What it is to Farm

It's pretty amazing to know that there are people who dedicate their lives to growing food and bringing that food to the public. On a daily basis, I make efforts to deepen my relationship with the food I consume, and to draw closer the people who provide it for me.

In that vein a couple months ago, I decided to jump in and participate in the work that goes in to growing food for a stand, one at our local farmers market. The experience was wonderful, as you might guess, and also quite humbling.

In my new home, luck has it that I only have to travel an hour in any direction to find great farmers. Our local market is just eight minutes away and rivals my trusty greenmarket back in NYC. On our first trip - the first stand I decided to stop at - I spotted Heron Hollow Farm. I was initially drawn to the gorgeous fruits and veggies, and then to Will, his wonderful wife Liz, and their sweet babe Ava, whose gaze is the intense stare of an old soul.

Each week their stand presents a colorful bounty in-line with the season. We have found (and hungrily taken home): neat piles of heirloom tomatoes; firm, bright, tiny turnips; every color pepper imaginable; bundles of wild greens; potatoes with great names (and even better flavor); firm, dark blueberries; perfectly ripe okra; foraged chanterelles; pastured eggs; and both goat and cow dairy products.

Throughout the years I have learned what great versions of this-or-that vegetable or fruit look like, feel like, and smell like, resulting in some damn good eating. When I honor eating with the season and locate food that is only lightly traveled, I am rewarded with peak ripeness provided by someone who nurtured that food him or herself.

Supermarkets actually rob us of this choice in selling us a wide variety of fruit and veg year-round. Groceries showcase uniformity rather than the uniqueness nature creates, dumbing down our access to the kinds of a carrot or a tomato, etc., we can even be exposed to. The stuff masquerading as real fruits and vegetables in supermarkets is almost completely machined - picked pre-ripened and necessarily flushed with gasses to achieve their rosy hues; shipped hundreds if not thousands of miles and losing flavor and nutrition as a result; and handled by people who themselves are kept on a threadbare existence.

When we buy at supermarkets we vote to sustain the infrastructure that bolsters Industrial Agriculture, including environmental costs like chemical waste in our waterways and burning fossil fuels into our atmosphere. Is that what we want for our future, or even now?

Heron Hollow and countless other small, local farms like it empower us by showing us that heirloom fruits and vegetables can be grown without industrial pesticides, fungicides, and fertilizers.  What started out as a college hobby, and what brought Will and Liz together, has evolved into a holistic approach that would make Joel Salatin proud: animals live happily in their natural ways, work is done largely by hand, and they use tried-and-true methods like compost and permaculture to grow healthy, amazing food. To nourish yourself and your family with the food a small farmer toils over day-after-day is about as elemental as it gets.

Each week, they do the bulk of the work pulling the (literal) fruits of their labor from the earth. For all my years in New York's aggressive hustle, I was set to task in keeping up with their schedule. Will quipped, "we're *reasonable* farmers" when we asked if they start before sun-up....So we toiled from 6 a.m. on, from one chore to the next, and it was a race against the sun bearing down on us all.

Thank you Will, Liz, Ava Rose, Denise, and Brian for sharing of yourselves. You are helping others to grow their appreciation of what it means to grow food.

 

"Ma mere" with Ava, as mama carries food scraps to the pigs

During the hottest hours, we retreated to the "swimming hole," a falls-fed flowing stream

I hope by now you have fallen in love with this pastoral view.

At sundown, the eleven-hour day only represented the beginning. After everyone gathered for a gratifying dinner of herbed goat's cheese, homemade bread, fresh sliced tomatoes, home-smoked bacon, and a veggie stew, the next tasks were to sort and wash the day's take, and complete the evening milking and feedings. This was work carried on into the latest hours of the night, followed by just a few hours of sleep before driving it all to market. And let's not forget: week in and out Will and Liz and farmers just like them oblige many a curious (if not demanding) market patron, with cheer, smiles, and patience, on just the vapors of sleep..... pretty awesome indeed.

