Author Archives: Sylvia Burgos Toftness

About Sylvia Burgos Toftness

A Latina baby boomer from the tenements of the South Bronx, I now raise 100% grass-fed beef in west-central Wisconsin with my husband Dave. We believe more people will choose to farm and eat healthful foods if they know the connections between what we eat and how it's grown. That's why we invite you to walk the fields with us; hear from experts on my Saturday morning show, Deep Roots Radio; share our adventures on my blog, From the Bronx to the Barn; and buy our sustainably-grown beef. We farm with a tiny carbon hoofprint (R) so that you can enjoy great-tasting grass-fed beef that's high in nutrition while helping to restore our environment.

OK, so technically, I’m not from Puerto Rico. It was my grandparents who sailed to the mainland in the early 1900s landing in Manhattan and Pennsylvania (not sure of the city). They carved lives, worked jobs and built families. Me – I’m a Newyorican transplanted to the Upper Midwest in the early 1970s.

I’m just back from visiting my Mom (now in assisted living in New Jersey) and my younger sister and brother. I never laugh as much as when I’m with them. It’s absolutely raucous. Always is. Cathy’s a great cook, brother Chris is a CIA-degreed chef. Both are married to great cooks and gourmands, so it was no surprise that they chose an over-the-top restaurant for our Saturday night out. Reyla, a modern Middle Eastern restaurant in Asbury Park, NJ exceeded expectations. Mutliple dishes dotted the table, each rooted in Mediterranean cuisine: Greek, Israeli, North African. The ingredients were fresh. The sauces distinct, layered and deeply flavored. The Italian wine proved a perfect complement. Joined by yet another family couple, the conversation was easy, the laughter frequent, and the joy evident. An evening to remember.

And now, I’m home. Ahh. The sun’s bright on the fields, and the cows are reclined on a south hill out of the wind. Soon I’ll switch on the tractor’s engine block heater and prepare to move a 1,000-pound bale of hay out to the herd. Then I guess it’ll be paper work for this coming season’s Bull Brook Keep beef sales, sourdough bread-baking classes, and the next Cowgirl High Tea.

Siggy

I’ll get to it in a few minutes. Right now, things are quiet. Dave is reading. Each of our three dogs has found his own shaft of sunlight, and I’m finishing up a cup of tea.

I’ll make my brunch, and then get a move on.

Today’s morning break: Blackeyed peas in a hoppin’John stew flavored with organic pork hocks, organic brown rice, Italian roasted red peppers, and a forkful of spicy kimchi. (Sorry, no photo. It just disappeared too quickly!)

Tomorrow: Israeli hummus and shakshuka.

Sylvia

Strategies for holiday cooking/baking and loving leftovers. And keeping down the stress.

Holiday cooking is all about sharing love, hospitality, food…and stress!!?

You never want to find yourself without enough for seconds. And you don’t love the thought of piles of food languishing in the back of the fridge. So, some thoughts:

About those leftovers. First, make sure all your dishes were cooled and stored well. You don’t want to get queasy from food left out on the table too long.

Since we just celebrated Thanksgiving and you may have already had your fill of turkey sandwiches

