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Tuesday, October 2, 2012

Tomato...tomato.

In my last blog I said I would write about canning tomatoes. Well, needless to say, it turned out great. I did can some tomatoes at my house, but I actually taught a canning class for members of Slow Food PGH, which I think is a little more exciting. Slow Food members envision a world in which all people can eat food that is good for them, good for the people who grow it and good for the planet.

The class was at a farm called Blackberry Meadows in Natrona Heights. The farmers, Greg and Jen Boulos, set up a large tent to in front of their home that housed 50 Slow Food members who were eager to learn the art of canning. I taught the basics of the canning process, from sterilizing the jars to filling them with tomatoes, then to pressure-canning them for preservation. I also made a quick tomato sauce using yellow tomatoes.

Then we had Virginia Philips, a Slow Food PGH employee, show how to make an overnight sauce that is baked in a 250 degree oven throughout the night. She also made a tomato dessert sauce that was decadent.

Amy Rosenfield From Mon Aimee Chocolat
Assisting With Making Yellow Tomato Sauce

The day couldn’t have been complete without my friend Nancy Hanst, who did a demonstration on how to pickle green tomatoes. Yes, I said pickled green tomatoes; don’t knock them until you've tried them! They were really quite interesting and very tasty. I’ve got a few green tomatoes left in my garden, so I just might make them.

Nancy Hanst Pickling Green Tomatoes

One of the highlights of the day was an outdoor wood-fired pizza oven. Canning takes a lot of energy, so pizza was the perfect food to make. The oven was 900 degrees, and it baked the pizzas in less than 90 seconds!

Greg Boulos Cookins Pizzas In
The Wood Fire Pizza Oven

During Nancy and Virginia’s presentation, I rolled out dough and a few other volunteers (Betsy, Alyce, Amy R. and Amy B.) helped top the pizzas with our homemade sauces, fresh mozzarella and some of Jen’s basil. They turned out awesome.

Pizza!

After the pizzas, we served ice cream that we topped with Virginia’s tomato dessert sauce. The ice cream really enhanced the flavors of the tomatoes. It was a great way to finish a long afternoon.

Until next time,
Jamie

P.S. Click here to view last year's blog post and video on how to can tomatoes.

Get a coupon for a FREE slice of Pumpkin Creme Pie at Eat'n Park!

Yep, you read that right - try our delicious new Pumpkin Creme Pie for free! All of our email club subscribers will receive a coupon for a slice of this delightful new pie on October 8. To get your coupon, all you have to do is become a member of this elite group!

How do you do that? Easy. Just click here to sign up by October 6. You'll find your coupon in your inbox on October 8. We told you it was easy!

Of course, a little slice of heaven isn't the only thing you'll get from our email club. We give our subscribers more than $40 worth of coupons and freebies every year! You'll get a coupon just for joining, special offers for your birthday and wedding anniversary, and lots of other discounts throughout the year. Plus, you'll be the first to know about our menu specials, and you'll have opportunities to share your opinion with us through surveys and focus groups. How cool is that?!

What are you waiting for? Sign up now!

Farm Tour - Fall Visit To Yarnick's

One of the coolest things about summer is having the opportunity to eat a variety of local vegetables. Who doesn’t love corn on the cob in the dog days of summer? Well, our visit with the Yarnick’s on September 5th started off with eating freshly picked raw corn. Yep, you read that right, raw corn. When you have fresh, juicy corn from the field, it’s doesn’t need to be boiled – trust me!

Fresh Corn

Dan Yarnick is the owner of Yarnick’s farm in Indiana, PA. Our team members thoroughly enjoyed meeting Dan and his family. We really gained an understanding of how passionate Dan and our other partner farmers are about growing the best, freshest produce for us to feature in our restaurants.

After we tasted sweet corn, we visited the greenhouses to see what was being grown. The heirloom tomato house was my favorite. It’s amazing that these tomatoes were planted in February and will continue to produce fruit until October.

Heirloom Tomatoes

Many of us at Eat’n Park are a little competitive, so to put competition into the mix, we decided to do a yellow squash picking competition. The first person to fill a ½ bushel basket wins a basket of everything that the Yarnick’s grow. We all loaded up on the back of a wagon that was pulled by one of their tractors. The competition was fierce, since we had some seasoned veggie pickers. Two of our team members grew up on a farm, so picking squash was old hat to them. Of course, one of them was eventually crowned the winner.

Fresh Picked Squash

When you visit our Eat’n Park restaurants, one of the things that we pride ourselves on is our commitment to purchasing local through our FarmSource program. Hopefully, these little guys look familiar. Our friends at Yarnick’s grow all of our local grape tomatoes for our salads at Eat’n Park. It’s one of the most labor-intensive jobs on the farm, but they take pride in knowing that these tomatoes are a big part of separating us from other restaurants.

Grape Tomatoes

I hope that you enjoy reading about our farm tours. I look forward to telling you more about the food we source and the steps we’re taking in being a sustainable restaurant.

Our Team Members

9.24.2012 Eat'n Park FarmSource Listing

Here's what's fresh & local this week at Eat'n Park!

Tomatoes

Brenckle’s Farm, Butler County, PA

Fresh in: Freshly Sliced Tomatoes

Green Peppers

Brenckle’s Farm – Butler County, PA
Yarnick’s Farm – Indiana County, PA
Hills of Home Farm, Indiana County, PA

Fresh in: Soup and Salad Bar

Zucchini

Brenckle’s Farm, Butler County, PA
Wexford Farms, Butler County, PA
Harvest Valley Farms, Butler County, PA
Yarnick’s Farm, Butler County, PA

Fresh in: Hand-Breaded Zucchini

Cabbage

Yarnick’s Farm, Indiana County, PA
Hills of Home Farm, Indiana County, PA

Fresh in: Coleslaw

Cucumbers

Brenckle’s Farm, Butler County, PA
Wexford Farms, Butler County, PA

Fresh in: Soup and Salad Bar

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Monday, September 17, 2012

Eat'n Park Farm Stand Project

Since 2010, we have been partnering with the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank as part of their Farm Stand Project to help bring fresh, local produce to under-served neighborhoods.

