Food life Magazine Fall 2015

Traveling Locavore Chattanooga Chow

Kitchen Conversations with Tara Jensen

Follow the

FALL 2015

FoodLifeMag.com

WNC BBQ Trail

WNC Goes

Whole Hog

recipes, restaurants & more!

PLUS

FALL 2015 | FOODLIFEMAG.COM

1

2

FOODLIFEMAG.COM | FALL 2015

features FALL 2015

8

HIS COU RSE TO ‘ QU E

How Elliott Moss went from cooking fried chicken to opening Buxton Hall, one of the hottest BBQ joints in Asheville. by MAGGIE CRAMER

Features Contents WHE RE

12

F OOD, HE ALTH & LOCAL M ATTE R

Al Kirchner and the little market that matters in Brevard. by MAGGIE CRAMER

16

THE NE W AM E RI CAN FARM E R

20

FARM TO F RONT DOOR

22

PRODU CI NG LE ADE RS & GRASS F E D BE E F

Graham and Wendy Brugh of Dry Ridge Farm offer a down to earth approach to livestock production. by JOSH O’CONNER Mother Earth Produce allows everyone to live a local, sustainable food lifestyle regardless of busy schedule. by TIFFANY WELSH

Warren Wilson College Farm is focused on work, service and academics. by NOAH RAPER ROBINS

photo by TIFFANY WELSH

FALL 2015 | FOODLIFEMAG.COM

3

ISSUE 05

FA L L 2 0 1 5

22

Traveling Locavore Chattanooga Chow

Follow the

WNC BBQ Trail

WNC Goes

Whole Hog

Kitchen Conversations with Tara Jensen

FALL 2015

FoodLifeMag.com

O N THE CO V ER Buxton Hall’s Pulled Whole Hog Barbecue plate with Spicy Collard Greens, Smoked Squash Casserole, and a Merita roll. photograph by TIM ROBISON PLUS recipes, restaurants & more!

FALL 2015 | FOODLIFEMAG.COM

1

the guide WN C B B Q TR AI L 14 Stu Helm leads us on a delicious pork path around the WNC area.

CI DER FACTS 18 Get the facts on an increasingly popular libation.

KI TCHEN CO N V ER SATI O N S 26 Tiffany Welsh sits down with Tara Jensen of Smoke Signals Bakery in Madison County.

PUTTI N G DO WN R O O TS 30 with Ashley English, local author of books on topics ranging from homesteading to entertaining.

recipes PI E DO UG H 29 SO R G HUM G LA Z E D R O A STED R O O T V EG ETA BLES 31 BACO N WR APPE D JA LA PEÑ O P O P PE RS 41

MAPLE BACON SHORTBREAD COOKIES 42

18 FOODLIFEMAG.COM | FALL 2015

SO W WHAT? 38 A guide to planting and harvesting in the Southern Appalachians.

BACO N JAM 41

26 4

TR AV ELI N G LO CAV O R E 33 Tiffany Welsh takes a trip to Chattanooga and finds many tasty local treats.

STAY CO NNECTE D

visit us at FoodLifeMag.com facebook.com/foodlifemag

FALL 2015 | FOODLIFEMAG.COM

5

EDITOR’S LETTER In this day of 24/7 grocery stores, most people don’t realize that fruits and vegetables aren’t the only things that have a season.

Before refrigeration, pork was traditionally ready to eat in the fall, with the exception of bacon, smoked sausages, and ham, which needed to cure throughout the winter months. Why? Because, hogs would fill up on fall crops like apples and acorns, making the meat more delicious. All the mature animals would be harvested throughout the fall and early winter before they started to lose their mass from the lean winter months.

In honor of this old way of life, we decided to dedicate this fall issue of Food Life to pork. We talk with Elliott Moss, the king of whole hog cooking in WNC about his brand new restaurant Buxton Hall. We take a look at pig farming and how animals can be treated humanely and with respect, even when they are being raised for meat. We also put together a WNC BBQ map for those of you who love BBQ as much as we do!

And for those of you who don’t love pork, we have some vegetarian reading, too! We meet the owners of Mother Earth Produce, who are innovators in farm to table eating, we learn to bake a pie with Smoke Signals Bakery and we hear from Ashley English about getting back to our roots.

Plus we take a look at eating local in Chattanooga!

Fall is my favorite time of year in the mountains. I love the cooler temperatures and the feeling that all my summer goodies have been put up for winter. But as a Foodie, I look forward to a whole new season of flavors most of all.

Dig in y’all.

EDITOR twelsh@iwanna.com

6

FOODLIFEMAG.COM | FALL 2015

General Manager/Publisher PATRICIA MARTIN BETTS Editor TIFFANY WELSH Art Director CARRIE HARDER Production/IT Manager JEFF RUMINSKI Contributors MAGGIE CRAMER ASHLEY ENGLISH STU HELM TARA JENSEN JOSH O’CONNER TIM ROBISON NOAH RAPER ROBINS Advertising Consultants PAMELA HART PAM HENSLEY RICK JENKINS ROBERTA LLOYD ROSE LUNSFORD CRYSTAL PRESSLEY Production RACHEL HOEFT RANDY WHITTINGTON

ASHEVILLE CITY MARKET December 19 Saturdays 8-1

ASHEVILLE CITY MARKET SOUTH October 28 Wednesdays 12-4

BLACK MOUNTAIN TAILGATE MARKET October 31 Saturdays 9-12

FRENCH BROAD FOOD CO-OP TAILGATE MARKET November 25 Wednesdays 2-6

HENDERSON COUNTY TAILGATE MARKET November 28, Saturdays 7-12

LEICESTER FARMERS MARKET

December 12, Saturdays 9-2

Distribution Manager SAM HOWELL

MILLS RIVER FARMERS MARKET

A Publication of

NORTH ASHEVILLE TAILGATE MARKET

I WA N N A P UB L I C AT I ON S 2 2 G A RF I E L D STR E E T, SUI TE 100 A S HE VI L L E , N C 28803 828. 210. 0340 Food Life, a publication of IWANNA, has accepted contributions which may not reflect the opinion of the publisher. No portion of Food Life may be reproduced without permission of the publisher.

October 31, Saturdays 8-12

November 21, Saturdays 8-12

ORIGINAL WAYNESVILLE TAILGATE MARKET October 31 Wednesdays + Saturdays 8-12

WEAVERVILLE TAILGATE MARKET

October 28, Wednesdays 2:30-6:30

WEST ASHEVILLE TAILGATE MARKET

November 24, Tuesdays 3:30-6:30 For a complete list of the 90+ tailgates in the region, including their season closing dates, visit ASAP’s online Local Food Guide at appalachiangrown.org.

FALL 2015 | FOODLIFEMAG.COM

7

FEATURE

CHEF

His Course to

F How Asheville chef

Elliott Moss went from cooking fried chicken to Buxton Hall.

by MAGGIE CRAMER photos by TIM ROBISON

by TIM ROBISON 8photographs FOODLIFEMAG.COM | FALL 2015

photographs by TIM ROBISON

FIND BUXTON HALL ONLINE AT BUXTONHALL.COM

FOOD — BARBECUE IN PARTICULAR — certainly played a starring role in Elliott Moss’s upbringing. ‘Que was the cuisine of his hometown, Florence, SC, and his family cooked up whole-hogs for the holidays. But ask him why he started cooking at 17, and he won’t wax poetic about his now highly successful career being a calling since the crib.

“My friend’s dad was the owner of a Chick-fil-A, so I got the job pretty easily,” he quips. Like most teenagers, he wasn’t sure what he wanted to spend the rest of his life doing. The gig was steady and the pay good, so he couldn’t complain, especially once he was promoted to a management role. Plus, it meant he wasn’t welding, which might have been expected of him—his dad and grandfather were both welders.

“Most of the men in my family had really hard jobs,” he shares. Although welding wasn’t his thing, it wasn’t the difficulty that kept him out of the family trade.

“I really enjoy hard work, and running a kitchen is hard work. I think a lot of people don’t understand how hard it is.”

Fast food, he says, really gets a bad rap—written off as too easy, or amateur cooking. But he swears by it as the best culinary education he could have received. “I feel like people who start in fast food have a leg up on kids straight out of school, where they can’t teach you volume and how to order, organize, and clean.”

