Carla Bueno-Sanders

Carla

Recipe: Three Bean Salad with Charred Scallions & Smoked Tomato Vinaigrette

March 18, 2020 Food, Plant Based, Recipes, Vegetables

If you’re like anyone these days, your pantry is full o’ beans (and pasta, and rice, and…). Now that you’ve got the beans, what are you going to do with them?

We’ve got at least one tasty solution—this three-bean recipe by our Head Chef Andrew Werblin! With a flavorful smoked tomato vinaigrette and charred scallions for a little kick, you won’t make this one just once.

Ingredients

Bean Salad

1 can Pinto Bean, rinsed and drained

1 can Black Bean, rinsed drained

1 can White Beans, rinsed and drained

Or substitute above beans with 1/3 lb your choice of 3 beans, simmered until tender

1/4 cup Caper

1/2 cup Scallion, charred, sliced

1/2 cup Cucumber, seeded and diced

1/2 cup Smoked Tomato Vinaigrette (recipe follows)

1 tsp Salt

1/2 tsp Pepper

Smoked Tomato Vinaigrette

1 ea Tomato, diced small

1/2 cup Olive Oil

1 clove Garlic, minced

1 ea Shallot, minced

1 tsp Liquid Smoke

1/4 cup Balsamic Vinegar

1/4 cup White Wine Vinegar

1 tbsp Dijon Mustard

1 tbsp Honey

1 tsp Worcestershire

1 tsp Smoked Paprika

2 sprigs Parsley, rough chopped

1 tsp Salt

1/2 tsp Pepper

Let’s Get Cooking!

Toss scallions with 1 tbsp olive oil. Heat a saute pan over high heat and saute until browned. Place all ingredients in a bowl together. Whisk to mix and slowly whisk in olive oil. Enjoy!

Ten Ways We’re Serving Our Community

March 17, 2020 Health & Safety

The COVID-19 situation is uncharted territory for all of us. The Greene Grape family is working tirelessly to keep our customers safe and well supplied. We have seen an increase of in-store shopping and online orders and are putting measures in place to maintain the safety of our customers, community, and staff:

Provisions and Wine & Spirits are open and serving customers with normal operating hours. That’s 8am to 9pm for Provisions, and 12pm to 9pm Sunday through Wednesday, 12pm to 10pm Thursday and Friday, and 11am to 10pm on Saturdays for Wine & Spirits. We will make public updates if anything changes.
We understand that to protect the most vulnerable among us, people over 60 and those who are immunocompromised are encouraged to stay home. Most of our products are available online for same-day/next day gloved home delivery in Fort Greene and Clinton Hill and by van delivery in other areas. We can arrange to drop your order off at your door rather than entering your home.
Deliveries may be delayed, but we will make every effort to get your order to you as quickly as possible. Please be patient with and kind to our delivery team. They may request that you meet them in your lobby if you live in an apartment building.
To facilitate social distancing, consider ordering a case of wine, taking advantage of our case discount and free delivery, rather than standing in line at the store. Wine tastings are suspended until further notice.
Our online fulfillment team is wearing gloves every step of the way, from picking and packing orders to delivering your order to your door. We are wiping down all baskets and carts between uses.
We take pride in following sanitary guidelines and safety procedures as set by the Department of Health and the Department of Agriculture. Our kitchen team is dedicated to safely preparing your favorite meals.
You will soon be given an option to order online and stop by for curbside pick-up. If you think you may have been exposed or just don’t want to wait in line, please place an order online and we will bring it out to you.
We are now asking customers to please keep a distance of six feet apart inside our stores, and have placed markers on the floor to help everyone achieve this.
For the safety and health of the community, as well as our staff, Annex is completely closed until further notice. We believe we have made the most responsible choice, especially in light of recent edicts.
Long before New York City mandated sick leave for hourly workers, we provided paid time off for our employees, and we are relaxing our rules so that employees with even a question about their health will stay home.

We hope everyone will stay safe and healthy in the coming weeks. Please email us at [email protected] to let us know how we can help you get your essentials.
As a vital resource to the community, we understand how crucial it is that we do everything we can to serve you.

Here For Our Community

March 16, 2020 Health & Safety

We’re remaining open, with normal operating hours, at both Provisions and Wine & Spirits. As a vital resource to the community, we understand how crucial it is that we do everything we can to serve you. We’re keeping our shelves stocked with all the essentials, as well as all your favorite goodies to keep you from going stir-crazy at home. Our blog has plenty of useful and delicious recipes to make the most of your stock-up goods.

We take pride in following sanitary guidelines and safety procedures as set by the Department of Health and the Department of Agriculture, and have increased our focus on prevention during the COVID-19 outbreak. All our employees wear frequently-changed gloves, with regular hand washing breaks and sanitizing of work stations.

