Meet Slantshack Jerky.  Its co-founders are members of our Boerum Hill CSA and it’s the best tasting jerky I’ve ever had. Slantshack is revolutionizing jerky with their grass-fed and locally sourced meat that is jam packed with flavor; they also happen to be one of the featured artists in our Artisanal Brooklyn share. We’ve had the pleasure of getting to know David, co-founder of Slantshack, through the CSA and wanted to share his story of with you.  Info for our Brooklyn share and all other available shares for the 2012 season can be found here.  Applications are due May 21st.

What prompted the start of SlantShack?
I think it was a combination of two things — one part as a more generic post college filler, SlantShack allowed a group of friends to create a new community and regular activity to maintain relationships in our post college lives; the other being more specific to jerky and Josh’s (Josh Kace, SlantShack’s Founder) adolescent love of it. Homemade jerky lends itself to a great deal of creativity — either trying to create a particular flavor profile or making up a more inspired flavor. The early SlantShack experimental stages provided a great creative outlet for many of us during the first period out of college and once we got going making jerky, we really didn’t think there was anything nearly as good as ours on the market — so why not continue to do it?

Where does the name come from?
Josh and a group of friends from college moved out to Jersey City after graduating. Nothing in the apartment was level, so our group of friends commonly referred to the JC apartment as the SlantShack; it was only natural to name the company after our original abode.

What is the best part of working at SlantShack?
I really believe in our motivating principles of offering consumers choices and working in the long run to create a high quality product that is available to a wide, diverse universe of people. We are working to create as transparent a production as possible so that our customers are aware of the choices they make. Our product allows us a great deal of flexibility in production and growth that I hope will afford us the opportunity to innovate and work to create a new model of food production that is both sustainable and honest.

On a personal level, it is very rewarding to lead a company that is a great source of pride not just for the group of 10 co-founders, but also for our extended group of friends that has supported us over the last 2 years as we began our partnership with Vermont Highland Cattle Company (VHCC) and began to focus on growth and creating a sustainable and hopefully long lasting company.

It seems you visit your farms quite frequently. What is your fondest memory of visiting the farms?
Generally speaking, I love my monthly visits to Vermont. Our team takes a lot of pride in the product we produce and have helped me learn a lot about meat production, farming, USDA regulatory issues, etc. over the past year as well as giving valuable feedback and input on product development and production efficiencies. The frequent trips allow me to develop relationships and a presence within our community in Vermont (as well as with the other local farms we source meat from), which in turn provides a better understanding of small farm operations, how SlantShack can add value through the relationships we are cultivating and the potential for us to have a long-term presence and impact in Northern Vermont and the various farming communities in which we work.

Many of the co-founders of SlantShack live in the neighborhood of Boerum Hill or Carroll Gardens, do you guys have a favorite place to hang out?
61 Local has become a second office of sorts, but is also a place we love to meet up for socializing. In the warmer months, we’ll meet up for ice cream at Brooklyn Farmacy and Karloff (weekend brunch too!). I also love Frankie’s/Prime Meats and the Brooklyn Inn. And Rucola is delicious.

You are also a member of the CSA. What has been the most beneficial part of joining the CSA and do you ever incorporate your jerky in cooking your CSA share?
I love having a fresh supply of fruits/veggies and the weekly pickup is the one structured, consistent event on my schedule. Once I pick up my CSA I can go about planning meals and cooking for the week, which helps me figure out meetings, calls, etc. Very odd to say that the regular CSA pickup has such organizational power, but I guess that’s why eating well and giving the proper thought to food and meal preparation is so important.

In the winter months, I’ve livened up a few entrees of roasted vegetables with some bites o’ jerky

Anything new we’ll see from SlantShack this summer?
Lots of new things on the plan for the next few months. We’re working to feature more seasonal recipes and new unconventional marinades; we’ll also have a new collaboration or two coming out over the summer.

Are you a fan of the other purveyors in the Brooklyn Artisanal share and why?
I’m a huge Ovenly fan, everything they make is always fantastic, but what I love most is everything is so unique — we were at a Brooklyn Brewery event a few weeks ago and they used the Brewmaster Release beer in a cupcake which was delicious. Mike’s Hot Honey you can pretty much put on anything and I drink KBBK all summer long at Smorgasburg — it is so refreshing.

