Time for Wine

There seems to be a season for everything.  Fall and Winter gatherings call for wine to share with friends and family.  As the sun sets earlier and the temperatures fall, a glass of wine can be appreciated for it's beautiful color. festive glass, tempting aroma, and warming cheer!

At most retailers, wine (and beer) prices fluctuate throughout the year in Ohio, but they often rise with the approach of the Fall and Winter holidays. Many enjoy giving and receiving a gift of wine! Now is the time to stock up on your favorite wine--before the prices rise for the holiday season. Be sure to buy from a retail store that sells wine at the State Minimum Price, such as Homer Village Market.

For those wondering exactly what "State Minimum Price" means, it is the lowest price a retailer is allowed to sell (a regulated product) to the consumer. So that the State government can be assured of some minimum level of sales tax (for budgeting purposes), the Ohio retailer is required to add a markup, specified by law, to the price they were invoiced by their geographically-assigned distributor. Retail stores can sell at higher prices, but they cannot sell any lower than the State Minimum Price in effect at the time they purchased the product from the distributor.

Notice that the price of your favorite wine or beer changes up and down throughout the year though it may remain static most of the time. If the distributor's price goes up, the retailer is not required to reprice the inventory already in stock (although some retailers do so in the case of a price increase--but then they are not really selling at the State Minimum). If the distributor's price goes down, the retailer is prohibited by law from lowering the price of the bottles already in stock before the price decrease, because to do so would be a violation of the State Minimum pricing law).  This is the main reason you might find the same wine label at two different prices at two State-Minimum retailers (or even two different prices for two bottles of the same label on the same retailer's shelf).  The retail price depends on what the retailer paid at the time they placed their order from the distributor.  It pays to shop around!

If you like dry red wines such malbec, cabernet sauvignon, chianti, and red zinfindel at value prices (under $10 a bottle), as I do, there are several brands whose promotional prices are very good right now compared to the normal retail price several dollars per bottle higher. Stock up now before the price goes back up again.

• Trapiche (Malbec - Mendoza region of Argentina) $7.99 (recently priced at $9.99 then $8.99)
• Dynamite (Zinfandel - Sonoma, California) $9.99 (rises to $12.99 around the holidays)
• Ruffino (Chianti - Italy) - $8.99 (usually at least $9.99)
• Fetzer - Alexander Hill's (Cabernet Sauvignon - California lower foothills) 1.5 liter $9.99 (usually $12.99 or more)

To save even more, purchase a case and receive a 10% discount.  Most of the time, you can mix and match 12 regular size bottles of different labels or 6 of larger size bottles and get the 10% case discount.  (Generally excluded from the case discount eligibility would be those bottles of wine where the retailer purchased less than a case at a time and had to pay a per-bottle surcharge to the distributor.)  

Stop by the Homer Village Market to see which wines are on promotional prices right now.  We have wide range of brands and varieties of wine to fit all budgets.  If you enjoy sparkling wines, sweet reds, sweet whites, dry reds, dry whites, or something in between, stop by and see what we have on the shelf and in the cooler.   Don't see your favorite?  We can let you know the current price and place an order for delivery in-store often the same week, but no later than the following week.   Not sure which wine to try?  We can help you decide based on your preferences.  Hope to see you soon!

Where Has the Summer Gone?

School is already starting for some area kids!  It seems like the Summer has been in full speed mode! Not one "lazy day of Summer" that I can recall.

July was the rainiest month since last October!  Farmers were challenged to manage their fields between drenching storms that seemed to never end since Spring.  Children on Summer break from school were sad that their sports were being rained out and trips to the swimming pool were infrequent.  Weather has improved greatly in the final week of July and first week of August.

Here it is mid-August, and the Hartford Fair is enjoying its 157th year of festivities.  Tonight will be the demolition derby event, which a lot of local folks not only like to watch, but also ride!  In less than two hours, beat-up vehicles will be getting even more bruised and battered to the delight of a cheering crowd of onlookers.   The Homer Village Market is located on the route to the fairgrounds, so maybe I'll see some of the derby vehicles heading to the demolition event--or at least hear them roaring down the road.

