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Category Archives: Hudson Valley Farms
The Ultimate Cider Guide (for the Hudson Valley)
By Christopher Matthews It has been a tough year and half for just about everyone, and that light at the end of the tunnel seen this past spring has dimmed considerably in recent weeks, unfortunately. But despite the difficulties and … Continue reading
A Hard Cider Hat Trick
By Christopher Matthews Both good things and bad come in threes. For my hard cider entries in the 30th Annual Hudson Valley Homebrew Competition last month, however, it was a rare and perfectly positive trifecta: not only did I take … Continue reading
Back in the Winners’ Circle: Matthews’ Homebrew Cider
By Christopher Matthews I made quite a splash with my (hard) cider at the recent 2019 Hudson Valley Homebrew Competition (HVHC). Not only did I take First and Third Place in the “Standard Cider” category, respectively, but also Best in … Continue reading
HV Cider Benchmark: “God Speed the Plough”
By Christopher Matthews In the ongoing craft (hard) cider renaissance in the Hudson Valley (HV), a structural impediment (and irony) exists: there aren’t enough cider apples to go around. While culinary/dessert apples are widely available — New York is, after … Continue reading
Dutch’s Spirits Takes Shape in Pine Plains
By Christopher Matthews Dutch’s Spirit’s, a farm distillery in-the-making in Pine Plains, NY, located on the very same grounds where infamous mobster Dutch Schultz bankrolled an elaborate Prohibition-era bootlegging operation, is nearing (physical) completion. Last weekend, on the 82nd anniversary of the Federal raid that shut down Schultz’s illicit underground booze … Continue reading
Chinese Chili for the Year of the Horse
By Christopher Matthews Chinese New Year is something we observe by way of a home-cooked Chinese meal, now guided by Kathryn’s “clean Chinese” adaptations of some of her family’s favorite recipes, like her mother’s roast pork (Char Siu), her father’s Sichuanese “strange taste chicken” … Continue reading
What Wine with Rabbit Pappardelle? A Mercato Test
By Christopher Matthews Last week was completely exhausting for me — and for many others, too. It was the annual madness of the United Nations General Assembly Ministerial Week, where a record number of world leaders descended on Manhattan’s Turtle Bay, bringing heavy security … Continue reading
Hudson Valley Bootlegger Gone Straight
By Christopher Matthews October 17, 1932 was a bad day for Dutch Schultz, the legendary mobster, bootlegger and racketeer. After several attempts, Federal agents finally raided and shut down an elaborate bootlegging operation, bankrolled by Schultz, on a Pine Plains, … Continue reading
Black Twig: Tennessee Apple, Thriving on the Hudson
By Christopher Matthews As Thanksgiving approaches, the harvest is winding down quickly in our corner of the Hudson Valley. Looking back, 2012 was mostly a banner year for produce (depending on location, of course — a late frost hit some). Despite being … Continue reading
Locavore Passion at Murray’s in Tivoli
By Kathryn Matthews Eating real food that nourishes the body is important to us. And when we learned that there was a newly installed chef—Amy Lawton—at Murray’s in Tivoli, Dutchess County, we were thrilled. We’ve often found that women in … Continue reading
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