He quickly discovered, though, fine dining folks don’t see drive-thrus that way. After eight years on the line, he was ready to move on—he just couldn’t get hired. Then, he caught a break.

A Series of Serendipitous Events

In 2005, Moss’s friends opened the bar/restaurant The Whig in Columbia and brought him on board, taking a chance that he could handle a formal kitchen. There, he started to connect to food and cooking in a different way, and began to feel fulfilled by his work.

“With food, you get gratification instantly,” he notes. “You can see

“Everything I’m doing has a story from my childhood or is a dish I ate growing up.”

someone eating something you’ve just made and feel the sense if they like it or not.”

But he didn’t feel satisfied in Columbia.

So, he headed to Philadelphia with $3,000 in his pocket. “I thought that was going to last me a few months, but it lasted two weeks,” he laughs.

He sauntered over to the restaurant across the street from his apartment to see if they were hiring. They offered him a job on the spot, promoting him to chef a couple weeks later. Its menu was a far cry from what he had been cooking: The eatery served up Italian fare in a predominately Muslim and Jewish neighborhood. That meant no pork, Moss’s favorite protein. He started experimenting and branching

out, working for the first time with local farmers and seafood suppliers.

Moss says he wouldn’t trade his time spent in Philly, sampling a wide array of ethnic foods and learning about cultural diets. But he missed home—he missed Southern food.

He and his then-fiancé, now wife, settled on Asheville to be closer to their families. And the guys who gave him his big break at the Whig decided to open the Admiral, granting Moss culinary carte blanche.

Where’s the BBQ?

That was 2007. Moss was excited by the opportunity the Admiral presented, but equally enthusiastic to be back around barbecue. “I was always hearing FALL 2015 | FOODLIFEMAG.COM

9

FEATURE

CHEF

about North Carolina barbeque growing up,” he shares. But he soon found himself asking, “Where’s the ‘que?”

“When I moved to Columbia, I took barbecue for granted,” he says. “There were just a ton of barbecue joints around my hometown.”

Seeing only a handful in Asheville, and none doing it like they did in Florence, the seed was planted for him to bring a whole-hog, SC-style joint to town.

Moss admits that it took him a while to settle into the mountains, literally and figuratively. He stayed on at the Admiral until 2013, while Asheville started to “grow on him.” Then he bounced around, launching Ben’s Tune-Up and two pop-up restaurants: Punk Wok and the Thunderbird, both at MG Road, Chai Pani’s craft cocktail bar. There, he formed a partnership with owner Meherwan Irani that the two hope will go down in hog history.

“Asheville’s definitely my home now,” Moss says, no doubt owing, in part, to the fact that these days the smell of a whole hog cooking over a wood fire fills the air around the South Slope, where he and Irani opened their barbecue baby, Buxton Hall, in late August.

Now Serving: Nostalgia

“Buxton Hall is 100 percent nostalgia,” Moss describes. “Everything I’m doing has a story from my childhood or is a dish I ate growing up, including those 10

FOODLIFEMAG.COM | FALL 2015

you can only find in the area of South Carolina where I’m from”—think chicken bog, catfish stew, and barbecue hash and rice.

Unfortunately, Moss notes that many of his favorite joints are changing the way they do things, from the traditional whole-hog, wood-fired method to quick-cooking cuts and gas flames. “I remember how the barbecue of my childhood used to taste, and it doesn’t taste the same anymore. It’s sad. I’m trying to help preserve that.”

Moss continues, “If I couldn’t cook with all wood, and if I had to compromise and just cook Boston butts, then I wouldn’t be doing Buxton Hall.”

He’s working with local farmers to get pasture-raised pigs.

The fire’s the thing—a connection that, in a way, carries on his family’s welding roots.

“It’s something special that you can build a fire and watch it all night,” he says, adding, “that you can take a whole animal and respect it and cook it whole and have a product that comes out perfectly. It doesn’t get more gratifying than that.”

The fire burns 24 hours a day at Buxton Hall, which affords Moss and his team a unique opportunity: “There are a lot of coals and embers, a lot of energy,” he shares. “I’ve got to find a way to utilize that.” He envisions endless possibilities.

“I don’t want to put any rules on anything. Five years from now our dinner menu might seem a little strange for a barbecue restaurant.”

But today, the focus is on serving up great barbecue and creating a ‘cue culture. “I know we’ll always have barbecue, and hopefully it’ll be the best in town,” Moss says. Down the road, he’d love to see Asheville known as a whole-hog, wood-cooked barbecue town, with joints dotting the landscape just like Florence. In fact, he hopes some of his opening crew will start more smoky spots. “I’d just love it.”

MAGGIE CRAMER is an Ashevillebased freelance writer, editor, and communications specialist. She can be reached at mcramerwrites@gmail.com

FALL 2015 | FOODLIFEMAG.COM

11

FEATURE

FO O D M ATTE R S M A R KE T

WHERE FOOD, HEALTH & LOCAL MATTER Food Matters Market seeks to change the grocery shopping experience.

by MAGGIE CRAMER AL KIRCHNER CAME TO ASHEVILLE in the late-1980s to retire, not to start a career in the natural foods store business.

But that plan didn’t last long.

He started mentoring countless local companies almost as soon as he arrived. “From a salt business to,” he trails off, “I can’t even remember them all!” And that’s how he got in the grocery game.

In demand as a consultant, in 1996, he helped Earth Fare open its second location. Not long after, he aided in the appointment of Michael Cianciarulo as CEO, who stayed on with Earth Fare until 2008.

The two struck up a friendship and discovered they shared a philosophy about the grocery experience: that stores should be intimate, community-based marketplaces where quality, health, local—and, of course, food—matter. A business partnership and dreams for Food Matters Market were born.

12

FOODLIFEMAG.COM | FALL 2015

Going Where the Big Guys Don’t

Several years ago, the duo began charting a course to open Food Matters stores in areas that may not have access to healthy food options. Their target communities: those with populations between 15,000 and 30,000 people.

But as with his retirement scheme, Kirchner points out, with a laugh, he hasn’t entirely kept course: In 2012, he and Cianciarulo opened their first store in Brevard, a town of less than 8,000 people—they opened their second location in Hickory, population around 40,000, in June. The target remains the same, though, and they’re scheduled to open in Morganton in December, working toward more than a dozen stores throughout the Southeast by 2018.

Good Things Come in Small Packages

Although setting up shop in smaller communities can be risky business—particularly moving into a community even smaller than they originally envisioned—so far, it’s working.

“We became more successful in Brevard sooner than we thought we would,” Kirchner shares. The reason, he posits?

“We get involved in the community.” They partner with bike groups, arts organizations, Brevard College, and the list goes on.

They also partner with local farmers and food producers to deliver on their belief that local matters.

FOR MORE INFORMATION, VISIT FOODMATTERSMARKET.COM “We work with farms in a five-county radius,” shares Sam Lee, Brevard store manager. “We stay in touch with our farmers and try to know in advance of bountiful yields that we can bring to our customers quickly.” This summer, that meant ripe peaches and juicy blackberries.

“The farmers know we support them, and they know we’ll help them with everything from over-production to certification or paperwork,” Lee adds. In fact, Brevard produce manager Jenny McCall recently helped regular suppliers Pitch Pine Farm secure a grant for a greenhouse, which the farmers hope will allow them to grow produce for Food Matters year-round.

“We call our customers ‘locavores,’” Kirchner explains, they want to know about and be connected to their food.

That can happen more easily, he says, in a small store.

In addition to serving less-populated areas, each Food Matters Market has a small footprint, between 8,000 and 12,000 square feet.

“The intimacy of our stores differentiates us from others and is a key component of what we do,” Kirchner notes. “You come in and everything is close to you,” he says, meaning products and people. “Our team members are close, and they’re knowledgeable; you’re their friend in the store, not just a body.”

He adds, “By being an intimate store, it means that our staff and shoppers get to engage in a conversation about the qualities of our food, what our food does, and what our products do.”

Kirchner remembers going on grocery runs as a young boy in his hometown of Alma, Wisconsin—today, home to only 700 folks. “You’d see two or three guys in the store standing around talking, solving all the local problems three or four times,” he recalls. That’s the scene he hopes is being recreated daily in Food Matters markets.