This week Monday was the "lamb cookoff" competition, and one of our local youth won a prize for her entry!  I can't wait to get the recipe and try it myself.  Once the Hartford Fair Board publishes the winning entries, we will put a link here so you can enjoy some good country cooking recipes.

This past weekend (August 7-9) was the annual Pelotonia bicycle ride to raise money for a cancer cure.  This year, nearly 8,000 bicycle riders (supported by thousands of volunteers at rest stops) made their way from Columbus Commons along several routes of varying distances and difficulty (from 25 miles to over 125 miles) including steep inclines and rolling hills.  Hundreds of Pelotonia riders traveled the 100 mile Bennington Chapel Route, which started in Pickerington, stopped at the Homer Library, among other rest stops, and finished at Kenyon College in nearby Gambier, Ohio.  Millions of dollars have been raised for donation to our local cancer research institute.  You can learn more about their cause on the Pelotonia website.   It was a beautiful day for a ride, and here are a few pictures as they passed through the intersection in Homer.

Earlier this summer, my biggest thrill was seeing the blooms in the yard.  All that rain did some good, apparently!

Well, I hear some really loud mufflers!  Going to check it out right now and see if I can snap a picture or two of these wild rides heading to the fair tonight!

Enjoy the rest of your summer!  Please stop by the store to say hello and see what's new!  We have had some really delicious boneless ribeye steaks and ground angus for grilling.  Plenty of sweet corn and other fresh vegetables are for sale at farm stands in our vicinity right now!

Can You Feel the Excitement in the Air?

When the kids have summer recess each year, I don't even need to look at the calendar.  I can feel it in the air.  More kids are smiling, riding their bikes, fishing at the creek, or swimming under the bridge if it's a hot day.

Graduation parties are happening several weekends in a row beginning as early as Memorial Day weekend, and you will see a lot of Facebook images of beaming new grads wearing their caps and gowns.   Soon those grads will be starting new jobs.  Some will take the summer off to relax, vacation with family, and make plans for the future.

Each year at this time, I remember my own high school graduation day and also college graduation, twice.  The season brings back such fond memories of family, food, friends, and big plans for the future.

Whatever you and your family do to celebrate, have fun and enjoy the moment!  Some families will soon experience the "empty nest syndrome."  This is something I have not personally experienced, but I can imagine how my parents and grandparents must have felt when all of us kids were away at college.  No more family meal time.  No more sitting around the television together in the evenings.  No more rushing to and from school activities.  It must have seemed as though time was beginning to stand still.  Or maybe it was a welcome relief from the hectic pace of having a full house, trying to meet everyone's needs, keeping up with all that extra housework and cooking!

If you are planning celebrations, please remember to stop by Homer Village Market for refreshments. You can find a variety of things to make your gatherings special including:

• steaks, chops, sausages, chicken, hot dogs and hamburgers for the grill 
• buns, condiments, chips of all kinds
• cold beer, nice wine selection, wide variety of non-alcoholic beverages
• bags of ice, charcoal, hickory wood chips
• ice cream, cookies
• appetizers such as cheese, summer sausage, hummus, chip dip, salsa, pickles and olives

Enjoy your Summer!

April Showers and April Everything

April is a busy month for everyone.  Besides preparation for Spring holidays, vacations, tax deadlines, kids sports, senior prom, opening-day baseball games, crop planting, and turkey-hunting season, the warmer weather brings new chores such as lawn mowing, landscaping, and window washing.  Let's not forget changing wardrobes from the Winter sweaters and coats to the spring lighter-weight clothes....and that could mean shopping, especially if that long winter of hibernation created any changes in your comfortable sizes!

Spring weather in Ohio is unpredictable.  One day it could be cold at night, foggy in the morning, and 30 degrees warmer during the day.  The next day could be cloudy and chilly all day, and the weekend could have thunderstorms and showers all day and night.  One thing is for sure, the trees start to bud, the flowers begin to bloom, and the grass turns green and begins to grow.

