First, some great news. This year's Frontera Farmer Foundation Benefit raised almost $100,000! We are so excited that we were able to meet our goal this year, and that we can continue to fund this year's grant requests.

We wanted to take this opportunity to recognize not only our generous donors, suppliers, participating farmers and our amazing staff, but also all of you who came out and supported us again this year. Thanks so much - we couldn't have done it without you.

Peeks into Chef's Inspirations: Many of you are aware that we change our menus every 30 days with a few exceptions. When a fruit or vegetable comes into season, we'll put it on the menu regardless of the cycle, and keep it there until it's no longer available. That is the case with my pick this month, our strawberry shortcake. Last month I posted an adapted Strawberry Shortcake recipe on the web site. Come in soon and taste the original. Melissa, our pastry chef, isn't sure how much longer it'll be on the menu, and then you'll have to wait until next year before you'll get the chance again.

Dates and Places Rick will be Appearing: This is a short month for us since we take our annual staff trip to Mexico over the 4th. Oaxaca here we come! Frontera / Topolo will have a booth at this year's Green City Market's Chefs BBQ on July 16th. The event is sold out, but if you already have tickets, Rick will be there. He's also doing a demonstration at this years BlogHer conference in Chicago on July 25th which is sold out too, but they do have a waiting list.

T Thrilled - That the prize is money for their favorite charity
O Overjoyed - They brought back old quick fire challenges
P Passionate - How hard each chef works to put out the perfect dish

C Camaraderie - Great to see how the chefs help each other
H Hooray - Rick is moving on
E Exciting - Master chefs compete against the clock
F Fun - Watch what happens on Bravo, Wednesdays at 10/9C

Profiles on Frontera Farmer Foundation Recipients: One of the most interesting things for me about this feature every month is the opportunity I get to talk with grant recipients about "why" they chose farming as a way of life.

This month I'd like to introduce you to Brian and Julie Van Laar and their children. Their dream became a reality in 2004 when they moved to a farm in Northern Boone County. They started from scratch, and today raise seven varieties of apples, pears, peaches, raspberries, strawberries, blackberries, sweet corn and over 30 varieties of heirloom tomatoes.

Brian and Julie's "why"? They wanted to be able to pass down not only the knowledge and experience of how to farm, but also a self-sustaining business to their kids. The six of them are the entire labor force on the farm, and their children pitch in both before and after school and on weekends. In addition to his farm duties, Brian still has a full-time job as an engineer.

Their grant requested money for two separate projects. The first, was a high tunnel (plastic dome greenhouse) for raising raspberries. The high tunnel has been planted this year, however, this is a three to four year project in order to get organic certification. The high tunnel will also extend the growing season into November. The second was for a walk-in cooler, which will come in handy later this summer for their raspberries, tomatoes and apples. The walk-in cooler will preserve the integrity of the fruit and allow them to spread out the harvest in terms of bringing product to market. They'll be doing three markets this year, two in the Rockford area and one in Beloit. You can contact Brian at dutchbunch@hotmail.com for specific market information.

Kitchen Gadget Adventures: Just before picking my gadget this month, I got the Sur La Table catalog in the mail and discovered that they were selling Rick's avocado scoop. I couldn't believe it because we get so many requests for where to buy the scoop, and we've been telling people for several years that it's no longer available. I don't know where Sur La Table got them, but for all of you who were looking for one, you can check with your local SLT store or order it directly from their web site. They're on sale for $13.96.

New Recipes from the Test Kitchen: My new favorite flavor is chamoy, and I've been working on new recipes that incorporate it. This month I have a tuna ceviche, seasoned with chamoy and tossed with avocado and jicama. The second recipe is a great summer salad with grilled skirt steak, mangos and arugula with a toasted guajillo chile dressing. The third is a recipe for spicy glazed pecans which I used as a garnish for the salad, but they're great all by themselves. Last, but not least, a strawberry margarita that we featured at the Frontera Farmer Foundation benefit.

Blog Q & A:

Q:

Who makes the fancy outdoor gas/charcoal grill with the heavy cast iron grates and smoker drawer you're using on one of your shows. Is this custom?

A:

This is a question that we get a lot because the grill looks so amazing. It's made by Kalamazoo Outdoor Gourmet, but there's more to this grill than just good looks. The one that's installed in Rick's backyard (Model 900HB) is their hybrid grill, which can use either charcoal, wood or gas. There's many options available, so check out their web site for more information.

Sustainability: Here's one of those easy things that you can do that will have a real impact on people in need in your own community.

Plant a Row for the Hungry is a public service campaign that was started in 1995 by former Garden Writers Association president Jeff Lowenfels in Anchorage, AK through a local gardening column he wrote. He asked his readers to Plant a Row of vegetables for a local soup kitchen. The program was so successful that the Garden Writers Association adopted it as a national program.

Since its inception 15 years ago, over 14 million pounds of produce have been donated to local food banks, soup kitchens and service organizations, which translates into 50 million meals. Check out their web site for more information on local committees that already exist in your area or for information on how to get one started in your community. You can also call their hotline at 1-877-492-2727.

Pictured above is a local group from Douglasville, Georgia. They're part of the Suburban Atlanta PAR program that has donated almost 200,000 pounds of fresh vegetables since 2002.

See you next month with tales from our trip to Mexico.

Sincerely,

Deb Silberstein

Test Kitchen Director/Web Site Culinary Director

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