Fully Stocked

Although the stores are diminutive, Kirchner, Cianciarulo, and team make sure each has it all: organic and local produce, dairy, meat, supplements, healthy home products, and everything in between. And, each store houses a deli, serving up fresh sandwiches, soups, and salads. The small profile means lower operating costs so that product prices are comparable to other grocers.

In Brevard, Food Matters works directly with a handful of farmers, including Pitch Pine, Mother Clucker’s, Queen’s Produce and Berry Farm, and Brasstown Beef; in Hickory, they stock product from about a dozen. When it comes to local food producers and entrepreneurs, they work with more than 25 vendors, who provide everything from pimento cheese to goat milk gelato.

But Kirchner stresses that at Food Matters, it’s about much more than what’s for sale. “It isn’t just a box on a shelf. It’s the intimacy and connectivity that goes with that box or that product.” photos by TIM ROBISON

FALL 2015 | FOODLIFEMAG.COM

13

o? d u o y n a c e u ‘q h c u m w o h

Hi Folks! It's me, Stu Helm, The Food Fan! Y'know what? I've eaten a lot of BBQ since I've moved to Western North Carolina, but when Food Life Mag sent me this list of BBQ joints and asked me to design one of my maps for them, I realized how much BBQ I haven't eaten since I moved here ten years ago! Good lord. Of the 27 venues on the list, I've only eaten at five! Food panic. Must. Try. Them.

AWWWLLLLL!!! To help people like you and me -- obsessive Food Fans -- I've made my map into a check-list too. I’ll see you in Etowah!

And Candler... and Black Mountain... and Pisgah Forest... I'll be the short guy with a greasy map in his pudgy fist. Groan.

2. Luella’s Bar-B-Que 501 Merrimon Ave, Asheville (828) 505-7427 • luellasbbq.com Mon-Thurs: 11am-9pm; Fri & Sat: 11am-10pm; Sun: 12pm-9pm

10. Okie Dokies Smokehouse 2375 US-70, Swannanoa (828) 686-0050 • okiedokiesbbq.com Mon-Sat: 11am-8pm

19. Dickey's Barbecue Pit 235 St John Rd, Fletcher (828) 303-2190 • dickeys.com Mon-Sun: 11am-9pm

11. Phil's Bar-B-Que Pit 701 NC-9, Black Mountain (828) 669-3606 • philsbarbquepit.com Sun-Thurs: 11am-8pm; Fri & Sat: 11am-9pm

20. Circle B Ranch BBQ 655 Airport Rd, Fletcher (828) 687-2323 Tues-Sat: 11am -8pm

3. Bonfire Barbecue 1056 Patton Ave, Asheville (828) 255-0020 • bonfireavl.com Sun-Thurs: 11am-11pm; Fri & Sat: 11am-12am

12. Butts On The Creek 1584 Soco Rd, Maggie Valley (828) 926-7885 Tues-Sat: 11:30am-9pm; Sun: 11:30am-8pm

4. 12 Bones Smokehouse 5 Riverside Dr, Asheville (828) 253-4499 • 12bones.com Mon-Fri: 11am-4pm

13. Haywood Smokehouse 79 Elysinia Ave, Waynesville (828) 456-7275 haywoodsmokehouse.com

21. Hawg Wild Barbeque 91 Pisgah Hwy, Pisgah Forest (828) 877-4404 hawgwildbar-b-que.com Tues-Sun: 11am-8pm

5. Buxton Hall BBQ 32 Banks Ave, Asheville (828) 232-7216 • buxtonhall.com Tues-Sun: 11:30am-3pm; 5:30pm-10pm

14. Fat Buddies Ribs & Barbecue 193 Waynesville Plaza, Waynesville (828) 456-6368 fatbuddiesribsandbbq.com Mon-Sat: 11am- 9pm

1. Moe's Original Bar B Que 72 Weaverville Rd, Woodfin (828) 505-3542 • moesoriginalbbq.com

6. Creekside Taphouse 8 Beverly Rd, Asheville (828) 575-2880 • creeksidetaphouse.com Mon-Thurs: 11:30am-1am; Fri & Sat: 11:30am-2am; Sun: 12pm-12am 7. Little Pigs BBQ 384 McDowell St, Asheville (828) 254-4253 • littlepigsbbq.net Mon-Sat: 10:30am-8pm

16. Okie Dokies Smokehouse 801 Smoky Park Highway, Candler 828-633-0777 • okiedokiesbbq.com Mon-Sat:11am-7pm

8. Moe's Original BBQ 4 Sweeten Creek Rd, Asheville (828) 505-3542 • moesoriginalbbq.com

17. Dickey's Barbecue Pit 1636 Hendersonville Rd #125, Asheville (828) 277-5221 • dickeys.com Mon-Sun: 11am-9pm

9. Webo's BBQ Suite C8, 800 Fairview Rd, Asheville (828) 298-1035 • webosbbq.com Tues-Fri: 11am-6pm

14

15. Dickey's Barbecue Pit 66 New Clyde Hwy, Canton (828) 492-1112 • dickeys.com Mon-Sun: 11am-9pm

FOODLIFEMAG.COM | FALL 2015

18. 12 Bones Smokehouse 3578 Sweeten Creek Rd, Arden (828) 687-1395 • 12bones.com Tues-Sat: 11am-4pm; 4pm-6pm: TAKE OUT ONLY

22. Bad Wolf BBQ & Country Kitchen 6577 Brevard Rd, Etowah (828) 891-9329 23. J-Bobs Smokin Pit 6577 Brevard Rd, Etowah (828) 595-9770 • jbobssmokinpit.com Tues-Sat: 11am-8pm; Sun: 9:30am-2pm 24. Moe's Original BBQ 114 N Main St, Hendersonville (828) 505-3542 • moesoriginalbbq.com 25. Flat Rock Wood Room 1501 Greenville Hwy, Hendersonville (828) 435-1391• flatrockwoodroom.com 26. Hubba Hubba Smokehouse 2724 Greenville Hwy, Flat Rock (828) 694-3551 hubbahubbasmokehouse.com Tues & Wed: 11am-3pm; Thurs: 11am - 5:30pm; Fri & Sat: 11am-7pm 27. Green River Barbeque 131 US-176, Saluda (828) 749-9892 • greenriverbbq.com Mon: 11am-8pm; Tues-Sat: 11am-9pm; Sun: 12pm-8pm

t and Checklis 1. Moe's Original BBQ 2. Luella’s Bar-B-Que 3. Bonfire Barbecue 4. 12 Bones Smokehouse 5. Buxton Hall BBQ 6. Creekside Taphouse 7. Little Pigs BBQ 8. Moe's Original Bar B Que 9. Webo's BBQ 10. Okie Dokies Smokehouse 11. Phil's Bar-B-Que Pit 12. Butts On The Creek 13. Haywood Smokehouse 14. Fat Buddies Ribs & Barbecue 15. Dickey's Barbecue Pit 16. Okie Dokies Smokehouse 17. Dickey's Barbecue Pit 18. 12 Bones Smokehouse 19. Dickey's Barbecue Pit 20. Circle B Ranch BBQ 21. Hawg Wild Barbeque 22. Bad Wolf BBQ & Country Kitchen 23. J-Bobs Smokin Pit 24. Moe's Original BBQ 25. Flat Rock Wood Room 26. Hubba Hubba Smokehouse 27. Green River Barbeque

276 12

40 14

Lake Junaluska

Maggie Valley 13 50 mins from avl

25 26

French Broad River

Waynesville 276

3

74

6

240

4

74

74

7

26

9

25

8

240

Weaverville 20 mins from avl

Montreat

Woodfin

40

11

10

40

Asheville

Swannanoa

240

17

Candler

18

Black Mountain 20-25 mins from avl

Biltmore Forest

9

74 20 19

Try ‘em

all!

25 Fletcher 191

Mills River 22 23

276

21

Pisgah Brevard

64

Etowah

280

64

MAP & DESIGN BY STU HELM

Asheville

70

16

Canton

Woodfin

2

5

15

23

Weaverville

1

45 - 55 Forest mins from avl

64 74 24 25

Hendersonville

26

Flat Rock 25

27

Saluda

40 mins from avl

176

FALL 2015 | FOODLIFEMAG.COM

15

FEATURE

DRY R I D GE FA R M

The New American Farmer: Root and Wallow

T

THOUGH THEY AREN’T NATIVE to Madison County, both Graham and Wendy Brugh do hail from North Carolina. After working for other farms for several years, they realized they wanted to purchase some land and farm for themselves. The cooler weather brought them to the western part of North Carolina, where they settled on 43-acres of rolling hillside in Mars Hill.