Once a month, an Eat’n Park representative visits one of 13 different farm stands to promote local produce and ways to use it in everyday cooking. Food demonstrations and interactive learning are also part of the visit.

The Farm Stand project is part of our LifeSmiles™ initiative, which empowers our young guests and their parents to make healthier choices. Farm stands are great places to get fresh, healthy food.

Check out some of the pictures, and we hope to see you at a Farm Stand soon!

Hill House Farm Stand

Clairton Farm Stand

For a full list of farm stands, click here.

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Tuesday, September 11, 2012

9.10.2012 Eat'n Park FarmSource Listing

Here's what's fresh & local this week at Eat'n Park!

Tomatoes

Brenckle’s Farm, Butler County, PA

Fresh in: Freshly Sliced Tomatoes

Grape Tomatoes

Yarnick’s Farm, Indiana County, PA

Fresh in: Soup and Salad Bar, Dinner and Entrée Salads

Green Peppers

Brenckle’s Farm – Butler County, PA
Yarnick’s Farm – Indiana County, PA
Hills of Home Farm, Indiana County, PA

Fresh in: Soup and Salad Bar

Zucchini

Brenckle’s Farm, Butler County, PA
Wexford Farms, Butler County, PA
Harvest Valley Farms, Butler County, PA
Yarnick’s Farm, Butler County, PA

Fresh in: Hand-Breaded Zucchini

Cabbage

Yarnick’s Farm, Indiana County, PA
Hills of Home Farm, Indiana County, PA

Fresh in: Coleslaw

Cucumbers

Brenckle’s Farm, Butler County, PA
Wexford Farms, Butler County, PA

Fresh in: Soup and Salad Bar

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Monday, September 10, 2012

Our Fall Specials Are Here!

Fall is in the air and at Eat’n Park, we’ve got something for everyone with our new made-from-scratch fall specials. We’re talking new additions to our breakfast, lunch, dinner and dessert menu! Plus, we’ve added new items to our $7 daily deals. Check them out here.

But back to our fall specials…get ready to fall in love with Eat’n Park all over again!

For Lunch and Dinner

Santa Fe Turkey Sandwich – It’s back!

That’s right, it’s back ...and improved! Roasted turkey with Mesquite Fajita seasoning, grilled red and green peppers, and spring lettuce, all topped with crispy bacon, Pepper Jack cheese and tangy chipotle mayo. Served on our grilled Italian bread with a side of your choice, it’s sure to be a fall classic. $7.99

Sweet Potato Waffle Fries

Yep! You read that right – we now have sweet potato waffle fries! Enjoy a basketful, served with zesty apple butter dip. $4.99 P.S. You can also substitute them as a side for a small upcharge!

BBQ Chicken Salad

Fresh mixed greens topped with tomatoes, cucumbers, crispy sweet potato waffle fries and grilled chicken, drizzled with BBQ sauce and our housemade Ranch dressing, then topped with thin slices of red onion. YUM! $ 7.99

Spinach Mushroom Penne

A dish straight from Mom’s kitchen! Sautéed mushrooms and fresh spinach in a light cream sauce served atop a bed of penne pasta. Asiago cheese finishes the dish. Served with a garden salad and garlic toast. $7.99

Pot Roast Melt

MMM…comfort food at its finest! Our famous shredded pot roast topped with three types of cheese and served on our fresh-baked sourdough bread with Dijon horseradish. Served with your choice of one side for just $7.99. Or get it as our daily deal on Saturday for just $7!

Turkey Philly

This new sandwich features roasted turkey, sautéed onions, peppers and mushrooms. Then it’s covered with Swiss cheese and topped with Dijon mayo. Available everyday and served on a hoagie bun and a side for just $7.99. It’s also our daily deal for Thursday for just $7!

For Breakfast

Banana Crunch Pancakes

Sink your teeth into two buttermilk or whole grain pancakes filled and topped with freshly-sliced bananas and granola, then drizzled with warm Bananas Foster Syrup. Served with three pieces of bacon, sausage or turkey sausage. $5.99

Sunrise Breakfast Wrap

This wrap features two scrambled eggs, two slices of American cheese, lettuce, tomato slices and crispy bacon. Served with breakfast potatoes of your choice, it’s the perfect way to start your morning! $6.99

This recipe was created by Eric Snyder, a team member from our Natrona Heights restaurant. Thanks, Eric!

For Dessert

It wouldn’t be fall without pumpkin, so stop in today for a slice of our new Pumpkin Crème Pie. It’s on sale for just $6.99!

Or if you prefer to drink your pumpkin, try a pumpkin milkshake, pumpkin chai tea, or pumpkin latte.

Hope to see you soon!

About the blog

Throughout this blog, we hope to share a bit of our culture with you through stories, recipes, and other information that we think you’ll enjoy. More importantly, we hope you’ll share with us – we want to answer those questions you’ve always had about Eat’n Park (how did we come up with that name, anyway?) and we want to hear your ideas, feedback, and hopefully, a few compliments too!

So, please feel free to comment on postings that pique your curiosity. We'll do our best to respond to questions within 72 hours. Please keep in mind that we are a family restaurant; comments containing offensive language will not be posted.