Thanksgiving Recipes

Hey All - so all month long I’m going to be sharing favorite family recipes and the stories behind them. Here’s the first installment - my Aunt Rita’s corn pudding.

Aunt Rita made this for my folks and I years ago when we went to the Outer Banks of NC for a vacation. She greeted us with a whole meal and I can still remember the first time I tasted this corn pudding, it was like heaven in my mouth.

Aunt Rita's Corn Pudding
2 Boxes Thawed Frozen Yellow Corn
(approx 4 cups)
1 Cup Milk
1/4 cup sugar (I only add about 1Tbsp, cause Catskills corn in sweet!)
3 Eggs, Beaten
3-4 Tbsp Melter Butter
salt and pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients in large bowl. Pour in to greased casserole and bake at 350 for approximately one hour. You'll notice it will no longer jiggle in the middle when it's done and the edges will be brown and crispy.

Dispatches from a Small Town

Let me tell you something personal - I’m a Pisces. That means I should have all this creative energy - I should like to draw, paint, sing something. However, I stink at all of this things. Ask me to draw and you’re likely to get stick figures. And, just never, ever ask me to sing.

However, every once in a while, I have a pretty creative idea. I tend to think - oh, this is such great idea for someone else to do. Well, I’ve decided to stop procrastinating and harness some of this creativity for myself.

So, here’s the first idea - Dispatches from a Small Town. It’s the new name for my blog and my lifestyle brand. It’s musings on what it means to live in a small town, people you’ll come across in a small town, knowledge you need to live in a small town in the Northeast and more. Expect interviews with some of my favorite and most inspirational people, recipes, videos on how to do everything from start a fire to cook in a wood stove (something that I love to do!), projects hubby and I are tackling around the house (we’ve been renovating a 1920 arts and crafts for about 18 years), maybe some grumbling in March when it seems like winter will never end and more.

I invite you to join me in this journey and share in the joys and triumphs (and occasional failures, hey, I’m human). Thanks and, as ever, stay tuned!

My New Year's Resolutions

I’ve been a little absent on social media the past few weeks. As I am taking my time to close out 2019 and start 2020, I’m trying to be very intentional about what I put out in to the world. I don’t want to just create more “noise” - I want to create and grow the community the shop has created. I want to create more experiences for for my customers and friends. I want to put more of myself - my personality, my family, my experiences out there for you all.

To start - I’m going to thank all of you. 2019 marked the FIVE year anniversary of this little shop. I still can’t believe that most days. To celebrate that occasion, we embarked on a major renovation of the shop. We totally changed up our product lines, and we started offering classes - because, I never want to be done growing and changing.

I’m not going to lie - last year was a doozy. My friend group dubbed 2019 as the year of “rules” - follow them, obey them, make them. We certainly had to do that. As any retailer can attest, it’s not cheap to be in business. To pay all your expenses - taxes, goods, payroll, insurance, etc. And, after a little slide in business, I got behind. I’m happy to say that is no longer the case, as you all have been super supportive.

So, to start out a new year, a new decade and the next phase of the shop, we have some determinations (thank you Saeed Jones and the Death, Sex and Money podcast for that language).

I will write more blog posts - hopefully one every two weeks.

I will cook more. More locally, more healthfully, more deliciously.

I will get my Home Processor Registration. Yes, that means baked goods for the shop!

I will hold more events at the shop. More pop-ups. More local makers. Cookbook Club, classes, chances to learn.

Hubby and I started out 2020 in the Outer Banks of North Carolina. The First Colony Inn is where we spent our wedding night, almost 15 years ago.

It's Been A While

So, it's totally been a while since we've updated the blog. Blog posts are hard to come up with themes for. 

It's been a busy summer, punctuated by the death of our Boston Terrier, Joey who sadly passed away on August 28th. Joey had been with us since he was a six weeks old - a rambunctious terrier, full of life and energy. He was a wedding gift from some of our oldest and dearest friends. 

I'll never forget the first day we met him in May of 2005 - we were instructed to drive to Village Seafood in Bloomville for a surprise. Neither Jake nor I had any idea what we were in store for and when we got there we were greeted by a box full of Boston puppies. The minute we were handed Joey we knew he was ours forever. He made the funniest little snorty noises (he continued these his entire life) and settled in, nestled against my collarbone. That first day, after lunch of meatballs (we had no supplies as we were not prepared to bring home a dog), he picked a dandelion and put it between my toes. 

He was puppy full of life and energy. He loved road trips and being on them with mom and dad was the best. He loved to tear the plastic eyes out of his toys and leave fluff everywhere. He learned to climb ladders to get his toys off the highest rung. He broke both of his front legs and tore his achilles tendon by thinking he could fly. He loved to swim and play fetch. Our neighbors called him a Boston retriever. Chasing the lawn mower around the yard gave him a big grin. Going to the river and the beach and the job site and to Home Goods were awesome. Taking a nap in the sunshine was his favorite afternoon pastime. 

You know, our Boston was born on 3/17, St Patrick's Day. I always found something funny and ironic about that. He was always so healthy.Until his 12th birthday. Then after many months of tests and four vets in three different states, we learned he had pulmonary hypertension. It started with a weird cough and by the time we found out what was going on, it was too later for our precious boy. 

Thank you to everyone who has stopped by, sent cards and offered kind words. Our boy was one of a kind and will be missed more than words can express. 