We love being reminded of the care put into each tomato sitting on our counter at home. Each morsel is enriched by the relationships we have - and continue to - cultivate. Please support small, local, family farms. You'll eat worlds better and have the satisfaction of knowing that you are directly supporting members of your community. If you want to learn more, here, here, and here are good places to further your own understanding. Share this story with friends, and say "hi" to the folks providing us all with good food.  

Finding Time and Losing It

I'm having a hard time managing the life I used to have with the new one I have committed to. I feel badly about not having the chance to birth (and complete) new stories here. It's kind of funny, actually. When I started the blog, I thought it would "be good to do" and worried about what my voice would be "out there," wondering what I would write about. And now? I pine to have time to create personal work and share my adventures here with you all.

It's not that I'm not taking pictures. Quite the contrary. I am shooting more than I ever have... It's the personal, down-time which lacks. My hope is that this is all part of a larger transition, and that I will be able to work stories in again as a more regular part of my life. That - as everything settles - this space will show itself.

But for now I live in the margins of my larger commitments, practice some yoga at home - to of course offset the gobs more eating I do in the SL test kitchens (oh boy) - and say hi to my pussy cats and wonderful home.

Here's to living, those great and small moments I cherish.....

One of our sweethearts, Maya

Some of the numerous *leftover* bouquets around our home, thanks to a stylist who creates arrangements for local weddings

Personal artifacts in my world...

At this point, my work is now appearing in the magazine! I thought to share some outtakes from the current issue. These are some of my favorites, from a Birmingham-based what's-great-around-town story. I hope you'll agree....

Good summer sipping at Little Donkey

 

Not much has changed since when they opened in 1907! At the wonderful Peanut Depot

 

A favorite meat& three destination: Johnny's, on left

One more thing -

I'd done a series for a Manhattan restaurant which is soon to go live, work shot on my very last day in the city. No pressure. :) 

Working with the chef was great. His talent for bursts of color, freshness of ingredients, and interest in seasonal fare aligned with my own philosophy for good eating, and he trusted in our collaboration. So good. Here are a few of my favorites, with more you can be sure to look forward to..... 

Hello Summer! Heirloom Tomatoes, Sugar Snap Peas, Grilled Sirloin & Gremolata, and a Black Pepper Frozen Souffle

It's been summer here since oh, when we moved back in May.

In my New Yawk City days, the A/C came on only *when absolutely necessary.* Times appear to be necessary. As a counterpoint, everyone in B'ham keeps saying, "wait until August" as if the swelter currently bearing down on me is child's play. Maybe I don't need to find out what they mean....?

Turning to foods that are a delight on hot days, I have created a meal which satisfies many things. With meandering trips through our new market, the Pepper Place Farmers Market, I found all that I need to highlight the bounty of the season. Big thanks to Heron Hollow Farm, Sanctuary Farms, Rora Valley Farm, and Holmestead Company for producing such beautiful and flavorful foods.

Pleasing the senses is what this menu is about..... crunchy, juicy, tangy, frozen, sweet, piquant, charred, and toothsome. Every bit, toothsome (even though my husband makes fun of me when I use that description). Don't take my word - see for yourselves! And write back if you find yourself some favorites....

Scroll down for recipes -

Heirloom Tomato, Sugar Snap Pea, Shaved Sweet Onion & Herb Salad

Chilton County Peaches.....

Hibiscus Summer Sparkler

Black Pepper Frozen Souffle with Chilton County Peaches

Char-grilled Sirloin with Gremolata

I imagine I have your attention by now. Make these recipes. They are largely simple, simple endeavors, and any effort you do exert, you'll recoup in the reward of eating them. It's that easy, really.

Now, for the recipes.....

