Stawberry Season

My CSA is open for the season and the strawberries are abundant! 

strawberries picked fresh from the field.

 The Food and Pottery Connection:

FOOD:

Strawberry Shortcake 

(a Walker family favorite)

Biscuits - I usually pick up a batch at Roche Bros in Westwood

strawberries - hand picked, washed (see below**), hulled and sliced

sugar - sprinkle over cut strawberries and toss

whipped cream - Cabot's

strawberry jam - I love Fisher Brook Farm Strawberry Jam!

Slice biscuit and toast. Spread one half biscuit with jam. Add strawberries, whipped cream next... top with or without second biscuit half. yum.

AND POTTERY:

A Berry Bowl** for washing your strawberries

wheel thrown berry bowl with drain dish

Join me at the Farm on Saturday

Powisset Farm Spring Festival is Saturday, May 19th, 10-3. 

It is the start of a great season of CSA in Dover at a Trustees of the Reservation gem.

Powisset Farm Fall Fest Pottery Tent

The Food and Pottery Connection:

The "Food" comes from Powisset Farm Blog:

Click the link for a recipe for Roasted Rosemary Radishes!

The "Pottery" is my wheel thrown, hand trimmed stoneware bowl. Durable for a season of cooking; yet, delicate in color with warm pinks bringing out a cascade of speckles.

A blend of clays create a speckling under a pinky rutile glaze. A green sprig adds detail.

What is CSA?

"CSA is a worldwide movements, called Community Supported Agriculture.  It honors a commitment between growers and consumers in which consumers pay up front for a weekly share of the harvest.  Bypassing distributors and supermarkets gives farmers financial support ... to continue farming.  In turn, the consumers, often known as shareholders, receive regular boxes or baskets of fresh, local and often organically raised produce, from a source they know and trust."  except from Farmer John's Cookbook: The Real Dirt on Vegetables

Miss you, Molly!

Good Night Irene

CSA in Dover, MA

Distribution was canceled for today at Powisset due to the recent "tropical storm" Irene.  Downed tree limbs and wiring issues have caused electricity to be cut off from the barn.  The Powisset farm crew is such a hard working group; I send them good wishes as they work through these issues.  

Plans for a family weekend went to the wayside with the approaching storm and I was looking for a recipe that might give us some good leftovers if we lost power. Which we did...

peppers from the farm

Eggplant Lasagna - serves 4-6

Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone

"stuffing"
3 lbs eggplant, sliced 1/3" thick
1 lb instant lasagna noodles
8 oz mozzarella (8 oz)
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
6 basil leaves, torn

"sauce" 
2 1/2 cups milk
3 garlic cloves
4 Tablespoons butter
1/4 cup flour
1/2 cup cream


1. Roast eggplant in a 425 oven 15-20 per side.  Make sure to use olive oil on each side and a sprinkle of kosher salt.
2. Slowly heat milk and garlic to a boil on the stove top. Set aside covered for 15 minutes. 
3. On the stove top, melt butter, stir in flour, pour in garlic milk - combine all with a whisk and simmer 20 minutes until thickened.
4. Lightly butter a 8x10 baking dish. Spread 1/2 cup sauce on bottom. Add a layer of pasta and cover with 1/3 cup sauce. Lay down 1/3 of eggplant, 1/3 of mozzarella, 2 T Parm and 1/3 of basil. Repeat twice. Top with final layer of pasta and cover with remaining sauce and Parm. Cover with foil. Bake at 400 for 25-30 minutes.  Remove cover and bake 10-15 more minutes. Let stand for a few minutes before serving.

cucumbers from the farm

The weather change and the upcoming start of the school year has got me thinking about fall and a collection to go along with it... blues, browns, greens, whites

beans from the farm

 

Willow Avenue Pottery

Becky makes all the stoneware pots of Willow Avenue Pottery. She and her husband live in Panora, Iowa, where they raise chickens and ducks, have beehives, and, belong to a CSA called "Small Potatoes"."


"Taking a ball of clay and turning it into a functional piece of art has always been the alluring aspect of ceramics to me.  I enjoy that there are an endless variety of techniques, materials, and firing methods." says Becky of Willow Avenue Pottery

When asked about her relationship between food and pottery, she sent me this recipe.  The ingredients were fresh in her refrigerator!

Becky's Killer Salad
a mix of lettuce, hard boiled eggs, soy nuts, two kinds of shredded cheese (both local, from the farmers market), croutons, and a handful of 'trail mix' which is a bunch of dried fruits/nuts, and some parm-cheese yogurt dressing.

She recommends any of her dent bowls.  They would be great for salads.

At every point in her life, clay has been an outlet for her creativity. In middle school, she started using the wheel.  Since then, Becky has looked for a way to make pots whenever she can. 

