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One of our extremely talented servers and a York county native, Shannon Sylte, developed a Permaculture Plan for the 2012 Accomac Culinary Garden.

Shannon is a certified Permaculture designer applying her skills to develop ecological garden designs and educate individuals of the benefits gained from reconnecting with the land.  Permaculture is an approach to the design and maintenance of landscapes and communities that seeks to mimic the relationships found in natural ecosystems.

This 2012 growing season, Shannon designed a plan for the Inn’s garden that introduces native plants, insectory plants, and companion planting to the plot which will encourage greater produce yield. By designing gardens that imitate nature’s patterns, Shannon is able to display that the correct location and pairing of plants can produce a lush, prolific garden without the extensive labor of conventional planting.

Here’s a glimpse into our plan:

Based on Shannon’s Permaculture Plan, we will be adding basil, marigolds, fennel, dill, comfrey, corn, beans, tiger lillies, and nasturtium to our current crops. Each plant serves a beneficial role in building and maintaining a small, garden ecosystem.

"Feel Your Roots" by Shannon Sylte (click to view more artwork by Shannon)

View Shannon’s artwork at www.shannonsylte.com and contact her at Contact@shannonsylte.com.

Foraging is a new buzz word in the culinary field although it’s been part of human traditions for thousands of years. This trend picked up speed on the West Coast and is now making its way to the East. Foragers are exploring backyards, parks, farms, forests and beaches in hopes of finding edible treasures. Jackie from jackiewrites.com says, “Searching for edible plants and mushrooms is on an upswing, and is undoubtedly connected to our desire to eat fresh, eat local, and know where are food comes from. Chefs and foragers have been giving tours to those wanting to learn to spot food growing in our midst.”

A Los Angeles restaurant called Forge opened their doors in a very rustic setting encouraging guests to bring in their finds from their own backyards.  Naturally, this trend can be a bit risky. Pennsylvania, for example, is known for wonderful mushrooms, but it’s important to know what is being picked before considering to eat it. Several mushroom varieties can be fatal if ingested. Like every other trend that pops up, education is so important.

Here are a few articles and resources to check out about foraging:

5 Sustainable Food Trends to Watch
A Walk On The Wild Side- For Lunch
Foraging: The Next Locavore Fixation
Foraging Wisdom For Everyone
Urban Foraging

The benefits of seasonal eating are many and it is something we preach at Accomac Inn and Events. All of our menus are constantly changing to reflect what is in season for our area and what we can buy locally.

For those that want to take a seasonal approach to their diets, we came across this website, Eat Seasonably, as a great resource. Shown is just one of the charts and guides offered on the website. You may want to print it out to keep with you in your cookbook or in your kitchen. They not only have great guides for eating seasonally, they also offer advice and resources for those that want to grow their own fresh fruit and veggies. Under the link “What to Grow Now” you will find a vast amount of information whether you are just getting started or want to take your culinary garden to the next level.

As we go into the winter months, it inevitably becomes harder to eat fresh, but here are some tips for local, seasonal eating this winter.

This week on Facebook we posted about buying a fresh, local Thanksgiving turkey with a great response from our fans. It’s so great to see the passion York/Lancaster has for buying fresh and buying local! We are truly fortunate to live in this area with great access to delicious, locally-produced food.

Some of our fans posted their resources for local turkey and we wanted to share them with you here:

Central Market York

Lancaster Central Market

Strock’s in Mechanicsburg, PA

Laudermilch Meats in Annville, PA

Meadow Run Farm in Lititz, PA

If you have other resources, please share in the comments!

November marks the beginning of holiday party season! Give your guests something simple yet delicious to munch on while they are waiting for the main “ta-da!”  A crostini bar provides a great way for guests to mingle as they test their palettes with an assortment of toppings for these “little toasts”. Thinly sliced baguettes make the best base and the array of toppings is virtually limitless! Get creative with the toppings by making a homemade hummus or bruschetta. Offer a variety of wine pairings and your event is set for success.

image courtesy of haute apple pie

Fresh bruschetta topping from Accomac Events served at the Grand Opening of the Turkey Hill Experience

Here is a simple, seasonal recipe for your holiday crostini bar:

Winter Squash Crostini
(recipe courtesy of Whole Foods)

Ingredients
1 small butternut squash (about 1 1/2 pounds), halved lengthwise and seeded
1/2 tablespoon olive oil, more for brushing
1 1/2 cups chopped shallots (about 4 large shallots)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 baguette, cut crosswise into (1/3-inch) thick slices
3 tablespoons almond butter

Method
Preheat oven to 350°F. Arrange squash on a greased baking sheet, cut sides down, and bake until tender, about 45 minutes. Set aside to let cool then transfer 1 1/2 cups of the flesh to a food processor. (Save any remaining flesh for another use.)