Through their shared passion for working outdoors and farming, they established Dry Ridge Farm.

Nearly four years later, their farm offers a down to earth approach to livestock production that emphasizes both meat quality and a humane experience for the animals. All of the livestock on the farm are pasture-raised with the intent of providing the animals with access to a more natural setting. The farm focuses on meats and currently offers pork, lamb, chicken, beef, and egg products to its cus16

FOODLIFEMAG.COM | FALL 2015

by JOSH O’CONNER

tomers. The animals here are raised without the use of routine antibiotics, added hormones, or steroids.

As Wendy says, “We farm because we enjoy it and we enjoy having the animals out on pasture.” She also points out that while pasture-raised livestock does offer some additional value to consumers, the farm’s focus is on creating a humane environment for its animals. “We raise all our animals on pasture so that they are able to exhibit their natural behaviors and so that they have an opportunity to root and wallow. We raise them on pasture because I can’t imagine having an animal live its entire life in a ten foot square cage indoors.”

One element that sets Dry Ridge Farm apart from many other pasture-raised livestock farms is the fact that the Brughs utilize a “birth to finish” method of livestock production. Rather than purchasing juvenile animals,

FOR MORE INFORMATION, VISIT DRYRIDGEFARM.ORG

the farm maintains its own specially curated breeding stock. Ultimately, the Brughs are able to control most aspects of the animal rearing process in a manner, which reflects their standards and values. Breeds are selected as a function of their production performance and their parenting abilities.

Wendy highlights that: “There aren’t many farms that have animals born on their farms that are raised all the way through to market meat and sales.”

Hereford pigs are the Brughs’ go to breed for pork. The Livestock Conversancy estimates that there are less than 2,000 Hereford pigs in the United States today. The Hereford is characterized by its red body color and white trim (giving it an appearance remarkably similar to Hereford cattle).

Dry Ridge Farm’s entire herd of hogs are registered Herefords. Focusing on a specific breed allows the farm to achieve a quality and consistency

in their products that can be passed along to consumers.

Prior to reaching a customer’s table, Dry Ridge Farm works with Well Jenkins Fresh Meats in Johnson City, Tennessee to process their pork and lamb into market ready products. Foothills Pilot Plant in Marion, North Carolina prepares the farm’s chicken products.

In addition to selling standard cuts of meats, Dry Ridge Farm also offers some additional value-added products such as cured meats, chorizo, sausages, etc. Customers can purchase meats by the pound or cut and the farm also offers meat CSA subscriptions from September through December.

In the coming months, the Brughs will be transitioning away from lamb and more toward beef. This change will aid in streamlining the farm’s operations and in the focus on rotational grazing, which cows are well suited to-

ward. Rotational grazing is an important part of regenerating the pastureland. While the Brughs look at farming as a labor of love, they also see this as an opportunity to preserve farmland for future generations – protecting the open spaces and bucolic setting from the threat of development.

Dry Ridge Farms products can be sampled in the cuisines of Chestnut, Curate, Sovereign Remedies, Sweet Monkey Bakery, and Home Grown.

Customers can also find the farm’s meats at the West Asheville Tailgate Market, the River Arts District Market, Asheville City Market, and the TD Saturday Market in Greenville, SC. Josh O’Conner is an urban/land use planner with a passion for food and urban agriculture.

photos by TIFFANY WELSH FALL 2015 | FOODLIFEMAG.COM

17

THECIDERFACTS

DRINKERS

ARE UNDER

70

SOUTHEAST REGION

GA 13% FL 13%

MIDWEST 23%

SC 4%% 4 TN

4%

IC NT A L T DA % MI 25

AL

S.EAST 5% 6% EST S.W

ST WE H RT NO 18%

%

1 CIDER

DRINKERS

NORTH CAROLINA 60%

35

9

GALLON

OF

3 12 19 23 84 154 2011-2015

30

CIDER PRODUCERS

BY US REGION

WE ST 10% NORTH EAS 12% T

APPLES TO MAKE

OF

2005-2010

DRINKERS

50

VS.

38 CIDER

1996-2000

%

16LBS OF

%

1991-1995

AVERAGE ALCOHOL CONTENT

+

VARIETIES OF CIDER APPLES

1986-1990

50

1NCIDERY IN C 2007 ST

%

BEFORE 1985

6

1INCIDERY THE US C T 1881

60

365

ST

2001-2005

MOST CIDERIES N Y

THERE ARE

NUMBER OF NEW CIDER PRODUCERS

BRITAIN PRODUCES MORE CIDER THAN ANY OTHER NATION - USING

57

%APPLES

OF ALL THE

GROWN IN UK

©IWANNA, USA LLC 2015 • DESIGNED BY CARRIE HARDER

18

FOODLIFEMAG.COM | FALL 2015

FALL 2015 | FOODLIFEMAG.COM

19

FEATURE

M O T H E R E A R T H P R O D UC E

Delivering Delicious Mother Earth Produce allows everyone to live a local, sustainable food lifestyle, regardless of busy schedules.

W

by TIFFANY WELSH

WHEN ANDREA & GRAHAM DUVALL moved to Asheville from Atlanta four years ago, they weren’t planning to start a business. Andrea had a corporate sales job and Graham was a horticulturalist. They worked hard and sometimes long hours. They knew what it was like to be too busy to make it to the farmer’s market for fresh food. Both assumed with the abundance of farms in Asheville, that there must be someone who was delivering fresh produce. After a search on Google, they were only able to find one other produce delivery business, South Mountain Veggies, based out of Maryland.

In early 2012, the Duvalls reached out to Tony Brusco, owner of South Mountain Veggies, for some advice on starting a delivery business of their own and, beyond their expectations, Tony agreed to be their mentor. They cashed in 401K plans, rented warehouse space, bought a delivery van and started making farm connections.

And the rest, as they say, is history.

For those familiar with the CSA

20

FOODLIFEMAG.COM | FALL 2015

THE MOTHER EARTH PRODUCE team ready for daily deliveries. concept, this may seem like nothing more than a door to door CSA - but it is much more than that. When you order from Mother Earth you have the option to order a standard bin or to customize your bin. They publish a weekly menu of what types of seasonal fruits and vegetables will be stocked in the standard bin. Customers can also choose to customize their bin with more of one thing and less of another or even to add products like eggs, dairy, breads, jam and more. In addition, there is no commitment. You can choose a regular weekly delivery, every other week, once a month or just the occasional delivery when you can’t make it to market. And it’s available year-round. Plus, door to door delivery is free.

The beauty of working with Mother Earth Produce is that you still get to support local and regional farmers, even if your schedule or location won’t allow you to participate in a CSA or

visit a farmer’s market. According to their website, the Mother Earth vision is to allow each person in the community the option of living a local, sustainable food lifestyle regardless of busy schedules.

Today they are serving 350 customers per week in Asheville, Greenville and Spartanburg. But Andrea says they are really just hitting their stride now. They have plans to expand, both in number of customers and in areas served. In preparation for expansion, they participated in the first round of Scale Up WNC hosted by Advantage West earlier this year. Scale Up WNC is targeted at established small businesses who have been in operation at least two years and are ready for expansion. Andrea describes the program as “awesome”. Being a part of this program really helped them by providing networking opportunities with other business owners, it gave them the means to go for a second

FOR MORE INFORMATION, LOOK FOR THEIR AD ON PAGE 25 delivery van and really prepared them for public speaking, which turned out to be very timely. During the program, they had no idea they would be selected to compete in a big-time business competition just a few months later.

Mother Earth Produce was one of 30 semifinalists chosen to compete in the Miller Lite Tap the Future small-business competition. Now in it’s third year, the contest drew over 1,000 applications. Being a part of the Scale Up program allowed them to really dig in and look at what was working for their business and where they needed to improve. Obviously, their analysis and planning paid off. Andrea and Graham took home the $20,000 cash prize at the regional competition in Atlanta this past July. Winning the regional competition also earned them a place at the finals in September against five other companies. Although they didn’t win at the finals, when I spoke to Graham he was very enthusiastic about the learning experience they

were afforded by the contest.

