ARE YOU GAME? One of the first restaurants in Huntington to run with outdoor dining, Christopher’s (8 Wall St, Huntington 631-271-0111) has recently renovated its courtyard. However, the big news to us is that they’ve added some wild game to their menu. Stuff like alligator sausage, ostrich and buffalo burgers, rabbit stew and rattlesnake, along with the traditional grilled Ribeye. Are you game?

BARBECUE TIME: Memorial Day universally means barbecue, but we’ve discovered a spot where it’s summertime year round. Check out the barbecue buffet at Smokin’ Sloe’s (847 Fort Salonga Rd, Northport 631-754-4200 www.smokingsloes.com). Starting at 5:30 p.m., seven days a week, Roger puts out a spread with pulled pork, BBQ chicken, brisket and his fantastic, house-smoked baby back ribs. At $14.95 a person, there’s practically no reason to fire up the barbecue at home.

GROW YER OWN: Suffolk Legislator Wayne Horsley is hoping to revive the World War II Victory Garden concept with his “Recession Gardens” initiative. A bill introduced by the legislator will require that low-income families be advised that they may use food stamps to purchase seeds and plants at their local supermarket.  He reasons that growing one’s own vegetables is a cost effective way to weather the economic recession and has an added benefit of being healthy “for our bodies and environment.” Horsley cited a Burpee Seeds report that claims for every dollar spent on seeds or fertilizer, a gardener will harvest $25 worth of vegetables. Put another way, $100 in seeds and fertilizer will produce $2,500 in groceries resulting in $2,400 saved over five months.  Some plants are more efficient than others and every dollar on green bean, sugar snap pea, and tomato seeds will yield up to $80, $125, and $250 worth of produce respectively. And while Horsley’s promoting the program for low-income families, anyone can enjoy both the benefits and savings. For more tips on how to maximize your “Recession Garden” visit www.burpee.com.

CHOCOLATE HISTORY: Chocolate fans, get yourselves to Planting Fields Arrboretum in Oyster Bay this summer. The folks there have put together an exhibition inspired by the book “The True History of Chocolate.” The exhibit opens June 7 and runs through September 30 in Coe Hall, the mansion at Planting Fields. It so happens that the book was written by Sophie B. Coe and Dr. Michael Coe, the grandson of Planting Fields founder William Robertson Coe. We can’t tell you much about the exhibit, but the book is an intriguing saga that covers 3,000 as it tells the story of chocolate. Did you know that the Mayans used chocolate for money? We’d read the book and didn’t know of the “local” connection. Now we’ll check out the exhibit.

NY FARMS: If you think all subsidized farming occurs in Iowa, think again. New York State will receive about $1 million in federal funds designated in 2008 to encourage farmers to grow specialty crops, i.e: fruits, vegetables, maple and honey and horticulture crops. “Unlike states in the midwest that focus on only a handful of crops, New York produces a wide variety of commodities and is a major contributor to many of the fresh fruits and vegetables available for consumers,” said Agriculture Commissioner Patrick Hooker. A vital part of the economy, specialty crops generate $1.34 billion annually in New York and comprise a third of the state’s total agricultural output. New York is the second largest state in the nation for apples, cabbage and maple syrup; third for grapes and cauliflower; and fourth for tart cherries, pear, snap beans and sweet corn. What do you think? Comments that will help the Department direct farm funding appropriately may be submitted to nyspecialtycrops@agmkt.state.ny.us by June 8.

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