Long before New York City mandated sick leave for hourly workers, we provided paid time off for our employees, and we are relaxing our rules so that employees with even a question about their health will stay home.

We understand that to protect the most vulnerable among us, people over 60 are encouraged to stay at home. All of our products are available online for same-day gloved home delivery in Fort Greene and Clinton Hill and by van delivery in other areas.

A Special Message From Our Founder

March 13, 2020 Health & Safety

Dear Greene Grape Customers,

As your local grocery store, we realize that we are an important resource. To prevent scarcity we have placed and received additional orders from our suppliers, so our shelves are filled with all your favorites.

We take pride in following sanitary guidelines and safety procedures as set by the Department of Health and the Department of Agriculture, and have increased our focus on prevention during the COVID-19 outbreak.

Long before New York City mandated sick leave for hourly workers, we provided paid time off for our employees, and we are relaxing our rules so that employees with even a question about their health will stay home.

We understand that to protect the most vulnerable among us, people over 60 are encouraged to stay at home. All of our products are available online for same-day gloved home delivery in Fort Greene and Clinton Hill and by van delivery in other areas.

At times like these we depend on the diligence and support of our neighbors, and at times like these there is no place we’d rather be than here in Fort Greene, Brooklyn.

Thank you as always for being a part of the Greene Grape community.

Sincerely,
Amy Bennett & The Greene Grape Team

Produce Pick: A Different Side of Rhubarb

March 12, 2020 Farmtotable, Plant Based, Vegetables

(Photo: E.G. Richter Farm INC.)

Most folks think of rhubarb as a warm weather phenomenon, and they’re not exactly wrong. Rhubarb as it grows in the wild is a spring crop, so why do we have it in Provisions—a store that prides itself on seasonality—weeks before spring even officially begins?

As it turns out, hothouse rhubarb is a delicacy we’re lucky to get. EG Richter Family Farm in Puyallup, WA, just outside of Seattle, commits to the backbreaking work it takes to make it happen. The plants spend two summers outdoors storing energy, after which Richter’s farmers dig up root systems that can weigh a hundred pounds. Once it’s re-planted in dark, 55°F hothouses, things get going in a hurry. Tricked into spring growth, the rhubarb grows so fast that farmers swear they can hear it popping, and the darkness means the rhubarbs retain a prized crimson color, with yellow leaves. They’re even more tender than traditional field rhubarb!

Whether you’re itching to make early rhubarb pie, or just want to try Tim Richter’s favorite sour snack of rhubarb stalks with sugar, you’re going to want to hurry in and grab some of this remarkable rhubarb before it’s gone!

Need it delivered, as a precaution or otherwise? We offer same-day gloved home delivery in Fort Greene and Clinton Hill and by van delivery elsewhere. If an item is unavailable online, call us at (718) 233-2700 and we’ll make it happen for you.

St. Patrick’s Day Eats

March 12, 2020 Beer, Butcher, Cheese

From its beginnings as a quietly observed religious dinner to the international phenomenon it is today, St. Patrick’s Day is one of our favorite excuses to celebrate with food and drink. Corned beef and cabbage, Irish cheeses, and just about anything made from potatoes seems to pair perfectly with whiskey and beer. This year, we’re adding to the lineup with our own tasty twist on traditional Irish flavors.

Our butchers have whipped up a batch of Irish-inspired sausage just begging to be the star of your St. Patrick’s Day feast. Made with house made corned beef and extra-stout Guinness, the beef’s savory richness makes a perfect combination with the deep, bittersweet flavors of Ireland’s favorite beer. Try plating these up with mashed potatoes and charred cabbage for an easy Irish celebration. Grab them in-store before they’re gone!

If you’re looking for something with more direct ties to the motherland, look no further than our cheese counter! Neal’s Dairy Yard specializes in English and Irish cheeses, and we carry some of their Irish cheeses. Coolea is a semi-firm, Gouda-like cheese with lots of sweet notes like honey and caramel, making it rich enough to savor but light enough for seconds and thirds. By contrast, Durrus is a soft washed rind cheese, with a buttery paste and vegetal rind. Together, these pasteurized cow’s milk cheeses from County Cork can round out any cheese board.

Lunchbox Hero: Easy Kid-Friendly Meals

March 12, 2020 Desserts, Food, Grocery, Ice Cream

If there’s a chance you’re stuck at home with kids this week, you may be running low on easy meals and snacks to get through the next few days. We’ve got your survival guide right here!

Transform boredom snacking into healthy snacking with these Greene Grape picks. Matt’s Munchies and Effie’s Homemade Oat Cakes are better-for-you snacks that’ll satisfy the whole family. These whole grain peanut butter pretzels from Good Health will keep midday munchies on the healthier side, too.

