Please enjoy this account from Taconic Trading owners Les Baum and Emily Rubin!
Emily says,
“One day about ten years ago I was out on the boardwalk at Rockaway Beach, Queens and went to the famous Taco Stand for lunch. They offered a side of roasted and spiced pepitas served in a paper bag, and after one bite I was hooked. I started making the pumpkin seeds with a Cajun style spice mix and put them out in a bowl on the table when friends came over. The bowls were emptied in minutes. The response was, ‘These are outrageously delicious!’ ”
At the same time Les started making his smoked sea salt, here’s his story:
“When we first bought our house 23+ years ago I started experimenting and developing my nascent grilling/smoking abilities. It naturally led me to try smoking (among many items) salt. We would give the salt to friends at holiday time or when visiting. The response was wonderful and I continued to experiment until arriving at the product we sell now.”
“We approached the folks running the CHFM about starting to sell the pumpkin seeds and salt. We were invited to set up a table at the once-a-month artisanal days. We had such a great time talking to and getting to know other vendors and our customers. The CHFM is all about the joy of fresh food and community. That was seven years ago. For a couple of years we swapped off weeks with our friends Maria and Paul of Asia Luna. By the fourth season our products were selling well, we had ramped up production, and realized we could sustain being at the market every week. For the last four years we have signed on for the season.”
The pair had different responses to the question about what makes their products unique.
Les: “Hmm… good question. We visit other markets often (a fondness for farmers markets) and have not seen any products that are even similar in nature to what we do. But added to that the products themselves have a personality and uses beyond what we originally thought possible. There are many ways to use our smoked salt. At our table and on our website we keep a list of ways both savory and sweet to use the salt—think scrambled eggs to chocolate ice cream, or as our friends from Nikki and Dom of Grimaldi Farms do, sprinkle the salt on a steak and leave it in the fridge, in five days you’ll have a perfectly dry-aged steak ready for the grill. ”
Emily: “I do very small batches, 4 pounds of seeds at a time. I roast the pumpkin seeds stovetop, so I am always watching them, stirring constantly for a half hour or so, adding the spices. I use a wok because the heat is distributed evenly and allows for the rigorous stirring needed to roast the seeds to the right consistency and evenly distribute the spices. I use no oils or butter in the process, so they have a long shelf life (several months or more). While I roast the seeds I listen to podcasts, music, or a book on tape.”
Les says, “I am pretty sure we have been at the Copake Hillsdale Farmers Market for 7 years or so. We make and package everything at home in West Copake.
We do retail in a few local places. Philmont Co-op, Random Harvest, Churchtown Dairy to name a few.”
Neighbors Anne of Earthborn Garden; Vanessa of Pym Farm; and Emily of Taconic Trading
“We love the community of the market, getting to know the vendors and our customers is a great part of our social life here in beautiful Columbia County. “
