs you can grow and use. Grace is a Nemenhah Medicine Woman & Traditional Leader, a Master Herbalist, and a Certified Natural Health Professional.  www.gracebrycemh.com

5pm – 8pm BEER SAMPLING with Revolver Brewery

Saturday, September 19th

10:30am GARDEN CLASS “Growing Strawberries” with Michelle. October is the time to plant strawberries in Central Texas!

Thursday, September 24^th

6pm DIY Bath Tea Bars and Lip Scrub with Jae Benjamin from Benjamin Soap Co. Luxuriate in a scented bath made with all natural Bath Tea Bars. Jae will lead you step by step in making your personalized bath products to take with you while you enjoy appetizers and a glass of wine. $35 per person.

Saturday, September 26th

10:30am GARDEN CLASS “Growing Garlic” with Michelle. October is also the time to plant garlic!

1:30pm to 2:30pm FAMILY YOGA with Beth Egbert. Donations accepted. All proceeds will go to a local charity.

Popcorn: The Rainbow Grain

As I was working this past weekend I heard several people as they waltzed past the Homestead Gristmill popcorn say things like “All popcorn is non-gmo”, “How do you pop this?”, “What is the difference between red and yellow popcorn?”

In an effort to answer all questions and verify or debunk myths about popcorn, I set about doing research, while enjoying some of my own fresh kettle popped corn, drizzled with extra butter…YUM!

Is all popcorn non-gmo? With this craze over whether or not a food has been genetically modified by science and OK-ed by the FDA leaves people in two categories; either they don’t see a concern or they do. Not wanting to take up the entire entry to explain either side, the simple answer is: According to “Jeffery Smith, executive director of the Institute for Responsible Technology and GMO expert, assured us that even though almost 90% of the corn grown and eaten in this country is GMO corn, popcorn comes from a different seed and has not been genetically modified.” (link to article: http://elizabethyarnell.com/effortlesseating/2012/06/popcorn-is-never-a-gmo/). Further, popcorn comes from heirloom seeds mostly, and can be grown organically just like any other corn or vegetable out there.

When it comes to popping corn, there are several methods, including microwaving, and kettle/stove popping. Just follow the below recipes for either method, season and butter to your tastes and enjoy! (on a side note: popcorn is great snack for your canine family members, just be careful of the toppings and salt as plain is BEST for them).

Stove/Kettle corn:

·       Place 1 to 3 tablespoons of oil (sunflower, canola, grapeseed, coconut, or avocado) into a large kettle or pan. CAUTION: Do not use butter, as it will burn! The oils mentioned are listed in decreasing order of their tolerance for high heat. Grapeseed and Sunflower oils are high heat tolerant and a healthy choice of cooking oils.

·       Heat oil at medium setting* (between 460 and 470 degrees Fahrenheit). Oil burns at 500 degrees Fahrenheit. If your oil starts to smoke, it’s too hot.

·       Test the heat by dropping in one or two kernels (when kernel pops or spins in the oil, it is ready).

·       Add 1/3 cup kernels or enough to cover the bottom of the pan.

·       Shake the pan/kettle to make sure the oil coats each kernel.

·       Set lid on slightly ajar to allow steam to escape. Allowing steam to escape prevents the popped corn from absorbing the moisture, retaining its peak crispness.

·       Listen for popping and, when it slows to 2-3 seconds apart, remove from heat.

·       Carefully pour popped corn into serving bowl and salt/season to taste.

Microwave:

·       1 brown paper sack, lunch size

·       ½ cup popcorn kernels

·       Place corn in sack, fold top of sack over twice

·       Microwave for three minutes

·       Season any way you like and enjoy!

Finally, what is the difference, if any between red, blue, black, brown, yellow and white popcorn (didn’t know there are that many colors did you?)?

Well, white popcorn is smaller and usually pops into a shape similar to mushrooms.

This type of corn is usually described as sweeter and can hold heavy toppings like caramel easier, unlike the other varieties that pop in the recognizable snowflake shape, which according to most have a better mouth feel.

 Yellow popcorn has more fiber, pops into a snowflake shape

and is the most popular of all the popping corn out there. However, red varieties like the one we sell in the market have a nuttier note and richer flavor. Blue popcorn can have a wild taste that is similar to grass or young wheat while black popcorn is said to be crunchier in texture.

So, no matter the color, size, texture or flavor, popcorn has wide variety and is a great snack, anytime.

Come by the Monument Market any day between 8am-8pm to purchase this or any other offerings we carry. Thanks for reading and please sign up for our monthly emails, and please like us on Facebook!