Best of American Craft Beer Week
Posted by The Editorial Desk / Tuesday, May 17th, 2011
American Craft Beer Week (Image: craftbeer.com)
The American Craft Beer Week (May 16 – May 22) is on all throughout the star spangled country and we have a boatload of beer events right here in Northern Virginia. Too many for one person to tackle on their own, we’ve sifted through the listings to find a few of the most tempting events popping up in Virginia. The DC Beer Events calendar has a more thorough listing, as does the Craft Beer Week website. Happy boozing!
TUESDAY, MAY 17
- DC Brau Meet & Greet at Fire Works Pizza (Clarendon)
May 17, 5:00pm – 7:30pm
2350 Clarendon Blvd. Arlington, VA (map)
DC brewing scene hot shots and media darlings DC Brau will be on hand at Fire Works Pizza in Clarendon. DC Brau CEO Brandon Skall and head brewer Jeff Hancock will be pouring pints of their new American Pale Ale “The Public.” Details.
- American Craft Beer Week Specialty Draft Features at Rustico (Alexandria)
May 17, 6pm – 9pm
827 Slater’s Lane, Alexandria, VA 22314 (map)
Rustico will be flexing its beer muscles this week with a ACBW specialty draft list that will include: Flying Dog Imperial IPA, Single Hop Simcoe, Sierra Nevada Southern Hemisphere Harvest Ale, Sierra Nevada Ovila, Samuel Adams East-West Kolsch, Breckenridge Lucky U IPA. Folks at the Ballston location can take advantage on Wednesday. Details.
- Crafts for a Cause: Sam Adams Dinner at Fish Market (Alexandria)
May 17, 6pm – 8pm
105 King St., Alexandria, VA (map)
Sam Adams will be joining Alexandria’s Fish Market for a five-course beer dinner. The meal will pair some of Fish Market’s finest entrees with a nice array of Adams beers. The full menu is here, but for the lazy, the featured beers are Sam Adams Boston Lager, Lite, Coastal Wheat, Irish Red and Double Bock. Price is $49.99 per person. Dinner starts at 6, so don’t be late.
WEDNESDAY, MAY 18
- Tour & Meet the Brewers Night at Mad Fox (Falls Church)
May 18, 5pm – 8pm
444 W Broad St Falls Church, VA (map)
The folks over at Falls Church’s own Mad Fox Brewing will be hosting a meet and greet with their brewers Bill Madden and Charlie Buettner Wednesday evening. The pair will offer a tour of the facilities and answer any of your questions. Don’t forget to stop in and check out their really nice looking bar. http://madfoxbrewing.com/
THURSDAY, MAY 19
- Old Dominion Tasting at Harry’s Tap Room (Arlington)
May 19, 6pm – 8pm
2800 Clarendon Boulevard Arlington, VA (map)
Deleware’s Old Dominion brewery will be presenting a bevy of beers at Harry’s on Thursday. According to the site’s facebook page, the beers will include drafts of Oak Barrel Stout, Fordham Helles Lager and Harry’s Ale (Dominion Ale), and will also have bottles of Hop Mountain Pale Ale. Details.
- Crafts for a Cause: Beer 101 at Total Wine (McLean)
May 19, 7pm – 9pm
1451 Chain Bridge Rd., McLean, VA
Harpoon and Saranac will have representatives at Total Wine in McLean this Thursday. The breweries will be showcasing their beer, answering questions, and, hopefully, hurling insults at one-another.
FRIDAY, MAY 20
- Flying Dog Farm-to-Table Dinner at Patowmack Farm (Lovettsville)
May 20, 5pm – 8pm
42461 Lovettsville Road, Lovettsville, VA (map)
The fun part about Craft Beer Week is that it’s not just contained to the metropolitan areas or even the suburbs. Flying Dog will be hosting a farm-to-table dinner waaaay out in Lovettsville on Friday at the Patowmack Farm restaurant. There’s no indication of what will be on the menu, but the website promises local, organic, seasonal cuisine thoughtfully paired with a range of Flying Dog brews. Price is $65 per person and dinner hits the table at 6:30 so… have fun getting out there in time. Details.