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add shallots, salt and pepper and cook until golden, about 5 minutes. Meanwhile, brush bread all over with oil, arrange on a large baking sheet in a single layer and toast in the oven, flipping halfway through, until just golden and crisp, 8 to 10 minutes total.

Add shallots and almond butter to food processor with squash and purée until smooth. Season with salt and pepper then spread over warm crostini and serve.

One of our most popular dishes this time of year at Accomac Inn is our Pumpkin Risotto. We serve the risotto in locally-grown “jack be little” pumpkins.

Pumpkins and squash make fun containers and presentations for your fall dishes! An acorn squash is great to try because of its shape and color. One of the most common items used in squash bowls is soup, but there are so many other possibilities. Try this stuffed squash recipe that uses apples and cranberries. It is delicious and beautiful!  

Click for recipe

Another winter squash recipe with a fun presentation is a twice baked butternut squash. Try this very simple recipe from Marthastewart.com.

image from marthastewart.com

We wanted to share this wonderful note we recently received from Mary Mellinger of Linden Dale Farm. Mary and her husband attended our Farm to Table Dinner this September and we served their delicious goat cheese as part of one of the courses. If you have never visited Linden Dale at Lancaster Central Market, we highly recommend it. Speaking to them about their passion for farming as well as the community is so moving. Not to mention, their cheese is out of this world! Thank you, Mary!

Mary Mellinger and Accomac Catering Executive Chef Ed Dodds

Spend this Thanksgiving with family and friends enjoying lunch or dinner at the Accomac.

We will have a special menu for Thanksgiving with items such as:

Apple-Butternut Squash Soup
orzo, lump crab, maple cream

Pumpkin Risotto and Shrimp
parmesan, toasted pumpkin seeds; served in “jack be little” pumpkins

Stuffed Local Free Range Antibiotic Free Turkey
served on sausage- pecan- cornbread stuffing accompanied by sweet potato, honey-roasted parsnips, brussel sprouts with chestnuts, creamed onions, gravy, cranberry-orange-jalapeno sauce

Parsnip Mousse
roasted root vegetables, frisée, pomegranate

“Diana’s” Pumpkin Pie
sand tart, ginger ice cream

View the entire menu here.

Make a reservation here.

Although we are at the end, it’s not too late to buy some peaches and give them a last hurrah! Here are some ideas:

Slice and grill them & toss them into a salad of buttery bib lettuce with some creamy goat or mild ricotta cheese. Dress it out with a nice light champagne vinaigrette and make a meal of it by adding grilled shrimp or chicken.

Add your peaches to healthy grains such as quinoa or “forbidden” black rice for a healthy starch option.

A nice braised short rib with stewed peaches and brandy is an easy, crowd-pleasing dinner option. Allow the fruit juice to naturally tenderize the meat! Slow roast a Pork Butt using a puree of peaches and oranges, paprika and smoked chilies for a spin on BBQ. If you prefer fish, make a nice peach chutney on top of your Sea Bass tonight!

Bring on fall’s apples and pears!

At last year’s Farm to Table dinner we served Twin Pines’ Rib Eye Steaks. This year, attendees will have a chance to experience their bacon in the first course: Accomac Inn’s Garden Tomatoes Poached in Basil Olive Oil Served with Brogue Hydroponic Baby Greens, Twin Pine Braised Bacon and White Balsamic.

Local writer, Jason Konopinski had this to say about Twin Pine Farm:

Denny and Robert Ilyes of Twin Pine Farm are carrying on the legacy left by their father, raising beef and produce in Seven Valleys. Long known for producing a sweet bologna, Twin Pine opened a retail store less than a mile from the farm, butcher shop and smokehouse in 2002; Denny says with a proud smile that all the beef that passes through the butcher’s counter in the store was raised on the farm – truly calf to counter.   There’s undeniable transparency in all means of production from calving until slaughter at Twin Pine; I came away with a deeper appreciation for local agriculture and its role in the community and a few samples of Twin Pine’s famous sweet bologna to remind me of the place and the lessons learned.

Twin Pines Farm Country Store is located on 1428 Seven Valleys Road in York, PA and is open year round.

Photo by the Susquehanna Photographic

Photo by the Susquehanna Photographic

Photo by the Susquehanna Photographic

Photo by the Susquehanna Photographic