pies and peonies

15 Monday May 2017

Posted by home, garden, life in Charlottesville, city market, environment, flower farming, garden, key lime pie, Lifestyle, shop local, spring flowers, sustainable lifestyle, Virginia

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Charlottesville, Charlottesville City Market, farmer's market, garden, key lime pie, May, sharing bounty

Saturday’s market began as a quiet, misty morning. Following many days of rain, the variation was agreeable. Being Mother’s Day weekend, I took many pies and buckets of fragrant peonies, conditioned all week-long for prime time.

Early sales were unremarkable and I was beginning to fret. Then a high school friend of my older sister and trusted real estate broker in this area arrived to collect the KLpie and peonies I reserved for her as a gift. After battling breast cancer, endless chemo, and reconstruction in the past three years, her cancer has returned with a vengeance and she told me in a phone conversation that she is terminal. This morning her walk was strong, her eyes bright, and she greeted me with a warm hug and a joke about the side effects of medical marijuana. That was an emotional visit. She is the mainstay of her large family and will be greatly missed by family, young grandchildren who will never know her sense of humor, and all who know her.

Later I noticed a couple who I recognized from television. I have never seen them at market before. They were the parents of a Virginia Tech student who was brutally murdered after a UVA concert in 2009. When the remains were finally discovered in a field south of town, the family had closure, yet the mother has never stopped petitioning for her foundation Save the Next Girl. Today the mother was dressed head to toe in black and looked so profoundly sad. When they passed me for the second time, I reached for my clippers and trimmed a few of my prettiest peonies and caught up to her. Not knowing what I would say, all that came out was, “we have never met…” and I choked up, gave her a hug and walked away, but not before she said, “God bless you.”

Returning to my booth with tears in my eyes, I quickly spotted the owner of the restaurant where I sell my KLpies. He was with his new wife and their one month old daughter, who slept snugly at her breast. He is a big fan of my pimento cheese and came for another tub. Why he did not spring for a sleeve of my beautiful peonies, I do not know. After they walked off, I grabbed another bunch of my peonies and caught up with them. She was delighted and he seemed touched too.

Back at my booth again, a three generation family arrived asking details about my KLpie. Following my spiel and their purchase, I noticed the rather frail elder in the group was clearly disengaged. I pulled out a pretty single flower and walked to her and said, “happy mother’s day!” Her face lit up, she nearly blushed, and the entire family grinned from ear to ear.

I ended this day of intense sales of pies and peonies at noon. In fact, when I later counted my till, this was the largest grossing day in my entire seventeen years at City Market! And I cannot remember a more emotional one.

Simple gestures reap great rewards and today I was reminded of this rule. I recuperate with a warm heart and hope that my gardening and kitchen efforts made a small difference in the lives of those who I encountered.

I am blessed to know health, the simplicity of routine choices, and delight in greeting the wild birds who have sanctuary in my gardens.

The Best Key Lime Pie on the Planet 2009

2015 Peony city market May

~ share the love

28 Monday Sep 2015

Posted by home, garden, life in Albemarle county, Charlottesville, city market, farmer's market, key lime pie, Lifestyle, shop local, Virginia

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Albemarle County, Buy Fresh Buy Local, Charlottesville, city market, fall, farmer's market, key lime pie, lifestyle, shop local

Fall arrived right on time, yet I did not want to let summer bounty slip by without sharing numerous market images, taken this month. Enjoy!

Attending a local farmer’s market as a vendor or as a customer, is a very special event. It is a community who follows the seasons with dedication and appreciation. It is a place for sharing and educating; coaxing the senses away from the routine — nudging compassion to full fruit.

outrageous mushrooms from our local schroom man

outrageous mushrooms from our local shroom man. Freshness like this is only found at your local farmer’s market!