This colorful landscape, the warmer temperatures, and the thrill of the school year's end in sight creates a lot of enthusiasm.  One can practically feel it in the air.  People have a little more spring in their step as they go about their daily routines.  People are smiling, birds are chirping, and branches are softly swaying in the Spring breezes.

Kids are riding bicycles and skateboards, campers and boats appear ready to launch, and shiny sports cars are whizzing through the intersection.  Motorcycles and long-distance bicyclists begin making their first appearance of the season.

With all the excitement and anticipation, please remember to drive defensively.  Last year around this time, there were several serious collisions on the State highways that pass through Homer and Utica. Speed and distracted driving seem to be the usual causes of these accidents.  Rural highways are typically one or two-lane, narrow, curvy, and high-speed.

Therefore, there is no "forgiveness" if a driver goes left of the center line or swerves off the right side of the road into the ditch.  There is not much a driver can do to avoid wrecking when either of these events happens. That's why it is so important for everyone to keep their eyes on the road and their hands on the steering wheel, leaving plenty of distance between vehicles. That can be difficult to do, especially with such beautiful landscape views on both sides of the road and all the exciting things about Spring to think about--not to mention cell phones, eating and drinking in the car, and traveling companions providing further distraction.

At the risk of being criticized for driving like an "old lady" by cautiously approaching intersections and hill crests, please let's just remember all of us have only this one life here on earth.  No one's precious life is more important than anyone else's.  We can each look out for ourselves, but we can also look out for the "other guy" by driving defensively.  Sometimes accidents can be anticipated and avoided with a little extra caution, a little less speed, and a watchful eye on the traffic all around us. Remember there are distracted drivers on the road all of the time, and even more in the Spring and Summer seasons.

Speaking of Lamb Dishes.....

If you need more inspiration, some beautiful pictures of various lamb recipes can be found at this link:

http://www.epicurious.com/ingredients/14-reasons-to-eat-more-lamb-gallery/1

Lamb for the Holidays

Although Americans enjoy making corned beef and cabbage around Saint Patrick's Day, a more fitting tradition might be cooking a big pot of lamb stew!  You can use your favorite recipe for beef stew and just substitute lamb.  Be sure to add more potatoes after the meat becomes tender, since the ones you added in the beginning will now be part of the nice, thick gravy!  Carrots, parsnips, green beans, and potatoes make a wonderful combination for lamb stew.  You can use any cut of lamb for the stew, but shoulder is probably preferred for a braised dish such as stew.  Lamb shanks or even lamb chops could make a stew. Some even use ground lamb or lamb meatballs to make stew.

Easter is another holiday for enjoying lamb.  Traditionally, a roast leg of lamb makes a fine dinner.  An elegant crown roast of lamb or some french-cut lamb chops make a delicious and memorable occasion also.

Why wait for the holidays to cook lamb?  We enjoy lamb all seasons of the year.  During the winter, it is satisfying to heat up the kitchen with a pot roast of lamb shoulder or a casserole of lamb shanks in the oven.  During the summer, grilling some lamb burgers, lamb chops, or lamb and veggie kabobs is convenient and fun.

Weeknight meals of baked ziti and lamb ragu can be prepared easily by browning some ground lamb and ground beef with chopped onions and garlic, adding some diced tomatoes and a little bit of tomato sauce, seasoning with salt, pepper, and oregano, and then putting the sauce and al-dente cooked pasta in a casserole to bake at 350 F with parmesan cheese (and optionally feta cheese) sprinkled over all.   Lasagna recipes can be adapted easily to use ground lamb, which goes so well with tomatoes, eggplant, green peppers, mushrooms, and cheese!

Now I'm getting hungry,  I hope you will enjoy some lamb this Spring and every season of the year!

Here's a recipe to get you started. (Keep in mind you can substitute creatively if you do not have some of the ingredients on hand. I use parsley instead of mint, for example.)