A favorite of Greene Grape owner Amy Bennett, our macaroni & cheese is made fresh in our kitchens with four cheeses, making it flavorful and rich. Pair it with our turkey meatballs or fried chicken for a big thumbs up at the dinner table! (Getting them to eat vegetables is on you, though.)

For something hands-on to get everyone involved—and make dinner even easier—go old school and make homemade French bread pizza. All it takes is a baguette, your favorite tomato sauce, our house made mozzarella, and sliced molinari pepperoni (or steamed broccoli), combined into bubbling goodness. If time is so scarce you might owe Father Time a few minutes, pop some frozen Roberta’s pizza into the oven instead.

No one wants to get sent to bed without dessert! Treat the kids—and yourself—with a bite-size take on ice cream with Bubbie’s Mochi, in four yummy flavors. For the family members less inclined toward dairy, Goodpop’s organic freezer pops will indulge any sweet tooth with all-natural fruit flavors.

The Women Who Make Us Grape: Laura Rose

February 28, 2020 Farmtotable, Featured Farmer, Local, Plant Based, Spotlight, Vegetables

Throughout Women’s History Month, we’re featuring some of the women who make the Greene Grape the amazing place it is. The Greene Grape family of businesses is woman-powered, both historically and currently, and we’d be remiss if we didn’t shine a well-deserved spotlight on at least a few of these grape women.

This week, we’re chatting with our Produce Buyer, Laura Rose Dailey. Laura Rose and her department make sure anyone’s first impression of Provisions is a beautiful one as they step through our front door! With her agricultural background and passion for growing green things, she’s a perfect fit for the job, and we couldn’t do it without her.

What got you into the world of agriculture and produce?

I took a course on coffee ecologies and livelihoods in college and had the opportunity to travel to El Salvador to spend some time with the coffee farmers there. That experience rocked my world, and truly opened my eyes to the injustices of our food system. A few years later I decided I wanted to learn how to grow food, and took a farming apprenticeship at Amber Waves, a mixed vegetable production farm on the East End of Long Island. It was on that land where I fell in love with farming and spent the next four years (plus two winters on the other side of the equator!) growing vegetables.

What’s been part of your experience as a woman working in agriculture?

At Amber Waves, it often felt like we were in a bubble all our own, being owned and staffed by women. On the other hand, the people delivering our farm equipment, seeds, and other necessary items were usually men, and some of them broke that bubble with their questions. “Who’s really in charge here? Are you really farmers?” It was a reminder that a farm run by women is considered an anomaly, but we were never discouraged. Owners Amanda Merrow and Katie Baldwin showed me how far women could go in agriculture—I really look up to them.

What’s your favorite produce?

I can’t pick just one! I have three. Radishes: The feeling and sight of pulling a bright red, snackable root out of the ground is so satisfying and beautiful. Also, they’re a fast growing crop (~40 days seed to harvest) AKA almost instant gratification. Baby greens: Another fast growing crop, and there’s nothing like a salad made with crispy flavorful right outta the ground greens! And finally, eggplant: As a farmer on Long Island, growing eggplant is a lot of work because of the Colorado Potato Beetle. This pest feeds on the young tender leaves, and if left alone will completely destroy the plant and therefore the crop. For farmers, this meant that every other day, we’d have to check each plant on every leaf for signs of infestation. If we managed to beat the bugs and have a successful eggplant crop, we were eating eggplant parm for weeks. 🙂

She Can Do It: Food by Women

February 28, 2020 Food, Fort Greene, Grocery, Local

It’s no secret that Greene Grape Provisions is a woman-forward company. We’re woman-owned, and we employ women every level throughout the store from General Manager to cashier. This week, as we enter Women’s History Month and approach International Women’s Day, we’d like to celebrate not only the women inside our company, but also the woman-made products we carry.

Annie’s Ginger Elixir has been on our shelves for just a few years now, but we feel like we can’t remember a time without them! This spicy drink is a go-to whenever sniffles and aches arise, but it’s not just for special occasions, either. The perfect blend of ginger, honey, lemon, hibiscus and berries, its sweet kick is refreshing in any season. Annie herself is a Fort Greene resident, and a Greene Grape customer herself!

No yogurt has ever been as rich and decadent as White Moustache, in our humble opinion. Homa Dashtaki brings old world Persian flavors and techniques to our modern world, packaged up in iconic glass jars in Red Hook. (We’ve even reused those jars for our house made candles in the past!) Using milk from a Hudson Valley co-op of family farms, these yogurts—and labneh, and whey—are an everyday delicacy we reach for again and again.

