 | On The Menu: A Seasonal Harvest |
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Autumn in New England is a truly special time. The fall harvest brings with it familiar and fun activities such as pickling and preserving, baking pumpkin pies, and going apple-picking. This time of year also brings some less familiar fall treats that are equally delicious, like Waldoboro Green Neck Turnips and Sekel Pears!
Here are a few fun facts about some of the possibly lesser-known ingredients we are currently using in our nightly menus.
 Our Elderberry and Huckleberry Semifreddo is served with a pear butter we make with the Sekel Pear. This pear is one of the the smallest locally grown pears and it is exceptionally sweet. The bite-size fruit is sometimes referred to as a "sugar pear."
 The sweet and chestnut-flavored Potimarron Pumpkin is one of the ingredients in our Poached Scituate Lobster. This pumpkin is a French heirloom variety with a name derived from potiron (pumpkin) and marron (chestnut). We also use it for our Potimarron Pumpkin Ice Cream.
 Our Bitter Cocoa Rigatoni includes pickled Baby Patty Pan Squash which are small, disc-shaped summer squash, referred to as "baby" because some are as small as one inch in diameter. They are also sometimes called "scallop squash" because of their scalloped edges. In addition to their interesting shape they also are known for their buttery, mellow flavor.
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Image from "Renewing America's Food Traditions" by Gary Paul Nabhan |
The Waldoboro Green Neck Turnip is a yellow-fleshed variety of rutabaga, and it is one of the accompaniments in our Roasted Maine Mutton Shoulder. According to agricultural ecologist and author Gary Paul Nabhan, "The steamship Cambridge, which ran aground off the Maine coast in 1886, was the only Boston-Bangor line ever lost in service. Local tradition says that part of the salvaged cargo included the vegetable now known as the Waldoboro Green Neck Turnip."
Much of the produce we use at Bondir comes from the local farms of New England. According to Chef Bond, "Most of the rare varieties come from Sparrow Arc Farm. He [Matthew] does a lot of research and finds really interesting vegetables every year." Matthew Linehan, the farmer who operates Sparrow Arc Farm in Unity, Maine, uses completely organic materials and growing methods and makes deliveries to the Boston area twice a week. The farm's unique and hard-to-source fruits and vegetables are what attract Chef Bond to their products.
 And the Black Walnuts we use in our Black Walnut Praline Ice Cream are from Hammons Nut Emporium in Stockton, Missouri. "The black walnut harvest happens around every October across the Midwestern states." says Chef Bond, "I grew up with them and love them!" |