As always, 61 Local will have some great wines and beer on tap. There will be a beer-cocktail making station to make micheladas and shandies. Cupcakes will be provided by Ovenly, another purveyor for our Brooklyn share.

Thank you to all our great friends, CSA members, host locations, and bloggers who have made our first year so amazing! We hope you can come out and party with us!

Where: 61 Local::61 Bergen Street, Brooklyn
When: April 17th from 7pm -

When: Tuesday, February 28th, 2012 from 7 – 8:30pm
Where: Harfield Road, 769 Metropolitan Ave, East Williamsburg

Next week is our last CSA pick up of the season until we start back up in June.  We’ll have a potluck starting at 6pm at both locations in addition to games!  Our Boerum Hill site at 61 Local will also have a pickling demo and we’ll use the pickled scallions as a garnish for Micheladas.

On Wednesday February 1st, Local Roots NYC will host their third supper club with guest chef Matthew Leif of Landhaus. Held in the beautiful exposed brick mezzanine at 61 Local, this dinner sits 30 and will feature a four course menu with ingredients from Local Roots CSA farms and other neighboring farms. Each dish will show the versatility and wide range of flavors of apples, one of the few fruits that are available in the winter season. Share a delicious meal, drink many drinks, and meet some great New Yorkers. Vegetarian options available.

About the Chef:
Matthew Leif has been working in the business of food for over 15 years. His career spans from Michelin star restaurants in France to community kitchens in South Africa. Matthew works and manages Landhaus, whose flavors can be tasted at Smorgasburg and the Brooklyn Flea. It is his recipes and creativity that make up the Landhaus menu.

Pictures from past Local Roots Supper Clubs can be found on Untapped New York.

Tickets:
$40 General Admission
$35 CSA Members
$35 Vegetarian

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January 3rd, 2011

Vegetable Share

Half Share: 1/2 head Cauliflower, 1/2 lb Broccoli, 1/2lb Jerusalem Artichoke, 1lb Carrots or Beets, 1lb Potatoes, 1 bunch Scallions
Full Share: 1 head Cauliflower, 1 lb Broccoli, 1lb Jerusalem Artichoke, 2lb Carrots or Beets, 2lb Potatoes, 2 bunches Scallions

Fruit Share

Half Share: 3lbs Mix of Apples: Heirloom Keepsake or Jonagold
Full Share: 5lbs Mix of Apples: Heirloom Keepsake or Jonagold

Juice Share

Half Share: 1 Black Currant Apple Juice
Full Share: 2 Black Currant Apple Juice

Meat Share

Half: 1 Duck Breast, 2 Duck Confit
Full: 2 Duck Breast, 2 Duck Confit

Cheese Share

Half Share: 1/2 lb Dorset Cheese
Full Share: 1lb Dorset Cheese

Egg Share

This is a half egg share week – members with a half and full egg shares will pick up a dozen eggs

Scallion Oil Devilled Egged Recipe
from Momofuku
ingredients:
4 hard boiled eggs, peeled, chilled and cut in half
1/2 bunch of green onions, thinly sliced (about 3/4 to 1 cup)
1 clove of garlic, minced
1 small shallot, minced
1 small knob of ginger, minced
2 tablespoons canola oil
2 teaspoons sesame oil
salt and pepper to taste
sriracha (optional)

Directions:
1.  Make the scallion oil by heating up the canola oil in a small pot over high heat. When the oil is shimmery and hot, add the green onions, garlic, shallot, and ginger. Be careful, the water content will cause the oil to bubble. Remove the pot from the heat and stir in the sesame oil. Salt to taste.
2.  Remove the yolks from the eggs and place in a bowl. Mash with a fork until the yolks are crumbly. Add 1-2 tablespoons of the scallion oil. Stir and taste. If you need more scallion oil in there, by all means, add it! Fill your egg halves and top with freshly ground pepper and a squirt of sriracha, if using. Enjoy!
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Quince in a Blanket
from Williamsburg CSA member, K. Creighton
4 Quince
3 cups Sugar
Speck
Cheese of your choice

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Bring water and 3 cups of sugar to a boil and and poach quince for 15-20 minutes in enough liquid to cover the fruit.
3. Take poached quince out of pot and dry on a paper towel.
4. Place 1 piece of speck on baking sheet and layer with cheese – wrap this around the quince to create a “quince in a blanket”. Bake for 20 minutes.
5. Let cool, drizzle with syrup or honey
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Emily’s No-Knead Bread Recipe
from Local Roots Intern, E. Wensberg
1 cup white flour
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. instant yeast
1 3/4 cups water