SATURDAY, MAY 21
- Starr Hill Dinner at Clyde’s (Tyson’s Corner)
May 21, 7:00pm – 9:30pm
8332 Leesburg Pike, Vienna, VA 22182 (map)
Clyde’s in Tyson’s will be pairing up its executive chef Brian Stickel with Mark Thompson from Charlottesville’s Starr Hill Brewery for a four-course paired menu. Only 50 spots will be available at $40 a head. Menu promises local asparagus with country ham, steamed Pei mussels, crispy roasted pork belly and more. Beers on hand will be Starr Hill’s Lucy Spiced Golden Ale, Amber Ale, Northern Lights IPA and Dark Starr Stout. Full menu and details.
- Kris King
Posted by ryan / Tuesday, May 17th, 2011
Saturday, May 28
-The Rolling Thunder Motorcycle Rally is starting their weekend off with a ceremony that is featuring special guests and live performances. It all starts at 11 a.m. near the Navy Memorial.
-The Viva Vienna Festival is a three-day celebration with food, crafts, music, carnival rides and tributes. Fun for the whole family!
-Evening tours of Mount Vernon are being offered between 6-9 p.m. Immerse yourself in the culture of the eighteenth century with live music, dancing, games, and wagon rides around the latern-lit grounds. Admission costs are $18 for adults, $12 for children under twelve, and free for children under the age of five.
Sunday, May 29
-PBS is sponsoring a FREE concert on the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol. Actors Joe Mantegna and Gary Sinise are the hosts, while several guest artists accompany the National Symphony Orchestra. The gates open at 5 p.m. and the show gets started at 8 p.m.
-Wolf Trap is hosting a free performance by the U.S. Marine Band called “The President’s Own”. To be followed by a fireworks show. The gates open at 6:30 p.m. for an 8 o’clock show. Arrive early because the park closes once capacity is reached. Call (703) 255-1900 for more information.
-The Delaplane Strawberry Festival is taking place in Sky Meadows State Park. Starting at 10 am, this annual event has live entertainment, games, pony rides, hayrides, a petting zoo, a raptor exhibit, antique car shows, crafts, and food. Fresh strawberries will be for sale until 5 p.m.
-The Coastal Flats of Fairfax is hosting its first ever Outdoor Beach Bash from noon until 6 p.m. Featuring live music from Kicking Norma, delicious food, drinks, kid activities, and free admission. Fairfax Corner can be found at 11901 Grand Commons Avenue. Please call 571-522-6300 for more information.
-The Evening Star Cafe of Alexandria is celebrating the one hundredth anniversary of the Indy 500 with an All-American BBQ. Chef Will Artley is offering Black Angus burgers, hot dogs and slow-smoked smothered ribs. Traditional sides include baked beans and mustard potato salad. Miller Lite, Yuengling and PBR will be sold for $5, and Bear Republic’s Racer 5 IPA is $6. It all starts at noon, and there is no entry fee. For more information, call 703-549-5051.
Monday, May 30
- Marching bands and Veteran units from all fifty states are participating in the National Memorial Day Parade. Spectators will also see patriotic floats and helium-filled balloons. It all starts at 2 p.m. at the corner of Constitution Ave. and Seventh St. in NW D.C.
-Alexandria’s Jazz Festival features big band, swing, and contemporary jazz musicians throughout its six hour running time. Admission is free, and picnics are encouraged. It all starts at 1 p.m. in Fort Ward Park. In case of inclement weather, Lee Center’s Kauffman Auditorium is the back up plan.
-The City of Falls Church is celebrating the holiday with a festival of their own near City Hall. Starting at 9 am, attendees will see a parade, pony rides, craft booths, live entertainment, and plenty of good food.
