July Review

How time flies!  I can’t believe it’s August already!  If you’d like to catch up on monthly reviews, check out May and June!  So what photos did I capture on my iPhone this month?

We buy some fruits and veggies from the Penn Quarter Farmer’s Market every week.  This week we purchased: blueberry yogurt, watermelon, tomatoes, cucumbers, milk and eggs!  Check out the tomato tart and Lebanese salad with pita chips.

New this year is Gordy’s, they make small-batch artisanal pickles!

A fellow DC blogger, Thrifty DC Cook, introduced me to Saigon Cafe in Falls Church.  This was our 2nd visit in a month- the pho was that good!  So if any of my DC friends have a car, and have a craving for pho, I’ll be glad to introduce you to this new find!

Sam and I are always on the lookout for some great new beer.  I found this one at Cowgirl Creamery.  Baba black lager is from Uinta Brewery in Salt Lake City, Utah.  Love the cute label!

Another week of great finds at the Penn Quarter Farmers Market!  This weeks deliciousness was: eggs, green beans, corn, tomatoes and sweet melon.  Check out the tomato tart and fresh corn salsa we made this month!

A friend, and fellow DC blogger, Emily of Em-i-lis held a canning workshop at the Bethesda Strosniders Hardware Store.  If you’d like to learn more about canning she’s teaching another class on August 25th at the Silver Spring location (it’s free, just sign up!).

Sam and I tried out a new pizza place in Columbia Heights- Red Rocks!  The pizza above is the Funghi (fresh mozzarella, mushrooms, cherry tomatoes), the other we tried was the Boar Sausage (smoked mozzarella, wild boar, scallions, grana, parsley).  Both delicious, we’ll definitely be back!

Our friends Brittany and Ben will be having a baby any day now, we’re all so excited!  To celebrate, Stephanie threw a wonderful baby shower!  These were on all of the tables, with some delicious popcorn in them!  How cute is that?!?

I visited my parents for a week in Chicago- great view of a wonderful city!

While I was in Chicago, Sam went to the Penn Quarter Farmers Market.  What did he buy? Eggs, tomatoes, bacon, butter, blackberries, okra, peaches and peppers.  Check out the tomato tart!

While visiting my parents, my Mom showed me how to improve on my pierogi-making techniques!  We made blueberry pierogi’s- and they were delicious!

I attended a workshop at the Common City Good Farm on composting.  I’ve been wanting to learn more about it, and how to start.  Once everything is in place, I hope to do a couple of blog posts about the process.

We spent a couple of hours at the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery, and it had a great view from one of the terraces.  Definitely a museum all of you should check out while in DC!

More delicious food from the Penn Quarter Farmers Market!  This week we got: eggs, plums, peppers, tomatoes, cheese curds, peaches and peppers.  Check out the tomato tart!

Lastly, Sam and I began our scuba diving certification!  We got some log books to note all of our dives!  Cannot wait for Thailand to explore the underwater!

Boston: Sam Adams Brewery Tour

This weekend Sam and I went to visit our friends Becky and Gary in Boston.  Although both of us had been to Boston in the past, it was when we were much younger.  So it’s been on our list to see our friends and check out this city as adults.

On Saturday we visited the Sam Adams Brewery, did the tour and tried some of their beers!  The tours take place Monday thru Saturday, each day starting at 10am.  Each tour is about 1 hour, and you can enjoy a Sam Adams beer at the end!

The brewery is in the Jamaica Plain area of Boston, in a fairly residential neighborhood- easily accessible by public transportation.  The tour is free, but donations are recommended.

Samuel Adams was founded by Jim Koch in 1984 in Boston, MA.  Although Sam Adams is the largest selling craft beer in the country, it only accounts for less than 1% of the beer in the U.S.  Most of the beer is actually made in two other breweries- which are located in Cincinnati, Ohio and near Allentown, Pennsylvania (this location makes about 60% of the beer).  The Boston location is mainly used to test out new beer, 2 million barrels of beer per year are made here- which only accounts for 1% of all Sam Adams beer.

What beers did we get to taste?  We had the Sam Adams Boston Lager, the seasonal Summer Ale, and the Sam Adams 26.2 Marathon Brew.  This last beer can only be found on tap around Boston, and it was made specifically for the Boston Marathon– which took place this past Monday.  Currently there are 50 different types of Sam Adams beer.  The most popular, about 50% of sales, is the Boston Lager.

What did we see on the tour?

This is where the brewing and mashing takes place.

This is the cooling tank to allow the beer to cool off.

These are the fermentation and conditioning tanks, each holds 25 barrels of beer.

Barrels of beer ready for drinking!

This is in the tasting room, great to see the different bottles.

Next time you’re in Boston you should definitely check out the Sam Adams Brewery!

After the tour you can take the free trolley to Doyle’s Cafe (about a 5 minute drive).  This trolley is decorated with a disco ball and the driver plays fun music.  In 1986 Jim Koch established a partnership with Doyle’s Cafe, making them the first purveyors of Sam Adams beer- this was the first place that had the Sam Adams beers on tap.  Doyle’s Cafe was established in 1882- it’s celebrating its 130th anniversary this week!  The best part is if you show your Sam Adam’s Tour stamp, and order a Sam Adams beer, you get to keep the Sam Adams glass!  We had some amazing clam chowder here!