Posted By admin on January 11, 2010
Fresh Brown Eggs
As the weeks go by since our opening, we find an increasing number of familiar faces inside Farmers and Artisans. We are glad many people have caught on to the quality and uniqueness of our products.
This year we are not only challenging you to eat locally, but to taste the difference in the foods we carry. If you haven’t yet, we ask that you stop in and try something from our selection. We bet you will taste and see the difference between a farm fresh egg and a conventional egg. We bet you will taste the care and intimacy of making wheeled farmstead cheeses or the difference between your favorite store brand bread and our fresh artisan baked goods. Our winter produce cooler is full of organic root crops, some of which are unfamiliar to many. We challenge you to take home something you’ve never tried before, like a daikon or some celeriac root. We’d be glad to guide you in your meal preparation.
Our staff is extremely passionate about cooking, baking, and eating. We love to talk in depth about all the products in our store. This winter, come taste the difference and challenge yourself to keep eating locally.
Category: Taking Stock
Tags: eggs, local food, locavore, winter root
Posted By admin on November 15, 2009
We are often asked about the differences between raw-milk cheese and cheese made from pasteurized milk. First, what is raw-milk cheese?
Cheese produced from milk that, prior to setting the curd, has not been heated above the temperature of the milk (104°F, 40°C) at the time of milking and that the cheese produced from that milk shall be aged for 60 days or longer at a temperature of not less than 35°F (2°C) in accordance with US FDA regulations.
The simple answer to why produce raw-milk cheeses is the flavor. The complex mix of organisms naturally occurring in raw milk leads to a depth of flavor that pasteurized cheeses can’t really approach. That’s not to say that there aren’t any pasteurized cheeses that are excellent, nor are all raw-milk cheeses revelations, but the trend is undeniable.
In one study, researchers at France’s Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique made the same cheeses from both raw and pasteurized milk. The raw-milk versions developed flavor sooner and the flavor was richer and more complex. The researchers’ conclusion: Pasteurization alters the biochemistry and microbiology of ripening and thus the texture and flavor of the cheese.
All things being equal, raw milk will produce a more complex cheese than pasteurized milk.
Category: Taking Stock
Tags: artisan cheese, cheese, raw milk
Posted By admin on November 11, 2009
Tamworth Pigs A Heritage Breed
Many of you have become aware of the writings of Michael Pollan and his warnings about the dangers to our food system from the lack of biodiversity in foodstocks. Modern food production favors the use of a few highly specialized breeds selected for maximum output in a controlled environment. In many categories, there are only one or two breeds of livestock being raised commercially. These animals are chosen for traits such as fast time to market, ability to be confined, and the ability to convert cheap feed to finished weight. More often than not, taste and flavor are not even considered.
Many traditional livestock breeds have lost popularity and are threatened with extinction. These traditional breeds are an essential part of the American agricultural inheritance. Not only do they evoke our past, they are also an important resource for our future. These are called heritage breeds.
There is an awakening among small farmers of the value of raising heritage animals. They are better suited to the workings of the small farm. They flourish on pasture, are easier to raise, and provide a quality product that reminds us of the way things used to taste.
At Farmers & Artisans, we encourage our farmers to raise heritage breeds. Many of them are already doing so and others will be making the move to heritage breeds in the coming months. For example, all Blossom Hill Farm pork is heritage breed. For more information visit the American Livestock Breeds Conservancy and Heritage Breeds Conservancy.
Category: Taking Stock
Tags: ALBC, heritage, Pollan
Posted By admin on November 2, 2009
Collectively, we are catching on to the fact that upholding a healthier planet means a more pro-active approach in our everyday life . With that said, sustainability simply means the ability to live with minimal negative effects on the environment. With green awareness and technology increasing each year, people are changing their everyday routines…all the while continuing to function in today’s busy society.
Although we all want to do our part, there are understandably economic and social obstacles. We all don’t have extra funds for solar panels or the time to build a bicycle powered washing machine. But surprisingly, there are small everyday decisions we can make to help attain a more sustainable lifestyle. Things like riding a bicycle or taking public transportation, supporting local businesses, and recycling are easily attainable. Other things that may come with time and repetition include skipping a meal of meat each week, conserving and utilizing gray water, and converting to wind-generated electricity.
Here at Farmers and Artisans we are doing our part as much as we can. We are locally owned and operated, providing you with WNY’s artisan and farmstead products. We are using organic ingredients whenever possible, energy efficient light bulbs, biodegradable cleaning products, compostable cups and silverware, and our recycle bin fills up faster than our trash. With hopes to compost in the future, and with more of our customers bringing in re-usable shopping bags on a regular basis, we know our sustainability will increase as our business progresses.
Category: Taking Stock
Tags: green, recycle, sustainability
Posted By admin on October 26, 2009
An artisan (from Italian: artigiano) is a skilled manual worker who crafts items that may be functional or strictly decorative, including furniture, clothing, jewelry, household items, and tools. Artisan is also used to describe the producer of hand-crafted foods that require an advanced level of knowledge and skill.
At Farmers & Artisans, we use artisan as an adjective suggestive of handmade goods and old-fashioned craftsmanship. A term bestowed upon the products of the cheesemaker, breadbaker, sausagemaker, etc., who labors in his or her craft, independent of the pressures of industrial food, to produce high quality, small-batch edibles.
Some of our artisan products are also farmstead, meaning these foodstuffs, usually cheeses, are made on-site at the very farm where the dairy animals are kept and milked (or, in the case of other farmstead goods, where the pertinent crops are grown).
Category: Taking Stock
Tags: artisan, bread, cheese, farmstead, sausage
Posted By admin on September 24, 2009
Farmers & Artisans ● Williamsville, NY
Jo-El Drajem of Blossom Hill Farm, Julie Blackman of the Blackman Homestead Farm and David Setzer of Artful Table have banded together to offer you a unique array of products sourced exclusively from the WNY region.
“As local farmers and producers, we are very passionate about food, and we care deeply about the quality, sustainability and nutritive value of what we put in our mouths.”
“We hope you will join us to celebrate the opening of our new year-round market in Williamsville. Just off Main Street and up from the Williamsville Water Mill, our charming new retail location will offer locally grown and produced beef, pork, poultry, lamb, eggs, dairy, cheese, maple products, honey, jams, jellies, fruit butters, sauces and juices, as well as fresh seasonal produce and freshly-baked breads and pizzas from our in-house artisanal bakery.”
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