Both Andrea and Graham are some of the most gracious people I have had the pleasure to talk with. I have a feeling that this is just the beginning of the wonderful things that will come from Mother Earth Produce. The food

may not have brought them to WNC, but now they are here to stay. In Andrea’s words, “The quality of life here is great. We live in a paradise.” photos by TIFFANY WELSH

FALL 2015 | FOODLIFEMAG.COM

21

FEATURE

WA R R E N WI L S O N C O L L E GE FA R M

Warren Wilson College Farm Producing Leaders & Grass-Fed Beef

by NOAH RAPER ROBINS photos by TIFFANY WELSH

I

N THE HEART OF the Swannanoa River Valley between Black Mountain and Asheville, Warren Wilson College Farm is a mixed crop and livestock operation producing high quality agricultural products while also helping to meet the college’s threepronged goals of work, service and academics. The farm continues an agricultural tradition that dates back to 1894 with Warren Wilson’s forerunner institution, the Asheville Farm School.

All students at Warren Wilson must participate in the college’s work program to graduate, typically working 480 hours per year on one of the work crews that support the college’s operations; this work is on top of academics and other pursuits. Under the super22

FOODLIFEMAG.COM | FALL 2015

vision of two full-time farm managers, the farm is run by a crew of roughly 2530 students and operates 365 days a year. Both farm managers are Warren Wilson College alumni; Assistant Manager Virginia Hamilton (class of 2013) has been in her role nearly two years, and Asher Wright (a 2008 graduate) has just returned to campus to assume the position of head Farm Manager.

For the managers, the work is rewarding and fun, and much more than a full-time job. I caught up with Virginia in the first few weeks of the fall semester, when things are especially busy – as she puts it: “As managers, we have a different time scale to most – we’re plotting out what needs to get done day-to-day, but also need

to think about 6 months out, 2 years ahead, for the goals we have then and the bigger picture. It’s all a web.”

Students on the farm crew commit to the stringent standards of the overall college work program as well as the particular duties of farm labor and operations. Not many students are put off by these requirements, according to Virginia: “we have a lot of students join the farm crew, and not many leave.” Students are responsible for a broad array of work, from operating machinery to harvesting crops, all of which instills a sense of collective responsibility and inspires a familial feel to the crew. Many students also couple their farm crew experience with academic study in a related ma-

FOR MORE INFORMATION, VISIT WARREN-WILSON.EDU

jor (sustainable agriculture is a popular choice). The college’s materials on the work program emphasize the value of labor: cultivation of skills vital to future work in any number of careers, including the ability to collaborate, communicate, take initiative and think analytically. Above all, Warren Wilson and the farm managers point to the strength of their program for student leadership development and the honing of a strong work ethic.

For the farm crew in particular, that strong work ethic is needed: the crew tend 275 acres divided among 25 fields of bottomland and sloping pasture along the Swannanoa, surrounding the Warren Wilson campus. While inherently educational, the farm is very

much a working operation, raising beef cattle, hogs and chickens along with an array of mixed crops. The farm practices sustainable agriculture, a much-used term in farming circles, but one with many different meanings.

The Warren Wilson farm defines sustainable quite poetically: as “farming in a style that is environmentally sound and economically viable, provides valuable and satisfying work to us, and is based on the humane and careful husbandry of our cattle and swine.”

And the farm truly practices what it preaches. The farm’s herd of Black Angus cattle graze on permanent pastures from March to November, and the farm produces grains such as corn, wheat, barley and oats, rotated with FALL 2015 | FOODLIFEMAG.COM

23

FEATURE

WA R R E N WI L S O N C O L L E GE FA R M

an alfalfa-based hay mix. By plowing the alfalfa down for the subsequent corn crop, the farm produces high grain yields and is able to avoid using pesticides or herbicides in crop production. Crop fields are planted with wide riparian buffers, pastures undergo intensive grazing management, and a program of farm scale composting returns nutrients back to the soil. These sustainable practices have garnered attention and recognition; 24

FOODLIFEMAG.COM | FALL 2015

the Buncombe County Soil and Water Conservation District have named the farm a “River Friendly Farmer” for its efforts to exclude livestock from using streams as their water source. In 2002, the Carolina Farm Stewardship Association named Warren Wilson its non-profit “Steward of the Year,” recognizing both the college farm and garden operations for their sustainable practices.

While ensuring the long-term health

of the farm’s land, these practices also result in high-quality products for the farm’s consumers. All animals to be sold for meat are born on the farm and raised without the use of antibiotics or hormones. The farm’s beef is 100% grassfed, meaning healthier beef with higher levels of Omega-3 fatty acids, antioxidants and other benefits.

These products are available throughout the year direct from Warren Wilson at the college bookstore; the farm also sells bulk meat packages twice yearly at the spring and fall meat sales.

And tying in with the holistic nature of Warren Wilson’s mission, the college’s dining hall serves the farm’s beef, pork and chicken at several featured meals each week. Virginia also shared that the farm has plans for construction of an inspected kitchen onsite that will allow processing and production of more value-added products such as pancetta, salami, and other specialty meats; while expanding the range of the farm’s product offerings, it will also give students exposure to what Virginia dubs “the art of charcuterie.”

Warren Wilson College farm welcomes visitors, but stresses that tours are only available on a pre-arranged basis and visitors may not enter fields, pens and pastures. The farm maintains active social media accounts to share photos, news, and updates, and stay tuned: the farm frequently hosts plow days and other special events to feature the practices and products that make the farm such a unique part of western North Carolina’s agricultural landscape.

For more information, visit the Warren Wilson College farm website at https://inside.warren-wilson.edu/~farm/index.php or find Warren Wilson College farm on Instagram and Facebook.

Noah Raper Robins, a native of Madison County, grew up on a farm and is passionate about all things local, particularly food and drink.

FALL 2015 | FOODLIFEMAG.COM

25

THE GUIDE

KI T C H E N C O N VE R S ATI O N S

Smoke Signals

by TIFFANY WELSH Photos by TARA JENSEN & LYDIA SEE IT WAS A COOL, RAINY MORNING when I made my way to the tiny community of Walnut, just outside of Marshall, to meet with Tara Jensen, owner of Smoke Signals Bakery. I have long been a follower of Tara’s on social media but never imagined her bakery to be tucked away in such a beautiful little cove in Madison county. I was greeted at the door with a smile and a warm piece of apple pie, so I knew right away we were going to get along fabulously.

for my parents, it ends up being terrible and it’s hilarious because she says, “you should’ve measured…” There is a confidence behind what you’re doing where you just throw things in there. But inevitably when I bake for my parents it’s very humbling, they are the ultimate critics.

My dad loves baked goods and so

Let me start off by saying, this pie is delicious.

Thanks, the apples are still kind of green. I was brought up in the kitchen beside my mom, so I got to learn the domestic stuff. She is an excellent baker and she’s always baking cakes.

But she’s very precise and we’re two very different kinds of women. When she watches me bake, she’s like “Oh my god, you’re not measuring anything.” And whenever I make a pie 26

FOODLIFEMAG.COM | FALL 2015

I always use him as a sounding board. But a lot of times he’s much too lenient. He’ll eat anything.

I am personally that way. If I didn’t make it, it is excellent.

Pie is a little more forgiving if you just throw things in. Cakes and cookies and some of the more difficult pastries and bread can be really exact, where everything just falls apart if you don’t measure. Pie filling is kind of a free for all.

Yes, it’s like the soup of the pastry world. Just put it all in there and keep your fingers crossed.

Where are you from originally?

TARA JENSEN

I grew up in Maine. I went to college in Maine and then I moved to Vermont the day I graduated college. I ended up doing a baking trek around the country in my twenties. I moved to Asheville in 2005, but that was just a pit stop on my baking tour, then I came back here in

FOR MORE INFORMATION, VISIT SMOKESIGNALSBAKING.COM 2010 and I’ve been here since then. Or maybe it was actually 2008, I’m horrible with dates.

How did you get started in the baking business?