First time I raised Lilliput melons this year...delicious, yet plant had mighty fungal issues

2015 was the first time I raised Sakata’s Lilliput melons…delicious beyond words, yet the plants had mighty fungal issues. The melons did not go to market, but I had to show them off here.

showstopper sunflowers

the first Crenshaw squash appears at market in September

dazzling peppers!

scallions anyone?

vibrant eggplant appears to glow in the morning light!

vibrant eggplant appear to glow in the morning light!

calories don’t count on weekends!

this fabulous bread is baked in a outdoor wood oven!

this fabulous bread is baked in an outdoor wood oven!

coffee makes the world go round, and this vendor peddles his way to market

I could not resist this image ~ an enviable braid

toddlers make great subjects as they free-flow through the market

this young man may have a modeling career in his future

I could not resist capturing this tender moment between father and child

a tender moment between father and infant

of course I had to plug my famous key lime pie. The banner drove sales higher this season

lastly, I shamelessly plug my famous key lime pie. The banner drove sales higher this season, quoting what customers named my pie back in 2005.

October’s end marks the culmination of my fifteenth season as a vendor at the largest farmer’s market in central Virginia. If I had an inkling of what I would become when I left a professional life in DC, and returned to my small hometown, I would have fallen over laughing. Life has a way of throwing curve balls, and one must dodge and roll to stay in the game. home, garden, life is my testament.

Happy fall, dear followers. I always enjoy hearing from you in the comments section.

why not kale…pesto?

08 Saturday Jun 2013

Posted by home, garden, life in environment, farmer's market, healthy food, Home Depot, Lifestyle, quick meals, quick recipes, recipes, Stretch Gardening, sustainable lifestyle, Virginia

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Charlottesville City Market, chive flowers, easy recipes, farmer's market, fast food, food, Home Depot, kale, pesto, stretch gardening, vegetarian

Readers who follow my blog know I adore kale.

an earlier pasta dish with blanched kale and chive flowers

Truly, I eat kale every day—fall and winter—steamed for four minutes, drizzled with olive oil and often topped with two farm raised eggs, easy over. Adding variety to this superfood, I decided to make one of my favorite dishes—pesto.
Why not kale pesto?
Indeed, this dish will knock your socks off.

Diane’s Recipe for Fresh Kale Pesto

Find a large bunch of fresh curly kale, either from your garden or from a local farmer. Strip the leaves off the vein and tear leaves into pieces. Rinse kale, while bringing a pot of water to a boil. In a large bowl, add cold water and a few scoops of ice cubes. Set this bowl near the pot of boiling water. When water is boiling, add kale in batches and blanch for 30-45 seconds, or until kale is bright green. Using a spider, lift blanched kale out and plunge into the bowl of ice water. Repeat process until all kale is blanched and iced.

fresh from the local grower, Whisper Hill Farm ~ 9 stems

ice bath

blanching kale until bright green ~ 30 seconds

blanching kale until bright green ~ 30-45 seconds

icing kale to stop cooking

squeeze water out of kale using hands

almond and pecan stash ~ always store nuts either in the fridge or freezer

Squeeze iced kale with hands and place all kale into the bowl of a food processor. Add 3/4 C sliced almonds, 1/2 C pecans, 1 t. fine sea salt, black pepper to taste, 1/2 C virgin olive oil, juice from a whole fresh lime (I use a citrus press), and pulse entire contents, scraping sides of bowl a few times during processing. Add additional olive oil until smooth consistency is achieved.

kale pesto fully processed

Meanwhile, boil your favorite pasta, reusing the blanching water. In this instance I used a combination of organic Casarecce and linguine. When pasta is al dente, remove it from the water using the spider. DO NOT RINSE. SAVE hot pasta water.

al dente Casarecce and linguine

Mix pesto into pasta, adding additional olive oil and a few tablespoons of pasta water to dish until desired consistency is reached. Add a large knob (20g) of room temperature sweet butter and gently toss adding freshly grated Parmesan just before serving.

cooked pasta, nob of butter, kale pesto, toss adding additional pasta water as needed

cooked pasta, knob of butter, kale pesto, toss adding additional pasta water and olive oil as needed

I promise this recipe will make a believer out of you. A real tasty dish that will have your friends talking. Serve with your favorite beverage, crusty bread, and sexy tomatoes if in season. Serves 6. Also nice cold as a left over…

completed dish doused with fresh parmesean

completed dish doused with fresh Parmesan

PS I adore pesto and make three signature pestos from home-grown herbs: French tarragon with pecans, chive artichoke with walnuts in the early spring, and classic basil with walnuts during the summer months. This new kale pesto rounds out my repertoire and I hope you will enjoy them all. There is more to life than basil pesto!

