Potatoes & Pinot Noir from the PEC Soil
July 31, 2017 Missive from J.K. Farm
Like wizards with long beards, the seed potatoes languished in the dark, cool cellar. The white beard like root stems forced their way through burlap bags that contained them. They mistake the cool subterranean cellar for the good earth where they yearn to grow. I am in my basement looking for something and the sight of these bearded burlap bags startles me. Somehow they got left behind on potato planting day back in early June. Shehan had groomed the field that day. It was a fluffy mixture of Hillier clay loam mixed with a large measure of composted horse manure. We attached the potato planter to the tractor and set about planting potato seed in the half-acre field.
This year, Henry Ellenberger, a certified organic seed potato grower provided me with 4 different cultivars, all in some way or another, suitable for French fry production. So far it is looking good for a bountiful harvest. Our goal is to harvest and store enough potatoes to keep our French fry enterprise stocked until we bring in the harvest again next year. It is exciting to think that this might actually be possible. This year we are increasing our capacity for subterranean cold storage dramatically. I am now thinking about where I might procure the many burlap bags required to store all these potatoes. I also ponder how we will go about washing all these apples of the earth before they even go inside the burlap sacks. It will be a wonderful new challenge for us. Our French fries have always been sourced from a local supply of potatoes, but now we will able to say that they came from our farm.
This past Saturday on the ridge, above the potato field we set up our French fry stand as we always do to greet our guests before dinner. It will be a proud day when we can offer a cone of fries to a guest gesturing that the potatoes in the cone were grown right down there! This week, nevertheless, we offered beautiful and delicious French fries and several other short eats to accompany a delicious flute of Long Dog Winery’s sparkling Gamay. Victoria Rose was on hand to speak to the provenance of this wine with our guests as they gathered for the feast.
This is the second year that Long Dog has been represented at the summer dinners. I love tasting the wines each year to see how they have evolved. It is immediately apparent that these wines have sprung from a different place than those of my neighbours in Hillier. Even though Prince Edward County is a relatively small land mass, the soils and the aspects of vineyard lands differ dramatically. It is fun to discover through tasting the wines in the glass what makes each area unique. Long Dog’s wines are polished and elegant. They are mainly produced from Pinot Noir and Chardonnay grown on their own estate near Milford Ontario.
The wines were a wonderful accompaniment to the dishes we served. It was a perfect evening as well. There were clear skies and a light breeze. We made the call to set the tables up outside under the stars. The table was laid, the centrepieces so thoughtfully and artistically arranged by Victoria reflecting our own terroir on the farm. Everything started to glow as we approached the golden hour. A waxing crescent moon hung in the southwestern sky as the guests were seated. The candles and lanterns were lit and like the curtain going up, we settled into another evening of terroir based gastronomy.
Saturday July 29, 2017 featuring Long Dog Winery
Hors d’Œuvres on the Ridge
JK Fries with Two Sauces
Succotash Arancini with Fried Sage
Marinated Wild Salmon Roll-ups
Celery and Summer Savoury Gazpacho
Smoky Eggplant Canapé
2016 Long Dog Winery Sparkling Gamay
VQA Prince Edward County
Menu in the Loafing Barn
Summer Vegetable Parsley Crèpe with Roasted Cherry Tomatoes
2012 Long Dog Winery Bella Chardonnay
VQA prince Edward county
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Perch Chowder
2013 Long Dog Winery Bella Chardonnay
VQA Prince Edward County
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Braised and Griddled Beef with Corn Rösti
2012 Long Dog Winery Top Dog Pinot Noir
VQA Prince Edward County
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Artisan Cheeses from Ontario and Québec with Salad from the Garden
2013 Long Dog Winery Otto Pinot Noir
VQA Prince Edward County
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Chocolate and Raspberry Profiterole
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Coffee or Tea
Photos by @chefjamiekennedy and our guest Paul Carpino (feature photo and barn by night)