Author Archive

Buy a half a pig!

pig pic

This is a little over 70lbs of meat, (what a half pig yields after breakdown) and representative of all the major cuts. This is a preset package, no substitutions, no special requests. As a courtesy, Ray will divide it into 2 boxes if you don’t have freezer capacity for all of it It includes: 
23 packs of regular cut pork chops, 2 to a package 
2 boneless roasts (2-3 lbs each) 
8 lbs bacon 
1 rack of spare ribs 
5 lbs ground pork 
7 lbs Sweet Italian Sausage 
5 lbs Hot Italian Sausage 
7 lbs Breakfast Sausage 
1 pack trotters 
1 pack fatback 
1 pack leaf lard 
1 bag pork neck bones

INTRODUCING OUR NEW HONEY BEER!

honey beer

We are so happy with our collaboration with 2 Way Brewing Company, It’s Ray approved, so you know it is good. Beacon X Bradley Honey Saison, made with Ray’s honey. It’s a two row pale ale and white wheat malt build the foundation for this one of a kind Saison. A generous addition of dark honey from the farm and 2 Way Brewing’s local strain of yeast give this a superb and unique local flavor. Dry, crisp, and refreshing with a fruity nose and hits of coriander this one is crafted with the summer heat in mind. 7%.

 

Pick your own flowers on the farm!

We are so excited that new for 2018, Ray has planted 2 rows of flowers exclusively to “pick your own”.  This is a great and simple pleasure – walking and selecting blooms, appreciating the plants in a new way, while putting together a beautiful and completely unique bouquet.  Right now we are ready to pick some beautiful Black eyed susies and our zinneas should be good to go very soon! And just like his produce, Ray’s flowers are extra sturdy and grown to last! $1.00 per stem.

u pick bradley farm

Kegged NYS Wine on Tap at Bradley Farm!

The ONE and ONLY VENUE to offer Gotham Project’s  NYS Wine in a Keg in Ulster County is Bradley Farm!!!!

 

farm green wine

Thanks to long time farm fan and cofounder of the Gotham Project Bruce Schneider, we are now serving  the 2016 Empire Builder Rose, and the 2015 Gotham Project Riesling from the Finger Lakes.

Why Wine on Tap????  No one tells the story of wine on tap better than Bruce so make sure you check out their website. For Ray, who is all about freshness of any product, he is thrilled to eliminate oxidized wine by the glass, and reduce waste and use of bottles, closure and labels.

Not to mention, how great both wines are!


2015 Gotham Project Riesling, Finger Lakes – This is Gotham’s first and signature wine, “The Finger” From  Seneca Lakes Wagner and Fulkerson Vineyards. Vinified separately, and then blended together, for a perfect balance of 8 grams of acid balanced by 12 grams sugar.  Aromas of tangerine, orange peel, lime and stone fruit.

2016 Empire Builder Rose – From the North Fork of Long Island, a blend of Merlot and Cabernet Franc. There are only 6 hours of skin contact prior to pressing, followed by fermentation and aging in stainless steel at cool temperatures to preserve the wine’s fresh fruit notes and bright aromatics.

Not to worry, we still love our farm brewed and other local beers and will continue to serve them too!!!

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Ray’s Pork is now featured at the Fulton Stall Market through April 24th!

GREAT NEWS for Manhattan customers suffering from Ray withdrawals!!!  Ray’s pork, including pork chops, sausages, ground pork, bratwurst, hot dogs, bacon and small roasts, will be stocked at this Pop up Farm stand at the South Street Seaport starting this Saturday 4/16- Thursdays through Sundays.

The EscapeMaker Pop Up Shop located inside the Fulton Stall Market on 207A Front Street, will be open to the public Thursdays and Fridays (12:00pm-6:00pm) and Saturdays and Sundays (11am-5pm), March 31st through April 24th.

 

fulton stallpork

PLUS, next weekend on Sunday, 4.24 Pull Brewing will be there offering samples of the beer and selling growlers.   97th Street customers – come on down!!!!! AND thank you Bob Lewis for giving us this opportunity.

RB BREW in conjunction with PULL BREWING now has farm brewed beer available for sale!

We now have growlers available for sale- You can refill your growler once weekly or we are happy to accommodate any schedule you want. At the moment, growlers can be refilled at the farm only, but we anticipate being able to re fill them at the Greenmarkets very very soon.

Right now we have Bradley Farm House Ale ready to go! This is an ale brewed with Belgian and New York State grains, hops, and Ray’s prize honey. Made in the Franco-Belgian style of Bier-de-Garde/Saison it has a light body, moderate alcohol, and a slightly tart finish.

