We’ve got everything you need to BBQ on the 4th, including barbeque sauces from Texas to Kansas City.

The newest addition to our gourmet sauce line up came from a trip Sabrina took to Kansas City where she had ribs with Rufus Teague sauce on them. When she got back, she immediately ordered some Honey Sweet and Touch of Heat sauces and Spicy Meat Rub direct.

We’re proud to be the only store in NYC to carry these Kansas City BBQ essentials. Use the dry rub (not too much, Sabrina says its got a lot of salt) to spice your barbeque, slow roast it over a hickory fire, slather with sauce and you’re ready for the 4th.

Working at The Greene Grape means access to health insurance, the possibility of paid time off even for part-timers, a generous employee discount and a fun, friendly work environment around people who love food and wine. When we have them, we post job openings here. Currently we are looking for people to fill two positions:

Part-time Fish Counter Help (Provisions)
Coffee Bar/Cash Manager (Provisions)

You know the economy is bad when an article called “The Joy of Jug Wines” appears in the Wall Street Journal. But their point – that these are “big, happy” wines perfect for the informal ease of 4th of July gatherings – is well-taken. So here’s a run-down of our large-format wines. Since the fireworks are visible from JERSEY and not BROOKLYN this year, we’ve made portable partying easier by noting which bottles don’t require a corkscrew.

Brooklyn

White
Salvalai Pinot Grigio 2008 1.5L Aromas of fruit and flowers in this dry pinot grigio from the Veneto in Italy.
Berger Gruner Veltliner 2008 1L** Stone fruits, herbs and refreshing acidity in this gruner veltliner from Austria.

Red
Arboreto Montepulciano 1.5L 2008 Berry fruits, cinnamon and cloves mark this classic italian red from Abruzzo.
Artner Zweigelt Cuvee NV 1L** Zweigelt grapes from Austria make a food-friendly red with dark ripe cherry notes and spicy flavor yet plenty of fruit.
Yellow + Blue Malbec 2008 1L** Juicy, medium-bodied, organic malbec from Argentina. Think berries, plum and leather.

Manhattan

White
Salvalai Pinot Grigio 2008 1.5L
Berger Gruner Veltliner 2008 1L**

Red
Arboreto Montepulciano 2008 1.5L
Artner Zweigelt Cuvee Trocken NV 1L**
Yellow + Blue Malbec 2008 1L**
Mesta Tempranillo 2008 1.5L Classic Spanish grape makes a hearty, earthy red.

** no corkscrew required (the Berger is a soda bottle top, the others just twist off)

No, not the overly sweet neon slurpee kind that come in a glass bigger than your head. Those have ruined it for the from-scratch kind that capture the essence of peaches in season in a fruity, frosty treat. Frozen peach daiquiris are the perfect way to use our new inexpensive Flor de Cana rum (the well rum at cocktail powerhouse Death & Co.). No excuses from you alleged non-cooks. If you can turn on a light switch, you can make a frozen daiquiri.

Peach Daiquiri Recipe

3/4 oz fresh squeezed lime
sliced skinned fresh (overripe if available) peach
3/4 oz triple sec
1 1/2 oz white rum (we used Flor de Cana)
dash sugar (1 – 2 tsp depending on sweetness of peaches)

Place ingredients in blender with 3/4 cup crushed ice. Blend. Pour into glass. Serve with a straw.

Peach Ginger Daiquiri variation

Use 3/4 oz Domaine de Canton ginger liqueur in place of triple sec in recipe above.

Fine & Raw bonbons

Sweetened with agave nectar, Fine & Raw chocolates are made without heating the chocolate past 118F degrees. The ganache filling is sweetened with agave nectar giving them a low glycemic index and coconut oil provides richness. Velvety, dense and intense, they melt in your mouth. And, in summer, on your kitchen counter. So store them in the refrigerator lest your bonbons end up as hot chocolate.

Good health is about more than just an apple a day. On July 18 from 9:30 am – 4pm, our neighbor The Social Therapy Group, a community therapy center, is holding a Wellness Day called “Getting Better at Creating Your Life Through Emotional and Physical Ups-and-Downs.” A professional team – a psychiatrist and nurse who are Social Therapists combined with a medical doctor and a creative arts/dance therapist – will help you explore ways to eat, move, and live your emotional life more joyously and creatively. The fee is $75 and includes preparation (and consumption!) of a delicious, nutritious lunch with food from Provisions. To register, click here or call 718-797-3220 ext. 319.

Looking for something to do tonight? Pack a picnic lunch in one of our insulated reusable bags and head to Fort Greene Park for a FREE showing of “What’s On Your Plate?” Presented by the Brooklyn Academy of Music. Through the eyes of two intelligent and inquisitive eleven-year-old girls from New York City, the film depicts how food reaches our urban community and its associated challenges. The film starts at 8:30pm and there will be music before beginning at 6pm.

Unfortunately we can’t make the sun shine for you this weekend. But with the weather looking like 5 straight days of more rain, we thought you might appreciate chocolate tastings to bookend your weekend. Tonight from 4pm-7pm, we welcome Taza chocolate and on Monday from 5pm-7pm, we welcome Daniel from Fine & Raw.

Taza stonegrinds its chocolate with a Oaxacan mill, the perfect tool to fabricate true mexican chocolate. Sabrina admits to nibbling on their mexican chocolate discs straight but they are also useful pantry staples. They can be used to make a mole sauce for enchiladas (try with our Hot Bread Kitchen tortillas) and in winter (or on dreary summer days), they make a true taza of mexican hot chocolate – a frothy, spicy chocolate drink traditionally made with water, not milk.

You may already know the joy of fresh mozzarella – a classic italian semi-soft cheese with a high moisture content. With a smooth, rich milk flavor and a slight tang, it is the perfect foil to ripe, sweet tomatoes and savory fragrant basil when layered in insalata caprese, drizzled with olive oil and lightly sprinkled with salt and pepper. Traditionally, mozzarella is eaten the same day it is made, ideally within hours.

We’re proud to announce that now you don’t have to travel to Italy (or the Brooklyn equivalent – Carroll Gardens) to enjoy mozzarella in the traditional manner. Thanks to Glenn and Jada, our cheese whizzes, we’re making fresh batches daily at Provisions. Yesterday we happened in upon Glenn at around 1 pm and he offered us a sample that was minutes old. Molto buono. If you find yourself in the store mid-day, ask us for a taste!

Jada and Glenn were entrepreneurial enough to suggest we try to make mozzarella but they were able to perfect their mozz under the tutelage of Waldemar Albrecht at the Artisanal Cheese Center in Manhattan thanks to a generous training grant from New York City’s Small Business Services. Grazie, NYC!

For more news from “Fort Cheese”, you can follow the Provisions cheese counter on Twitter!

This light, fresh rosé made from grenache and cinsault grapes comes in a 1.5-liter bag-in-box and was
#2 on Gourmet Magazine’s list of 8 great roses for summer.

Made in Lirac, near the double-decker arches of the Pont du Gard, it’s the sort of wine you want on a hot day with a ham sandwich. Since the bag inside the box is airtight, the wine lasts for weeks after you’ve poured the first glasses. Not that a box has ever lasted that long around here, but theoretically…

For a more PG-13 take on our “P**k in a Box,” check out Grub Street’s write up.

Domaine De L’Estel Vin De Pays du Gard 2008 (Brooklyn)

Domaine De L’Estel Vin De Pays du Gard 2008 (Manhattan)