The True Art of Farm to Table

Now so over-used as if this culinary trend which actually started 30 plus years ago just landed at our dinner tables, farm to table descriptions of valid attempts by independent restaurants to bring fresh local produce and food systems to their clientele are still growing in number. Yet while creative chefs enjoy utilizing the freshest ingredients, often grow their herbs at their cafes and support local growers as they can, it must be the next best thing but can’t beat the sensible tenets of back-on-the-farm’s honest approach to planting and harvesting for your own table .

I read Meredith Ford making the point “that we must vigilantly support eating locally and seasonally whenever possible. We must support food systems that do not deplete the environment, as Big Ag currently does. We must support the fair treatment of small farms and farmers, and we must support the humane treatment of animals in farming environments. When something as sensible as these tenets – embraced by our grandparents as a way of life – have to be outlined as a cause, something has gone astray in our food system.

To that end, the catch phrases are tossed about like the tender field greens that were just picked minutes ago for your salad. Exaggerations of the truth regarding how “local” locally grown really is and over-used fashionable references to slow food models sell well in today’s market. The nostalgic, guilt-ridden and health-conscious will bite. The consumer must sift through the fine flour of it all, make smart decisions and support and enjoy local whenever possible.

But last night was the real deal. With the warm glow of the farmhouse kitchen in western New York state illuminated from the within where happy conversation was exchanged as our hosts prepared the final stages of our dinner, I couldn’t help but whip out my phone and photo the ingredients I discovered in the kitchen and immediately go out to explore the land where most of those oh so fresh ingredients were harvested just minutes before.

Talk about farm to table – we were living it as our dear friends do every day in their picturesque rural setting surrounded this year by large green walls of corn, their bountiful victory garden and abundant orchards. Hard work, diligence, study, practice, attention to detail, appreciation for the good and bad in nature, all contribute to the successful harvest of each lovingly planted seasonal seedling or many years’ nurtured tree.

The light of the setting sun washed a warm bath of a golden aura over the brilliant green of the corn stalks and other garden delights. I caught still scenes of farm equipment in primary colors – so perfectly yet unconsciously placed ready to do the work of the day. I shot clusters of flowers that banked the side of the house. I walked through the tall grass and stepped on fallen sunflowers, tip-toes through the ruts and rows to capture shots of magnificent golden cauliflower nestled in the center of enormous smoky green leaves, green cabbage with heads the size of basket balls, plump aubergine eggplants peeking from their bushy foliage and pale purple flowers, dark green clusters of broccoli florets and left-over picked sprouts going to yellow flower, beets bulging from the earth with their stands of gorgeous green and red leaves, tomatoes of all shapes and sizes punctuating the greenery with blasts of red and then there was the orchard…

Picture-perfect Americana agriculture on the charming scale that paintings romance – the ladder standing ready for access into the taller reaches of the trees – the perfect picker’s perch. I had to climb up and pick a perfect apple and bite into its crispness with wet juice running down my chin. Now THAT’S an apple! Several varieties of both apples and pears were heavy on the limbs. Bushels of fruit ready to be harvested. Grape clusters that begged to be picked. The freshest of fresh!

Farm to table within feet, it was wonderful. Back inside it was all coming together, we enjoyed home-made wine that was crisp, cool and dry, plump baked chicken and savory sausage by local butchers, fresh mashed potatoes, roasted orange cauliflower and broccoli, freshly sliced tomatoes with basil and arugula and finished with a freshly baked peach pie.

It was an astonishingly intimate experience with good friends and good food. Which makes me realize that if only a pot of basil on your doorstep to make a pesto or garnish a tomato, or plant a row of lettuce in your flower garden we can all benefit from the satisfaction of growing your own on any scale. Do it yourself (DIY) farm to table one step at a time.

Posted On September 1, 2013 By pattisays In beauty behold it, design, design trends, DIY design, environment, environmental, exterior - outdoor design, food and interior design, landscape design, seasonal interior design, table dressings / 6 Comments

We’ve done it before at the beach with shells and stones and simple candles, then again in the foothills of the Sandia Mountain with stones and crystal votive holders. Now we find ourselves with an abundant centerpiece for a magazine spread – but for practical purposes, we tone it down – waaaay down – so that guests can visit across the table without spreading the foliage like a stalking through the jungle.

