In total, I’ve made three pies in my whole life! Guess what? I’ll be practicing my pie-making skills through the end of September because the Beach 91st Street Community Garden will be hosting a fall Pie Party! I’m organizing the event and we’ll be selling sweet and savory pies. Part of the funds raised will be used to give back to our community by gardening an unkept area in Rockaway – guerilla gardening style.
If you’re interested in donating a homemade pie or purchasing a pie from one of our local bakeries please donate, email me at beach91communitygarden@gmail.com. Otherwise, I’ll be baking 15 pies till 2 a.m. the night before the event and that isn’t ideal!
The pie crust recipe below is from a book called Pie In The Park. This recipe collection is the inspiration for the Community Garden Pie Party Event. My friend and your neighbor Lauren Cucinotta gave me the book. She is the author. It speaks to how a small five-person picnic of pies only, held in Prospect Park, expanded to several annual events, a 200-person fundraiser for a startup bread business, and the book itself, which holds the memory of it all and a compilation of homemade pie recipes made by Laurens friends.
My hope is that this book also inspires us to gather in the community, enjoy the garden space and raise funds to beautify a little slice of Rockaway.
Strawberry Basil Pie
INGREDIENTS:
Subtly Rustic Cornmeal Crust (by Lauren Cucinotta):
1 2/3 cups flour
3/4 cup cornmeal
1 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoon salt
1 cup salted butter
7 to 8 tablespoons ice-cold heavy cream or water
Filling:
5 1/2 cups fresh strawberries, hulled and halved
1/4 cup basil leaves, chopped
2/3 cup sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 tsp lemon
1/8 tsp salt
DIRECTIONS:
Crust: Mix together flour, cornmeal, sugar, and salt in a medium bowl. Slice tablespoon-size pieces of room-temperature butter into the dry mixture using a fork or pastry blender, until it resembles small balls. Add the heavy cream or water into the mixture, one tablespoon at a time. Use your hands to combine the mixture and form two equal-sized balls.
Flour your surface (I used wax paper) and roll out the first ball. Flip the wax paper over your pie dish and form the shape. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least a half hour. Roll out the second ball into a flat circle on wax paper. Transfer to a dish, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 30 min. This will be the pie top. Try lattice, or other designs, get creative!
Filling: Combine all the ingredients into a bowl and toss lightly.
Baking: Preheat the oven to 350. Fill the pie crust with the strawberry filling. Cut and design your pie top. Cook for 50 minutes until the filling is bubbling and the crust looks golden. Best served immediately after cooling.
Tastes great, looks weird!
by Paula D.
on July 22, 2023 9:27 am in Gardening
At the beginning of the garden season, I noticed more aphids and white fly larvae than normal but didn’t think much of it. Three weeks later my Stella Doro daylilies were decimated. I was so angry with myself, I should know better. I had to cut the plants completely back. I thought perhaps the greenery would at least regrow but it did not. The life of a gardener…
Garden friends in the neighborhood were also expressing their frustration over the pests. It’s been so bad, even the NY Post is writing about how New Yorkers are bugged out over the bugs.
So why has this happened? Freezing temperatures destroy overwintered eggs. It’s a natural occurrence to keep ecosystems in balance. A rainy spring creates the perfect aphid nursery as they thrive in moist conditions. Therefore, the combination of a mild winter and damp spring this past year electrified the ideal breeding ground for the massive aphid outbreak.
What can we do this season to manage the problem:
- “Powerwash” your plants. A strong, hard burst of water directly on the infected plants will clear away some pests.
- Neem oil – a naturally occurring pesticide found in seeds from the neem tree works very well. Follow the directions for this product. You can buy bottles with a hose connector to combat large areas. Note: Neem oil can irritate your skin and eyes, use it carefully.
- 3 parts water, 1 part dish soap, and a splash of rubbing alcohol in a spray bottle is a magic home remedy. All of these ingredients you already have under the kitchen sink. This is my quick, go-to method for indoor and outdoor plant pest problems.
- Dispose of infected garden debris: This is so very important. All leaves, flowers, roots, and other organic matter infected by aphids, white flies, spider mites, etc. must be disposed of in the garbage. Do not include this material in your compost piles or NYC organic brown bins. The eggs will overwinter and you’ll perpetuate the problem next season.
- Ladybugs and/or Lacewing larvae Buy both online. Ladybugs are often found at your local garden center too.
I’d like to elaborate on the last remedy. Ladybugs are well-known among gardeners as a natural pest control solution. Ladybugs naturally found the aphids in my front garden this season. It was pretty neat to see the different stages of their development evolve. But ladybugs have an agenda and once they reach adulthood, they migrate to breed. And so, while they are effective aphid eaters, they’re not infallible.
