Farm & Forest

01/13/2025

A ham Porketta project….
10 day brine on pork shoulder, then butterflied, seasoned and tie up. Hit the smoker for 1/2 hour just to impart oak and maple smoke. Cut into steaks, then to the pan.
Served with truffle cheese mash and parsley pesto.

03/27/2024

As the snow melts, I can’t help but get excited for the forests bounty and treats to come. As a chef I have found nothing comparable to the treasure and flavours the forest has to offer. Challenge yourself and get out there, nothing beats the nurturing force of the forest and the finds.

03/25/2024

I’ve beginning to appreciate the slow approach to meat. That is brining, curing, confit and slow smoking. The porketta above has first been made with pork picnic shoulder. Picnic is a great inexpensive cut, loaded with great marbling and good amount of fat to hold up to smoking and roasting. The specimen above has been brined for seven days and slow smoked for 6 hours. The finished product is buttery, smokey magic.

08/01/2023

It’s candy land out there!! The wild is such a great frontier for delicious and nutritious food. Berries and mushrooms are all coming right now.

06/12/2023

Hey Facebook land! I’ve entered and got accepted for an on line cooking completion! It’s for a charitable cause and every vote matters. Follow the link to check it out! Any help is appreciated!!

One chef will win $25k, an advertorial feature in Taste of Home, and a cooking experience with Carla hall.

01/15/2021

As food securities increasingly become more of an issue, I think it’s important that we look at easy and practical approaches to sustainable food. Growing mushrooms is an inexpensive and easy way to get not only delicious mushrooms, but the satisfaction and enjoyment of growing your own food.

Seen here is a Phoenix mushroom grow kit at various stages. Each bag generally produces a couple good harvests.

Thank you very much Seasons Pharmacy and Culinaria and Heartwood Mushrooms.

09/14/2020

I want to say thank you Cedarnest and to all that participated in the foraging adventure. I hope all of keep pushing to learn more about wild food and mushrooms. I will do one more before the seasons up in different terrain in hopes to identify different species. Please enjoy and share all the pics from the walk and dinner.
The Cedar Nest Decor Cafe Inc.

For those if you who want a private walk and consult if your land, please contact me directly.:)