Large centerpieces are spectacular and provide a dramatic focal point for dining talbes or buffet tables…but when dining, it is tough to wrangle around the massive spray of flora between you and your would-be or wanna-be conversation partner.

In a pinch – go outside and discover what is in your yard. Here we found a simple fan palm frond – two really – and placed them opposite each other in the center of the table and added an old-fashioned Mexican dulce sugar mold as a long candle holder – now used often for candles as they are the perfect size for votive candles.

In YOUR yard it might be an oak or maple branch in the fall, photinia – a good green-leafed bush for all seasons, pine boughs, holly sprigs, long banana leaves, or round sea-grape leaves. The idea is to just scatter leaves, and add dimension. The stones and single candles in the previous scenes were dimensional. In this case, the wooden sugar mold sits atop the fronds – but in either case do not block the view and are easy to enjoy while conversing across the table.

Play with centerpieces and see what fun you can have!!

Posted On August 13, 2013 By pattisays In art and interior design, context of interior design, design, design trends, DIY design, exterior - outdoor design, interior design, seasonal interior design, table dressings /

Organic Table-scape With Bling

Organic table-scape with Orrefors bling!

Bring the outdoors in and the indoors out – mix it up, for the sheer pleasure of it!

So, the plan was to have a near-last-blast of summer patio dinner party…but the forecast was dim. In the high desert to have 30% chance of rain might mean that it comes and goes without a trace. But then again, it can produce a deluge and soak everything like “hope somebody called Noah.”

In an effort to thwart the storm, I planned an alternate indoor table setting, just in case. Usually that – like washing your car and the rain comes – will produce the opposite outcome. So by having the alternate plan I felt confident that the patio party would be saved. But, alas…

The theme was Mexican. I had planned a shrimp cerviche appetizer (fresh corn, serranos, onions, avocado, lime, tomatoes, cilantro…), followed by a shredded beef taco – baked and marinated in a richly savory coffee-chipotle-cinnamon-garlic-tequila reduction, freshly made (that very morning from a local mercado) lovely, light corn tortillas – accompanied by an array of salsas: garden fresh pico de gallo (vine-ripened tomatoes and equally freshly picked peppers), luscious guacamole, tart tomatillo, sour cream with traditional Hatch, New Mexico roasted green chile, and tropical twist mango salsa. The plan was festive, the weather was suspect.

In anticipation of moving the fiesta indoors, I needed a table-scape that fit the scene. The scene needed to be a combination of the theme and the setting. The patio had been the better setting for the brightly colored combination of linens and accoutrements that I planned – but inside was a more formal venue and required a bit of restraint – but no less fun!

Therefore, the so loved beach table-scapes that we have enjoyed creating in Mexico came to mind. But we were NOT at the beach so a modification was in order. I went to the local stone yard and hand-picked river rock to scatter down the center of the table. Mixing that with gravel from our side-yard gave the sense of a randomly stone-strewn arroyo. The focal point was a large, verdant green pottery “lotus bowl” by local artist Penne Roberts into which I placed a clear glass Revere-like cache-pot and two succulent aloe plants. Now, the rocks work for a desert-scape, but, the aloe is decidedly tropical and not native to our high desert – but the combination was richly organic and had that hint of south-of-the-border that was needed to carry-off the Mexican feel. The bling came with placing the Orrefors “lightstones” among the river rocks. The combination was fabulous. The solid, heavy, clear, smooth shapes of the tea-light ” lightstones” perfectly complimented the primitive, raw rubble of stone scattered down the center of the table.

We love to bring the indoors outside and the outside in – melding the two – creating ever-expanding living spaces and experiences.
For more information regarding artist Penne Roberts pottery – large lotus bowl centerpiece

http://www.patriciandesign.com/retail/art_piece.php?product_ID=190&match=penne&pageNum=2

Posted On September 11, 2012 By pattisays In DIY design, food and interior design, table dressings / 12 Comments

Design a Brunch – Alfresco Dining

Brunch to me used to mean “blow the day.” I have always viewed brunches as over-eating buffets that require the balance of the day to recover. However, I am renewed with a fresh approach to brunch to start the day, gather with friends and celebrate, in this season, the pleasure of dining outside.