Each growler is 64 ounces (roughly 4 glasses).  Price is $20 including tax, plus a $4 bottle deposit. Refill your growler when you want for $20 – right now, refills can only be done at the farm, but  very very soon we should be able to refill them at both of Ray’s Greenmarkets!    

 

rb brew

Get a growler subscription to suit your needs!!! 

  • 3 Months of Beer (1) 64 oz. growler per week for 12 weeks – $275 plus tax
  • 6 Months of Beer (1) 64 oz. growler per week for 24 weeks-  $500 plus tax

Having a Party???

  • Order your kegs and sixtels for any upcoming holiday parties!!!  We should have the Farm House Ale available, as well as a Porter Rye and a Tricerahopter IPA.
  • Kegs  ( ½ barrel, 15.5 gallons, about 120 glasses)are $285 plus tax.
  • Sixtels ( 1/6 keg), 5 gallons, 40 glasses) are $95 plus tax

Please note that deposits are required on kegs and sixtels, and delivery fees vary based on location if they cannot be picked up at the farm or greenmarkets. We can also rent you taps for dispensing the beer.

The 2014 Sunday Summer Dinner Series – A Recap

collage din 1collage din 3

collage of 2nd dinner by jennawines for third dinner

We can’t say enough about the wonderful  2014 summer dinner series.  Each one unique and special, all memorable.  Hats off to Chef Saul Bolton for his dinner, and what appears to be the “best” dish of the summer – his sugar snap pea soup.  Ray, you have not lost your culinary touch, and thanks to Justin Farmer for his help in dinner number two.  Chef Josh Cohen, you catapulted us to  end the series on a very high note,  and rumor has it you have already committed to coming back next year!

There are no words to thank everyone else who makes these dinners happen.  Kevin Zraly and Daniel Johnnes, the best wine friends any farmer can have, Paul, Risa and John, Jody, Linda, Kendra, Lu and Don,  our star triplet Bella, behind the scenes and serving the food, a million thanks to you all.

And to all the diners, who traveled as far away as Toronto, and as close as across the street, without your support, we could not  have these dinners.  We are already dreaming and planning for 2015!

Three

Pickles with Garlic, Scapes & Fennel

Lacto-Fermented Pickles with Garlic Scapes and Fennel (photo: Instagram)

by Dori Fern

When I posted the above shot on Facebook with the caption “Mama’s First Pickles,” a friend expressed shock that I had never before then attempted to make these simple, sour treats at home. I am, after all, an avid and adventurous cook with Semitic, pickle-eating, roots who resides in Brooklyn, the locavore locus of do-it-yourselfness.

I have resisted making my own mainly because, unlike many foods and dishes I boldly believe I can improve on myself, I cannot imagine besting the Eastern European-style pickles I have most enjoyed. Growing up, that meant Ba-Tampte half sours, the brand favored by every self-respecting Jewish New Yorker. In my post-adolescence years, Guss’ pickles out of the barrel on the Lower East Side were a real revelation: garlic, half-sours, sours, sometimes tomatoes and always the addictive pickled mushrooms.

My pickle tastes have wandered in recent years. These days I tend to go for quick-pickled veggies decidedly not of the European variety, like sweet, hot and sour shredded cabbage and carrots. A  perky topping, indeed, for tacos and Southeast Asian dishes. These I have made at home.

But last week at the market, I couldn’t get my mind off the classics of my youth. Ray had everything I needed to make a reinvented, neo-Brooklyn, version of the pickles I love: cute-as-a-button little kirbys, garlic scapes, new season garlic. And since I was buying the fennel for a salad, I decided to use the wild mane of fronds as a substitute for dill in my pickles.

This recipe on Food52 seemed perfect. I was curious about the lacto-fermentation process and liked the idea of watching it “cook” right on my countertop for a few days. My few tweaks: swapping in fennel fronds for dill, adding some dried pickling spices I had (which I wouldn’t bother with again) and adding both a few cloves of new garlic along with the scapes. I wouldn’t bother quartering, or even halving, Ray’s tiniest of kirbys next time. They’re small enough to leave whole.

They turned out bright and garlicky, sour and salty. Not exactly like the ones from my youth, but a transporting bite nonetheless.

 

 

 

Greatest Scapes

Garlic Scapes

Image credit: Dori Fern

by Dori Fern

I have no idea how ramps became such a fanatically-trendy allium. For my money and tastebuds, I’ll take garlic scapes any day. You should, too. Scapes will last in your fridge forever-ish, they’re heartier and less costly than those precious wild onions (not that it’s a contest) and a few scapes go a long way.  Plus, there’s an awful lot of easy and delicious things you can do with them.