-Café Saint-Ex is bringing back their annual Memorial Day Chili Cook-Off from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. All of 14th Street’s best chefs are coming together for a Chili Smack Down competition. Closing down T Street for the community street festival, the afternoon will offer chili tastings from the best local chefs, flowing brews, live music and kids’ activities. This is all in an effort to raise money for Garrison Elementary School. Please call 202-265-7839 for more information.
-The Mon Ami Gabi of Reston is serving its famous brunch until 3:00 p.m. Featured items include their irresistable blueberry French toast for $10.95, and waffles with Nutella is $9.95. Eggs Florentine and Crab Cake Eggs Benedict are just $12.95 and $14.95 respectively. Don’t forget about the Build-Your-Own-Bloody Mary Bar! Call 703-707-0233 to make your reservation.
Public pools and water parks are also open for business.
More events coming soon. Feel free to comment if you know of something.
-Ryan Robertson
(image: Shutterstock)
Posted by Warren Rojas / Tuesday, May 17th, 2011
You’d think being a real life superhero would entitle one to kick calorie-counting to the curb:
(Image: Ursy Potter)
But health and wellness advocate Bonita Woods fights all her nutrition-related battles while keeping a finely-trained eye on every bit of fuel she supplies the marvelous engine known as the human body. And she’s hoping to right the many dietary wrongs collectively weighing us down by instructing the next generation on how to eat better NOW.
WR: Salt. Pepper. What other spices/herbs could you not live without?
BW: Salt is a flavor enhancer if used in small quantity during the cooking process. A little bit goes a long way in helping the other flavors and aromas bloom and meld. If you taste the salt as a separate element, you have used too much. I use salt very sparingly and combine with acids (wine, reduced or raw vinegar, citrus juices) to achieve a softer effect on the taste buds. LOVE pepper in all forms! Personally, I enjoy working with fresh herbs. I will add Thai basil to chocolate cake, and pineapple basil and sage to my steak marinade, lavender to cookies, rosemary and lemon zest to the base portion of a cupcake. I have a bunch of Victorian cookbooks that feed this herb frenzy.
WR: What’s the very first dish you ever mastered? How long did it take? Do you still make it today?
BW: On my 5th birthday (with my mother’s “help”) I made lasagna with pan steamed asparagus in the ricotta layer and a side of steamed artichoke with lemon aioli. I had planned this menu for ages and was so proud. This is still one of my favorite meals!
WR: What seasonal ingredient(s) get your creative juices flowing?
BW: I spent much of my youth on farms, so the growing and hunting process is the beginning of the recipe for me. My herb garden is a magical story book that I read all summer long… but nothing gets me going like apples! I could write for days on end about all the apple recipes running through my head.
WR: My latest cookbook obsession is …
BW: My first and constant loves are Julia Child and Fannie Farmer. My two current favorites are Chez Jacques (elegant, classic and well explained with inspirational photos!) and Prevention’s Flat Belly Diet. Hmmm … How can I combine the two?
WR: What’s the most challenging dish you’ve ever attempted? Would you make it again?
BW: I made a tiered wedding cake that was a mountain with a river, meadows and over 500 fondant flowers. What a blast! My biggest challenge is in crafting healthful meals that taste like classic cuisine, so these days I am more food science oriented. I love doing that!
WR: If I could the spend the day working alongside any local chef, I’d love to collaborate with …
BW: I am very lucky in that I get to do just that on a regular basis. My all time favorite local chef is David Hagedorn. His meals are wonderful, flavorful and aromatic stories with hidden surprises and plot twists. He is the first chef I met to include whimsy and humor to make his beautiful food even better.
WR: What’s the easiest/quickest–but still wholly satisfying–meal you make for yourself?
BW: My uber-healthful stovetop fritatta takes less than 5 minutes, tastes great and gives me enduring energy for hours. I have the recipe and a video clip on my website.
WR: In the next six months you won’t want to miss my …
BW: We are kicking off the Muffintop Project, geared towards teaching children that living healthfully can be fun. It is our goal to make this program accessible to every child in the US (or the world?) as soon as possible. Our Kids Help Kids program has just started. We are helping food banks keep in stock with healthful and kid friendly food.
