smithcanteen

Hayseed’s Big City Farm Supply

smithcanteen — Fri, 25 May 2012 15:56:23 +0000

A sunny day off a few weeks ago led me to Hayseeds Big City Farm Supply, the new (and sadly temporary) pop-up urban gardening store in Greenpoint. The store is a partnership between the lovely folks at Brooklyn Grange, Domestic Construction and the incredibly knowledgeable Meg Paska of Brooklyn Homesteader. The space is beautifully arranged and full the to brim with an assortment of gardening-related items that would please even those without the greenest of thumbs. I picked up some field peas and a neat little biodegradable pot to plant them in, and they have been growing like crazy. Make sure to check out Hayseed’s before it closes for the season, and let’s all hope this pop-up becomes a spring and summer Brooklyn staple.

–Anais

Secret Talent

smithcanteen — Fri, 18 May 2012 22:39:19 +0000

How Stephanie has time to pursue her creative endeavors while managing Smith Canteen is a mystery to all of us. Her photographs, however, aren’t harmed by her busy work schedule one bit. Her blog (http://stephanielazensky.blogspot.com/) catalogs a portion of her work that captures the quiet moments of daily existence while tracing her development as an artist from college in Savannah, Georgia, to life here in New York City. The photographs have an intangible and slightly surreal quality about them, making me feel as if I were witnessing a scene not meant for my eyes, but one from which I simply cannot look away.

– Anais

BK Farmyards Flowers

smithcanteen — Fri, 11 May 2012 18:58:32 +0000

Last week, we received our first delivery of flowers from BK Farmyards, and we already can’t wait for the next batch. Pictured above are, from left to right, cilantro flowers, sage flowers, and bachelor’s buttons. The flowers come from the Youth Farm, where a 1 acre lawn has been transformed into an educational farm, thanks to a thriving partnership between the High School for Public Service in Crown Heights, the Green Guerillas and the staff of BK Farmyards. We at the Canteen are really excited by the prospect of having beautiful, locally grown flowers in our space for the upcoming months, and are very happy about our partnership with this awesome program. You can learn more about BK Farmyards and the work they do by checking out their blog.

Counter Culture Cupping

smithcanteen — Fri, 04 May 2012 17:20:52 +0000

Maybe you remember our brief affair with the coffee of Finca Mauritania this last fall. Brief because Counter Culture sold the lot quickly and here at the Canteen, we only had the chance to love and appreciate this bean for the short season of a month. Katie Carguilo, our Counter Culture rep and friend, was invited to visit Aida Battle on her El Salvador farm a few weeks ago. She saw some of the last harvesting as well as different processes of coffee fermentation that Aida experiments with. Check out her album of photos and annotations here. What she brought back with her was an amazing flight of 10 varied samplings of the same bean, each with different fermentation times and styles.

Upon her arrival home, Katie brewed her handful of each variety so that I, along with a smattering of lucky cuppers, had the rare opportunity to taste these samples side by side. Washed, semi-washed, natural, as well as 48 hour and 36 hour fermentations, Ethiopian and Kenyan processes, and of course, the beautiful version that is Aida’s personal preference. That version is fallen for again and again each season (this was my first season of having the pleasure), and we will see again this summer.

It was incredible. And though this was a truly extraordinary cupping, the folks at Counter Culture provide exceptional free cuppings every Friday at noon. Located in the Flatiron District, it’s an easy go-to. And when you’ve finished exploring your coffee palate, you can hop over to Madison Square Park for your Shake Shack fix!

Thanks again Katie! Congratulations on your first place win at the US Barista Championship.

–Stephanie

Foraging? Maybe Not.

smithcanteen — Sun, 15 Apr 2012 14:32:54 +0000

Dandelions outside Smith Canteen. We promise not to forage these and put in your salad!

Will we see this in Carroll Gardens?

smithcanteen — Wed, 11 Apr 2012 12:58:02 +0000

Um, probably not. It’s the Jimmy Choo “Rika croc-effect leather coffee cup sleeve,” available on Net-A-Porter for $165. Can’t wait to ask our baristas what they think of this. At least it’s “croc-effect.” Real croc would just be TOO much.

From the “some things” Tumblr

smithcanteen — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 02:02:30 +0000

The tile floor at Smith Canteen, looking good! This is from good things, one of our favorite Tumblr accounts. The floor is so beautiful, it’s more than 100 years old, and boy is it hard to keep clean!

Thanks to good things for the lovely photo.

Introducing…our carrot muffin!

smithcanteen — Sun, 01 Apr 2012 08:00:51 +0000

Our fab Smith Canteen bakers have come up with a great morning treat. It’s a carrot muffin made with good stuff–buttermilk, oats, whole wheat flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, brown sugar and, of course, shredded carrots. Grab one to go with your cappuccino or chicory latte!

A Lovely New Blog to Follow

smithcanteen — Sun, 25 Mar 2012 16:21:52 +0000

The Smith Canteen team came across this beautiful blog recently called Simply Breakfast. The woman behind it, Jennifer Causey, is quickly becoming one of our favorite local photographers. In addition to the breakfast blog, she is photographing talented folks around the borough for something she’s calling The Makers Project. Pour a big cup of coffee and take your time exploring the blog and the Makers portfolios.

That’s our farm egg and tomato jam sandwich above, courtesy of Jennifer. Who knew breakfast could be so beautiful!

A Little Brooklyn Bonjour!

smithcanteen — Sat, 17 Mar 2012 03:15:14 +0000

Our friend Nicolas is opening his coffee shop, Telescope Cafe, this Sunday in Paris. He’s a great guy and he loves coffee as much as we do. The address is 5 rue villado in the 1st. If you’re going to be in Paris any time soon, stop by and say hello.