Ask Green Grandma online and off!

I have exciting news to share! My Ask Green Grandma column is now appearing in both Green Child Magazine (online) and Freedom Farms Magazine. How awesome is that? 

If you're familiar with the show, Farm Kings, you'll recognize the Lisa King and her crew from Freedom Farms. As it turns out, long before I knew anything about the show, I met Pete King and some of his brothers at local Pittsburgh area Farmers Markets. They had the best corn around, and eventually I sought them out and eventually started buying produce only from them. 

After my daughter moved to Gibsonia, PA, we discovered that the Freedom Farms Farmers Market was several miles north on Route 8, so we started going there. On one particular visit, I spoke with Lisa (Mama) King and told her about this blog and gave her a copy of my book, Vinegar Fridays. As it turns out, she loved it, and enthusiastically told me so several times now. 

That's what led to Ask Green Grandma being featured in their magazine. My daughter brought me a copy yesterday, and I was thrilled to discover I made the cover. THE COVER! Additionally, there is a nice ad for Vinegar Fridays on the last page and the column itself is a nice 2-page spread. Sometimes it pays to give things away.

I'm hoping that my book will soon be available in their store as well, so if you stop in, ask if it's there yet. 

If you're local, you can purchase the magazine directly from the Kings at area Farmers Markets, at the Donut Shop, Sandwich Shop, and Freedom Farms Farmers Market. Or you can subscribe (click here) and have all that Farm Kings' yumminess sent to your home. With features like Ask Farmer Tim, Ask Farmer Pete AND Ask Green Grandma, how can you go wrong?

Editor-in-Chief Joe King, along with Senior Writer and Photographer Kate Stapleton and Graphic Designer Jenna Dascanio do a phenomenal job putting together an informative and visually appealing publication. And, of course, they demonstrate great taste. They included my column after all!

Sharing my excitement,

 

Dinner in the Field at Freedom Farms

Don't let the "...in the field" part throw you. The pavilion is quite comfortable.

This past Sunday, I attended Dinner in the Field event at Freedom Farms in Valencia, PA. The theme was 'Fresh Herbs' and we were served some amazing food right from the farm. We also had ridiculously delicious cocktails made from strawberries and basil, rhubarb and rosemary. I haven't had a mixed drink in years, but The King of the Garden (the one with strawberries, basil, and dark rum) made me wish I could have one or two nightly! I'm actually going to make a pitcher of them for an upcoming party I'm having. Can't wait to taste it again!

Jessica with her youngest of three

Bethany with Robyn Lee

My daughter, Jessica, treated her sister, Bethany, and me to dinner with the Kings for our birthdays. And I'm so glad she did. Our friend, Erin, joined us, and my husband babysat two of Jess's children, so we only had the 3-month-old with us for the evening. Like I said, the food was amazing. 

Equally amazing to me was the reaction I got when Lisa (Mama King) saw me there. She squealed (literally), "I love your book! It saved my winter."

Pete's signature locks are hidden in this picture

After asking her what she liked about it, she said, "Everything. The hair rinse. Cleaning the toilet. Oh... and the face mask. My sister's doing that now. And Pete rinses his hair in vinegar all the time. I lent him my copy and he's never given it back."

She went on to tell me she must have me come to one of the events for a book signing. One thing led to another and next month you'll be able to read my column in the Freedom Farms magazine, where "Farming is King."

Lisa King sharing planting tips

 


Needless to say, I was delighted by the accolades. Looks like Lisa King and I have a mutual admiration society. If the name of the farm sounds familiar, there used to be a reality television show called The Farm Kings. They're one and the same.



 


If you are in the area, I highly recommend attending one of their Dinner in the Field events. The next one, Circus in the Field, will be held on Sunday, June 28 at 6 PM. You can find out more information or purchase tickets online at www.FreedomFarmsPA.com or by calling 724-586-5551. You can also buy tickets at their Farmers Market, Traveling Markets, Donut Shop, or Sandwich Shop. 

And look! Even in the field, we used cloth napkins. I'm in love.