Bon Appetit!

embrace this day

11 Thursday Oct 2012

Posted by home, garden, life in farmer's market, garden, healthy food, home, life, Lifestyle, mission, Monarch butterflies, photography, quick recipes, sustainable lifestyle, Virginia

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farmer's market, harvest, healthy meals, Ichi Ke Jiro persimmon, Monarch butterflies, October, photography, quick meals, vegetarian, Virginia

I feel giddy, as if I were in love for the first time.

I am beguiled by October. Yes, the month of October is a time to celebrate—and feel the flush of Mother Nature’s boundless beauty. I embrace her, crave her, and revel in her. The planet shifts, shadows elongate, high humidity and biting insects depart, and temperatures top out at 70 degrees F— yes I am in love again.

At home, the garden is bursting with colors of fall. As many plants begin their decent into dormancy, others like this ‘Muhlenbergia capillaris’ explode with riotous hue. This is the only pink that I tolerate in my gardens, as this display epitomizes fall in my world — life is intoxicating!

Monarch season was extremely challenging this year, as the oleander aphid ravaged the host plants (tropical milkweed) forcing me to raise most monarch larvae indoors, multiplying my daily chores ten-fold. The monarch’s predatory wasp also took a high toll on the larvae, leaving dozens dead. However, ninety monarch beauties successfully emerged and flew from my terrace over the past month, hopefully to find safe haven in a warm climate, where they may overwinter. Nearly one-hundred others went Fed-Ex to southern states where they will live out their lives in a lush botanic gardens and educate visitors.

The farmer’s market is brimming with large, leafy vegetables, root crops, and loads of pumpkins. Therefore my daily lunch plate is full of steamed kale and red garnet sweet potatoes, splashed with olive oil, sea salt, black pepper and garnished with sliced almonds. Six minutes are all one needs to provide a healthy, farm fresh meal.

Another tasty mid-day meal came from the remaining bit of basil pesto left in the food processor following a massive harvest. I tossed in a peeled avocado, a splash of olive oil, sea salt, black pepper, and a squeeze of fresh lime juice. After a brief spin, the fluffy dip was quickly consumed with crusty crackers.

A third fast meal came from a friend who dropped off assorted tomatoes, eggplant, and squash. I quickly sliced, diced, and cubed the lot, added fresh okra from the garden and voila! a beautiful medley of healthy goodness. A quick saute in olive oil, then covered and steamed until tender, a half tube of tomato paste, seasoned with sea salt and black pepper finished this dish! Topped with grated cheese and toasted breadcrumbs, made this a memorable, quick, healthy meal. Try it!

Remember the Ichi Ke Jiro persimmon blog from this spring? Well, twenty-five fruit formed, despite the July wind storm that claimed half of the tree, and they are amazing. Ever had one? The fruit is unlike native persimmons. One fills my hand, is eaten while hard, and has none of the tannic aftertaste of the native. In fact, this fruit tastes like a firm melon! What I do not eat, will be introduced at market this Saturday and boggle curious shoppers. Looking forward to the dialogue!

PS There is still nothing like a power snack of the hard-boiled egg. I always have some in the fridge, ready to peel when I need a boost. Better to have a snack like this on hand rather than eat a carb or a handful of chocolate!