Fresh lavender and mint – both out of the garden. In the winter we long for the days when we can go outside and enjoy the warm weather and gather growing things to eat and adorn our tables. I love fresh mint – refreshing to chew – I like parsley too – everyone teases me when I eat everything right down to the garnishes! Dining outside is another one of those examples of expanding your living space in the summer months. Even if you have a tiny balcony – setting up a table with your morning coffee or a glass of juice is so relaxing and feels like a mini escape. Even if you don’t have a balcony – moving a small table to a space beside a window that you can open will provide a sense of that connection to outside that we miss for so many chilly months that force us to be encapsulated indoors.

In this photo you can see the lavender in full bloom in the background. The mint grows invasively along the side of our house. The luminous blue glasses, indigo placemats, large chartreuse chargers used as the individual serving plates punctuated with hot pink napkins dressed-up in silver napkins rings speak of all the colors blooming in the surrounding gardens. Local NM Gruet bubbly with fresh squeezed orange juice in these lovely little vintage cut glass stems, fresh seasonal berries, slivered almonds, fresh quail eggs raised by a friend…hard-boiled little delicacies laced with a light curry-cream sauce, plump sizzling brats just grilled, fresh asparagus roasted crisply, English peas, ripe tomatoes topped with a fried egg…a lovely way to start the day.

Posted On July 7, 2012 By pattisays In DIY design, exterior - outdoor design, food and interior design, seasonal interior design, table dressings / 3 Comments

Successful Design is Attributed to the Entire Experience – Rancher’s Club, Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Seasonal trends…seasonal cocktails, seasonal venues…I am a big proponent of seasonal things…I like context – have you heard that from me in the past? So in keeping with that embrace…I like dining indoors in a cozy setting in the wintertime and in the freshest of outdoors in the warmer scenes.

Tonight we visited a local favorite that for some reason does not stay on our radar – and for that reason, tonight was a special treat, a welcome change which made us feel as though we had traveled outside our norm to experience such a wonderful dining experience.

I almost ordered a Manhattan – exclusively a wintertime beverage for me, warm, rich in color and flavor…but opted instead for a Hendricks’s martini – extra dry with a twist, as we began our evening in the lounge of The Ranchers’ Club in Albuquerque. It has a most cozy interior, where the low-lit lounge offers several groupings of over-stuffed leather sofas and chairs with cow hide accents, zoned into seating areas around a live piano with vocal accompaniment and a handsome bar area. The classic ranch décor punctuated with taxidermy paired with Victorian touches, crisp table linens and full china presentation is quite welcoming. It is a manly, yet refined old fashioned dining venue that appeals to the most discriminating of etiquette practitioners.

The rooms are nicely lit – dim, warm golden glow, ample for reading the menu which is printed with a generous font size, but soft and sexy, intimate and comfortable. And the menu has offerings of domestic game such as bison and fresh catches as tonight’s special, striped sea bass with a curry cream drizzle. Other shellfish and fresh fish filets are offered as well as slow-cooked oso bucco and hearty stews.

When the entrees are presented beneath gleaming silver domes, the stage is set to anticipate the dishes that have been suggested all evening with the wonderful aromas wafting through the dining rooms since we first were escorted to our seats. The unveiling done in unison is a “ta da!”

The service is attentive yet not over-powering. The wine list has a wide range. The deserts are delightful as we experienced in the chocolate pyramid. And the dessert wines were well chosen.

The success of the design is attributed to the entire experience. An attractive dining interior without the proper service, quality of food and smart presentation is flat. A successful interior design has to have life. It has to breathe all of the elements that make the space function as intended.

Cheers to all who make a date a Rancher’s! Patti’s pick!

Posted On February 20, 2012 By pattisays In food and interior design, seasonal interior design, table dressings /

Oil Cloth and Lots of Color!

Table dressings priced right with plenty of color

Oil cloth – that vinylized – coated fabric with the brilliant colors – 50ish in nature, it is still available in running yardage! Yes – you can still buy it by the bolt, use it for upholstery, cut and hem the edges for placemats, use pinking shears for a no-sew solution to table toppers, etc…Here we have a festive table setting where the gerbera daisies pop with happy faces from their squat water vessels.
What once was a decidedly lower economic material – is now the fabric of choice for those folk-art, camp, tablescapes! Choose your favorite – will it be cherries or branches of apples, bouquets of flowers or spilled baskets of mixed fruit? Everyone of them will be bursting with fresh, crisp, bold color and opportunities for coordination with you flowers, plates, napkins and the entire scheme of the party!
So dash down to your local fabric store and inquire about these fabulous oilcloth treasures! Have your own fiesta!!!