I started baking in college. I went into this little bakery, the Morning Glory Bakery in Bar Harbor, Maine and there were all these awesome women, covered in tattoos listening to Patti Smith and I just thought, “I want to hang out here. I just have to be a part of this and I don’t care what happens.” So I started off as a counter girl there, then graduated to doing stuff in the back.

It is so peaceful out here.

I feel very lucky everyday for sure. I feel very much in the steward role, because I’m one of many bakers who have been in this space and I’m sure there will be others after me, but this is my incarnation. I feel very fortunate to be here for sure. Originally this land was purchased by Jen Lapidus in the late 1990s. She lived in the house and worked here as Natural Bridge Bakery. Now she runs Carolina Ground Flour Mill. She had trained with Alan Scott, so he came and built the oven.

This was her original oven. When she was getting ready to pass the torch, she called Alan and said, “Do you know anyone who would be interested in coming here?” Dave Bauer (of Farm and Sparrow Bakery) happened to be by his side, so Dave came down here thinking he would try it out for 6 months. Now he obviously has Farm and Sparrow in a permanent location, he also has All Souls Pizza and other new projects in the works.

Is this the first time you have worked with a wood fired oven?

Prior to starting Smoke Signals, I

worked at Farm and Sparrow bakery when they occupied this building. I got in contact with Dave from Vermont.

I was doing production baking, high volume baking and I was looking for a little bit more intimate setting. So I moved to Asheville and I would drive here from Asheville everyday to bake.

Baking for Dave at Farm and Sparrow was my first experience with the wood fired oven. I did the pastry and some of the bread production there and I was there for about 3 and a half years.

That was sort of my last stop, but it was also the most important stop in terms of realizing that

So what made you decide to start your own bakery business?

I always paralleled my day life as a baker, with an art career at night. I had varying levels of success with both things, but when I turned 30 I had a life question mark, the way a lot of people do, and I thought I’m going to go with baking, because that’s practical. It’s the trade I’ve learned and I realized there was only so much I could learn from others before I internalized it and had to do it for myself. When Farm and Sparrow moved to Candler, this was just empty. It was like somebody was baking and just left one day. So I came back a couple of years later and with the help of Jen, I took it over and have been here since.

You do a lot of workshops, pizza, bread, pies…what made you decide to start doing that?

baking could be a way of life and not just a job. I’ve always loved working in bakeries, but they were high volume production level. When I came down here and it was more of a science experiment or an art project, we were organizing our lives around the bakery.

It was a very different, craft level, slower approach than I was used to and I thought, this is really good and I haven’t seen this anywhere else.

Everytime you share a picture of the fire going, it raises my temperature.

It gets hot in the summer, but in the winter it’s really cozy. Every time you fire the oven it’s different. There is such a different range of feelings. It’s definitely a living tool. Even though it’s very old it’s still very much alive.

I started doing the workshops at the end of September last year.

I really wanted to share this space. Alan Scott, who built the oven, was very influential in the world of wood fired baking.

Part of his philosophy around the oven was that it wasn’t just to make money for a baker, but it was a tool that was supposed to bring the community together. You can go to a bakery and purchase things, but rarely can you go to a bakery and bake. I wanted to open up the door to allow other people that experience. I wanted to expose what it’s like being a baker for the day. If you’ve learned something and you can turn around and reach your hand out and teach someone that it’s so crucial.

If we’re eating great pie along the way, that’s even better!

I was looking at your workshops this morning and I really want to come to the Apple Pie workshop in October. Is this the pie recipe you’re going to make?

I started off with Apple Pie. I thought, FALL 2015 | FOODLIFEMAG.COM

27

THE GUIDE

KI T C H E N C O N VE R S ATI O N S

hygge [HU-gah; Danish] noun

the feeling of warmth and camaraderie I want to teach a workshop. I love pastry, I love pie crust, this will be really manageable. Then I went down the wormhole of pie crust recipes and apples, as I was putting the materials together. I thought this is the most simple slash complex thing I’ve tried to do - this Apple Pie. I love sourcing apples from different orchards - so it’s fun as the season goes on, with the different apples. We usually have 5 or 6 different kinds and we’ll talk about the different flavors and we get to eat them and really get to know the apples.

That’s kind of one of the magical parts.

It’s a quintessential fall pie. I think everybody loves an apple pie.

There’s just something really nice about it. You can’t put your finger on

28

FOODLIFEMAG.COM | FALL 2015

it. There’s a Danish word that I learned recently, “hygge” - it is the feeling of warmth and camaraderie. It’s like eating something delicious with friends in candlelight. That feeling to me is so important to me, especially as we take this turn from summer into fall. Winter is stressful for a lot of people here in the mountains, so to have those glowing moments of friendship and food to keep you going are really important.

So what’s your favorite pie then?

Apple?

There are so many choices. I think sweet potato pie is my favorite.

I love sweet potatoes! I always say I would eat them every single day.

Yes, they are the best. I roast them in

the oven until the skins get kind of black and smoky and I’ll leave a little log in the back, so the smoke kind of penetrates the flesh of the sweet potato and they get really caramelized…just so many delicious sugars already present in the sweet potato. It’s also a very forgiving filling. I have a soft spot for sweet potatoes. Isn’t it the state vegetable?

And now I’m thinking, too - I grew up in Maine, where potatoes are the big thing and now I’m here and I like the sweet potato. It might just be I like the ground tubers.

I have a serious question, speaking of pie - butter or lard?

BUTTER! Maybe because that’s what I’ve learned and what I’m comfortable with. Also for teaching, I find it to be accessible. I think we have access to some really flavorful, great butter. So flavor versus flakiness. But I always encourage people to figure out what works for them and what they like.

So, I’ve not seen you at the tailgate market this year. Is there somewhere else to buy your bread?

I may go back to market in the fall season. It’s undecided at this point.

You can get the bread every Wednesday here in Madison County - Laurel River Store, Bluff Mountain Outfitters and Madison Natural Foods.

I am there by noon and it tends to go that day.

Pie Dough Recipe Courtesy of TARA JENSEN of SMOKE SIGNALS BAKERY 2 ½ C pastry flour (or all purpose) 1 ¼ C of cold, cubed butter ½ C of very cold water 1 tsp salt 1 Tbsp of sugar

Egg wash: 2 egg yolks & 2 Tbsp heavy cream Large, coarse sugar

THE NIGHT BEFORE cube butter into pea size pieces. Place in the freezer. Weigh out flour, toss in salt and sugar and place in fridge. Weigh out water and also place in the fridge to chill.

THE FOLLOWING DAY get out flour, water and butter. The butter will be quite cold, if not frozen.

Gently break apart any large clumps that have formed and add the cold butter to flour. Toss together.

Drizzle in water a tablespoon at a time. Mix together either by hand or in a food processor. As the dough comes together it will be quite shaggy. Add more water to the mixture as needed, going slowly.

Combine until there are no dry spots and you can still see visible pieces of butter. Divide the dough into two pieces. Gently press each into a disk. Wrap and let chill for 45 minutes. Remove from refrigeration, roll to 1/4 inch thick, place in your pie tin and fill with your favorite fresh ingredients.

FALL 2015 | FOODLIFEMAG.COM

29

Putting Down Roots IN THE SUMMER OF 2006, a few weeks after I turned 30, I took a friend and myself on an epic trip to the United Kingdom. After 4 days in London, we took a bus to Glasgow for an overnight stay before boarding a train and heading to the Scottish western highlands. At each stop en route to our destination of the tiny coastal village of Mallaig, I noticed the station signs were written in both English and Gaelic. As we journeyed westward, passing meandering creeks, heather heaths, craggy mountain balds and vast, glorious lochs, the train pulled into a rather non-descript station. I lifted my eyes from the book I was reading, looked up at the station sign, and had the most acute, profound sensation of having been there before. The train closed its doors and rumbled on, and I returned to my book.

Months later, settled in for the night at home in Asheville, I was watching the film version of the Dan Brown’s novel The Da Vinci Code. I found myself completely captivated by the notion of unknown genealogies and hidden ancestral lineages. As the film concluded and the credits began rolling, I remembered a book of my own family’s history that my uncle Bobby had prepared several years earlier and gifted to the entire extended family at a summer reunion. I’d never read it, but had held onto it nonetheless. I pulled it out from my file cabinet, began flipping through its pages, and nearly jumped off the couch upon discovering that relatives on my grandmother’s side were from the exact Scottish town in which I’d so vividly experienced déjà vu on the train months prior.

