LEATHER BRITCHES

By Vicky Moon

For those who may think that the Upperville gardens at the Oak Spring Garden Foundation, founded by the late garden Goddess Bunny Mellon, are all roses, topiaries and boxwood parterres, think again.

Consider the four bountiful acres of the 700- acre estate of the Bio-cultural Conservation Farm (BCCF). This is where Farm Manager Christine Harris and seven others work to nurture heirloom fruit and vegetables of the Appalachian and Piedmont region of Virginia. They grow them as plants and save the seeds. (Some may remember a The Phaseolus vulgaris at year ago when we published a story on the Candy Roaster Squash and made a pie.) the Oak Spring Garden Foundation’s Bio-cultural Conservation Farm date to

The hardscape on this portion of Oak Spring the late 1700s and are includes a walled garden, fenced fields for known by the common annual vegetables and perennial foods along name of ‘Lazy Wife’ Greasy with cold frames (think strawberries) and Bean because the women greenhouses, some dating to 1939. A pack harvesting the beans could house, seed processing room, event space and easily grab a handful. forest plots (for native medicinal woodland botanicals) are in the works. The goal of the BCCF is both production and also to share information on heirloom seeds, some of which date to circa 1780.

The BCCF provides food for the on-site programs such as the artist in residence and other guests. But their major focus, especially now during the COVID-19 pandemic, is to help supply local food banks. So far this year, they’ve donated 9,000 of an expected 15,000 pounds of food to Fauquier County Community Food Bank, Seven Loaves, Community Cooks in Warrenton and the Haymarket Regional Food Pantry.

LEATHER BRITCHES

2 pounds of beans (greasy beans, string beans, waxy beans, etc.)

Darning needle

Kite thread

Wash and trim the stem end of the bean. Making sure you do not pierce the actual bean, pierce your threaded needle through the string bean and tie it around to secure it. After you’ve knotted the first bean, thread the rest of the beans until your strand is about arm’s length. Tie off the last bean as you did the first, making sure you have enough thread at the end to hang your strand up. Repeat until all the beans have been threaded. Hang in a dry place, over a fire on your back porch is preferable, until fully dried out. Depending on air flow, this will take two to four weeks.

COOKING LEATHER BRITCHES

4 cups dried leather britches 2 oz salt pork* -AND/ OR1 ham hock* Salt and Pepper

1. Cover the beans with plenty of water, let sit overnight to rehydrate. 2. Add the salt pork and/or ham hock to the beans and bring to a boil, then down to a simmer. 3. Slowly simmer the beans until they are soft and tender. This will take 2-3 hours. Top off with water as needed so your beans are not exposed. 4. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Make sure you serve the cooking liquid (the potlikker) with your beans. *If you’d like to make this recipe vegetarian, leave out the pork and ham. It will still be delicious.

Recipe adapted by Saskia Poulos from traditional Appalachian recipes.