Topic:  Sausage-making at home (with vegetarian options)
When:  Nov. 13, 2010 from noon - 3 p.m.
Where:  address will be emailed to those who RSVP
Who:  Baltimore Food Makers and their family and friends (all ages welcome)
Cost:  Free!
Bring: a dish to share, serving utensil, and plate/spork/drink for yourself

RSVP today!

When:            Saturday, October 9th, Lunch time 11-3 pm

Where:           Hampden, Kyle Fritz’s house (address to be posted to those who RSVP below)

Topic:             The Fall and Apple Cider Pressing

The October Food Makers potluck is about enjoying home made, seasonal fall foods and getting to learn how apples are pressed into apple cider.  Two people in the group own apple cider presses, and both of them will be setup and working at the potluck.  We’re still working out the logistics of apples, but the short story is that we’re going to be loading massive buckets full of apples and pressing them with a few hundred pounds until a sweet golden nectar comes pouring out.  I guarantee you haven’t tasted cider this good before. 

As far as food, just bring a home made dish with whatever fall ingredients are in season now.  (It doesn’t need to involve apples at all).  Hit up a farmer’s market, supermarket or your garden, and make something that you enjoy eating.  

And with so many new members residing in Hampden, we decided to make this month’s event happen right square in Hampden.  How can you not come to a party that’s within walking distance?

In summary, come on out, learn how cider’s made (press some yourself), eat some tasty home made food and enjoy the company.

A few administrative items: 

All Food Makers, family and friends are invited (all ages welcome).  As always, the cost if FREE, just bring along a seasonal home made dish to share.  Also, bring anything you need to eat with, i.e. plate, utensils, napkins, cups.  And the potlucks are BYOB so bring along whatever tasty beverage you desire.  Important: the address for the potluck will be emailed a couple of days before the potluck to everyone who signs up below. 

Hopefully everyone can make it. Please RSVP.

When:            Sunday, September 19th, Lunch time 12-3 pm

Where:           Kate Joyce’s house (just south of Belvedere Square, Northern Baltimore)

Topic:             Preserving Summer

Although a few closing numbers may remain, summer is decidedly (albeit routinely) rushing off of the stage, leaving behind the first cool evenings and dropped leaves implying that the next season won’t hesitate to follow up quickly with the 4^th act of the year.  As Barbara Kingsolver said, summer is about excess – of heat, of nature, of things to do, of wildlife and of course of food.  No other season slams us as hard with so many different types of vegetables at once.  Try as we might to concur the overwhelming nature of farmer’s market tables piled high with tasty produce, there is never enough time in the season to eat everything that we are so lucky to have available around us. 

And despite the crazy abundance of summer, we know that it can’t last forever.  So we try to cheat time by pausing it, preserving it, so that we can have a taste of it later when the memory starts to fade.

September’s Food Maker’s potluck is all about preserving the summer.  Some of us make pickles with loads of cucumbers, to enjoy the wonderful crunch long after the cucumber plants have died off.  Others ferment cabbage into sauerkraut, so that it can last months without spoiling.  Some make sauces or can fruits or smash berries into jam. 

For the potluck, bring a home made dish that is made with the abundances of summer, some of the fresh fruits and vegetables that can be found at farmer’s markets or home gardens all over Baltimore.  If you make any kind of homemade fermented or pickled foods, bring them along!  But if you don’t have any experience with these, don’t be scared off.  Just bring a dish using seasonal ingredients, and learn about some of the interesting fermented foods that others bring.  Honestly, where else could you talk to someone about the step by step process for making Kim Chi?! 

A few administrative items:

All Food Makers, family and friends are invited (all ages welcome).  As always, the cost if FREE, just bring along a seasonal dish to share.  Also, bring anything you need to eat with, i.e. plate, utensils, napkins, cups.  And the potlucks are BYOB so bring along whatever tasty beverage you desire.  Important: the address for the potluck will be emailed a couple of days before the potluck to everyone who signs up via our Google Group.

 

When:            Sunday, August 15th, Dinner time 5-8 pm

Where:           Laura and Nik Baltatzis house (Parkville, North East Baltimore)

Topic:             How to make a pizza – Step #1 – Build a Pizza Oven…

Ah, the torment this time of year of pizza.  On the one hand, it’s the perfect time to make pizza since there are endless amounts of fresh veggies to be had, most of which are fantastic in some manner on a pizza.  On the other hand, turning on your oven this time of year is insane.  You’re either paying for twice the AC or willing to turn your kitchen into a sweat lodge.  Many people have turned to grilling pizzas, a very tasty option.  But really, is there any better way to cook pizza than by slapping it directly on some nuclear hot masonry?  Which is where this potluck comes in.

You see, most of our potlucks up until now have been more about making a home cooked potluck dish and then bringing it to share.  This potluck is all about making the food right there on the spot. 

