In New York City, pavement usually prevails.  So we were pretty surprised when we came across The Queens County Farm, a working organic farm in—you guessed it—Queens!  As we were wrapping up our shoot about pasture-raised chickens (coming soon!), our tour-guide and farmer extraordinaire Kennon Kay showed us a pretty obscure crop in season right now: Ground Cherries.  These tomatillo-esque fruits are essentially small orange berries encased in a paper-thin, lantern-shaped husk.  With the flavor profile of a cherry mixed with a tomato, these berries work great in both savory and sweet dishes. Check out our video below, and the next time you head to the market, don’t be afraid to grab some ground cherries!    

With July 4th just one day away, it’s time to start thinking about drinking.  So we here at Hungry in Brooklyn decided pair the season’s freshest ingredients with what else? Liquor! Check out our step-by-step lesson for three refreshing summer cocktails: The Classic Cuban Mojito, Shea’s Bluberry Gin Sparkler, and Spiked Strawberry Lemonade. They’re so delicious, they’re almost as dangerous as those fireworks your neighbor bought across state borders!  And the best part is, each of these drinks can be batched for parties, so watch the clip and check out the recipes below. 

CLASSIC CUBAN MOJITO

Ingredients

• 2 sprigs of mint (leaves removed from stem)
• ½ oz. simple syrup
• Juice of 1 lime (about 1 oz)
• 1 ½-2 oz. Rum
• 6 oz. Soda water
• 2 dashes bitters

Steps

First, add mint, syrup and lime juice to a glass, then muddle.  Then, add rum, soda water and bitters.  Finally, add ice cubes and stir. Garnish with a lime wedge. 

Ingredients for a batch of 6 Drinks: 

• 12 sprigs of mint (leaves removed from stem)
• 3 oz. simple syrup
• Juice of 6 limes (about 6 ounces)
• 1 ¼ cup rum
• 4 ½ cups Soda water
• 12 dashes bitters

Read more for Shea’s Blueberry Gin Sparkler and Spiked Strawberry Lemonade…

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