MOMO dressing is a staple of the produce department, despite being in a bottle. That’s because it’s as fresh as the fruits and veggies that surround it! Made by Masaki and Yukimi Momose, MOMO is made with fresh local produce whenever possible, by a small team that still sells weekly at Brooklyn farmers markets. You may even recognize Yukimi from her tastings at our store!

The early bird might get the worm, but Early Bird Granola gets one better, and that’s being a Greene Grape favorite year after year. Nekisia Davis keeps her Brooklyn roots by operating out of a Red Hook kitchen, but her ambitions aren’t limited to just one borough. She took her small-batch granola from being a side hustle for her day job managing a famous Brooklyn pizzeria to being an international sensation. Her flavors speak for themselves—simple but well-developed, with only a handful of ingredients.

SD Sauce brings the heat and flavor, earning its reputation as one of the best hot sauces in our store. Sutta Saraphum grew up in Thailand, learning to cook both at her mother’s side and in some of Thailand’s most popular restaurants. When she came to the US, however, she couldn’t find her favorite Nam Jim dipping sauce. Frustrated by “ethnic aisle” sauces full of vinegar and preservatives, Sutta began making her own from scratch with straightforward, fresh ingredients. This made for such bold flavors that in 2015 Sutta began bottling her “spicy delicious” (SD!) sauce, and it’s been a hit ever since.

We’ve only just scratched the surface of the woman-made products Provisions carries, but we hope you love them as much as we do!

The Women Who Make Us Grape: Amy Bennett

March 5, 2020 Local, Spotlight

(Photo: The Brooklyn Hospital Center)

Throughout Women’s History Month, we’re featuring some of the women who make the Greene Grape the amazing place it is. The Greene Grape family of businesses is woman-powered, both historically and currently, and we’d be remiss if we didn’t shine a well-deserved spotlight on at least a few of these grape women.

This week, we’re chatting with Greene Grape founder and owner Amy Bennett, lawyer turned entrepreneur. Amy is our fearless leader here at Greene Grape Wine & Spirits, Provisions, and Annex. Her business acumen paired with her high standards make her a powerful force in the food world.

What inspired you to open Provisions?

I was inspired to open Greene Grape Provisions when I was a young mom learning to cook. I wanted to learn how to sear scallops. I bought some at the local grocery and tried again and again but could never get a nice brown sear on them, which I chalked up to my poor cooking skills. Turns out that because they are sold by weight, some stores soak them to absorb water. Meaning you can’t really get a sear on them. That’s when I realized that access to quality ingredients is key. Try roasting one of our air-chilled chickens instead of a water-chilled one—you’ll see the difference pretty quick.

What’s been your experience as a woman in the food industry?

When I first started out, I asked my refrigeration case salesperson for a female grocery mentor. He’d been in the business over 40 years and at the time, he couldn’t think of a single female-run store. It’s been an adventure, from meat salespeople who shorted me and hoped I wouldn’t notice, to outside vendors trying (and failing) to undermine my female managers, with competitors underestimating me all the while.

On the plus side, people who are willing to work with or for a female owner without bias or baloney tend to be quality people. I’ve been fortunate enough to have an amazing landlord who saw my business grow up on the block and believed in me from the beginning. But I’m most grateful for the amazing employees past and present who have kept The Grape in business for 15 years (In retail! In NYC!) and who are living the values we promote: Being kind, considerate, helpful and empathetic to our customers, vendors and each other.

What is your favorite product on our shelves?

This is like picking a favorite child, which I refuse to do! They’re all amazing in different ways. As a working mother, I could not do without our grab-n-go kale caesar and beet salad for me and our house made mac and cheese for the kids. Recently for a special occasion, I had our dry-aged bone-in grass-fed ribeye steaks cooked to perfection and they were mind-blowingly delicious.. My go-tos in produce are Gotham Greens lettuces and Square Root basil, which I combine with our house made mozzarella, chopped fresh tomato and our house made sweet italian sausage over pasta for an easy school night dinner.

Who is your Women’s History Month shero?

It’s hard to choose just one, but definitely on the list: Sonia Sotomayor. That might come across as political, but I feel such a kinship with her. She came from nothing, got over feeling less-than, and now presides over the highest court in the land. She also advocated for others along the way and was not afraid to stand up to the status quo. I had the honor of interviewing with her when she was a SDNY judge and her energy is infectious.

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Ingredients

Bean Salad

Smoked Tomato Vinaigrette

Let’s Get Cooking!

(Photo: E.G. Richter Farm INC.)

What got you into the world of agriculture and produce?

What’s been part of your experience as a woman working in agriculture?

What’s your favorite produce?

(Photo: The Brooklyn Hospital Center)

What inspired you to open Provisions?

What’s been your experience as a woman in the food industry?

What is your favorite product on our shelves?

Who is your Women’s History Month shero?

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