My family and I live in Warwick, NY; we love it here! I had always hoped to live in a town like this finally we’re here; we’re home! This area is such a beautiful place with the rolling hills, the farms, the mountains and the changing seasons. We go hiking all the time, there are a ton of trails to choose. We get out there in the spring flowers, the summer sunshine, the fall colors and the winter snow!
Along with all the hiking trails readily available, an entrance to the Appalachian Trail is just up the street from our home! Dallas goes too, we meet up with friends and Dallas leads the pack!
The view from the top of one of the hikes is stunning! I perfect view of Greenwood Lake where I take the kids to swim during the summer!
And there’s a great ski mountain just minutes away! Mt. Peter Ski!
There are orchards we go to pick our own strawberries and blueberries, peaches and of course apples!!!
My favorite about this area are the views I see during my runs. It’s somewhat of a runner’s paradise!
Even in the rain I’m enjoying my long run!
There is so much more to mention, such as the drive-in movie theatre, live music and events at local pubs, some great wineries, breweries, cideries, and distilleries! There’s also the perfect center of town where events are held often and some really fantastic local restaurants! The community is just amazing!
What’s very distinct about this area are all the farms, they’re beautiful. My neighbors are cows on a dairy farm I run by often! In the western section of Warwick is Pine Island, where the black dirt region is, an area of very fertile dark soil! There’s a great article that was written in the NY Times here From New York’s Black Dirt, a Glacial Secret Told by Onions. The only other area with soil this organic is in the everglades of Florida and in some spots of this black dirt region, the soil is comprised of up to 90 percent organic matter! WOW! There are some incredible farms that grow some delicious produce here. Over the summer a local farm, Scheuermann Farms hosts an outdoor festival with live music and we bring our own food and drinks, and have fun on the soft green grass during a perfect summer evening! We took off our shoes to walk around the spongy and very fertile black dirt! This year my CSA Farm share will be from a farm that grows their vegetables in the black dirt! Looking forward to seeing and tasting all the delicious vegetables!
And so speaking of these farms, from late Spring, through the summer months, the farmer’s market sets up in the middle of town where I can go to get some great vegetables from such local farms, as well as meats from local butchers and always some hot spicy pickles, made locally!!!
So not only do I have my husband’s nutrition education that inspires me but I also have the people and the farms and the local community to reinforce that inspiration as well! It’s a constant reminder to eat healthy, to eat local foods and to support the community and the farmers. And to just get outside and enjoy life!!!
Originally this blog post was to tell you about the restaurant my husband and I went to over the weekend. It was a Friday date night and we went out to dinner at a local restaurant called The Grange. What The Grange stands to achieve is everything I admire! I took a snapshot of their about me page, you can see for yourself the statement of their mission and work!
Farm-to-Table has taken off for good reason! When you’re eating locally sourced food that food didn’t have to travel too far to get to your tastebuds! This means they could be picked at their optimal ripeness, allowing them to taste super good and allowing them to retain more vitamins and minerals! Also by eating locally, you’re supporting farmers and their families who are raising the crops and the animals. It helps maintain farmland and preserve open space. This is why Warwick and the surrounding area is so pretty! Another great thing about eating locally is that there are less steps between you and your food’s source making for less threat of food contamination. You’re avoiding some gross food safety issues that may occur during the washing, shipping and distribution! Plus, local growers are right there to tell you how they practice their farming techniques and what they use in their crops! I LOVE knowing what I’m eating!!
And all of this helps support everything I love about my community, everything I mentioned above in the beginning of this blog post (and more!). Eating locally helps continue to keep the community moving and booming and prosperous!
So here’s our The Grange experience! I’ll be sure to post about other local events and restaurants as I go!!
It’s a perfect cosy casual atmosphere!
The main menu is on the board, and there were a few notes given to us on the table that had hand-written wines available and some additional salad options.
We both had a glass of a red wine and we love oysters, so we did it right and ordered three for each of us. They were PERFECT! They’re called ‘Ugly Duckling Oyster’ from Duxbury Massachusetts. Who knows why they’re called Ugly Duckling, but the taste was beautiful!!
All gone and thoroughly enjoyed! From healinggourmet.com I found that about three to four oysters provides 223% daily value of vitamin B12… beef provides 37; 92% daily value for selium and 93% daily value for zinc. There is also 368 mg of omega-3 EPA and 210 mg DHA!
Next, we both ordered a fish entree, mine was a Pan Roasted Skate Wing with local North Slope Farm “Heriloom Tomato Goodness,” Branco Farm Baby Arugula and Orzo.
I didn’t know what skate wing was, so I googled it today and found the nutrition value. It was a great choice!
Dan ordered the Wild Caught Escolar with Swiss Chard, Stewed Heirloom Tomatoes and Basil
This was DELISH! So good! I have to say it was better than my meal, which says a lot because my meal was super good!
It was so flavorful and succulent, I googled it and look at the results…
HA!!! AHHHhhhhh!!!! “The most dangerous fish”??? It turns out this is because of its oil content, so after eating escolar, the result could include immediate trips to the bathroom… quickly. But other articles revealed it just has a bad reputation. Chef Emeril uses it on his menus often and I know why after tasting it! It is incredible. Dan had no problems with the “dangers”, nor did I! So I say enjoy if you’re ordering it from a responsible place! Best part, a serving of Escolar has 210 calories with 18 grams of protein!
Nothing was leftover! Here’s to supporting local restaurants, farms, communities and being well-defined! And here’s to eating organic, healthy local foods to be well-fed and being active outdoors to be well-fit!