  • Think of changing the taste or texture of your dish so that it’s something really different, and not a replay. Think Asian spices – ginger, soy sauce, chopped scallions. Or go Italian with oregano, fragrant basil and parmesan cheese. Or Indian with oregano, cardamom, black pepper, mustard and cumin seed.
  • Got slightly stale dinner rolls, bread ends, sad slices from an appetizer tray? Make bread pudding! Scroll down for recipe.
  • Chucks of turkey are great for lots of dishes.
    • If adding to a soup or stew, be careful not to overcook the poultry. Make your broth or stew first (with all the veggies), then add the poultry (diced or shredded) to warm thoroughly.
    • Dice or shred and make creamed turkey on biscuits. Yum. Make a white sauce (first a butter and flour roux, add milk or broth, white pepper, cook for 20 minutes at lowest simmer), then add the poultry).
    • Sauté chopped onion and green pepper will just becoming golden. Add diced turkey and warm through. Add several beaten eggs and you’ve got an omelette.
    • Make bone broth. Pull all the meat from the carcass and place all the bones into a slow cooker along with a couple of large carrots and celery sticks (broken in two) and an onion cleaved in half. Add a generous teaspoon of black pepper corns, 2 bay leaves, a teaspoon of salt, and a tablespoon of vinegar (to pull minerals from the bones). Cook on low for 8-10 hours. Remove all the solids. Cool and store in the fridge or freeze. Don’t toss out the fat!!! It’s got loads of flavor.
    • Use leftover wild rice in soup or stews.
    • Or combine with a bit of flour, an egg beaten with a dash of milk, salt and pepper to taste, and some finely diced turkey. Shape into patties and fry in a thin film of butter. Yum!
  • Make a creamy soup with leftover squash/pumpkin/sweet potatoes or cooked carrots. Some proportions to consider if you’ve got 2-3 cups of leftover veg.
    • First sauté an onion or two in butter. Add 1-2 cups chicken, turkey, or vegetable broth. Simmer gently for 20 minutes. Smash squash/carrots and add to soup. Add a bit of grated nutmeg, salt and pepper. If you want a cream soup, add 1/2 c milk/cream/coconut cream now and simmer gently for another 20 minutes. Be careful not to boil. Taste and add seasonings. If you’d like a curry soup, add 1 tsp curry powder along with the squash.
  • Add 1/2 c leftover wild rice or brown rice, or 1/4 c cheese to you next bread loaf.
  • Combine mashed potatoes, stuffing, a couple of eggs and splash of milk to make waffles!

Now for just a few holiday entertaining strategies

Cranberry-almond frangipane tart

  • Bake ahead. In addition to those wonderful holiday cookies, consider making and freezing bundt cakes!  They’re easy to bake, look beautiful and freeze and thaw like a dream. There are great recipes all over the internet. Cakes can be stored at room temp for 3 days. To freeze, be sure cakes are completely cooled but not glazed. Wrap the cooled cakes first in plastic and then in aluminum foil. Allow frozen cakes to thaw overnight in frig, and then give them a couple of hours to come to room temperature. If you’re going to glaze the cake or drizzle icing over, do so when completely cooled. My favorite right now is Mexican chocolate (made with cinnamon and ancho chili powder) with a dulce de leech glaze. It disappears.
  • You can also freeze cupcakes once cooled, wrapped in plastic and then in aluminum foil.
  • Make and freeze soups, chilis, and stews. Store in deli container or pint-sized canning jar, just be sure to leave a good 1-1/2 inch space at top. They’re quick to thaw when company shows up.
  • Think cornbread. It’s fast to make when company calls.
  • Make liver pate. Mine includes freshly cracked pepper, fragrant brandy and luscious butter. It freezes like a charm and I’ve watched kids lick the spoon.
  • Spices. If those jars of ground spices are over two years old, you’re note getting the best flavors into your dishes. Consider buying whole spices – peppercorns, cinnamon sticks, cardamom, nutmeg – and grinding them yourself in a cheap little coffee grinder. And keep those herbs and spices in a cool, dark spot. Not out on a shelf where heat and light degrade them very rapidly.
  • Oils. Store in dark and cool places. Light and heat degrade oils. If possible, store in your frig to keep them from becoming rancid. If your olive oil is more than a year old, toss. It’s bitter and probably quite rancid. Better to buy smaller amounts and can be used up quickly.

Bread pudding

  • 3 1/2 c day-old (or older) bread cut into 3/4-inch cubes
  • 2 c whole milk
  • 1/3 c sugar
  • 3 large eggs 2 tsp vanilla
  • 1/2 tsp almond extract (or add more vanilla)
  • 2 T unsalted butter, diced
  • 1/4 c sliced nuts, or sunflower seeds, or raisins, or combo of any and all

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place bread cubes on baking sheet and bake for 10-15 minutes.  Place in a  large bowl.

Lower temp to 325 degrees F.   Butter a 8×8 baking pan.