Heirloom Tomato Salad with Sugar Snap Peas, Shaved Sweet Onions, and Fresh Herbs
Serves 4

4-8 good-sized heirloom tomatoes, cut into wedges - I used Cherokee Purples, Brandywines, and Green Zebras
1 small spring onion-sized sweet onion, sliced thinly on a mandoline - can use Vidallia if this isn't available
2 handfuls of sugar snap peas, rinsed and halved lengthwise
A handful of parsley leaves, picked from their stems
1/3 cup baby basil leaves, picked (or use regular basil leaves and tear them into smaller pieces)
large flake sea salt
freshly cracked black pepper
good extra virgin olive oil
almost as much vinegar - use sherry, balsamic, or red wine vinegar - as the olive oil

Toss cut veg and herbs in a large serving platter. Whisk the oil and vinegar together, and at table-side pour over veggies. Scatter sea salt and pepper on top, and serve immediately.

Hibiscus Summer Sparkler 
Drink to a better world!
Makes 2 cocktails

Ratio 2:1 vodka to hibiscus liqueur - (can sub gin, tequila, or white rum, as you like) - Start with 1/3 cup white spirit and take it from there, adjusting if you have more or fewer guests accordingly
2 lemons, squeezed of their juice
1 tbsp thyme syrup*
sparkling water
fresh thyme sprigs, for garnish

thyme syrup

2/3 cup cane sugar
1/2 cup water
4 sprigs fresh thyme

To make the syrup, heat sugar and water together in a small saucepan until sugar dissolves, stirring occasionally. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to simmer for 5-7 minutes, until liquid reduces slightly. Remove from heat and stir in the thyme sprigs. Steep for one hour (or longer if you have time), allow to cool fully and then strain with a sieve, discarding the thyme. Seal in a glass jar and refrigerate - will keep for one month.

Stir all but the last two ingredients together in a tumbler filled with ice. Pour over ice into rocks glasses, top with the sparkling water, and garnish with fresh thyme sprigs. Happy sipping!

Grilled Bone-in Sirloin Steak with Gremolata
Serves 4-6

2 inch-thick bone-in steaks, about 1 1/4 lbs each
1 bunch parsley, leaves picked and chopped
5 lemons, zested (save fruit for another use)
4 cloves garlic, worked into a paste
good extra virgin olive oil
a generous amount of kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
sea salt to finish

Start with the gremolata and combine the lemon zest, parsley, garlic, and a small glug of olive oil in a bowl. Set aside. Remove the steaks from the refrigerator at least twenty minutes before grilling. Place them on a platter, pat all surfaces dry, and season both sides well with salt and pepper. Preheat a grill for 7-10 minutes, and cook the meat 6 or so minutes a side for medium-rare doneness. A nice char will add flavor, so don't be concerned if the fat or flesh blackens! Allow the meat to rest for ten minutes before cutting off the bone (save to use for stocks or sauces) and then into slices. Top with the gremolata, finish with a scatter of sea salt and pepper to taste, and enjoy.

Black Pepper Frozen Souffle
Serves 8

12 egg whites (save yolks for pound cake, aioli, hollandaise, or another use as you like)
1 2/3 cups cream
1 cup cane sugar
2 lemons, zested, and juice from one
1 tsp freshly cracked black pepper; more if you like pepper
6 peaches, cut into wedges
confectioners sugar for dusting

Wrap a six-cup ramekin with parchment paper extending two inches above the rim and secure with a rubber band or tape. Set aside. Stir together lemon zest, juice, and pepper in a small bowl. In a large bowl, beat the egg whites with a hand mixer to soft peaks, about 6 minutes. Gradually add in the sugar, beating between additions to combine. Once all sugar is incorporated, beat to firm peaks and glossy, about 3-4 minutes more. Fold the zest and pepper mixture into the egg white mixture until incorporated. In a separate bowl, beat cream for approximately 2 minutes, until soft peaks form. Fold cream gradually into the egg mixture, then pour into ramekin. Place in freezer at least 4 hours or overnight. Remove parchment collar, top with fresh peaches, and dust with confectioners sugar table-side.

After my labor of love to organize these tasty bites, I am having friends over to celebrate in style. I hope you enjoy the Fourth of July with people who have good taste in food, and even better taste in conversation. ;) Enjoy summertime lolling and the amazing bounty of the season!