Early on in my visit I wondered where the nettles are around here. Not finding any right away simply led me to lambs quarters. We've had them many times now, stirred into eggs and in a wild edibles salad that also included chickweed, violet's(flowers and leaves), dandelion leaves and young plantain leaves. Oh, and some local bacon and hard boiled farm eggs. And a home made strawberry vinagrette! A couple of days ago while on a walk with my sister I found one single nettle. Yep, one. It was in a shady patch under an oak, surrounded by violets and clover. A ha!
The real breakthrough though, happened yesterday while on a nature wander with my two nephewsand our beagle, Daisy. We went to a wildlife management area on the Yocona River(that's pronounced Yawk-na, ya'll) to check out the birds and look for tracks. We spent two hours following the beagle's nose, and saw raccoon, deer, and possum tracks. We also had the fun of finding three different beaver dams and a beautiful cypress swamp. It was in this cypress swamp that I came across a large patch of nettles. Shady, damp, thick turf. And again surrounded by jewel-purple violets. We left soon after, because a snake was spotted sliding into the water not far from us.
Next up, craw-dad bisque!
Monday, April 18, 2011
Sunday, April 10, 2011
Pig weed, anyone?
One of my favorite wild plants to eat is the stinging nettle. Full of nutrient and flavor, it is diverse and can be used in place of spinach. It requires gloves to harvest, and for most people it needs to be steamed first before being eaten. I've kept an eye peeled for it this first week here and have yet to find it. But it's good to expand the circle of favorites. My second day here my sister and I happened by a large patch of lambs quarters. This plant is often thought of as a weed, is a member of the amaranth family and highly nutritious. No nettles around? No problem. There's lambs quarter. On a walk yesterday evening I collected a nice thick handful for our breakfast today. Did I mention it was free? We fried up some potatoes, a little of the local smoked bacon, some leeks, and fresh thyme. After the potatoes and bacon were done, a large handful of the lambs quarter went in next to wilt it down just for a few seconds and then poured the eggs over it all. A few small pieces of creamcheese went on top. A few minutes with the lid on and it was ready to eat. A new bioregion equals new favorite wild edibles.
Saturday, April 9, 2011
A Stranger in a Strange Land
One of my favorite things so far about being back in Mississippi is the sunshine. From 6:30am until 8pm it is bright and warm, butterflies carreen through the air flower to flower. So where's the fresh produce? I've been to the two best places in Lafayette county, the BTC and the Farmer's Market. They both have local(within 20 miles no less) grass-finished beef, local organic dairy, beautiful farm fresh eggs and even strawberries from Louisiana. The closest thing to farmers market type produce however, has been the small clear cellophane bags of emerald bright spinach and cilantro. And it sells fast-faster than the blue and brown eggs and deep yellow butter.
This tuesday will be the visit to a local grain mill, Delta Grind. Tuesday is also the day to visit Yokna Bottom Farm, the organic community share. Maybe that's where all the fresh produce is? Hiding on the only advertised organic farm in the county. State perhaps. They're willing to share, but maybe not with grocery stores. Even the nice ones. Farmers have tough jobs, and they have a better living when able to sell directly to individuals.
And why do I care about this topic so much? At its most basic-you are what you eat. So yes, I care. It also fascinates me that our society in this country has gotten so far away from this basic concept. If we are what we eat...then a large portion of the population is diseased, pesticide-riddled, hormone and steroid laden, and nutrient deficient. Heavy words. A recent study has found that vegetables grown in our day are less dense in nutrients. So this way of farming that is supposed to be more convenient and profitable-and efficient, is in fact making it so that we need more and more of basic foods to get the usual amount of vitamins and minerals.
It has also been suggested that the way we treat "lesser beings" or we could say our prey species is deeply connected to how we treat one another and our world. How we treat the life of a chicken directly relates to how we treat other humans. So these questions about the availability of fresh, humane, dense foods lead me to how a community is thriving. Or not. Or what it takes for a region to overcome the ultra convenience of supermarkets.
It occurs to me that a visit to the Yokna Bottom Farm can also answer questions I have about growing seasons here. In the NW it's possible to get greens all winter, but they aren't salad greens. Chard, kale, cabbage, endive, even brussel sprouts can be found but don't bet on those baby greens. So maybe here in Mississippi veggies go through a lull in productivity in mid-spring? I look forward to finding out!
Also, on a lighter note I heard of a man in the area who could possibly take me cat-fishing or "noodling". But it turns out he's in his 80's and has had recent heart trouble. His wife, I was told, would be sure to dissaprove. I'm also not completely sure how I feel about submerging myself in the brown waters here and blindly groping about under the waterbanks looking for a fish that can weigh up to 80 pounds. I will continue to consider this idea however, because I can only imagine that it would be the best tasting cat fish of my life!
This tuesday will be the visit to a local grain mill, Delta Grind. Tuesday is also the day to visit Yokna Bottom Farm, the organic community share. Maybe that's where all the fresh produce is? Hiding on the only advertised organic farm in the county. State perhaps. They're willing to share, but maybe not with grocery stores. Even the nice ones. Farmers have tough jobs, and they have a better living when able to sell directly to individuals.