Scald the milk in a sauce pan. Pour over the bread cubes and let stand 15 minutes.

With an electric mixer, beat the eggs with the sugar till thick and light. This can take up to 8 minutes. Add the extracts.

Pour into the bread mixture, add whatever nuts/raisins you’d like. Stir briefly. Scrape into the baking pan. Dot with the butter.

Cover the pan with aluminum foil that has been buttered. Bake 35-40 minutes.  The custard will still look a bit moist.  Serve warm or at room temp.

Mike Schut audio interview: The deep connection between food, farming, social justice and spirituality.

Deep Roots Radio
Deep Roots Radio
Mike Schut audio interview: The deep connection between food, farming, social justice and spirituality.
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The relationships between farming and food, health and nourishment, people and spirituality are tightly woven. They are interlaced and as old as time. Unfortunately, these deep connections have been ignored or denied in recent decades – much to the detriment of human and environmental health, local economies and community connections.

In this Deep Roots Radio broadcast, Mike Schut, Senior Program Director and Events Coordinator for the Farm Table Foundation, describes these linkages and their impact on food, sustainable farming, social and economic justice and spirituality in the United States.

I hope you enjoy this interview.

Sylvia

Shooting star

It was nearly midnight. I closed my mystery novel and pulled myself out of my red over-stuffed armchair to let the dogs out one last time before bed.

The night breeze was delicious. The day’s awful heat and humidty were gone, thank goodness. While working out in the pastures, it had felt as if I’d been breathing through a hot sponge. The chores, however, had to be done – my BueLingo herd needed fresh grass and filled water troughs. Three hours into it, I felt my face grow red beneath my wide-brimed straw hat. The temp had climbed to near 90, and the sun pressed unrelenting. I retreated to a shady deck chair and big glasses of cold water.

The hot afternoon slipped into a warm evening.

The dogs scurried into the dark. I walked away from the house lights and found myself under an umbrella of stars. The longer I looked, the more pin points of light popped into view. It was dizzying. The Milky Way draped to the southwest, and the Big Dipper was behind my right shoulder. Where was the Perseus constellation? I never remembered from year to year. I’d have to look that up tomorrow.

The dogs churned around my ankles, bringing me back to earth. Just as I turned to go in, I caught a shooting star flair east to west over the roof. A wondrous birthday gift.

Thank you God.

Sylvia

Aug. 12-13. 2018 meteor shower

 

New Cowgirl High Tea dates added!

The first several Cowgirl High Teas have been a blast! Such great coversation around the farm table. And, of course, the cows have been perfect hosts.

The next few teas are booked solid, so I’ve added a couple more to the calendar: Sept. 29th and November 3rd. Oh, and there are still a couple of seats available for the October tea. Each tea runs from 11:30AM to 3:00PM, and is held at Bull Brook Keep.

Just click here for more information and to reserve your spots for a three-course high tea featuring indoor comfort, fine china, crisp linens and full service:

  • Savories: select from among 100% grass-fed mini-burger on brioche bun, finger sandwiches, frittata, and other offerings as the season promotes
  • Scones: demonstration of scone making for this course
  • Bite-sized desserts: an ever-evolving assortment of mini-cakes, tarts, custards, semifreddo, etc.

Each course is paired to a delicious tea. The focus is always on quality and flavor. Local ingredients featured whenever possible. Vegetarian and gluten-free options always available.

I hope to pour a cup for you soon!

Sylvia

2018 Coop Farm Tour at Bull Brook Keep – Thanks for coming!

Boy, was it sunny yesterday! A perfect day for the Coop Farm Tour. Once again, Dave and I are glad our farm – Bull Brook Keep – was one of the 30+ rural and urban farms participating in this annual event, which is organized by a consortium of Twin Cities natural foods coops. (Thanks Allison Heitmiller!)

A big thanks to everyone who visited from near and far. Our cattle are grass-fed and grass-finished, so it was a pleasure to demonstrate how we rotate our BueLingo herd across our fields. We were proud to offer samples of our summer sausage (no artificial nitrates or nitrites), and our ground beef – in a savory chili. We enjoyed answering questions and explaining our sustainable practice as we walked up the pasture.