Posted On August 16, 2011 By pattisays In DIY design, exterior - outdoor design, seasonal interior design, table dressings /

Inventive Spirits Have No Boundaries as Lady Ga Ga Makes A Design Statement for Teen Girls!

Glitzy Teen Party Theme – We’re Ga Ga for a Good Party!

This weekend, my friend threw a birthday party for her 16 year-old daughter. The theme was Lady Ga Ga and she pulled out all the gaudy elements that would put it over the top! An enormous party tent, DJ, virgin cocktail bar, white draped yard furniture, bouquets of roses, candelabra, glitz and bling! Today’s Albuquerque Journal addresses encouraging your teen to participate in the design/décor of their room. Go to Pottery Barn and you will find an entire section devoted to this market niche. Those teen consumers are proving to be a very significant segment in today’s economic demographic. They discriminate, set trends, follow trends, and buy trends. You gotta know what’s hot.
So they’re all of sudden Ga Ga for Ga Ga!! From her live concerts to creating chandeliered dance tents and disco dance floors for the party scene – she’s hot and they buy into it!
We study trends and try to determine which will stick and which will fade away…which will stand out as bon a fide contributions to the stream of design movements and/or individuals that/who make historical impact versus those that/whom are passing fancies. Rock stars and movie legends make their mark. Some provide a greater design statement – influence design trends more than others. Lady Ga Ga is out there making statements to get the critics’ attention in a powerfully demonstrative, creative and artful manner. To emulate her would be foolish. Yet she herself has had a springboard to her design style from Madonna’s earlier influence marking the outrageous in her singular fashion – now furthered with Ga Ga’s ooh la la ga ga creativity.
Imagination – from hard science to art and design – imagination fuels the unique, the original, and the newest discoveries. Inventive spirits have no boundaries. Art cannot be described by limited frameworks. It is ever-evolving, ever stimulating and evoking – it is imagination, experimentation and expression set free. Yet even the tightest realism is an intense form of imaginative expression as the artist delves into their interpretation of the finest, accurate detail that they can perceive and project. It’s all about being aware of, and open to so many possibilities. Just imagine.

Posted On June 26, 2011 By pattisays In design trends, DIY design, table dressings /

Latin Flavors Influence Macho Football Parties – by Design?

I write about things that catch my attention. Generally centered on the world of design- which is actually everything around us – therefore, I have a broad reach of subjects that are constantly popping up and seem pertinent. Today, Super Bowl Sunday having just returned last night from south of our border, I am still in my Latin mode – perfect for this day’s celebrations. And also on this the 100th anniversary of President Ronald Regan’s birth we are reminded that he campaigned on the North American Common Market and that was the impetus for NAFTA back in the mid eighties. He had the vision that we are so closely connected and should celebrate that connectivity with more open and shared economic and cultural exchange. Foodies unite with the flow of firey foods that seep up from the chile fields into our markets, kitchens and ultimately party platters!
From Bill Geist teaching his grandson this morning on CBS Sunday Morning the fine art of being a man honoring the game with the party fare on the cocktail table to my husband making his favorite Firehouse chili recipe, the culinary influences from our own southwest and points even farther south are abundantly apparent.
Not everyone is want to incorporate Mexican textiles, Talavera tiles, brilliantly bright pottery or the like into their home decor…but come football season and you’ll find colonial homes on the historic registrar all over the east coast armed with their obligatory bags of Tostitos and Doritos! I heard yesterday that the avocado sales in the United States goes off the charts this week in preparation for the bazillion pounds of guacamole dip being prepared for the Super Bowl parties!
So all the recent cooking shows and guest spots have been featuring basic to outrageously creative versions of salsas, quesadillas, queso and chips, tacos of every variety and even Mexico’s royal crowned cerveza, Corona challenging the King of Beers…how did this happen? When and how did this particular sports scene morph into an unconscious celebration of Latin American culinary interpretations? Was this by design?
It does beg that question, the answer to which is undeniably true – it began with the macho image – no silly, not nacho, macho – that somehow translated into spicy (look what habaneros in Tabasco have done for our very own Buffalo wings), which means the hotter you can take it, the more manly you are…and thus the tradition was born. Starting back with bowls of that “Texas” chile, tomato based stew of red kidney beans and hamburger meat which by personal preference (remember the manly man likes it hot) is identified by how much red chile powder one adds to the brew to Velvetta becoming synonymous with queso dip it became a theme of hot punctuations of flavor. Chile con queso to be exact – with a can of Rotelle or your own version from scratch with melted cheese and cream and roasted and peeled chiles, onions and tomotoes all chopped into the blend it’s all about flavor and HEAT! Do you use jalapenos or serranos? Do you stuff jalapenos with gooey queso and deep fry for tantalizing poppers? Do you buy salsa in a jar or make your own from the freshest ingredients diced into a fresco pico de gallo? Simple recipe to follow:
5 ripe Roma tomatoes diced 1 med. onion diced (white is traditional – but go crazy with a red one – porque no?) 5 serrano chiles seeded and diced (keep your hands away from your nose and eyes for the next several hours – or use gloves when you chop – like a wimp) 1 large lime or 3 small ones juiced (also nice to have a bowl cut-up for the beer – in which case you will need MANY more) 1/3 c. fresh cilantro leaves finely chopped
Mix it all together and dive into it with fresh tortilla chips – or bagged from the store if you must!
Whether a purist or packaged party planner, let’s pull out our sombrero chip and dip platters, and celebrate our adopted Latin flavors, colors and heat that raise the temperatures on these chilly football afternoons – Ole!