WR: It’s quitting time. I’m pouring myself …
BW: Wish I could join you! Instead, I am off to a yoga class.
————————————————————————————————————————————————
Saving the future one frittata-filled tortilla at a time. Kudos to you, chef.
Come back next Tuesday for another helping of Red Meat.
–Warren
Rainy Day Meals: Egg Drop Soup
Posted by The Editorial Desk / Tuesday, May 17th, 2011
(Image: Olli Wang/Shutterstock)
Recently, the weather in Northern Virginia has been dreary and according to the weather forecasts it’s not going to get any better (thunderstorms through Friday, yikes). So what better way to escape the dreary weather than with food? One of my favorite things to eat on a rainy day is egg drop soup. It is relatively easy to cook and most of the ingredients can already be found around in the kitchen so you won’t have to venture into the rain to get them.
To cook egg drop soup, I normally use the following ingredients:
- A can of chicken broth (approximately 16 ounces)
- Cornstarch
- Salt and pepper
- Scallions
- An egg
- Chinese Shaoxing Wine (optional)
- Frozen corn (optional)
- Chicken (optional)
To start, pour the chicken broth into a pot and add salt and pepper for taste. If you have Chinese Shaoxing wine, you can add it now too. Set the stove on high. In a separate container, mix one tablespoon of cornstarch with just enough water for the cornstarch to dissolve. For the egg, what I like to do is separate the yolk from the egg whites and throw the yolk away since it isn’t necessary for this recipe and it also makes the soup a tad bit healthier. In a separate bowl, beat the egg with a fork until it becomes more fluid.
When the broth is boiling, add the frozen corn and stir until it thaws. Then, gradually pour in the cornstarch mixture while stirring the broth to help thicken it up. After stirring for a minute, turn the heat down to medium and slowly pour in the egg while stirring. This will give the egg a stringy effect.
Personally, I think the soup itself isn’t really filling, so I always add chicken to the soup. In a bowl, mix cornstarch, egg white, salt, and pepper. Then put chicken in the bowl and mix it so that the chicken is thoroughly covered with the mixture. Boil the chicken in a separate pot and then add it to the finished pot of soup.
When serving, scoop the soup into a bowl and cut up some scallions for garnish. One can of broth usually makes about one to two servings. For a more detailed recipe of basic egg drop soup, you can use this one here.
However, if you don’t have time to cook, I definitely recommend Vinh Kee’s Creamy Chicken Corn Soup which is what my version was based off of.
Vinh Kee Restaurant
3103 Graham Rd
Falls Church, VA 22042
(703) 645-0118
(Image: Olli Wang/Shutterstock)
- Mai Nguyen
What’s Cooking: José Andrés Makes Hot Dogs For America Edition
Posted by The Editorial Desk / Monday, May 16th, 2011
- José Andrés to Open Pop-Up American Café/Restaurant
Fresh off of winning the James Beard award for Outstanding Chef, D.C. big shot José Andrés announced today that he will be opening a six-month pop-up restaurant at his Penn Quarter space to coincide with the National Archives exhibit “What’s Cooking, Uncle Sam? The Government’s Effect on the American Diet.” The multi-leveled restaurant, called American Eats, is slated to open on the July 4. The first floor will be a café serving quick and easy bites like hot dogs, lobster rolls and cheesesteaks, with a second fancier floor dedicated to a menu featuring recipes mined from American pedigrees like the chef of George Washington and The Joy of Cooking. The menu will also feature Brunswick Stew (VA! VA! VA!).
Also from The Post, new kid Ashburn brewer Lost Rhino should be out for public consumption in bars by the end of June. So far the only way to try the beer has been to make your way out to the brewery’s monthly tasting sessions on the first Wednesday of each month. But now, all that stands between Lost Rhino and the thirsty public is state label approval.
