Trolling: Cooking Resources From Columbia Foodies

Nothing fits a food blog better than enthusiast amateurs, and today's Trolling comes from George, who has helped create an entire group of food-loving locals in the Columbia Foodies.

The Columbia Foodies are 14 people who meet once a month, alternating between hosting dinners and dining out.  There are a few professional cooks, but the rest are, as George says, "amateur but dedicated cooks of varying skill levels."

In October, the group showed off those skills by cooking for 24 people at the American Cancer Society's Hope Lodge.  The lodge provides free housing for cancer patients undergoing long-term treatment at Baltimore hospitals.  They don't provide food, but they have a large kitchen where the Columbia Foodies cooked up squash soups, beef lentil soup, glazed chicken breasts, two kinds of lasagna and fresh-based breads.  They finished up with a crepe bar outfitted with ice creams and homemade fudge and caramel sauces.

I asked George to recommend some resources for local chefs.  He went beyond the Howard County line for a few places that I haven't visited -- and straight to U.S. 1 for the Sysco basics:

The European Market at 7428 Muncaster Mill Rd, in Derwood (near Gaithersburg), Md.  This grocery store specializes in Portuguese and Brazilian products as well as some Mediterranean foods.  They have fresh Portuguese breads and pastries, Portuguese sausages and clay cooking pots as well as a full line of Portuguese and Brazilian groceries.  They also have some terrific prices on olives.  Kalamata olives are $3.99 a pound.

Penzeys Spices at 1048 Rockville Pike in Rockville is an entire store devoted to spices and herbs.  They have an amazing selection in a variety of sizes at good prices.  I have been very happy with the quality and freshness of there products.  They also do catalogue and online sales.

Sysco Discount Food Store at 7540 Washington Blvd. in Elkridge has some good values in meats and canned goods and decent prices on commercial cooking utensils.  In the back of the store they often have merchandise from broken cases that are very good value.Co

The Columbia Foodies are trying to keep their group small, but they occasionally consider new members.  For more information, contact George at 410-290-8380 or gershonr at comcast dot net.

Trolling on Tuesday is my attempt at a series where readers would share three things with other HowChow readers -- favorite restaurant dishes, food to buy, food experiences, etc.  Click here for all the Trolling posts.  Click here for the explanation and the rules.  Anyone can submit.

Howard County Farmers Markets - Early Summer Update: 2010 Peaches Will Be Small But Tasty

Even the great peaches are going to be small this year.  They're still the perfect fruit -- juicy and full of a flavor that I can't find in a supermarket aisle.

But they're small because of the drought, said the farmers at the Sunday farmers market in Columbia's Oakland Mills village center.  They're three weeks early too.  The same farmers had early apples already along with the plums and peaches that I would have expected.

Sunday's farmers market is really a place for people who want to shop.  There isn't a scene like the massive market under the JFX in Baltimore with its prepared food and semi-celebrity vendors.  But yesterday morning, Oakland Park's market had two vegetables stands, one fruit stand, plus Great Harvest Bread, a pie and sweets bakery, and a stand selling beef and pork.

I bought my first tomatoes of 2010 and bought a $6 basket of peaches.  Nothing beats a warm peach, a real peach like the ones that we may try to pick next weekend at Larriland Farm in Woodbine.  I nicked one on the ride home so I was forced to eat it right away.  Even sweeter than the first batch we had received from a friend last week.  Perfectly firm and ripe.  Absolutely worth a Sunday morning drive.

The meat was a new alternative to me at the Sunday market.  I'll check that out next time.  As I said, go to shop.  You'll get produce, bread, flowers, and more.  You'll be disappointed if you're looking for a big city farmers market scene, but quite happy if you're in the mood for a peach.

Any observations about the local produce markets -- especially the weekday farmers markets which I haven't visited?  What seems like a good buy?  What seems too expensive?

There are five markets in Howard County -- including new ones this year at St. Johns Church on Wednesdays and at Howard County General Hospital on Fridays.  Click here for a full list of the markets.  Other options include Clark's Elioak Farm in Ellicott City and the Gorman Produce Farm in Laurel.

Columbia Foodies: A DIY Club

If you like food blogs, then you may like a food club as well -- so consider the Columbia Foodies that some locals have been putting together for the last few months.

I emailed with the organizer George, who has been advertising the Columbia Foodies in the Columbia Flyer. The group has met at three restaurants (Donna's in Columbia, Bacchus in Bethesda, and Grace Garden in Odendon). They also cooked a picnic lunch and held a wine tasting at Elk Run Winery in Mount Airy. They're attracting both singles and married couples, George says:

This is a slightly-edited version of George's pitch:

We are planning a hosted dinner in September with a Hungarian menu and another in November inspired from recipes from Julia Child's 'Mastering the Art of French Cooking.' We are also considering volunteering around Christmas to prepare food at 'Food and Friends,' a wonderful charity in Washington.

I love cooking and eating good food. Most of my friends are on special diets or are just not particularly interested in food. I am trying to watch my weight so I'm usually on a diet. I think that having a nice dinner occasionally might actually help me stay in line.

I am continuing to put together a congenial group of people who might like to cook dinners together -- maybe four or five times a year -- and take turns hosting dinner at their homes. Additionally, I'd like to get together occasionally as a group to eat at interesting restaurants, visit wineries, tour an organic farm or get together for any other food-related activity that sounds like fun.

I have no formal training as a cook and am reasonably adventurous in trying new foods. I particularly enjoy cooking and eating Chinese, French and Italian foods.

We are still not very well organized and we are very flexible in deciding the best direction for our organization. I suspect that some of us will be more interested in restaurants and outings than in home-hosted dinners, but time will tell.

We still welcome new members who are passionate about food.

If you're interested, email George at gershonr@comcast.net.