These elegant-looking, curly garlic bulb tops have a fresh, herbaceous quality that’s lighter and less earthy than the bulbs, which makes scapes a fine add on to any variety of dishes or pan sauces or soups, imparting them with a bit of texture and zippy garlic flavor. My first piece of advice about using scapes: Get creative. I can’t imagine they’d hurt any savory dish you’d try them in. Some inspiration certainly can’t hurt though.

This was my breakfast yesterday…and the day before that:

Scrambled Eggs with Garlic Scapes, Tomato & Ricotta Salata
Serves 1

Sauté 3 finely-chopped garlic scapes in some butter or olive oil for about a minute, add 1/2 chopped tomato (or don’t), a pinch of paprika (or not), then add 2-3 eggs–depending on your appetite–salt & pepper to taste.   Scramble soft then mix in some crumbled ricotta salata or feta or goat cheese…your choice.

Today for lunch I had this Fried Fish over Garlic Scape, Tomato and Baby Arugula Salad:

Fried Fish over Garlic Scape, Tomato and Baby Arugula Salad

Fried Fish over Garlic Scape, Tomato and Baby Arugula Salad. Image credit: Dori Fern

Isn’t it pretty?

Sauté 4 chopped garlic scapes with the other 1/2 of the tomato from yesterday’s scrambled eggs. Cook a minute or so, then place over a bed of Ray’s baby arugula, adding salt and pepper to taste, a shpritz of lemon juice and a drizzle of good olive oil. The fried fish tops off the dish.

To make the fish: I used Ling Tail from Gabe the Fish Babe, a meaty, ocean-water fish that tastes like a cross between cod and fresh sardines, sold at the Park Slope Food Coop. Any white fish would do, as would fresh sardines. Dip fish in paprika and black pepper-seasoned flour, shake off the excess flour then pan fry til brown, about two minutes per side. Finish with salt.

The next thing I plan to make is this Garlic Scape with Almond Pesto from Dorie Greenspan (who also recommends adding the raw scapes to tuna or chicken–or, I would add,  salmon or egg or, come to think of it, potato–salads).

The possibilities are endless but, alas, the season is not, so visit your nearest Bradley Farm stand this week and fill up a bag. You’ll thank me.

The Wines from Dinner #1

Wines provided by Stone Ridge Wine & Spirits

Wine for mixed charcuterie plate (pork, lardo, and bratwurst)

2011 Kofererhof Riesling – “Gunther Kerschbaumer is one of the most inspired growers in Italy. His wines have incredible focus, precision and, most importantly, tons of personality. In 2011 the wines are richer than normal, as is the case throughout the region. I visited the winery in August of that year, and the heat was already stifling. Still, Kofererhof is one of my go-to wineries in Alto Adige. I highly encourage readers to check out these wines.” 170 cases produced91 points

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Wine for lobster ravioli in tomato consommé and salad with asparagus, beets, goat cheese

2009 Raventos i Blanc Rose Cava – “The outstanding 2009 De Nit (rose) has an almost hypnotic, perfect pale hue that is worth the price alone! A blend of classic Cava varieties with 5% Monastrell, it is sourced from 30- to 40-year-old vines from the estate. The nose is very subtle and very pretty with traces of rosewater, fish scale and Morello cherries, all beautifully defined and drawing you in. The palate is crisp and tense on the entry: a minimalist rose cave that is based on freshness and poise rather than delivering fruit intensity. It is a delicate, very pretty, harmonious Cava rose that is sensual and alluring. Who needs Champagne when Cava can be as good as this?           90 points

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Wine for roasted lamb with mushroom polenta with an olive tapenade and quince

Rua 2009 Merlot-Cabernet Franc (Napa Valley)A blend of Merlot and Cabernet Franc, this wine is soft, rich and delicious. Although it’s completely dry, it’s enormously sweet in cherries, red currants, dark chocolate, anise and cedar. The tannins are furry and firm, making you wonder if it’s worth cellaring. The best guess is that it’s best now, with decanting, and over the next four years. 400 cases produced 91 points

 

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Wine for cheese plate

2008 Sfursat Ca’ Rizzieri, Aldo RainoldiAldo Rainoldi makes this wine only in favorable vintages from a selection of Nebbiolo grapes grown in steeply terraced vineyards. The fruit is obtained from terraced vineyards from the Grumello, Valgella and Valtellina Superiore Sub-areas. Rainoldi dries the fruit on mats in a Fruttaio Ca’ Rizzieri. The flavors and tannins concentrate as the water from the grapes evaporates, creating a rich, nuanced wine. The wines age in new Allier French oak barriques for 15 months. After bottling, Rainoldi holds his wines for a year for additional bottle aging. 433 cases produced. 433 cases produced     90 points