- Don’t eat in front of the TV, fatso
File this under “Well, yeah.” A new study from the University of Birmingham in the U.K. shows that eating in front of the television causes people to overeat. Findings showed that those who concentrated on their food (flavor, texture, nuance) consumed less and reported being more satisfied with their meal than those who sedately shoveled food into their faces while watching Netflix (Okay, embellished a bit there).
To be fair though, these findings apply to any meal eaten absent mindedly, including those eaten on the go, or during a conversation. So next time you try to lose some weight, remember to eat your meals in an isolation chamber, locked away from unhealthy distractions like basic human interaction.
- Panera’s Wackadoo Pay-What-You-Want Stores Actually Work
Launched last year out in a St. Louis suburb, Panera’s part-charitable pay-by-donation location actually seems to be working, according to Panera founder Ronald Shaich. The store provides suggested donations for their items and allows customers to pay what they will for the food. According to the Associated Press, Shaich attributes its success to peer pressure. No, really.
Posted by ryan / Friday, May 13th, 2011
The nationwide celebration of real American beer kicks off this Monday, May 16. All fifty states have participating bars and restaurants for the first time in its six year history. Enthusiasts and newbies alike will have ample opportunity to discover new favorites with special releases, collaborations, pairing dinners, brewery tours, and much more. Here are a few official events in our neck of the woods.
-Mad Fox Brewing Company of Falls Church is offering a tour of their new facility on Wednesday, May 18. Feel free to ask all the questions you’ve ever had about the brewing process.
-Magnolias at the Mill of Purcellville is assisting the launch of Corcoran Brewing on Thursday, May 19. A special menu has been planned for the occasion, and the tasting room will have growlers available for purchase.
-T.G.I. Friday’s started celebrating early with their new Better With Brew menu. Craft beer inspired dishes include Brew House Steak, Ale House Baby Back Ribs, Dijon-Crusted Beer Chicken, and Guinness Stout Milkshakes.
-Rock Bottom and Union Jacks of the Ballston Common Mall are getting into the spirit of things all week long. Both are featuring a different brewery each night. You can meet the distributors, sample before you buy, test your knowledge, and win great prizes! Ask your bartender or server about the daily special.
-The culmination of the week is the Taste of Arlington, which is an annual event that draws an average of 15,000 people to the Ballston area. Over forty noteworthy restaurants participate in this lively street festival. Advanced tickets can be purchased now for $20, or $25 at the entrance until 3 p.m. This allows you to try up to eight food items or four alcoholic beverages. It all starts Sunday, May 22 at noon, regardless of weather conditions.
- There are over 1,700 independent breweries in this country. These bold risk takers are the heart and soul of the industry. Take some time to savor their life’s work when you get the chance.
-Ryan Robertson
D.C. Taco Experiment Cook-Off This Weekend
Posted by The Editorial Desk / Friday, May 13th, 2011
(Image: The Food Experiments)
All eyes fall on H Street this weekend as the D.C. Taco Experiment amateur cook-off hits The Rock and Roll Hotel on May 15.
Sponsored by the Brooklyn Brewery and curated by cook-off kings Nick Suarez and Theo Peck, the D.C. Taco Experiment will set local cooks, dabblers and crackpots upon one-another in a no-holds-barred battle to see who can sling the best taco in the region.
Starting off as a series of popular cooking competitions in New York back in 2009, the Food Experiment series expanded into a national venture this year with five cook-offs held in various cool-kid cities throughout the country (Austin, New Orleans, D.C., Philadelphia, Boston and Brooklyn). The series stresses ambition and originality over rigid rules (of which there aren’t any), so expect to see all sorts of surprising twists on an old classic as well as ridiculous works of pretense that barely qualify as a taco.
Competitors will be vying for fancy cookware, cash prizes and various trinketry, and also the opportunity to compete in The Food Experiment Championship in Brooklyn in September.
Tickets are $10 in advance, and $15 at the door, and will get you samples of the competitors’ tacos as well as a healthy supply of Brooklyn beers including their lager, pale ale and summer ale. Things get going at noon and run until 3 p.m. Part of the proceeds will go to the Capital Area Food Bank—so, remember, it’s not gluttony, it’s charity.
