This Weekend Brought To You By…
Trouble is brewing. I’ve got a sore throat. This isn’t a mild annoyance type of malady. It’s a wake me up from deep slumber in the middle of the night kind of thing.
Nothing wakes me up in the middle of the night. I’m a seriously solid sleeper.
So there is a slight change of plans. I will not be going over to Leah the Nosher’s house later today to make borscht for Sunday’s Jewish Food Festival. It looks like she will be making it without me, so I can rest up and stand behind the Jewish Food Bloggers table with her on Sunday. While she’s dishing out samples of her soup I will dole out dollops of sour cream made from Meadow Brook Farms’ dairy by Britin Foster of All Good Bakers.
I’m going to enjoy highlighting the differences between her sour cream and conventionally produced versions that generally pass for this decadent treat at supermarkets in the region.
The Jewish Food Festival is sponsored by Price Chopper, and seriously, Ben & Bill’s pastrami is always a highlight of the festivities for me. But they aren’t the only supermarket chain that has a food event this weekend. The good news is that you can probably attend both.
First let’s talk about Price Chopper’s event, because this is the one in which I am taking an active role. Last year’s Jewish Food Festival was the first year under new organizers. This weekend promises more of the same. They added more restaurants and food producers to the exhibitors and scaled back on congregant-made goodies. But every year you learn from the last and try to improve upon it, so I’m looking forward to another great event.
Del Salmon will be there as always hand slicing samples of the salmon he cures himself. And for those who may not be facing a week worth of matzoh ball soup at the end of this month, you might enjoy getting a taste of it at the festival.
The idea behind the borscht Leah will be ladling was to show how one can eat seasonal produce in upstate New York even in the dead of winter. The winter storage vegetables that we have access to are so incredibly versatile, I really don’t even long for the produce of summer. Honestly, by the end of summer I’m totally burnt out on tomatoes. Much like by the end of winter I’m totally burnt out on carrots.
And as a cold soup, borscht optimistically evokes the coming warmer days of spring. But come early, because Leah’s production capacity is limited and we might run out. The Jewish Food Festival is this Sunday, March 10 from noon to 3pm. It’s at Congregation Gates of Heaven, 852 Ashmore Avenue in Schenectady. You can just call it Gates, everyone does. Children 12 and under get in for free. Teens 13-17 qualify for a $5 ticket and adults will need to pay $15 for access to unlimited samples of Jewish foods. I hope to see you there.
Saturday March 9, ShopRite is sponsoring The Tastes of ShopRite in their Slingerlands store. That is located on 41 Vista Boulevard in Slingerlands. Google knows where it is. This event runs from 1pm to 5pm.
Okay, okay, The Tastes of ShopRite is also on Sunday, March 10 too. But do me a favor. Hit this on Saturday and come to the Jewish Food Festival on Sunday.
Saturday you’ll be able to try food samples from ShopRite’s fresh and specialty departments, watch cooking demonstrations from the grocer’s professional culinary instructor, take home recipes from ShopRite chefs, talk with a dietician, and enter a raffle to win a complete chef-prepared meal for six.
Personally, I’m curious to learn more about their “Scratch Baked Fresh Breads” and talk to someone there more about their cheese selection, because I’ve found it to be surprisingly good for a supermarket. And I’m really eager to see what direction Chef Art takes as he tries to teach people how to cook.
I’m getting really interested in converting those who find cooking to be a chore into confident home cooks who can make a few simple dishes without breaking a sweat.
Saturday’s event has certainly piqued my interest. I’m not sure I’ll be able to break away. But I’ll definitely be in Schenectady on Sunday. Hope to see you there.
FUSSYlittleBLOG 
In the old day you could make your own sour cream (or sour milk) by just leaving it out – but with Pasteurization milk doesn’t sour it just spoils.
Okay Daniel, we may not always see eye to eye,however, I will give you an amazing piece of advice. Do this…..every day. Take 2 teaspoons of local honey. Period. Honey is a natural antibiotic. Thank me nicely when you see the difference it makes in your life.
My comment is only semi-related to your article. But since you mentioned cheese and bread at ShopRite, let me add my 2 cents.
So far, Price Chopper wins on the bread scene, hands down. Of course, that is my opinion. I find Price Chopper breads to be crusty and good. My few experiences with bread from the new ShopRite on central ave, have been doughy and wet in the middle. No crunchy flaky crust on the outside. So far, I have tried 3 (including the baguette) and was tremendously disappointed.
Now for the Cheese: I can not count how many times I bought cheese (at $25 to $35 a pound) from the Price Chopper in Latham, and was skunked. The cheese had absorbed the chemical plastic taste from the wrap. The leeching effect that happens (very quickly) to cheese, from the plastic wrap used at Price Chopper is just awful. I have emailed the customer service on the PC website about 5 times regarding this. They always respond with the same answer: They claim that they use a special breathable plastic wrap to prevent leaching. This is incorrect. I can’t count how many times I had to throw out cheese because it was inedible. The leaching goes deep into the cheese, so you can’t just cut off the outside and eat the rest. It’s a total waste. Price Chopper email response also offered that I am free to ask to have a fresh portion of cheese cut, to fit my needs. I say “Ask Who?” There is never anyone at the cheese counter in Latham. I simply don’t have all day to go to the customer service desk and have them find someone to cut my cheese. I simply vowed to never buy cheese from PC again.
Now, for the really amazing ShopRite cheese display: Skunked on my very first purchase. The good news is that I have always seen someone stationed in the cheese counter. Even at 9pm. Not sure how long that will last though. My first time exploring their cheese counter, I spoke with the gentlemen working the cheese counter. I explained the leaching I faced at Price Chopper. He was very sympathetic and offered to cut me a fresh chunk of the Gruyere, from the block (My mac and Cheese is off the meter . .but I won’t ever ask Daniel to try it . . as I still have nightmares about my lemon tart!). He did, indeed, cut me a fresh block and I went home to make my mac and cheese. The whole chunk was skunked. Tasted and smelled like plastic. Because they wrapped the whole blocks/wheels in this plastic wrap.
BJ’s warehouse does not have a large selection of cheese . . but they do get it right when it comes to wrapping. I have yet to get a skunked chunk of Manchego or Aged Guda (which I enjoy) from there.
Overall, The only place that does it right are “The Cheese Traveler” . The Honest Weight Co-op is a great source for cheese as well, as they will cut it fresh for you, and it is stored properly. Although Honest Weight wraps their cheese in plastic, I have never ever tasted leaching.
Ok . .again, I realize this article was not about Cheese . . but . . . it’s one of my big pleasures in life.
Thanks for bringing this up, as I’ve had similar experiences with cheeses. I’ve never been able to get anywhere with PC management. Many issues – I don’t get any customer commitment vibes for them at all. I’m close to switching permanently away from PC.