What Do You Want?

Every now and then I find myself asking if this is really my life? Making gelato when it is freezing outside!?!?! Then I pinch myself, look at my family and smile. Even when my dumb dogs are in sight. Don't send me hate mail. If you had any clue how dumb (and sweet) they are, you would not blame me for hating on them on occasion.

Last year I was speaking to one of my Amish farmers (on a cell phone - ahem.) He mentioned that it was the beginning of the 7 Weeks of Want. How intoxicating! Seven Weeks of Want? Yes, the seven weeks when everything stops growing and nothing new will arrive or be harvested. How incredibly beautiful. We have entered the Wanting.... That is what is wrong with me. People still eat gelato when it is cold outside and my dogs are always this dumb. I have just entered the Want.

What do you want? The Fall starts beautifully with pears, apples, and squash. The Winter sashays in with black walnuts, chestnuts, persimmons, blood oranges and exquisite citrus. No want. I am satisfied.

We have entered Want. What do you want? What do you crave? What do you need? I don't need strawberries...not yet. I don't want honeysuckle...not yet.

What do you Want? Two cute dogs, maybe?

Hey Punkin', How Ya Doin'?

Nothing stirs up good warm feelings of fall like pumpkin pie. Even better, pumpkin pie a la mode. We've one upped the classic combo in our Long Neck Pumpkin gelato. It's really what pie and ice cream want to be when they grow up and find their life passion. There's thanks to go out to our superior kitchen staff that prepares this autumn treat, but also thanks to the "pumpkins" themselves.

We play favorite when it comes to pumkin varieties, and only one shines in our eyes among the rest. Long neck pumpkins are hands down the best, and what's more, they're native to our area, so you can pride yourself in knowing you're feeding your growing locavore hunger. With their elongated features, weighing in at around 12-15 lbs each, they wouldn't be able to make the trek from Chile intact anyway.

Most of ours come from Glenn and Green Meadow Farm, and our weekly produce deliveries are chock full of these peculiar looking squashes well through Thanksgiving. Not only are they delicious when transformed into pumpkin gelato, but they're the easiest to prepare. Those pesky seeds with their slime and tendency to stick to the good meaty parts that you're after only reside in the tiny little bulb at the base of the squash. That extra long neck, is pure pumpkiny goodness, ready to be cubed and roasted and turned into something grand. The skin is smooth, so there's no gnarly ridges to work around, too. Gosh, I could go on.

Start your love affair with pumpkin gelato soon, so you'll be able to get your fill before the well is all dried up. Pairing ideas: Amaretto, Pecan, Dulce de Leche, Apples & Mascarpone, Apple Cider, Bourbon Butterscotch, just to name a few of mine... or when all else won't live up to it, a simple smack of fresh whipped cream does the trick.

Creamery Pennsylvania

Many of you are unfamiliar with the workings of a real life dairy. Yes, Capogiro is a real live dairy. We source our own milk from an Amish farm, and we create our gelato and sorbetto with our own hands! Shocking, I know. We never outsource our gelato to some other dairy. We have purchased all the stuff necessary and have jumped through all the hoops to make the best product we know how to do. Why? Cuz we just don't trust anyone to do it "to our standards". We will manage our own standards, thank you very much. The result is that we know our farmers, we test the milk ourselves to make sure there are no antibiotics or growth hormones, and you can taste the difference. That difference is the freshest milk from cows grazing on grass in nearby Lancaster. The freshest fruit not grown with pesticides and other chemicals that is allowed to vine ripen. We can establish relationships with actual people, imagine that?!? I have visited these farms, pet the cows and have chased a little Amish 3 year old around the barn. I have asked for items to be grown from other farmers and BAM! the herb is planted just for me! Control!!!!

I know, being a control freak is not always the best thing, but you decide. Would you rather eat something that someone says is made to their "standards" in a far away place, they have never seen? A place that makes other products "to their standards" for many companies? Or, better yet, would you rather eat something that is grown and raised by farmers, who use the land like they always have for generations by natural standards. Farmers who refuse to go mass? Then the farmer's work is then used by people who love what they do and won't settle to just sit on the sideline, but like to roll up their sleeves and get to work? Wow. Talk about going on and on. Had to. Necessity.

Dan and I had to go to Creamery Pennsylvania a few weeks ago to take a test about milk testing. I got 2 wrong and Dan got 4 wrong. Sorry Dan. I would not have mentioned it, if you had not asked me to not torture you about it. I cannot mention nachos around you, so this had to be done. You know what I am talking about. Anywho, Creamery is everything you think it is. The Department of Agriculture is next to the 4H show grounds. There was a guy riding a tractor with no shirt on! Pinch me.

ORGANIC MILK v. OUR MILK...the showdown

So, we are sitting at our computers watching the farmer deliver the milk. He works for the Amish farmer and he can drive. He is a Mennonite and always brings 2 of his 12 kids as helpers. Busy right? For y'all who don't know what the difference between Mennonite and Amish, I cannot really help you with the space we have, but the Mennonites drive, have better haircuts and wear jeans. In case you're interested.

I am often asked if our milk is organic. Simple answer - "Nope." The complex answer (sit down, this is gonna take some time) - our milk comes from a single herd owned by one Amish family who has been milking cows for generations. These cows are fed a delicious mix of grass that is not treated with pesticides or chemicals, alfalfa and hay (supplemental grain in the winter, NOT corn). They graze OUTSIDE and get to watch the Amish children walk to school each morning. Not kidding. Said cows are never given antibiotics or hormones to increase milk production.

FACT - there is no such thing as "hormone free milk". All living things have hormones. The difference is that our milk is from cows that are not given added hormones. In Pennsylvania, the Department of Agriculture is extremely strict regarding the labeling of milk or any type of dairy product. If you make a claim about your dairy product, you must have the proof to back up that claim.

Our milk will probably never be labeled "organic" even though it is better than organic. Our farmer prides himself on his craft and laughs a hearty HA HA HA when you ask him if he will fill out these forms in triplicate and pay WHAT?!? to get that "organic" label. Don't be fooled, the Amish are shrewd and smart business people. He scares me sometimes. I cannot even imagine what he would charge for "organic" milk. Capo pays more for a gallon of non-organic Lancaster Amish cow milk wholesale, than you can buy a gallon of organic milk retail. Savvy?

Each Spring our farmer, let's call him Mr. Stolfutz, calls (they use cell phones. I know, makes zero sense with the "no electricity rule" in place) and he says, "Stefnee, better smell 'n taste thu milk before ya make yer ice cream. (shhhh...Mr. Stolfutz thinks I make ice cream) Thu unyun grass is up. Thu gurls luv thu unyun grass." Twice in 7 years I have only slightly smelled the onion grass in the milk. Even then, not so sure it wasn't in my mind. I really want to smell it. The spring milk is a beautiful slightly yellow color. Summer arrives and our milk is bright yellow and smells like grass. No joke. As Fall moves in, the milk starts to lose it's yellow hue and moves to what I call "creamy". So original I am. Deep Winter brings white milk.

I know my farmers, I have visited and pet the cows. These farmers have been doing what they do for 100s of years. Who am I to insist on some "organic" label. I taste the difference. And so can our fans.

So, that is why we don't need no stinkin organic milk! ;P

Weird Al Yankovic - Amish Paradise
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