Posted On February 6, 2011 By pattisays In design, design trends, DIY design, food and interior design, seasonal interior design, table dressings, travel and design, Uncategorized /

Making Something Out of Nothing – Spontaneous Great Design On-Site

Instant change in scenery…from the chilly high desert of New Mexico to the expansive beaches along the Bay of Banderas between La Cruz and Punta de Mita. We’re here now enjoying the sky touch the sea and purple mountains shrouded in mist circling the bay creating an awesome scene of tropical splendor. Palm fronds reach from their trunks and crinkle their tips in the breeze like giant green shrimp trying to escape into the air.
Last night we had a dinner party with our fabuous friends the familia Leon de la Vega. Federico, Luli, Victoria and Lupita join us every year for dinner at this magical spot. In anticipation of the evening’s party, I planned the menu on the plane, groceries were purchased on the way from the airport and the first day of our visit unfolded.
Joined this year by niece Heather and cousin Tricia, we are having an adventure! As I explained the plan for the day and tasks to be performed to ready ourselves for the dinner party, one aspect fascinated the girls. I wanted (as I always do) to dress the table – and they looked at each other, shrugged, raised their up-turned hands to the sky and said in unison “with what?” (Can you visualize that scene?)
Always working with available materials the task is like a treasure hunt for me. There were simple woven placemats in a drawer. Their organic color and texture were perfect contrast to the smooth surface of the honed stone table top. Next I grabbed a water glass from the cupboard, went outside and began to prune a trailing pothos plant for the naked center of the travertine slab. In a drawer we discovered a pair of votive candles colorfully wrapped with an angelically handsome face of Jesus in a baggie with a package of matches – intended for emergencies in case of a power outage after dark – until the emergency generators kick-in. Knowing that they probably had these in inventory, I called the front desk to request 6 of these little luminaries – offered to pay for them – but they were delivered to the room gratis. After peeling off the holy wrappers, we stood back and examined our progress…a pretty green trailing plant with small white votive candles…next step…to the beach!! We ventured forth to comb the leavings from high tide where we scavenged gathering our decorative elements… smooth stones washed by the sea and bleached by the sun with white oyster shells pearly and iridescent perfect for bases beneath our little white candles.
Scattering the stones along the center of the table and placing three shells on either side of the center, we positioned the candles on the shells and Voila!! A beautiful tablescape – made more enchanting as night fell and the candles glowed -move over Sandra Lee! All created on-site with the spontaneity resulting from limited, but very successful resources, in perfect context with our tropical beach setting. Mix those margaritas and enjoy!

Posted On January 17, 2011 By pattisays In context of interior design, design, design trends, DIY design, environmental, exterior - outdoor design, food and interior design, table dressings /

table dressings