If you’re not lucky enough to live along one of the many coasts in the world,  but still long for the taste of fresh oysters you’re in luck.

I’m going to ignore those of you looking to remind me they sell oysters at the grocery store… and instead suggest Taylor Shellfish Farms just outside of Seattle.

They offer several different options all of them better than anything you’ll find at your local megamart and all available via their website.

And for those of you in San Francisco, a reminder that some of the best oysters in the world can be found right here, courtesy of the Hog Island Oyster Company.  Also available for ordering online.

And lets not forget oysters are good for you…

“Oysters are high in zinc, potassium, and vitamins A, B-12, C, and D. Oysters are also a great source of cholesterol-reducing omega-3 fatty acids. A 3 1/2 - ounce serving (about 3 small oysters) contains 69 calories, 2.5 milligrams of fat, and .44 milligrams of omega-3s.”
Jairemarie Pomo, The Hog Island Oyster Lover’s Cookbook

I’ve never been much for cold Winter mornings, afternoons or evenings for that matter, but when I read  there are now 11 farmers’ markets open year round in Vermont I was impressed folks were willing to get up and brave the cold.

So what can you expect to find in the winter months at one of the Vermont farmers markets, according to North East Organic Farming Association of Vermont, potatoes, turnips, squash and more.

If you interested in reading more from the Associated Press, click here...

If you’re looking for Winter farmers markets in Vermont, click here….

In a continuing effort to improve the quality of our videos before the official launch of Scream Fresh, we’re going to try a series of different hosts and players… If you have a preference let us now..

I was at the farmers market Sunday when it struck me as odd that you can get so many fresh foods these days way out of their season.

There were at least a half dozen vendors still selling strawberries and tomatoes. I grant you the tomatoes weren’t looking the best, but are the strawberries really supposed to be at the market this late in the year?

I asked the seller and was told that it’s still pretty warm where he grows and many varieties that grew longer into the year.

So I looked up some information on California Strawberries.

According to the California Strawberry Commission, Strawberry season runs from nearly year round, depending on where you are.

Here in San Francisco you can reasonably expect to find fresh berries from April through November, the Commission said.

Let us know if you’re finding the same with fresh produce at your farmers market. Are you seeing more and more foods for sale long past what you remember being the selling season for that food?

For years I’ve had a fear of butter. I’m sure it has something to do with growing up during the age of no fat and low fat foods(remember snack wells cookies). Even today I fear the small yellow stick just as much as I did then.

I have over the years looked for butter alternatives, trying everything from applesauce to the glass jar filled with brown sludge in the baking section labeled butter substitute. The color has kept me from opening it.

But after reading the NY Times today I’m going to turn over a new leaf. I will learn to accept butter, for life is short.

Are there others of you who fear butter?

Butter Holds the Secret to Cookies That Sing

New York Times

When home bakers get out the mixer and the decorating sugar at this time of year, visions of perfect-edged cookies and shapely cakes dance in their heads. But too often, the reality — both for the cookie and the baker — is ragged, fallen, and fraying around the edges.

“I’ve cried many times at 2 a.m., when the cookies fall apart after all that work,” said Susan Abbott, a lawyer in Dallas who tries every Christmas to reproduce her mother’s flower-shaped lemon cookies, though she rarely bakes during the rest of the year.

“It seems that home bakers don’t always follow instructions precisely,” said Amy Scherber, the owner of Amy’s Bread stores in Manhattan (where she also makes cakes and cookies, including orange butter cookies). “And then it’s so disappointing when things don’t turn out.”

The most common mistakes made by home bakers, professionals say, have to do with the care and handling of one ingredient: butter. Creaming butter correctly, keeping butter doughs cold, and starting with fresh, good-tasting butter are vital details that professionals take for granted, and home bakers often miss.

Butter is basically an emulsion of water in fat, with some dairy solids that help hold them together. But food scientists, chefs and dairy professionals stress butter’s unique and sensitive nature the way helicopter parents dote on a gifted child.

“Butter has that razor melting point,” said Shirley O. Corriher, a food scientist and author of the recently published “BakeWise: The Hows and Whys of Successful Baking” (Scribner).

click here for the complete story…

Title: Taste of Compassion
Location: West Palm Beach, FL‎
Link out: Click here
Description: Quantum House joins forces with the Palm Beach County Chef\’s Association to present the 5th Annual Taste of Compassion. This special evening of delicious foods, exceptional wines, entertainment and silent auction promises to become an annual event not to miss. You will enjoy tastes from these fine restaurants; Cafe Chardonnay, The Bistro, Paddy Mac\’s, Cafe L\’ Europe, City Cellar, Spoto\’s Oyster Bar
Start Time: 19:00
Date: 2009-01-19

Title: 2009 Montana Winter Fair
Location: Lewistown, Montana
Link out: Click here
Description: The 2008 Montana Winter Fair is over and we are now getting ready for the 2009 Montana Winter Fair. Once again we will have a Trade Show with exhibitors from Montana and surrounding states. There will be discussions and forums with topics of interest to everyone in agriculture. The Winter Fair Stop and Shop will take place. Quilts, Photography, Spinning and Knitting will be exhibited with hands-on experience offered in some areas. Drag Races are planned. Fiddler\’s will compete, and the ever-popular Death by Chocolate, Cinnamon Roll Bake Off, Chili Cook Off and Dutch Oven Cooking will tempt your palate.
Start Date: 2009-01-22
End Date: 2009-01-25

Title: Florida Keys Seafood Festival
Location: Key West, Florida
Link out: Click here
Description: Come join the fun and eat some of the freshest seafood in town.

Caught, Cooked and Served by your local fishermen.
Start Time: 11:00
Date: 2009-01-17
End Time: 21:00

Title: 18th Annual Holtville Athletic Club’s Rib Cook-off Extravaganza
Location: Holtville, California
Link out: Click here
Description: Holtville, California - 18th Annual Holtville Athletic Club’s Rib Cook-off Extravaganza January 24th, 2008 - Samaha Park, Holtville, CA 10:00am - until all the ribs are gone.

The Holtville Rib Cook-off is open to teams that have been invited. If your team would like to be considered for invitation please contact the club. All of the 2008 teams have earned an automatic invitation to the 2009 event.
Start Time: 10:00
Date: 2009-01-24

Title: Oregon Seafood and Wine Festival
Location: Portland, Oregon
Link out: Click here
Description: This winter event held January 23 & 24, 2009 is a celebration of all things Oregon, but most specifically our wonderful Oregon seafood and wines.

Scheduled in the quiet of winter, and smack dab in the middle of the Dungeness Crab season, it promises to be a popular event in Portland, the gateway to the Oregon coast and the Oregon wine country. The event will be a very upscale yet festive event at the Oregon Convention Center, promising a climate-controlled facility with lots of on-site and surrounding parking. Over 98,000 square feet of exhibit space will allow for lots of room to wander the event while stopping to sit and enjoy the good food, drink and live music throughout the event.
Start Date: 2009-01-23
End Date: 2009-01-24