Rock and Roll Hotel
1353 H St. NE
Washington, DC 20002
In-N-Out Expansion: Hype or History?
Posted by ryan / Thursday, May 12th, 2011
If there’s one restaurant chain the East Coast is missing out on, it’s got to be In-N-Out Burger. The fast food franchise that started over sixty years ago in a suburb of Los Angeles is gradually making it’s way across the country. This may be the direct result of Five Guys moving into their territory.
Two new locations recently opened outside of Dallas, where residents couldn’t be happier. It was like a dream come true for literally thousands of people who showed up the first day. The wait time averaged almost four hours, while news helicopters hovered overhead. A few die hard fans were so overcome with emotion that they started crying after their order was filled.
That may sound ridiculous, but notable aficionados include Anthony Bourdain, Gordon Ramsay, Thomas Keller, Eric Schlosser, Mario Batali, and the late Julia Child. These are renowned chefs and critics who are known for their discerning taste buds. Multiple reader’s choice awards have been bestowed upon it as well. Advertising isn’t even necessary with all these free endorsements.
Now there are 258 branches in five states, which include California, Arizona, Nevada, Utah, and now Texas. I have to wonder what’s next? Could there be one in Virginia some day? Maybe, but I wouldn’t hold your breath. You see, they have a certain policy for ensured quality. Distribution centers can’t be too far away, or they’d have to start freezing for preservation purposes. These are built at an enormous cost to the company.
Just think about how great it will be the next time you travel. Five Guys lived up to my unbelievably high expectations at first, but I don’t appreciate it as much as I used to. Permanence inevitably leads to apathy, remember that. It’s just a fact of life folks.
Who am I kidding? I would never get tired of In-N-Out!
-Ryan Robertson
(image: In-N-Out)
Nabisco to Unleash the Triple Double Oreo
Posted by The Editorial Desk / Thursday, May 12th, 2011
The *sigh* Triple Double Oreo (Image: Nabisco)
The rumor that Nabisco had developed a horrifying new breed of Oreo has been buzzing around the internet this week ever since it was first posted on Reddit on Monday. Yesterday, however, Nabisco confirmed that they have, indeed, created something called the Triple Double Oreo, a new confection in the cookie company’s war against humanity.
What exactly is a Triple Double Oreo? Well, it’s like a regular double stuff Oreo, with a double stuff chocolate Oreo attached to the bottom. It’s life imitating South Park.
Nabisco’s statement to Today reads: “This summer, Oreo will introduce a new ‘twist’ on the iconic cookie: the Triple Double Oreo. Three chocolate Oreo wafers with two layers of creme — one classic vanilla, and one chocolate. While we tried our best to safeguard this news, we couldn’t hold back the buzz.”
That’s not buzz you’re hearing, Nabisco. That’s terror.
Nutrition information for the Triple Double hasn’t been made public yet, but Dietsinreview.com has done some creative math to figure out an estimate of the calorie count for new cookie (cookies?): 130 calories per cookie.
Of course, this sort of stunt is designed to drum up indignation from bloggers and food nerds and to take advantage of the buzz that gets generated around warped culinary creations like the KFC Double Down or Wendy’s Baconator whose decadence turns heads. I can see videos of people deep frying these things now. So really, just by posting this and doing the whole righteous indignation song and dance… I’m part of the problem.
So, sorry about this, everyone.
- Kris King
Wild Alaskan Salmon Comes to Northern Virginia
Posted by The Editorial Desk / Wednesday, May 11th, 2011
Sockeye Salmon (Image Cold Country Salmon)
Like a lot of youths from Alaska, Traveler Terpening started work as a commercial fisherman at a young age.
“I can’t remember exactly how old I was when I started [fishing] but I was too young, basically,” Terpening told Gut Check with a laugh. “I think I quit my first job crying.”