 This appeared recently in the "Wall Street Journal" online food section. THE CHEF: JOSEF CENTENO   related article by Wall Street Journal Slow-Food Fast blogger

KITTY GREENWALD  HOT FUSION | Winter vegetables and fresh herbs lighten and brighten this deeply comforting cross between Italian baked ziti and a Middle Eastern lamb kebab. PHOTO: JAMES RANSOM FOR THE WALL STREET JOURNAL, FOOD STYLING BY HEATHER MELDROM, PROP STYLING BY STEPHANIE HANES

March 6, 2015 1:50 p.m. ET

Baked Ziti With Lamb Ragù

Total Time: 40 minutes Serves: 6-8

·         Salt

·         1 pound dried ziti

·         2 tablespoons olive oil

·         1 pound ground lamb

·         ½ pound ground beef

·         1 medium yellow onion, diced

·         2 cloves garlic, minced

·         1 medium carrot, diced

·         1 stalk celery, diced

·         1 small bulb fennel, diced

·         1 (14-ounce) can crushed San Marzano tomatoes with juice and roughly chopped

·         1 teaspoon red chili flakes

·         ½ teaspoon dried oregano

·         ½ teaspoon ground cumin

·         ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon

·         2 tablespoons Sherry vinegar

·         ¾ cup French feta, crumbled

·         ¾ cup coarsely grated mozzarella

·         ½ cup grated Parmesan, plus extra for topping

·         15 basil leaves, thinly sliced

·         15 mint leaves, thinly sliced

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add ziti and cook until just al dente. Strain pasta, reserving 1 cup cooking water.

2. Meanwhile, heat oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Once hot, stir in lamb, beef, onions, garlic, carrots, celery and fennel, and sauté until meat is cooked through, about 7 minutes. Pour off all accumulated fat and set pot back over medium heat.

3. Stir in tomatoes, chili flakes, oregano, cumin and cinnamon. Season with salt to taste. Simmer until vegetables soften, about 20 minutes, adding splashes of hot water if dry. Stir in vinegar and simmer 5 minutes more.

4. Preheat broiler. Add cooked pasta and reserved cooking water to pot with ragù, stirring until evenly distributed. Turn off heat. In a small bowl, toss together feta, mozzarella and Parmesan. Stir ¾ mixed cheeses and ½ mint and basil into pasta.

5. Transfer everything to a large casserole dish. Top with remaining mixed cheeses and grate extra Parmesan over top to lightly cover. Slide casserole under broiler and cook until browned in spots, about 5 minutes. Garnish with remaining basil and mint

Use-By Dates, Sell-By Dates, Food Safety and Quality

There is a lot of confusion among consumers regarding the various dates found on food packages in Ohio.  Although many states do not require it, Ohio's food safety law requires that eggs, shellfish, babyfood, and packaged, perishable food be labeled with a date if it has a shelf life less than 30 days.  Also, many food manufacturers put dates on their packaging because they think consumers will find it helpful.  There is no question that a lot of food is wasted because of the confusion over what these dates mean relative to the food safety and quality. One estimate by a food safety expert with NSF, Interational (a public health and safety organization based in Michigan) is that about $161 billion of food is wasted annually due to people throwing out food when it reaches the "sell-by" date.

This interesting graphic and a related article appeared in the Columbus, Ohio, newspaper "The Dispatch" on March 10, 2015. These guidelines are for refrigerated, perishable foods (fresh, uncooked) with a "Sell By" date or no date. (Products with a "use-by" date should be consumed by that date for safety.)




The article states that canned food will last indefinitely due to the heating and canning process creating a sterile environment within the can.   This absence of any air or bacteria would provide a safe product for many years although there may be some slight changes in the quality or appearance. Another fact stated in the article is that, for sell-by-dated foods, usually about a third of the product's shelf life still remains after that date.  One caveat to keep in mind; however, is that if there were any period of time during which the product had been improperly handled, such as wrong temperature, then the food quality or safety could be much less than expected based on the date.

Here is the link to the article http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/food/2015/03/11/serve-or-pitch.html