Yes, August can be hot… but these days, overbearing heat is no longer an honor left to define August alone. Perhaps that can free August up to be remembered for so many other things! The crops of August are those that define summer cooking: Corn, Heirloom tomatoes, Eggplants, and Watermelons all come into full bloom and dominate our grills and our plates. Sunflowers wake up, seemingly overnight, and cover fields with little sculptures of the sun, acting as both a cheerful and wistful reminder that summer is coming to a close.
In August, the Hudson Valley does NOT disappoint. So check out several great packages we have that are expiring at the end of August (like our Sunday check-in Special and our Three-Day Thursday). It’s your last chance to take advantage of these great deals!
WHAT TO DO THIS AUGUST IN THE HUDSON VALLEY
Barton Orchard
August 23 – September 2nd (weekends only)
What says summer more than a selfie in a sunflower field?
Barton Orchards and their almost 100,000 flowers are the perfect setting for their annual sunflower festival, boosted with food and music: the perfect opportunities to enjoy these beautiful flowers and get a great instagram pic!
Hudson Valley Cold Pressed Oils
Beginning August 1st
This farm is devoted to not only growing sunflowers, but using every part of the sunflower to create products for your kitchen and your home: everything from Sunflower Oil, to Sunflower Flour, to Lip Balm. And for the entire month of August, they celebrate their crop with a Sunflower Festival: you can cut and pick your own bouquet while you listen to music and eat great food. But when the last flower is cut, the festival is over…so the sooner you go, the better!
A PEEK INN-SIDE AUGUST: SUNFLOWER TAHINI
We always try to keep our menu as seasonal as possible… even our flowers!
So we are celebrating Sunflowers our own way, by using the seeds and the oil to create our own, lighter, nuttier version of a “tahini”. It finds a few uses this month: we use it as a side sauce to our fish; it’s mixed with yogurt as a dip for crudités and our signature root chips; and even in lieu of avocado for a “breakfast toast” for our inn guests.
You’ll find its quite a staple in the kitchen, especially for those who don’t like sesame seeds or are allergic!
Ingredients:
- 2 cups sunflower seeds
- Water to cover
- 14 medium garlic cloves (about 1-2 heads, depending on size)
- 1 cup olive oil
- ‘1 cup sunflower oil
- 1/4 cup white vinegar
- Juice and zest of two lemons
- 1/4 cup roasted garlic oil (reserved from garlic roasting)
- 1/4 cup sunflower oil
- Salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions:
- Begin 4 hours earlier or up to the night before: soak sunflower seeds just covered in water.
- For the roasted garlic: In a small pot, on a very low flame, poach the garlic cloves in olive oil until soft. We like to use a butter warmer pot for this technique, but the tiniest pot will do. Alternatively, you could take a very small oven proof dish, like a small ramekin or soufflé dish, and roast the cloves in the olive oil at a low temp until soft. This should take about 20-30 minutes over a very “low and slow” method.
- Remove garlic when cool. Reserve garlic-infused olive oil for this recipe, and for others! Store in fridge its great to drizzle on lots of things for the next week.
- To prepare sunflower seeds while garlic is cooling: drain, and spread out on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper in a single layer. Season with salt and pepper, and bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes; toss/shake seeds, and toast for another 10 minutes. Take out of oven and cool.
- When everything is cool, in a food processor, combine toasted seeds, roasted garlic cloves, half of the white vinegar and a tablespoon garlic oil and blend for a few seconds. Keep adding vinegar and oil a tbsp at a time to taste and create a nice consistency. If flavor becomes strong enough for your liking, you can sub in water and pure sunflower oil to continue to puree. Season with salt and pepper as needed for your taste.