Here’s the deal: A) Food Makers provides a blazing hot outside brick pizza oven.  B) Food Makers provides a massive tub of homemade, sourdough-starter-based pizza dough, made by a few in the group.  C) You bring what ever you want as toppings for your pizza.  If you want cheese bring cheese - fresh veggies, great – meat, whatever you like – seafood, if you are so inspired.

Repeat: we give fire and dough, and you do whatever else you want with it. 

But you might be wondering how we’ve stumbled upon on outdoor brick pizza oven for the event.  Well here’s where it gets really fun.  Between now and August 15^th, a few of us in the group are building one – from scratch.  Think performance art meets flash mob meets DIY construction.  The oven’s going to be very basic, very temporary and nearly free.  We’ve already got our hands on a massive pile of bricks free from Craiglist.  This is guaranteed to be one of the uglier, cruder pizza ovens, but who’s keeping points for aesthetics.

In summary, who’s knows how well our pizza oven will work.  Maybe we’ll be left disappointed, staring at limp uncooked excuses for a pizza.  But maybe … just maybe … the oven will heat, the dough will rise and our bellies will be filled with plenty of chewy/crispy oil drenched, veggy loaded pizzas to call it a night.

A few administrative items:

All Food Makers, family and friends are invited (all ages welcome).  As always, the cost if FREE, just don’t forget bring your pizza toppings (including cheese if you want).  (And if you’re not a pizza fan, feel free to bring some other type of dish to share.  Also, if you’re gluten intolerant, you should probably bring your own dough or some other type of dish).  Also, bring anything you need to eat with, i.e. plate, utensils, napkins.  And the potlucks are BYOB so bring along whatever tasty beverage you desire.  Important: the address for the potluck will be emailed a couple of days before the potluck to everyone who signs up.

 

When:            Saturday, July 3rd, Lunch time 10-1 pm

Where:           Hybridoma Organic Fruit Farm, Baltimore County (directions will be emailed to those who RSVP below)

Topic:             Organic Blueberry Picking - Farm Tour - Potluck on the Grass

For this month's potluck, we've been given access to one of the few (if the only) organic blueberry farm in Maryland.  Considering that it's smack in the middle of blueberry season, now's the time to come out and enjoy the harvest, and know for sure that not a single chemical has been sprayed on the fruit.  Yes, local and organic.  We'll also get to see what else is growing on the farm.  Come lunch time, we can dive into the dishes that everyone brings.

All Food Makers, family and friends are invited (all ages welcome).  As always, the cost if FREE, just bring a potluck dish to share and a serving utensil.  And the potlucks are BYOB so bring along whatever tasty beverage you desire.  Directions to the farm will be emailed out to those who RSVP below. 

Hopefully everyone can make it. Please RSVP below.  There is no limit on the number of people this month, but if you don't RSVP below, you won't get the email with the directions to the farm.

When:            Saturday, June 12th, 4-7 pm

Where:           Angela and Daniel's house, Hamilton

Topic:             Mulberries for All!

We have five mulberry trees (white and blue) and would like to invite food makers to gather berries and enjoy an outdoor potluck dinner.  We'll make mulberry pie and jam for you to sample. You may wish to bring a blanket to lay out for a picnic meal (we'll have paper plates, napkins and utensils). We'll also have a volleyball net and soccer goals set up, and there are toddler/young children's toys in the yard. Finally, we'd like to open this potluck up to swapping plants.  We'll designate our driveway as a plant-swapping area and invite folks to bring plants they may have in surplus and take away those they'd like to have.

All Food Makers, family and friends are invited (all ages welcome).  As always, the cost if FREE, just bring a potluck dish to share and a serving utensil.  As always, the potlucks are BYOB so bring along whatever tasty beverage you desire.  Directions to Angela's house will be emailed out closer to the potluck. 

When:            Saturday, May 22nd, 3-6pm

Where:           Deb's house, Baltimore County

Topic:             The Hot Stuff - Homemade Liqueurs, Cordials, Bitters, Rumpot Making and any other homemade alcoholic drinks

 This month's potluck is based around alcohol, particularly the homemade kind.  Deb is hosting the potluck, and Zeb and Helen are going to lead a discussion on how to make various homemade liqueurs.  If you have any homemade alcoholic drinks of your own that you'd like to share, bring them along.  If not but you'd like to learn how to make some, come along as well.  If you don't drink alcohol but just want to eat tasty food like usual, we'd love to have you too.  This month will still be a normal food potluck, in addition to discussing beverages, so please bring a homemade dish to share. 

 All Food Makers, family and friends are invited (all ages welcome).  As always, the cost if FREE, just bring a dish to share, a serving utensil and some eating utensils.  Directions to Deb's house will be emailed out closer to the potluck. 

RSVP at: http://groups.google.com/group/foodmakers/web/may-2010-potluck