Remember to roll your mouse over the images to read captions. Click on images if you wish to enlarge.

cauliflower love

11 Monday Jun 2012

Posted by home, garden, life in Back Yard Birds, birds, Bluebirds, color, farmer's market, home ownership, Lifestyle, photography, spring flowers

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baking with julia, blueberry muffins, Bluebirds, cooking, cruciferous, crunch crunch, farmer's market, food, photography, vegetarian

Who says we cannot get excited about a vegetable?? When I spotted this beauty at the farmer’s market Saturday, I thought, “come to mama!”

If ever you grow this cruciferous veggie, you will quickly learn this is not an easy process. I only purchase these, as I have not the time or patience. But OH how I love thee! Every time I opened the fridge on Sunday, I admired my prize and contemplated how I would devour it. Too pretty for soup…

This morning I could no longer wait, so I broke off a few florets and placed them in my trusty steamer. Piping hot, and with a healthy splash of olive oil and a light sprinkle of sea salt, down the hatch it went—crunch, crunch, crunch.

Sunday I had a few folks over and decided to break my rule of not cooking blueberries. My three bushes are loaded this year, therefore armed with Baking with Julia, I whipped up eighteen muffins, that turned out lighter than air.

Not huge or gorgeous, these melted in our mouths, or rather—were enhaled by my guests. I saved a few back and enjoyed two for breakfast at room temperature. YUM! The only thing that I would alter in the recipe, is REDUCE the salt to 1/2 teaspoon. I forced myself to freeze the remaining four and test how they handle the cold. Yeh, right!

The following are a few additional snaps from Saturday’s market—too beautiful to omit. Enjoy!

Bluebird Update

This morning the bluebird pair returned with their two chicks in tow. Both babes look wonderful, freckled, and still begging for food, as mama begins rebuilding her second nest for the season—in the same box. I fear the third fledged chick did not survive in the wild, yet I must focus on the success of the remaining two. How adorable to witness one chick mimicking mama by picking up a pine needle!

I awoke this morning to find both bird feeders toppled by some large critter, I presume the marauding raccoon. It will be a challenge for this new BB nest cycle. Have not seen the likes of the black racer since Sunday week, yet it too will be a risk for nesting birds—until I can capture/release it. Gulp!

Now back to the chores of this homeowner. The pressure tank begs to be replaced. Where is that plumber?

You all have a great week and please visit your local farmer’s market and fall in love with a veggie!

😉

bread, snow peas, and key lime pie

01 Friday Jun 2012

Posted by home, garden, life in Back Yard Birds, birds, farmer's market, garden, healthy food, Lifestyle, pie, quick meals

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birds, farmer's market, feeding backyard birds, food, healthy food, lifestyle, photography, sustainable living

Fridays are always busy here—especially in the kitchen.

Since I rise early, by 10AM there were seven Key Lime Pies cooling in the fridge;

by noon the madeleines were golden and packed neatly into their bags; fifteen pounds of granola await the trip to town and containers of chive/artichoke pesto rest in the freezer.

Fresh bags of chard are tucked along side the pie boxes—the precious snow peas debut tomorrow and will bring high ~~praise~~ dollars. The scones and bread are last items to cool—finally I can unwind until four AM Saturday, when the alarms sound.

I created two additional quick meals in the past two days, adding a few snow peas and spinach from the garden. I do not consume what goes to market, as once the recipe is perfected, the items merely become revenue. I say this following twelve years of specialty baking, an occupation I stumbled upon while supervising contractors during a LONG home renovation. Now that the house is finished, I want to retire from food production, yet my clients threaten to disembowel me if I do.

The next two photos are quick meals over the past two days.

Out in the garden the hydrangeas are spectacular. It struggled for a few years, yet in its new location appears to thrive—a triumph!

Most back yard birds thrive, while Ethel, the flightless grackle, finds the birdbath positioned to accommodate her remaining days. She thoroughly enjoyed this bath—her first.

At dusk a huge raccoon scurried across my lawn, only to climb the cedar tree and gaze down at me—undaunted. I fear Ethel’s days may be numbered, unless her wing feathers support her flight soon. Never a dull moment in this home, garden, or life.