Museum Day!

An e-mail from the Katonah Museum of Art reminds me that this weekend is Smithsonian Free Museum Day, when participating museums welcome Smithsonian magazine readers and Smithsonian.com visitors for free. (The actual day of the event is Saturday, September 27 but those museums that are not open on Saturday will participate on Sunday.)

A number of cultural institutions in the Hudson Valley are participating, including the Katonah Museum of Art, Mid-Hudson Children’s Museum in Poughkeepsie, Gomez Mill House Museum and Historic Site in Marlboro, and Historic Huguenot Street in New Paltz. (There are many more listed on the directory of participating museums.) You’ll need the free “admission card” in the Smithsonian magazine (or to print it from the Web site) for the free admission.

This is the fourth year for the Free Museum Day, which “reflects the spirit of the magazine, and emulates the free-admission policy of the institution’s Washington, DC-based properties.” Last year, upwards of 100,000 people attended Museum Day, with all 50 states represented in more than 650 museums, according to the release. It sounds like a great opportunity to introduce yourself (or reconnect) to the wonderful museums in our area!

Fall flower sale

Summer may be over but it's not to late to think about gardens. In fact, now is the time to put in some fall blooming plants (such as mums) and plant others that will flower next year (such as rose bushes and tulip bulbs.)

There is a fall flower sale going on in the main lobby of Northern Dutchess Hospital on Thursday and Friday (September 25 and 26) from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. The sale is run by the NDH Auxiliary and proceeds benefit their ongoing support of Northern Dutchess Hospital.

Organizers say they'll have a generous supply of bargain-priced plants in beautiful fall colors. The hospital is located on Route 9 in the village of Rhinebeck.

We're walking ...

Rain or shine, on Saturday my daughter and I will be walking in the Paws in the Park fundraiser for the Dutchess County SPCA. Our two rescue dogs are coming along. (One of them came from the Dutchess SPCA and so he'll get to wear a big yellow bow to mark that fact.) It looks like the day's forecast calls for it to be cooler than last year's event (which was a lot of fun -- but hot!)

Michael Woyton has more info on the event on his blog.

See you there? Or if you support the SPCA but cannot make it to the walk in person, you can also donate to the cause online.

Oustanding in this field!

Noting two opportunities to celebrate local food this weekend:

Acclaimed chef Melissa Kelly (who has local ties) will be guest chef at this Sunday's (Sept. 14) Outstanding in the Field dinner at Gigi Market at Greig Farm in Red Hook.

Outstanding in the Field says its mission is to

"re-connect diners to the land and the origins of their food, and to honor the local farmers and food artisans who cultivate it. ... the Field is a roving culinary adventure - literally a restaurant without walls. Since 1999 we have set the long table at farms or gardens, on mountain tops or in sea caves, on islands or at ranches. ... Wherever the location, the consistent theme of each dinner is to honor the people whose good work brings nourishment to the table. Ingredients for the meal are almost all local (sometimes sourced within inches of your seat at the table!) and generally prepared by a celebrated chef of the region. After a tour of the site, we all settle in: farmers, producers, culinary artisans, and diners sharing the long table."

Kelly is a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America who has worked as executive chef at the Beekman Tavern in Rhinebeck and The Old Chatham Sheepherding Company Inn in Columbia County. She was named one of the upcoming chefs of the 1990s by Food & Wine magazine, and has been recognized by a lot of other national publications. She won the 1999 James Beard Foundation Award as American Express Best Chef, Northeast and also was nominated in 1998. Today, she is executive chef and proprietor of Primo in Rockland, Maine, along with Price Kushner. According to her online bio, in 2003 she partnered with JW Marriott to open a second Primo at the Grande Lakes Resort; Orlando, Florida. A third followed in 2003 at Starr Pass Resort; Tucson, Arizona.

The event, which starts at 4 p.m., costs $200 per person and will also feature host farmer Norman Greig, and the Biezynski Family of Northwind Farms. Limited seating is still available. Please call John Storm at 845-876-1007 to reserve.

And if you don't feel like forking over $200 to eat with Melissa Kelly, on Saturday (Sept. 13) from 4 to 7 p.m. there's also the opportunity to celebrate local food with the Green Pizza Fundraiser for the Family Farm Festival, with all-you-can-eat pizzas handcrafted using ingredients from local farms, at Epworth Center in High Falls. Suggested donation is $20 per adult, $10 per child ages 7-12. Kids under six eat for free. The menu includes everything you'd want for a meal, including dessert pizzas!