A big THANK YOU, to our farm tour volunteer, Joe Henson. Joe works at the Lakewinds Food Coop meat department, and proved a huge help on the farm. Not only personable and knowledgeable, he helped set up temporary paddocks, he welcomed visitors and helped tell our story. He was great! Joe, you were a huge asset to the day. We hope you’ll come back to visit with family and friends soon.

Sylvia & Dave Toftness, and Coop Farm Tour volunteer Joe Henson.

Please post photos of your visit to our farm. Miss the farm tour? No problem. We welcome visitors every month of the year. Just give a call. We’d love to hear about your food journey.
Sylvia

 

WCCO TV shines light on Saturday’s (July 14th) Eat Local Coop Farm Tour – quick video

Wedge Coop’s Allison Heitmiller preps for TV

It was fun on the WCCO TV set this morning. A big thanks to the Mid Morning Team, to the Twin Cities’ natural food coops, and to Allison Heitmiller from the Wedge Community Coop for helping food lovers learn about this weekend’s Coop Farm Tour. Here’s the video.

Our farm, Bull Brook Keep, is again glad to be one of the 30 rural and urban farms on the map. We’ll be moving cows to fresh grass at 10AM, 1PM and 3PM, offering samples and taking short pasture walks. We’d love to hear about your food journey. There are also five other farms within a short circle of us that are part of the tour, making it easy to visit a range of operations – a grass-fed dairy and cheese-making creamery, CSA vegetable, and trout farm – within a few quick miles. These are wonderful, sustainably operated farms producing delicious and highly nutritious foods. At the end of the day, you can relax and enjoy a great meal at the Farm Table Restaurant in downtown Amery, WI.

I hope you enjoy this morning’s interview.

Sylvia Burgos Toftness & Dave Toftness

From veggies to flowers. Sourdough to cakes and mini-tarts.

I know better; I should never take a book to bed. Although I tell myself that I’ll read for just 15 minutes, suddently it’s 1:05AM. Drat – I’ve done it again.

Today’s sources


I can’t help it – I love researching recipes, the histories of spices and teas, national foodways, and cuisines at different times in history. Right now, I’m finding and testing new recipes for my Cowgirl High Teas. Exciting savories, seasonal scones, unique curds and jams, off-the-chart gluten-free tarts. These high teas are informed by our farm, our commitment to sustainably grown local foods, the teas I’ve enjoyed in many parts of the world, and foods enjoyed by many cultures.

Fortunately (or unfortunately) there are a gazillion books (So glad the Amery Public Library is part of the state’s extensive lending network). Then there are the hundreds of blogs and thousands of Pinterest posts. And I’ve got to do this in between farm chores. (Can’t keep our BueLingo beef herd waiting to be moved to fresh pastures, after all!)

This intense investigation and trial reminds me of a time, decades ago, when I was planting my first garden in south Minneapolis. Copies of Organic Gardening magazine, Rodale books, and John Jeavon’s More Vegetables lay open by my new raised beds. Within weeks, their pages were dog-eared and smudged. I was determined! I tore up lawn and pulled up flower beds. You can’t eat flowers! And I needed space for all those healthful vegetables to eat and freeze for my husband, our two young children, and me.

I was a zealot. But after several years, I began to yearn for flowers. I’ve always loved them. I gift them all the time, and love getting bouquets from husband and kids. And if I’m feeling particularly generous, I’ll buy some for myself. After five or six years of nothing but edibles, I started planting a few tulips and irises. Then came the bachelor’s buttons, pincushion flowers, and rugosa roses. When I sold my house, I planted hundreds of gladiola bulbs for the new owners to enjoy that summer.

Verbena and vinca flowers among rosemary branches

I see the cycle repeating itself. I started baking bread in the 1970s, along with everyone else searching for alternatives to that white squishy stuff sold at the grocery store. My first attempts were doorstops, but I I kept plugging.