Directions:
1. Combine dry ingredients in a bowl.
2. Dissolve yeast in warm water, add to dry mixture.
3. Cover bowl and let rise 12-18 hours at room temperature.
4. Dough should be filled with bubbles after rising. Place dough on a floured surface, fold. Cover with plastic and let it rest for 15 minutes.
5. Place dough in bowl, cover with plastic, and let rise for another hour. Should double in size from the original mixture.
6. Heat oven to 475 degrees, place dutch oven inside as it warms.
7. Place dough in dutch oven and bake for 30 minutes. Turn heat down to 450 degrees and bake for an additional 15 minutes. Let cool completely before slicing.

Things to Add (recommended):
1/4 cup honey or molasses
1/3-1/2 cup of seeds or grains such as flax seeds, sunflower seeds, rolled oats
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Sweet Potato Meringue Pie with Pecan Crust
from New York Mag
Crust
1 cup pecans, toasted and cooled
2 cups ground graham crackers
1 tbs. plus 1 tsp. grated fresh ginger
2 tbs. dark-brown sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
6 tbs. butter, melted

Filling
4 large sweet potatoes
3 eggs
1/2 cup dark-brown sugar
2 tbs. bourbon
3/4 cup heavy cream

Meringue Topping
1 cup sugar
3 egg whites
1/8 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. vanilla paste

Crust
1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Grind the pecans in a food processor to a coarse powder. Add the graham-cracker crumbs, and grind with nuts until powdered. Add the ginger, dark-brown sugar, salt, and cinnamon, and process just to combine, then gradually pour in the melted butter until evenly distributed.
2. Press the crumb crust into a pie pan, shaping it evenly across the bottom of the pan and the sides. Bake the crust, flattening it with the back of a spoon every 10 minutes or so, until it is golden brown and stays firmly pressed in the pan (40 minutes to an hour). Set aside to cool.

Filling:
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Roast the sweet potatoes until tender all the way through (about 1 hour), then cool to room temperature. Peel the sweet potatoes and purée in the food processor until smooth.
2. Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees. Put 2 1/2 cups sweet-potato purée, the eggs, dark-brown sugar, and bourbon into a food processor, and process until combined, then stream in the cream until evenly incorporated. Pour into the cooled crust, and bake in the oven until the custard has set in the middle (about an hour). Cool to room temperature.

Meringue
1. Combine the sugar and 1/3 cup water in a small saucepan, making sure there are no sugar crystals clinging to the sides of the pan. Place over medium heat, and cook until bubbles thicken and slow.
2. While the sugar is cooking, whisk the egg whites and salt in the bowl of a mixer to medium peaks.
3. When the syrup reaches 240 degrees on a candy thermometer, remove from the heat and stream it slowly down the side of the mixer bowl into the whites while whisking on high speed. Continue whisking until very stiff and just slightly warm. Add the vanilla paste, and mix just to combine. Spoon the meringue on top of the pie, making decorative swirls. Lightly brown the top of the meringue with a kitchen torch, and serve at room temperature.
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Vegetable Share

Half Share: 1/2 lb Black beans, 1 head Cabbage, 1lb Onions, 1lb Carrots or Parsnips, 1/2 lb Spinach, 1 bunch Parsley
Full Share: 1 lb Black beans, 2 heads Cabbage, 2lb Onions, 2lb Carrots or Parsnips, 1 lb Spinach, 2 bunches Parsley

Bread Share

Cinnamon Raisin or Swiss Health

Juice Share

Half Share: 1 Cranberry Apple Juice
Full Share: 2 Cranberry Apple Juice

Egg Share

This is a full egg share week – members with a full egg share will pick up a dozen eggs

Vegetable Share

Half Share: 1lb Parsnips or Carrots, 1lb Broccoli, 1/2lb Spinach or Broccoli Rabe, 1/2lb Shallots, 1lb Turnips
Full Share: 2lb Parsnips or Carrots, 2lb Broccoli, 1lb Spinach or Broccoli Rabe, 1lb Shallots, 2lb Turnips

Bread Share

Irish Soda or Beer Bread

Juice Share

Half Share: 1 Fuji Apple Juice
Full Share: 2 Fuji Apple Juice

Egg Share

This is a full egg share week – members with a full egg share will pick up a dozen eggs