And why do I care about this topic so much? At its most basic-you are what you eat. So yes, I care. It also fascinates me that our society in this country has gotten so far away from this basic concept. If we are what we eat...then a large portion of the population is diseased, pesticide-riddled, hormone and steroid laden, and nutrient deficient. Heavy words. A recent study has found that vegetables grown in our day are less dense in nutrients. So this way of farming that is supposed to be more convenient and profitable-and efficient, is in fact making it so that we need more and more of basic foods to get the usual amount of vitamins and minerals.
It has also been suggested that the way we treat "lesser beings" or we could say our prey species is deeply connected to how we treat one another and our world. How we treat the life of a chicken directly relates to how we treat other humans. So these questions about the availability of fresh, humane, dense foods lead me to how a community is thriving. Or not. Or what it takes for a region to overcome the ultra convenience of supermarkets.
It occurs to me that a visit to the Yokna Bottom Farm can also answer questions I have about growing seasons here. In the NW it's possible to get greens all winter, but they aren't salad greens. Chard, kale, cabbage, endive, even brussel sprouts can be found but don't bet on those baby greens. So maybe here in Mississippi veggies go through a lull in productivity in mid-spring? I look forward to finding out!
Also, on a lighter note I heard of a man in the area who could possibly take me cat-fishing or "noodling". But it turns out he's in his 80's and has had recent heart trouble. His wife, I was told, would be sure to dissaprove. I'm also not completely sure how I feel about submerging myself in the brown waters here and blindly groping about under the waterbanks looking for a fish that can weigh up to 80 pounds. I will continue to consider this idea however, because I can only imagine that it would be the best tasting cat fish of my life!
Thursday, April 7, 2011
What's Next?
Coming up- we're visiting the Brown Family Dairy soon and making braised beef a la Mississippi with grass-finished beef from the Brown's farm. This coming tuesday Liz and I are visiting Yokna Bottom Farm- the afore mentioned organic CSA! There's also a local grain mill on my radar. More soon!
Signs of Life
This blog is dedicated to food, to health, to family and to the South! And to the roots of things.
I was raised in Oxford, MS along with my two sisters as a young girl and have strong memories of food rooted in red soil. Eating wild, tart, astringent, wonderful crabapples from a tree outside the apartment building where we lived. Picking and eating red, juicy, incredibly fragrant wild strawberries at a friends house until I felt like I would burst. Watching my mom's mom crack pecans from the tree in the back yard-with her bare hands! I was sure she was the strongest lady on the planet, so impressed was I. Eating piping hot breaded catfish and hush puppies. Not to mention the crawdad's!
For the last several years I've lived in the Northwest, and in that time learned about organic and even biodynamic farming. Started working as a cook and making connections with farmers in the valley where I lived and realizing what amazing things were being raised/grown/made within 100 miles of where I lived. Events in life being what they are, I had the opportunity to come back to the South for a month and stay with my family. On a recent visit several things happened that served to inspire me to use the month to explore the food scene. A local family dairy, an emerging organic CSA(yep,you heard me right!), an old fashioned grocery in a near-by town. Not only that, but it looks to be an opportunity for me to reconcile some old-fashioned notions I still hold about this place where I was raised but rarely feel at home. It's exciting to see changes occuring in a place I considered hopeless, and to see that our notions of "how things are" can be incorrect in excellent ways.
I'm already a little behind as I've been here for three days already, but I'll catch up. The adventures in my new food world are already piling up! I am blessed with a family of foodies and my first dinner involved my sister Liz's Cinnamon-Roasted Chicken. A recipe soon to follow. Also involved in this story are my two nephews. They are champion wild-violet pickers and we soon hope to have wild-violet jelly on the table...
I was raised in Oxford, MS along with my two sisters as a young girl and have strong memories of food rooted in red soil. Eating wild, tart, astringent, wonderful crabapples from a tree outside the apartment building where we lived. Picking and eating red, juicy, incredibly fragrant wild strawberries at a friends house until I felt like I would burst. Watching my mom's mom crack pecans from the tree in the back yard-with her bare hands! I was sure she was the strongest lady on the planet, so impressed was I. Eating piping hot breaded catfish and hush puppies. Not to mention the crawdad's!
For the last several years I've lived in the Northwest, and in that time learned about organic and even biodynamic farming. Started working as a cook and making connections with farmers in the valley where I lived and realizing what amazing things were being raised/grown/made within 100 miles of where I lived. Events in life being what they are, I had the opportunity to come back to the South for a month and stay with my family. On a recent visit several things happened that served to inspire me to use the month to explore the food scene. A local family dairy, an emerging organic CSA(yep,you heard me right!), an old fashioned grocery in a near-by town. Not only that, but it looks to be an opportunity for me to reconcile some old-fashioned notions I still hold about this place where I was raised but rarely feel at home. It's exciting to see changes occuring in a place I considered hopeless, and to see that our notions of "how things are" can be incorrect in excellent ways.
I'm already a little behind as I've been here for three days already, but I'll catch up. The adventures in my new food world are already piling up! I am blessed with a family of foodies and my first dinner involved my sister Liz's Cinnamon-Roasted Chicken. A recipe soon to follow. Also involved in this story are my two nephews. They are champion wild-violet pickers and we soon hope to have wild-violet jelly on the table...
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