several animal trails converging in the snow.

Polish Kielbasa & Homemade Potato Pierogi: #handmade perogi filled with mashed potato, pepper, #homemade basil salt, homegrown chive flower, and cheese; served on top #sauerkraut simmered in @dogfishbeer ‘s Piercing Pils with diced pear added and sliced polska kolbasa. Since this Czech Style Pilsner is brewed with pear juice and white pear tea, it made for a great beer pairing with this meal. The sweetness from the pear and the sourness from the sauerkraut both played up this pilsner ‘s strengths.

Bresaola Style Cured Beef Tenderloin carpaccio: beef tenderloin from Stoltzfus Meats home cured with black pepper, juniper berries, cocoa nibs, espresso roast coffee, and salt; served with fresh baby arugula and blackberries. This dish was paired with a Leffe Brun. The light malt flavor of the beer matched the roast from the coffee and played well with the cocoa, while still being light enough to let the other spices shine through.

busy as a … well, you know … getting prepared for next month’s beekeeping class!

chopped #duck and chicken liver #crostini: inspired by the @fattedcalf ‘s #inthecharcuterie recipe for #chicken liver crostini: toasted slices of a fresh #homebaked French-style baguette baked in an heirloom #benningtonpotters red clay #banneton topped with duck and chicken #livers flavored with marsala wine, #homegrown shallots, pancetta, capers, and #gardengrown herbs and spices (oregano and thyme). Accompanied with @thebruery ‘s unfiltered, bottle conditioned #saisonrue. This Belgian/French-style #farmhouseale made for an ideal #beerpairing; the ale was light enough to be a good intensity match, the malty earthiness complimented the meat, and the carbonation scrubbed the palate for the next bite.

#homemade #bluecheese and #bacon burger with “fries”: a ground veal and ground beef burger on giant sized #homebaked sesame seed multigrain #hamburger buns, topped with: sautéed sweet onions, assorted greens, sautéed mushrooms, @castellocheese ‘s #castellobluecheese, and bacon slices, all smothered in a sauce made from tomato ketchup, mayo, and @latourangelle ‘s black truffle oil; served with a side salad and baked russet potato batons flavored with #homegrown basil and parsley. For this #beerpairing, the meal was matched up with #TheAlchemistBrewery ‘s #headytopper #ipa.

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#homemadepizza: #homemade whole grain fermented dough base with: (back) an artichoke white pizza topping with parmesan and asiago cheese, herbs, cherry tomatoes, and green onions; (front) a pizza margarita crudo with fresh cherry tomatoes, homegrown dried basil, whole milk mozzarella, and pepperoni. As for the #beerpairing, I choose a freshly canned #jaialai #ipa from @cigarcitybrewing because #pizza and #craftbeer go hand in hand.

Homemade split pea and ham soup: pressure cooked split pea and ham soup made with bone-in-ham with a side of rustic, home baked, wholegrain, organic bread. Destruise and @atgbrewery ‘s all funked up wild series Scorched monk (a sour mash, smoked, brown ale aged in French oak) made for a great beer pairing with the split pea soup. The sour beer tartness contrasted the sweetness of the peas while cutting through any fattiness from the pork, allowing the smoked flavor to compliment the ham.

Pulled Pork Sandwich: slowly cooked wood smoked whole picnic pork shoulder, smothered in home canned bbq sauce made from homegrown heirloom tomatoes (mason jar in top left), and homemade coleslaw, topped with home baked beer bread baked in a Dutch oven (visible in the top left of the photo), with a side of home pickled bread and butter pickles (jar in bottom right). For the beer pairing, this meal was paired with a leffe brun, it had just enough dark roast flavor to match up well with the dry-rub and meld with the smoky flavor in the meat.

Field birds were hopping up to knock the seeds off the rye grass stalks with their bodies and then picking the quite visible seeds off the clean, unbroken surface of the freshly fallen snow . This bird ended up making a snow angel imprint on landing.