Ancestral roots weave an invisible yet abiding thread, I’ve come to believe. They carry us through our days without our necessarily being overly

30

FOODLIFEMAG.COM | FALL 2015

aware of them. While you might have never met your Uncle Sam, turns out you share his laugh, or so you’ve been told. Your olive-hued eyes are the exact shade of those belonging to your great-grandmother Ida. Your greatgreat Aunt Louise shared your fondness for math. And, for me, my body somehow knew or sensed or believed in a version of genetic memory perhaps, that I belonged, once upon a time, to a certain terrain in Scotland.

I felt it in my body with conviction, al-

Reaching deep down into the soil, they pull up a host of minerals, vitamins, and other phyto-nutrients.

by ASHLEY ENGLISH though I’d never before set foot on that soil, let alone that continent.

All of this talk about roots and ancestors and genealogies turns my thoughts to root vegetables. Autumn heralds a return of these tuberous vegetables to farmer’s markets and gardens after the high heat and humidity of summer have moved on. Reaching deep down into the soil, they pull up a host of minerals, vitamins, and other phyto-nutrients.

They handle colder weather, reduced sunlight hours, and limited moisture with ease. Essentially, they’re survivors.

They preserve and forge ahead with growth in environments that would do asunder tender-fleshed plants.

Our ancestors shared this trait. That’s precisely why you are here today, reading this article. Their resilience and ability to carry on despite life’s hurtles brought about your existence. In honor of the return of autumn, and our mutual family histories of fortitude, and the bounty of root vegetables the southern Appalachians support, I’m sharing my recipe for Sorghum-Glazed Roasted Root Vegetables. Carrots, beets, rutabaga, and turnips are bathed in olive oil, sorghum, rosemary, salt and pepper and roasted to tender, sweet perfection. Much like our families, what doesn’t take us down only helps in making us stronger. The right blend of seasonings and time in a hot oven makes these robust and sturdy vegetables truly shine.

Ashley English is a local author of seven books (and currently working on her eighth and ninth) on the topics of homesteading, cooking and entertaining. You can follow her life’s journey on her blog at smallmeasure.com photograph by TIM ROBISON

VISIT ASHLEY ENGLISH AT SMALLMEASURE.COM

Sorghum-Glazed Roasted Root Vegetables A sweetener indigenous to the southern U.S., sorghum was what everyone reached for until the sugar cane barons pushed it out of common use. A type of grass, the sticky liquid is thick like honey while offering not quite as strong of a flavor as molasses. It’s the perfect partner for roasted root vegetables, as you’ll soon discover here. Yield: 6-8 servings 1 pound carrots, peeled and chopped 1 pound beets, peeled and chopped 1 ½ pounds rutabaga, peeled and chopped 1 ½ pounds turnips, chopped 3 Tablespoons olive oil 1 Tablespoon minced rosemary 1 teaspoon salt Several grinds fresh black pepper ½ cup sorghum* *If you’re unable to find sorghum, molasses can be substituted; reduce the amount to 1/3 cup.

1 2

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Lightly oil a 9”x13” baking pan. Set aside.

Place all of the vegetables, olive oil, rosemary, salt, and black pepper in a large mixing bowl.

Using either clean hands or a serving spoon, toss until the oil evenly coats all of the vegetable pieces.

3

Spread the vegetables evenly in the baking dish. Bake at 400°F for 45 minutes. Remove the pan from oven, stir the sorghum evenly into the vegetables, and continue baking an additional 25-30 minutes, until the vegetables have softened and are slightly browned.

4

Cool at least 15-20 minutes. When ready to serve, transfer to a serving bowl.

From “Handmade Gatherings: Recipes & Crafts for Seasonal Celebrations & Potluck Recipes” by Ashley English, Roost Books.

Photo by JEN ALTMAN

FALL 2015 | FOODLIFEMAG.COM

31

32

FOODLIFEMAG.COM | FALL 2015

TRAVELING LOCAVORE

THE GUIDE

CHATTANOOGA ASK ANYONE what they think of when they hear “Chattanooga” and they are likely to answer “trains”.

Chattanooga has a long history with the railroad, which began well before Chattanooga Choo Choo became a gold record in the 1940s. Once dubbed the “Gateway of the South”, Chattanooga was a central connector to some of America’s biggest cities, even before the Civil War. It’s clear that the city has kept close to their roots, taking care to preserve their long relationship with the rails. But there is more to this town than trains. They are frequently listed amongst Asheville and Austin as one of the hippest cities in the U.S. and they have a growing local food scene. With about 600 restaurants listed online, I know I will enjoy eating my way through this town.

by TIFFANY WELSH

FALL 2015 | FOODLIFEMAG.COM

33

10

AM I am a bit late finding breakfast this Sunday morning, but it’s not for lack of trying.

My first choice, Aretha Frankenstein’s, which has wonderful reviews, is clearly not a secret. What they are, however, is tiny. There are about 20 seats total and a 2-hour wait for breakfast, so I pass for somewhere that will get me served before noon. I try a second and third choice, but both are closed on Sundays, something I discover is not uncommon with restaurants here. I finally end up at Milk and Honey on the Northside, which appears to be where the cool kids hang out. The line is out the door on my arrival and it takes a while to make my way to the front.

They are a combination breakfast, coffee and ice cream place. The menu is not expansive, but I’m starving, so everything looks good to me and the 34

FOODLIFEMAG.COM | FALL 2015

prices are reasonable. I end up with the TN Ham and Apple, which is just what it sounds like - Benton’s Country Ham, Granny Smith apple, Cheddar cheese and honey mustard served on a sourdough roll with a side of fresh fruit. The food turns out to be delicious.

11

AM After breakfast, I head over to the Chattanooga Market.

Frommers named this Market as one of the Top 10 Public Markets in America. Their website claims they have 50 farms and 130 artisans at the market. I can’t wait to check it out. The Market is located in an old industrial building on the Southside. I can see the place is packed elbow to elbow! There are food trucks at the front and the rear of the building, offering a selection of freshly prepared

food, including one gentleman who is smoking possum in front of an eager crowd. There seem to be less than the 50 farms that are advertised. The farmers who are here have the same assortments of vegetables that we’d find at home, including the first produce of fall. I do notice that many of the vendors have traveled in from Georgia, which is just a few miles away. They do have a tremendous number of artisans with everything from pillowcases to jewelry. This seems like it would be a great place to do some gift shopping!

1

PM After all that shopping, I decide to head over to the Blue Plate for lunch. They are located right on the riverfront across from the Aquarium, where there is plenty of people watching available. Despite being located in one of the busiest areas of town, there

is no wait to get seated. The interior is very modern - stainless steel everywhere. Since I’m still thinking about my missed breakfast experience, I go for the Chicken and Pancake (pancake mix provided by Aretha Frankenstein’s). It’s served with a side of loaded hash browns, which I swear are covered in a homemade nacho cheese sauce. I practically lick the plate clean.

Everything is fantastic here! I especially enjoy the small details - the waitress refills your drink from cute little glass jars instead of the old plastic pitcher you see at every other restaurant.

Once again, the prices are reasonable and the place is family friendly.

2

PM Since I am now stuffed, I decide to take a walk across the river on the Walnut Street Bridge. The bridge is about ½ mile long and by

now it’s about 200 degrees outside, so I quickly have second thoughts. But once I’m up in the air, it is surprisingly shady under the steel beams. This bridge sits nearly 100 feet above the water and the views are spectacular. It’s pedestrian only, so there are plenty of people walking, jogging and bicycling here. It doesn’t take nearly as long as I expect to reach the other side, where I’m greeted by Coolidge Park.

Coolidge Park is the greenest space I have seen since arriving. It sits right on the North Shore of the Tennessee River and has a recreational fountain (think Splashville), a 120-year-old working carousel and lots of trees and grass, plus a fantastic view of the river.

There are plenty of people here enjoying the fountain - both locals and tourists alike. I cannot leave the park

without a ride on the carousel, which I am amazed to find only costs $1!

4

PM After all this time in the sun and facing the hot walk back to the South Shore, I decide I need to rejuvenate myself with ice cream.