My obsession with mild French sourdough began over a dozen years ago. Again, I plunged into research, trials, sacks of flour and burbling jars of sourdough starter. Six years ago, I started teaching others how to bake artisan loaves in their home kitchens. All fall and winter, these classes focus on strategies using time, temperature and hydration to create lofty, chewy crusts, and open tender crumb. We have a good time filled with lots of conversation, flour up to our elbows, and yummy sampling.

Now, don’t get me wrong, I know woman cannot live by bread alone. I will not turn down a chewy, home-made chocolate chip cookie. I can, and have, eaten them by the dozen. But cakes and pies? Nah, not so much. At least, not until recently.

A couple of years ago, the fragrance and almondy richness of fangipane caught my attention, and a recipe that included cranberries (my favorite fruit) demanded I buy a tart pan. Now, I’m baking miniature cakes and tartlets, lemon-infused bundt cakes, ginger shortbreads and cardamom cookies, strawberry scones, panna cottas, and mini-cheese cakes — bite-sized delectables just right for high tea. I’m loving the sweet end of the baking spectrum. There’s a balance they provide.

Bees hum in the garlic chives

Nutrient-dense produce and wonderful sprays of color and fragrance – a balance valuable in the garden and in the kitchen. In truth, you can’t be a vegetable gardener without flowers. It just isn’t possible because every fruit and vegetable begins with an often inconspicuous swirl of petals. Similarly, the plants we cultivate specifically for their glorious blooms are as important to the health of our natural and human landscape. They lift our hearts.

I think baking presents an analog. Bread is, I believe, a critical staple in our diet. But cakes and tartlets? Mini-muffins and tiny pies? I’m beginning to see them as the flowers in our cuisine.

Sylvia

You’re invited to a Cowgirl High Tea at Bull Brook Keep

China tea pots, linens, teas to match the food and the seasons. Flavors from around the world. Reserve now for July 28, Aug 25, Sept 22, and Oct. 20. Each tea goes from 11:30AM-3:00PM. Seating limited to 8.

I love tea, but enjoy it most when lifting a cup with good company. Come and enjoy a Cowgirl High Tea where the setting,and homemade sweets and savories are informed by travels near and very far, lucious local ingredients sustainably grown, and the love of good food.

Our BueLingo cows and I hope you’ll raise a cup with us soon!

High tea with our grass-fed herd of BueLingos at Bull Brook Keep.

Bull Brook Keep is just a stone’s throw from Minneapolis and St. Paul, MN.
Questions? Text, call or email – 651-238-8525, sylvia@bullbrookkeep.com

Sylvia

March 28, 2018 honey pastry chef challenge spotlights threats to bees, impact on ag and food supply, and delicious solutions

Deep Roots Radio
Deep Roots Radio
March 28, 2018 honey pastry chef challenge spotlights threats to bees, impact on ag and food supply, and delicious solutions
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I can’t wait: on March 28th, 2018, I’ll be one of several people confronting a tough assignment. We’ll have the enviable job of judging honey-based pastries created by some of the top women chefs in the Minneapolis/St. Paul, MN metro area and nearby Wisconsin.

You’re invited to savor the dozens of sweet and savory foods featured at the 5th Annual Dandelion Honey Pastry Chef Challenge, and event created to train a spotlight on the critical role bees and other pollinators play in American agriculture. (Details)

Unfortunately, honey bees, along with the more than 400 native Minnesota bee species and many types of flies, are suffering shrinking numbers due to pesticides and herbicides used on farms and gardens, disappearing habitat, and disease. Without them, dozens and dozens of food crops wouldn’t be pollinated, and we couldn’t enjoy almonds and other nuts, apples and pears, watermelon and squash, strawberries, cotton and tomatoes, just to name a few.

I hope you’ll enjoy this Deep Roots Radio conversation with Kristy Allen, founder/CEO of Beez Kneez Delivery LLC, the Minneapolis-based organization that created and runs this event, and offers beekeeping classes, equipment and local honey.

See you on March 28th!
Sylvia