Terpening, now 30, has been happily spending his summers fishing in Alaska since at least his early teens. Last fall, when Terpening and his wife, Nicole Ziegler, started spending their winters in Arlington, the pair immediately became enamored with the area’s fresh, sustainable food market. But even though you can’t throw a stone in Arlington without hitting someone trying to sell artisanal crepes or lobster rolls from Maine, Terpening couldn’t find a single provider of wild Alaskan salmon in Northern Virginia.
Working from their Arlington home, Terpening and his wife decided to fill the void, and founded Cold Country Salmon, a co-op style vendor of sockeye and king salmon from Terpening’s home waters of Alaska.
“I saw a community of people [in Virginia] who are really excited about high quality food, and sustainable food, and wild food and knowing the producer…” Terpening told us, “So it started to make sense to go ahead and start talking to people myself and selling them fish myself.”
Cold Country’s salmon will be sourced from Alaska’s Ugashik River, a part of the Bristol Bay fishing area and site of the world’s largest migration of sockeye salmon. Terpening chose the Ugashik based on its short fishing season, and the impressive size and high quality of the fish that come from its waters. “Our salmon are absolutely massive…” Terpening said, “They’re just these massive hulks of fish and they’re just absolutely gorgeous.”
This summer, Terpening will return to the Ugashik to oversee Cold Country’s fishing operation, if one can even call it that. “It’s basically just me and a boat,” Terpening chuckled. “I do all of the fishing myself, 90% of the fish are caught by my hands.”
“I do hire a crew member,” he’s quick to add.
Terpening expects to ship about three-thousand pounds of salmon to Virginia by summer’s end. When pressed about how much of this would make up of the entire summer’s haul, Terpening became cagey: “I don’t like to go into it; a fisherman never divulges exactly how many fish he catches, but it’s not uncommon for fisherman in my area to catch anywhere from 30 to one hundred thousand pounds in a season.”
Once caught, the salmon will be vacuum sealed and flash frozen, a process that freezes objects in seconds and preserves the firm texture of the fish. It’s also the subject of about a million YouTube videos. “The whole key with [flash freezing] is to form very, very small ice crystals within the cellular structure,” he explains. “When you have a slow freezing process it forms large crystals and breaks down the cellular structure of the flesh and then you have a lower quality, sort of mushier product.”
Of course, fishing a river as remote as the Ugashik isn’t without complication, especially when shipping fish to the other side of the planet. The irony of a self professed environmentalist like Terpening moving thousands of pounds of fish across a vast swath of land isn’t lost on the fisherman. “Something that I’m looking into, which is [really] important to me, is bringing fish out without the massive carbon footprint of the industrialized food system and… and that’s kind of exactly what I’m doing.” Terpening admits. “It’s one of my top priorities to figure out if there are ways I can move fish so far with much less of a carbon footprint.”
Despite his concern, the fisherman has yet to work out how exactly he plans to ship his fish in a way that’s environmentally conscious. Terpening is considering shipping his fish via train or through independent trucking companies that rely on bio-fuels instead of diesel.
Customers pre-order the salmon in 10 or 20 kg shares, and, when the fish becomes available in the fall, they will be given directions to drop-off points throughout Northern Virginia, D.C., and, potentially, Maryland. In order to keep in close of contact as possible with his customers, Terpening has no plans of selling his fish at retail outlets or farmer’s markets, though he hasn’t ruled out supplying inquiring restaurants. “I know that there are some really good restaurants that are really focused on sustainable seafood and high quality food,” he said, “and I may reach out to them in the future, and if they’re willing to come to me then I’d be more than happy to talk to them.”
“I’m a fisherman, I’m not a retailer,” he said, “I want to remain a fisherman and also just have the opportunity to join the food community here and sell my fish locally.”
Cold Country Salmon is taking pre-orders for sockeye salmon now, and will be taking orders for king salmon later in the year, depending on availability. Terpening will be keeping customers updated throughout the fishing season on his blog, as well as on Twitter and Facebook.
- Kris King