a summer mini series:: part five:: terroir

The cherry tomatoes in the hoop house are coming on strong. We made a compote the other night. Cherry tomatoes, pressed garlic and torn basil leaves (all from our bit of earth), tossed in EVOO, with a dash of salt and pepper…roasted at 400 degrees for 15 minutes, then tossed and roasted for another 15 minutes, until everything was juicy and simmering. We poured it over Trencher’s Farm House’s radiatori, a treat in and of its own!

The slicing tomatoes are coming into the kitchen by the armful, the San Marzano are not far behind. We’ll use those to make sauce.

Lindsey sent me a photo of a vegetable galette she made and I asked her for instructions. We made it in our kitchen and it was amazing! See above. I have tried to attach the instructions here on the blog, but my techno skills have been thwarted! Send me an email via my “contact” box on the website, I’ll send you a document via email. xo

While we enjoy bringing food in from our gardens, we’ve also been supporting our local farmers at the weekly farmers market up in Montpelier. So many farmers were wiped out by the flooding in July, and those that made it through are being celebrated. Those who did not are being cared for by the amazing mutual aid here in Vermont, as well as NOFA-VT.

There’s really nothing like eating food from the soil here in Vermont. It’s one more way to “keep our heads above the overwhelm.” Nourishing our bodies with foods close at hand…the terroir is cherished. Food has not been shipped in a container truck across miles and miles of asphalt. It has not sat in warehouses. Farm to table is one of the most fun ways to eat, and I hope more and more folks will have access, as we find new ways to navigate our food systems here in this country.

The flower gardens are shifting gears, too. The ferns are moving into their bracken phase, the black eyed Susans, echinacea and daisies are playing so joyfully together. Queen Anne’s lace, goldenrod and milkweed dance along the side of the road as cars drive past. Some of the sugar maples are beginning to show signs of color. My favorite time of the year is on its way!

The feed corn planted along the ridge has been growing, folks are harvesting their last hay mowing. Vermont’s trinity of blue sky, white clouds and green fields will forever be holy to me.

I used a bit of leather from the factory floor of The Vermont Glove Company here in town to finish off this wee rope bowl. My studio has been very quiet this summer. Not sure why.

Are you looking forward to the “blue moon” on August 30th? I’ll “see” you out there! xo