Ricciuti’s

We try to buy as much of our food local when we can.  Some of our favorites include;

Marvesta Shrimp located on Maryland’s eastern shore.

Roseda Beef our Baltimore.  All the cattle are raised in Maryland, Delaware, and Pennsylvania.

Carraige House Farms in Stevensonville, MD provides us with our eggs whole chickens when available

Murry’s Chickens supplies our chicken.  They are out of Lancaster County, PA.

Gunpower Bison is new to us, they are in Monkton Maryland.  We look forward to working with them.

We only use sustainably caught fish and local fish.  We feature seasonable fish out of the Pacific Northwest, and local rockfish, crab meat and oysters. Our calamari is harvested from United States waters.

Cherry Glen Farms in Boyds, MD makes the most unbelievable goat cheese.

Vegetables & fruits are tricky.  We buy local vegetables when available, otherwise we try to buy as much organic as available.

We believe using local food provides the best flavor, supports our food partners and feels like the right thing to do.

Can’t wait till spring!

The other day I was raking leaves out of the woods. After years of raking leaves and dumping them into the woods, I was thinking this is crazy!  Why is this a big deal?  Because the leaves feed the compost pile which feed the vegetables. The vegetables end up on our dinner plates.  No more throwing out the leaves.  They are an important part of our restaurant.  I just wish I hadn’t wasted so much energy last fall.

On Sunday, July 6th, we held our first “Shopping with the Chef” to benefit the Olney Farmers Market. The participants met at the restaurant in the morning. Over coffee and homemade blueberry muffins, we talked about local food, farmers markets and farming in general. We then walked across the street to the market and bought a variety of vegetables and fruits from several of the vendors. At each stand, I explained what people should look for when shopping for fresh produce. We asked the farmers questions about freshness and growing methods. When we were done gathering our bounty we walked back to the restaurant and planned out a menu. While sampling a few wines and local cheeses, we executed the prep and the cooking. The menu included Roasted Cherries over Greens with Shaved Parmesan, Corn and Potato Soup, Roasted String Beans, Alaskan Salmon with Herb Butter, Basil Risotto, Zucchini ‘Fettucini’ and, lastly, Chilled Blueberry Soup with Lemon Creme Fraiche. A full belly and a good time was had by all!

Today we went blueberry picking at Blueberry Gardens in Ashton, Md. Ashton is a small town about 6 miles east of our restaurant. Not only are they a wonderful local source, the blueberries are certified organic. These are absolutely the most beautiful blueberry plants I have ever seen. We are using them in our blueberry pies. The pie is served with a house made cinnamon mascarpone ice cream. Blueberries are a summer gem!

I am fortunate to live just 5 miles from my restaurant on close to 3 acres of land in Brookeville, Md.

This year I started a serious garden for myself and for the restaurant. I have two 450sf plots and one 250sf plot which I use for greens. So far I have been able to harvest lettuce greens and herbs for the restaurant.

My herb garden contains 7 varieties of basil, 2 types of sage, 2 types of thyme, cilantro, oregano, parsley, lemon verbena, tarragon, bay leaf, mint, rosemary and lavender. I am also growing tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, beans, cucumbers, blueberries, strawberries, potatoes, squash, corn and melons. I started an asparagus bed but won’t see anything until next year. So far the cool wet spring has kept the lettuce growing and growing and growing. I eat it almost everyday and take some to the restaurant.

This year I also built an awesome compost bin. I would like to add more plots in the fall for next year.

For the past few years we have been buying produce from Our House Organic Farm. They are located just 2 miles west of the restaurant in Brookeville, MD. “The mission of Our House is to provide the opportunity for at-risk adolescents to become productive members of their communities by participation in a rigorous residential program of “hands-on” instruction in carpentry and other construction skills during the day, academic and life skills classes in the evenings, and weekly community service projects.” The farm is supervised by volunteers.

We buy as much produce as possible from the farm. In the spring we get asparagus, chard, and rhubarb. They are now delivering berries, beans, carrots and beets. It is so great being close to the food we prepare. I often stop at the farm on the way to the restaurant to see what’s growing and what is ready for harvest. Sometimes Mary (who manages the farm) delivers the food on her bike. How cool is that?!

These pictures are from the spring. I am going to have some June pictures soon.