Today, shortly after the September spinach scare, we visited Homestead Farms in Millington, which supplies wholesalers, farmers markets and CSA (community supported agriculture) programs across several Eastern Shore counties. Beautiful five-lettuce mixtures, arugula, pak choy, savoy, something called "vitamin greens", and more were cropping up under the big tent. Alison and Luke Howard, the owners, chatted with us about food safety, which is on everyone's minds these days.

We asked if the consumers at the market shied away from the greens. No, said Alison, yesterday people were so excited to see lettuce greens after a hot summer that they sold quickly. What's more, the source for the outbreak now points to tainted water in California, about as far away as you can get. A longer article about organic farming is coming. Stay tuned.

Next Thursday, September 28, a dream date for beer lovers! The fabulous Kennedyville Inn teams up with the most excellent Dogfish Head Brewery for a “Beer Dinner.” On the menu, a robust fall feast made to complement the brewery's flavorful offerings:

• Hors d’oeuvres: Andouille Corn Pups, Mini Pork BBQ Crepes. Served with 60-Minute and 90-Minute IPA
• 1st Course: Indian Shrimp Curry with Fennel-seed Naan. Served with Midas Touch Golden Elixir.
• 2nd Course: Smoked Turkey Pot Pie. Served with Punkin’ Ale.
• 3rd Course: Venison Osso Buco and Braised Escarole. Served with Indian Brown Ale.
• Dessert: Fig & Date Streudel. Served with Raison d’Etre.

Sounds unbelievable! And like we should start not eating now.
Show up between 6 and 6:30 for hors d'oeuvres. Dinner will start at 6:45 or so. Cost of dinner is $45 per person.

Please call Jason or Glenn at 410-348-2400 to make a reservation and hurry, they're booking fast!

A few nights ago, we had goat. Yes, we did. It was really, really, really, really good. A shoulder roast, scored from the Philadelphia Italian market, jerked for three days in the fridge, then braised on the stove in a large cast iron pot for most of another day. Now granted, most meat items treated this way would be remarkable, but goat might have the flavor to especially stand up to this treatment.

In fact, an acquaintance who just happened to show up on "reprise" night commented on it. He'd lived in Cuba for a while and had his share of goat. He sampled it and said, "That's good goat." So there you go. Try goat.

An article in the NY Times about the Inn at Easton. An article in the Washington Post the same week about Scossa in Easton. Was it just a coincidence? Or has food in our corner of the world slowly, inexorably, finally percolated into the consciousness of metropolitan foodies? I'm thrilled! My suspicion is that the articles were happily timed to hit around the Labor Day final-trip-to-the-water week. But that's okay. Washingtonians, in particular, know that the Eastern Shore makes a great day trip all through the fall. And a positive review in a major paper works for us all. Thanks to these two restaurants for earning national attention.

Stumbled on something a lot of you may know about...an amazing pound of crabmeat available at the Smith Island Connection table at the Easton Farmer's market. Here's the difference: it's absolutely local crab, and it's hand-picked by Smith Islanders. The whole crab goes in there, not just lump or claw, so you get the big pieces and the tasty pieces. $22 a lb and ethereal. Plus, you're doing a good turn. Get more info at http://crabs.maryland.com