Here is more info from the organizers:

Pizza baked to crispy perfection in a wood-fired cob oven. Heirloom tomato tastings. Acoustic music. Tours of permaculture and edible forest gardens and straw-bale house. All in support of the continuation of the Family Farm Festival from 2009 into the future!

WHY: To gather together the initial funds necessary to incorporate the Family Farm Festival--originally organized by Dina Falconi and Jen Prosser--into a non-profit organization, and to raise money to begin staging the annual festival again in 2009.

I've been to the last few Family Farm Festivals as a member of Slow Food Hudson Valley and can vouch that it is a lovely family event that celebrates local farms and food producers. I'm looking forward to its return!
Directions and more info here: http://www.sunstoneherbs.com/festival

Fall for Art -- tonight!

It's never too soon to start thinking about holiday gift giving ... and here is an opportunity to find some unique items.

The Jewish Federation of Ulster County holds its 12th annual Fall for Art Juried Art Show, Sale and Cocktail Reception fundraiser tonight (Thursday Sept. 4) at Wiltwyck Golf Club in Kingston, from 6-9 p.m.

Admission is $35 advance/$40 at the door. Call 845-338-8131 or visit www.ucjf.org for more info. Fall for Art’s donation recipient is The Children’s Annex, which will develop a visual arts program for children with autism spectrum disorder.

Today I appreciate

Today I appreciate

Being here. At the risk of sounding like a cheerleader for the Hudson Valley, I really appreciate that I live here. I spent last week vacationing in the Midwest (meeting wonderful people, eating way too much good food and in general, having a great time in a really nice part of the country.) But I’m still so happy to be home in the Hudson Valley. Not only is it my home, it’s just a good place to be. We have gorgeous views; great schools and colleges; excellent restaurants, farms and food producers; good shopping; and stellar recreation, entertainment and cultural offerings. Our weather’s not too bad either!

Local apples. Having been raised in a local apple-growing community, I can’t enjoy anything called “apple” that is shipped from elsewhere in the country (or world) and sold in our grocery stores. No matter the variety, Hudson Valley apples just taste better. A farmer told me once that he thought it might be our acid soils that make the local apples taste so fine. Whatever the reason, I am happy it’s apple season now! Do you have a favorite variety or local farmstand?


Only two more days until the Hudson Valley Wine and Food Fest at the Dutchess County Fairgrounds, Route 9, Rhinebeck. Did you see the official program and taster’s guide inserted in last week’s Poughkeepsie Journal? Saturday, September 6, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Sunday, September 7, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Food concessions. Music. Chef demos. Art and crafts vendors. Kids activities. And of course, wine from all over New York state to sample and purchase. Visit www.HudsonValleyWineFest.com for ticket prices and options. I’ll be there on Saturday – stop by the Journal table and say “hi!” You can tell me if you spotted my photo in the program. ☺

UPDATE 5:30 p.m.


And I can’t forget that the fest’s Grand Reserve Wine Tasting on Friday (Sept. 5) from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. benefits the Northern Dutchess Hospital Foundation. The dinner that accompanies the tasting celebrates "The Bounty of the Hudson Valley," featuring Hudson Valley products prepared by eight of the area's most well-respected chefs. Eight wineries, (from the Hudson Valley, the Finger Lakes, and some international locations) will pair wines with each chef's creation. The dinner will be take place in the Horticultural Building at the Dutchess County Fairgrounds in Rhinebeck. Michael Green, (Wine and Spirits consultant to Gourmet Magazine), will speak and will be on hand to offer wine pairing advice to guests.

Here is more from the press release:

George Verrilli, MD, Chairman of the NDH Foundation will be attending the Grand Reserve Dinner with his wife, Christine. "We are so grateful to Michael Babcock and his team for all the effort they have put forth in creating this special event for the benefit of Northern Dutchess Hospital Foundation. We are honored to have been chosen as the recipient of proceeds from his event, and we look forward to seeing many community members -- from wine novices to connoisseurs -- there that night to help us celebrate," said Dr. Verrilli.


Tickets may be purchased online at www.HudsonValleyWineFest.com or by calling 1-888-687-2517. The price is $80 per person, and the ticket price includes a half price admission ticket to the Festival, good for either Saturday, September 6th or Sunday, September 7th (with purchase code HVGR08). All proceeds benefit Northern Dutchess Hospital Foundation.

And I’m especially happy that school started today!!