I learned of the Lacewing larva from the NY Post article (I know, I know). I continued reading online about this little fly and discovered Lacewings are the best predator known to consume massive quantities of garden pests including aphids, mealy bugs, spider mites, leafhopper nymphs, scales, thrips, and white flies. These little bugs attack its prey by injecting a paralyzing venom that draws out the body fluids of their powerless victims. They feed from 1-3 weeks during their own larvae stage. Do not release them in the heat of mid-day. You may need to follow up with a second batch of Lacewing larvae if the aphid situation persists. But two “doses” will do the trick.
Good luck throughout the rest of the season! And remember, these challenges help us learn and grow into better keepers of our gardens!
Follow me in the garden on for more on Instagram: @theglorifiedtomato.
My friend Magara invited a few of us over for dinner and served homemade oat milk shots for dessert. How creative, right? I couldn’t believe the warm, oat-y taste! The oat milk was rich and creamy with the perfect balance of sweetness. I enjoyed it so much (and can’t stop talking about it) that Magara gifted me a nut milk bag so I can start making my own oat milk.
One challenge with oat milk is a potentially gluey texture. It’s the starch in oats that can cause this because starch is not soluble in water. But do not fret–follow Magara’s pro tips and all will go smoothly: Use ice-cold water. Don’t soak the oats. Don’t over-blend. Don’t over-strain the oat milk in the muslin bag.
Here’s the recipe:
DIY Oat Milk
Equipment:
Blender
Nut milk bag
Jar with lid
Ingredients:
1 cup whole rolled oats
3-4 cups ice cold water (3 cups will make for thicker milk)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract or other organic sweetener (experiment with the amount based on your sweetness preference)
¼ tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon coconut oil (Magara’s secret ingredient…not anymore, whoops)
Directions:
Combine all ingredients in a blender and pulse for 30-45 seconds. Over a large mixing bowl with a pouring spout, carefully pour the mixture into the nut milk bag to separate the pulp. Gently squeeze the liquid through. Transfer the oat milk from the bowl into a jar and lid tightly. Refrigerate and store for up to five days. Note: separation is totally normal with oat and other plant-based milks, shake before use. Clean the nut milk bag with light dish soap right away to prevent the cloth from plugging up.
My oat milk didn’t taste as creamy and delicious as Magara’s. I worked with four cups, and next go-around I will try three cups to create more thickness. I will say, though, I’m very happy with my first attempt, and I’m all in to keep practicing.
Making homemade oat milk is much more affordable than store-bought. And it’s fun to make – experiment with different sweeteners such as nutmeg, chocolate, honey, or maple syrup. Be cute and gift jars with ribbons to your friends. Serve in a fun way like dessert shots topped with cinnamon. Make healthy smoothies. Use with granola cereal, serve with coffee at brunch, or straight up!
Magara Holton is not only an expert oat milk-maker, she is the first place winner of the 2022 best pie competition sponsored by The Rockaway Hotel.
Follow me for the everyday in the kitchen on Instagram: @theglorifiedtomato.
by Paula D.
on July 10, 2023 9:11 am in Drinks
“All the Italians in the old neighborhood drank them,” my friend Keith said. He remembers his father sitting on the stoop at their home in East New York, 30 years ago. Mr. Vittore would crack open an ice-cold Manhattan Special, gulping the caffeine boost down, during those sultry, dog-days of summer.
The Manhattan Special is the world’s most delicious pure espresso coffee soda, says the company’s website… and me… and every Italian man in New York over the age of 65.
The icon design has not altered much in the 128 years the beverage has been on the market.
The ingredients are simple: hand-brewed espresso, seltzer, and pure sugar cane. The flavor of this forgotten Italian bev is akin to a smoky-sweet, coffee-creamed soda. The precise carbonation component is what elevates this soda to “world’s best.” Chill it in the freezer for 10 minutes and enjoy the drink ice cold. Don’t put it over ice though! Doing so will zap out the special fizz. Make it dessert-y by adding cream or amaretto. The caffeine numbers are a mystery. Those stats are not labeled on the bottle and I couldn’t find the count online. But from personal experience, lemme tell ya, it’s mad strong.
Keith Vittore knocking back a cold Manhattan Special.
The transplants in Williamsburg blindly walk by the bottling factory on the corner of Manhattan Avenue (its namesake) and Skillman, day after day, unaware of the history they pass and the memories held inside. The Manhattan Special bottling plant has been in operation since 1895. Somehow the 4th generation, the family-owned business managed to keep its foothold throughout Williamsburg’s transformation. The company is owned by the Passaro family, Italian immigrants who found the American dream in a little glass bottle.
Speaking of the metal-capped bottle, its label is exemplary. It awakens old New York. The gold and black classy design features a 1920s-era couple embracing. They gaze into each other’s eyes. In the foreground, an espresso pot and a cup filled with caffè is illustrated. It seems the depiction has not altered much in the 128 years the beverage has been on the market, underscoring its authenticity.