RIP Jojo, joey, bat ears, munchkin, monkey, frog legs, guppy jaw, goose butt. We love you. 

New Years' Resolutions

Well, it's come that time of year again - winter is here (it's currently icing in the Catskills, yuck) and we've decided to get serious about expanding our inventory. 

Through June, we will be making an effort to order from one new company per month. However, come summer, our goal is to order from one new company per week. Hopefully, this will enrich and enliven our store in a whole new way. 

On the list of companies to order from - Victorinox, Riedl, King Arthur Flour, Pro Teak, Golden Rabbit and a few special and secret surprises. We also want to bring in more items that are made locally, so keep an eye out for this as well. 

What kind of things would you like to see in the store? What are we missing? Anything you would like to see less of? More of? Let us know and we will happily accommodate you!

Thanks!

Jess

It's Maple Season in the Catskills!

We're curious! How much do you know about maple syrup production? Growing up in the Catskills, we were fortunate to have friends and neighbors whose lives revolved around making the sweet stuff this time of year. So, here's some fun facts for you!

1. Maple sap is what makes syrup and it only comes from sugar maple trees. Other trees produce sap, but none are as prolific as the sugar maple. The sap requires warm days and cooler nights in order to "run." This can start as early as February (like it did this year) and go as late as April. The syrup produced earlier in the season is a light golden color while the later syrup is dark and caramely colored (my favorite!). 

2. It takes 40-50 gallons of sap to produce ONE gallon of syrup. That's a lot of evaporation that has to take place! Home based and smaller operations often use a wood fire to boil down the sap while larger operations use wood fired evaporators whose fires have to be stoked every few minutes. Larger operations can go through 10 or more cords of wood is a season!

3. Maple syrup production has gone high tech! We used to see buckets hanging from trees to collect the sap. Now, we are more likely to see plastic lines running though the woods and ending at a large collection tank. Several operations also use reverse osmosis machines to stop the back flow of sap from their lines. 

4. New York State is the second largest producer of maple syrup in the United States. Vermont is ranked number one. If you want to explore the maple producers in NYS you have the opportunity on April 2-3 when many will host open houses and pancake breakfasts. Use www.mapleweekend.com to plan your visits!

5. We at Home Goods carry syrup from two producers - Sugar Mountain Maple and Tree Juice. Both are produced locally - and both are owned by Fairbairns who are distantly related!

Easter Eggstravaganza at Home Goods 3/26

Easter Eggstravaganza March 26 at Home Goods

Margaretville — Come join Lisa Scalf and create your own silk tie-dyed Easter Eggs on Saturday, March 26 from 1-3 p.m. at Home Goods of Margaretville.

This cool news twist on egg dying is fairly easy and Lisa is an awesome artist who will offer complete instructions. The process takes about 30-45 minutes from start to finish. All materials are provided, but a $5 donation is being asked to cover material costs. 

Each participant will create two of their own beautiful creations to take home and make a part of their Easter Egg Hunt.

Home Goods of Margaretville is located at784 Main Street, Margaretville. For additional information, please e-mail homegoods@catskill.net, call 845 586-4177 or visit: hgom.net

Our First Blog Post! A Q&A With Jess!

Why did you decide to open a business in the Catskills?

About 13 years ago, I was working in Washington DC - it was month six of living in cities, taking public transit every day and being surrounded by people. There was a sudden change in the weather bringing cool, fall like conditions (which doesn’t happen in DC in August) and I realized how much I missed home. I decided at that moment that I had to find a way to make a life in the Catskills. 

It was another ten years before I opened Home Goods of Margaretville, but I was living and working here doing environmental education. 

What was step one in making your dream come true? 

Step one was the former owner of our store deciding to retire and move to Massachusetts! 

Step two was all the typical business stuff - we have so many assets here to help you plan a business. I spoke to an advisor from the SBA (Small Business Administration) who helped me write and research a business plan. Talking to lawyers and banks and accountants and all the local alphabet soup organizations (CWC and MARK) to get everything set up. 

Compared to that, the painting (thanks to my family and friends), setting up the space (thanks to Gerry Murphy) and the ordering and unpacking (thanks to all the businesses on Main Street that accepted my packages) was relatively easy! 

What are your favorite things to do here (when you aren’t working)? 

So many things - reading a good book on my front porch. Hiking, cooking a delicious meal with local ingredients. Generally exploring the area with friends and family. My favorite thing this summer has been Pizza on the Farm at Lazy Crazy Acres. They make delicious wood fired pizza with all these outrageous and creative flavors. 
Name one thing you love about living and working upstate?

Honestly, I love the calm. Even on the crazy, busiest day people are generally nice. The Mountains really seem to bring out the best in people. 

What advice would you give to people who are beginning to dream about starting a business in the Catskills?

Sit down and talk with people - see what their needs and wants are and how you can fill them. There are so many different types of people who call this area home - the “locals,” the second home owners, the seasonal people and the tourists. They all have different needs but a successful business can have something for everyone!

Also, consistency is key. Be open when you say you are going to be open. No business can make money if they are never open. Consistency builds trust with your audience. 

Make sure you have a good online presence - Facebook, Instagram and a website are a start. Make sure people know how to find you - almost all business starts with a web search. If you’re not there, people can’t find you!