Conveniently, Clumpies Ice Cream is located right at the park’s edge (I’m sure this is by design). Clumpies has been around since 1999. They handcraft all of their ice cream and sorbet in house. In total, they serve around 20 flavors, including Firecracker, which is made with pop rocks. Once again, the line is all the way out the door, but I’m not in a rush because they have super air conditioning, plus the wait gives me time to decide what flavor I will order. Even after much deliberation, I’m still surprised when I’m asked to place my order. In a panic, I go FALL 2015 | FOODLIFEMAG.COM

35

recipe?

with mint chocolate chunk. Down the hatch it goes, brain freeze be damned.

Boy, this stuff is good - so good, in fact, I’m a little sad I only ordered one scoop.

On my walk back, I take my time to enjoy the city. Chattanooga seems to be dedicated to the arts. They have a large art museum and public art displays on nearly every block. They also seem to be working hard to accommodate bicycle transportation. In fact, they offer bicycles for rent at more than 30 locations throughout the city.

The self-serve stations offer rentals for one hour, one day, or annual memberships. I only witness a few people using the bike rentals, but it still seems like a great way to supplement public transportation.

36

FOODLIFEMAG.COM | FALL 2015

7

PM For dinner, I decide to try out Lupi’s Pizza Pies. They’ve been voted the best pizza in Chattanooga for six years running. They make their own dough, sauce and cheese, and offer about 30 toppings - mostly sourced from local farms. They have a large bottled beer selection, about 40 varieties, although very few are craft brews. Since I’m a garlic lover, I know I’m getting their roasted garlic on my pie. Fair warning - make sure everyone in your party is eating the garlic. They literally put 5-6 cloves of garlic on each slice of pizza. It was wonderful, but I’m pretty sure I still have garlic breath.

Once again, the place was packed with a line out the door. You also have to find your own table, which can be a challenge. The staff recommends hav-

ing a second person with you to scout and hold your table. The decor was funky and fun. Overall, it was a great way to end the night.

After dinner, I couldn’t help stopping by the Moonpie store. As a southern girl, I grew up enjoying the sweet Moonpie as a special treat. I never knew they originated in Chattanooga 100 years ago. I’m stuffed, so I don’t know how I could possibly enjoy this pie...well, maybe just one little

bite...

FALL 2015 | FOODLIFEMAG.COM

37

A Guide to Planting & Harvesting in the Southern Appalachians DE C

JAN

FEB

MA R

A PR

MAY

KEY

How to plant

space between plants / planting depth Plant seeds Plant transplants, shoots, or roots Recommended planting dates

JU N E

JU LY

AUG

70-80 days

12” apart / ½” deep

70-80 days

12” apart / 1½” deep

85-95 days 85-95 days 85-95 days

10” apart / 1” deep

90-100 days

60” apart / 1½” deep 75-80 days

4” apart / ½” deep

75-80 days

18” apart / ½” deep 95-120 days

10” apart / ½” deep

2 ft apart / ¾ inches deeper than transplant soil 10” apart / 4” deep

2 years

2 years 95-125 days

12” apart / 5½” deep

18” apart / ½” deep

24” apart / 1½” deep

*seedlings

2 years

18” apart / ½” deep

N OV

50-55 days

4-5 ft apart / plant same depth as nursery

2” apart / ¼” deep

OCT

2 years

3” apart / 1” deep

Days to maturity Winter Spring Summer Fall

6-10 years*

15-18 ft apart / 12-18” deep* 15” apart / 6” deep

S E PT

Harvest

75-85 days 50-60 days

Compiled from research provided by the University of North Carolina Cooperative Extension, ASAP, and the Farmer’s Almanac, this guide includes suggested dates for several crops. Note: The Southern Appalachians are diverse, and growing seasons vary. The months above are approximate.

38

FOODLIFEMAG.COM | FALL 2015

by ADALEE ELKINS

U-PICK FA R M S

Apples

Coston Farm (Hendersonville)

Pick apples fresh from the tree at one of these local u-pick farms:

828-685-8352 • costonfarm.com Grandad’s Apples (Hendersonville) 828-685-1685 • grandadsapples.com

Long Branch Environmental Education Center (Leicester) 828-683-3662 • longbrancheec.org Orchard at Altapass (Spruce Pine)

IN SEASON: August - November North Carolina ranks seventh in the nation for apple production and Henderson County produces 65% of all apples in the state.

A short trip south of Asheville leads to many orchards and farms that you may visit for free - and most will let you pick your own apples!

828-765-9531 • altapassorchard.org Skytop Orchard (Flat Rock) 828-692-7930 • skytoporchard.com Stepp’s Hillcrest Orchard (Hendersonville) 828-685-9083 • steppapples.com For additional u-pick farm listings, pickup an ASAP Local Food Guide or visit appalachiangrown.org

FALL 2015 | FOODLIFEMAG.COM

39

EVERYTHING’S BETTER WITH

BACON recipes & photos by TIFFANY WELSH

40

FOODLIFEMAG.COM | FALL 2015

Bacon Wrapped Jalapeño Poppers

FOR EACH PEPPER: 1 piece uncooked bacon 2 Tbsp of your favorite cheese Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Wash peppers and cut lengthwise. Remove seeds. Spread cheese inside. Put pepper pieces back together and wrap entire pepper with 1 piece uncooked bacon. In a cast iron skillet, cook on medium heat for about 5 minutes on each side, just to begin to cook bacon. Move entire skillet to oven and cook for 15-20 minutes until peppers are blistered and bacon is cooked through.

Bacon Jam MAKES 2 HALF PINTS

ingredients 1 lb Bacon, chopped 1 medium Yellow Onion, finely chopped 4 Cloves of Garlic, finely chopped 1 tsp Chili Powder ½ tsp Paprika ½ C Bourbon (or black Coffee) ½ C Maple Syrup ¼ C Apple Cider Vinegar ½ C Brown Sugar

Cook bacon over medium heat and set aside to drain on paper towels. Reserve 2 Tbsp of bacon grease in pan. Add chopped onion to grease and cook over medium heat until caramelized, about 5-7 minutes. Add garlic and cook 1 minute more. Add bourbon and maple syrup. Mixture should begin to simmer. Cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add brown sugar and vinegar. Lower temperature and cook for an additional 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally.

If mixture begins to get too thick, add about ½ C of hot water. Add bacon pieces to mix. Cook for 3-5 minutes, watching to make sure it doesn’t get too stiff (otherwise you will end up with bacon candy).

Remove from heat and immediately transfer to half pint jars. Refrigerate until ready to use.

FALL 2015 | FOODLIFEMAG.COM

41

THE GUIDE

LAST BITE

Maple Bacon Shortbread Cookies

MAKES ABOUT 22 COOKIES

ingredients 7 pieces of Bacon, cooked 1/2 C Butter, room temperature 1/4 C Pure Maple Syrup 3 Tbsp Sugar 1/4 tsp Kosher Salt 2 Tbsp Cornstarch 1 1/4 C All Purpose Flour 2/3 C Dark Chocolate Chips Line cookie sheet with parchment paper.

Chop 5 pieces of bacon into small pieces (about 1/8-1/4 inch). In a small bowl, combine flour, salt and cornstarch and set aside. Place butter, maple syrup and sugar into a mixing bowl. Mix on medium speed until smooth. Reduce speed to slow and add in flour mixture. Mix until just combined. Stir in chopped bacon pieces by hand. Turn out dough between two sheets of wax paper. Using a rolling pin, spread dough into a semi-rectangular shape and 1/4 inch thick. Place flattened dough into freezer for 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Remove dough from freezer and cut into squares about 1 1/2 inches in size. Place squares onto prepared baking sheet. Bake for 15-20 minutes until edges are stiff to touch. Remove to cooking rack.

Crumble remaining 2 pieces of bacon into very small bits and set aside for garnish.

While cookies are cooling, place chocolate chips in a microwave safe bowl. Microwave on 50% power for two minutes, stopping to stir occasionally. Dip baked cookies halfway in chocolate and place back on parchment paper to dry. Sprinkle wet chocolate with bacon bits. Move cookies to refrigerator to set chocolate. Store in sealed container in refrigerator up to 3 days.

42

FOODLIFEMAG.COM | FALL 2015

FALL 2015 | FOODLIFEMAG.COM

43

44

FOODLIFEMAG.COM | FALL 2015