The table settings and centerpieces (old liquor bottles spray painted and graced with some of the flowers from Lisa's garden -- I failed to get a picture) were done by a really cool place in downtown Butler called All About Reclaimed. I can't wait to take a trip out there to see their shop.

You can see one of the yellow centerpieces in the background

Lisa King keeps herself and her family busy. I find it hard to believe she actually had time to read VINEGAR FRIDAYS. She's a dynamo who never stops.

Looking forward to my next trip to the farm,

A Vinegar Friday Fourth of July... Macaroni Salad, anyone?

TGIVF!

I had a dilemma today since Vinegar Friday (the first Friday of every month) fell on Independence Day here in the U.S. I don't, for a second, want to overshadow the importance of this holiday. Today, we celebrate our freedom... freedom that cost many people their lives. It shouldn't be taken lightly.

But it's also a day for picnics, family gatherings, pool parties, parades, and fireworks. So... what to do about Vinegar Friday? Then it came to me. I'll post my nearly-famous macaroni salad recipe, which can be found in my book on page 67. After all, what's a summer picnic without macaroni salad, right?

Fortunately, I visited the Etna, PA Farmer's Market yesterday. I went there specifically to buy produce and eggs from my favorite farmers... the Farm Kings of Freedom Farm. If you've never heard of them, you can catch them on Thursday nights when the show starts up again for its fourth season in August. Check your local listings.

The King family of Freedom Farms

I have a tip for you about farmer's markets. When you approach a stand, ask, "Is your food GMO-free?" If they say, "GM... what?" thank them and walk away. If they don't know what you're talking about, you can be darn sure they're not growing anything you want to be eating. 

That's what happened to me with the first stand yesterday. The man was selling pasta and pasta sauces. He had no clue what a genetically modified food was, so I asked him if his food was organic. Again, he was clueless. I thanked him and walked away. 

Then I asked one of the handsome brothers of the King family who was manning the Freedom Farms stand. He assured me over and over (because I kept asking for assurance) that there were no funny frog genes, or something like that, in their food. Yeehaw! Before my eyes was a gorgeous spread of just picked, first of the season, non-GMO corn. YES! And let me tell you, we ate it last night and it was amazing.

Freshness from Freedom Farms

I also bought zucchini, yellow squash, garlic flowers, onions, strawberries, carrots, green beans, eggs, and pickling cucumbers. I can't wait to try the pickle recipe guest blogger, Courtney, posted last month for Vinegar Friday! The bad mood I'd been experiencing earlier disappeared quickly. Poof! I felt like singing and dancing. I was that happy to have bags full of fresh food that was actually going to be good for me. 

If you're in the Pittsburgh area, check out the Freedom Farms website for where they'll be this summer. I know they're in Etna on Thursdays and in the North Side on Fridays.

Okay, back to the recipe I promised. This was my dad's favorite macaroni salad, and since he was born on July 4, 1919, I dedicate this post to him. Miss you, Dad.

Green Grandma's Macaroni Salad

• 1 lb. macaroni 
• 1 small onion, finely diced 
• 4 hard boiled eggs, chopped
• 1 carrot, finely chopped

              Dressing

• 1/2 cup sugar
• 3 TBSP mustard
• 1 cup mayonnaise
• 1/2 cup distilled white vinegar
• Salt to taste

Cook macaroni until soft, but firm. Drain and chill for at least an hour in the refrigerator. Add onion, eggs, and carrot. Mix dressing ingredients and add to macaroni. Mix well and sprinkle with paprika.

That's it. Now, to make mine extra special today, I'm using eggs from Freedom Farm, which are incredibly fresh, and an onion and carrot right from the farm. Organic DWV makes the dressing extra special as well.

So, enjoy your day. Enjoy your macaroni salad. And enjoy your freedom. And, if by chance, you stop by a Freedom Farm stand this summer, make sure you tell them Green Grandma sent you!

Happy Independence Day!

Keeping it green with vinegar,

 




For more recipes using vinegar and tips on vinegar use throughout your home, check out my book, now on sale for only $6.99 on Amazon!