"My pottery is one of a kind. It is made for every day enjoyment." 

For more information on Willow Ave Pottery, check out Becky's blog, website, facebook and Etsy store. 

 

    

Distribution Starts Today - Food & Pottery Celebrates a New Season

favorite glaze combination

The 2011 season starts today at Powisset Farm where I join 300 members to support community agriculture, also referred to as a CSA. I connected recently with the farmers when I sold my work at the Powisset Farm Festival in May. I learned that they have expanded their venue to include two farm stands per week, one at Powessit and one at Rocky Woods. Area residents can now reap the benefits of the local food movement without becoming members.  

In anticipation of today's distribution, I've been creating bowls - big and small that will work with all sorts of recipes. White stoneware, colorful glaze combinations and under glaze paints are my ingredients as I forge ahead into a new season of food and pottery connections.  

small bowls right off the wheel

arugula

Yesterday, I received an email with pictures of what might be at the distribution this week.  I noticed arugula (something I had never eaten before joining a CSA) on the list.  This vegetable is bitter and delicious and something even my kids will devour!  

I stopped at the market last night to pick up a few staples so I could make this recipe tonight.  Served in a big open salad bowl, there 

won't be any leftovers...

Arugula Salad

Bunch of Arugula - washed and dried

Dried Cranberries

Crumbled Feta cheese 

Pistachio Nuts

Balsamic Vinegar

Olive Oil

Toss together...yum!

Later in the week, I'll be cooking with other veggies from this week's distribution like, lettuces, bok choi and radishes.  I'll refer to Powessit Food Blog for more ways to cook with this local fare.

Bowls, Bowls, Bowls...

Memorial Day Weekend

Blue Fish

Memorial Day for my family marks the start of the summer season.  There are no sporting events planned; this weekend is strictly set aside for family fun.  We often travel to the beach to take long walks, collect sea glass and eat the first lobster of the season.  

Flounder

In honor of the Memorial Day weekend, I'm offering a few promotions in my etsy store.  One is 10% off each of my fish ornaments (great Father's Day gift!) while they last.... Each fish is a hand painted one-of-a-kind beauty; all swim in the Atlantic Ocean, around New England.


I've been looking into purchasing a share of Cape Ann Fresh Catch Community Supported Fishery.  A few friends have really enjoyed it.  Distribution starts June 6th in various nearby locations. 

Tautog

Fingers crossed for a fresh catch this weekend!
If we catch a blue fish... chowhound has some good recipes 

If we catch a flounder... Glouchester Fisherman's Wives recipes

If we catch a sea bass... epicurious has inventive and wonderful recipes

Sea Bass

For the weekend, I'll put the clay aside and focus on quality time with my family... 

Spring Farm Fest - May 21 - Making the Choice to Buy Local

A few years back, I picked up Barbara Kingsolver’s book Animal, Vegetable, Miracle and yes, I did make my book club read it (thank you ladies!).  At the same time I became a shareholder at the Powisset Farm CSA.  Perhaps it was the reading and the eating that worked together, but something changed in the way I was making choices for my family and my work as an artist.

The thrill of walking out into a field to pick beans off a vine (green, yellow and even purple varieties) or lifting a leaf and finding tiny ruby colored strawberries (and “sampling”… who could resist?).  It was just so fresh! I started to dread those trips to the grocery store where I had to admit to myself that I didn’t know much about what I was buying.

With this sudden change in lifestyle, my work as a potter changed. I started to delve into what makes a piece of pottery functional, not just pretty. How what we eat and what we choose to serve that food in really do go hand in hand.  Why wouldn’t you choose a handmade, one of a kind bowl to eat the lovely fresh local tomatoes in?  It’s a wonderful experience! One just needs to make the choice to do so.

This Saturday, May 21st, Powisset Farm, located at 37 Powisset Road in Dover, will host their Spring Farm Fest from 1-5pm.  Vendors will include wonderful local businesses and organizations that support sustainability, local agriculture, buying local and building community.  There will be local farmers, gardeners, potters and many community groups and non-profit organizations.  There will be farm tours, guided ecological walks, and live music.  This Fest marks the start of the new season.  If you haven’t been to Powisset before, bring your whole family and be prepared to fall in love….

Lisa WB Walker pottery will be for sale at the Powisset Farm Spring Fest.  She supports sustainability, local agriculture, buying local and building community.

Finger lickin' good!

Yesterday I picked up 3 months of glorious meat from Austin's Farms, a farm to table resource for fresh meat.  They distribute at the soon to be open Powessit Farms, a thriving CSA with a fantastic farmers market.  With the sun showing itself, I'm dreaming of colors and tastes that the summer months bring...slowing down and taking stock of what is around us.

What's right in front of me is kids wanting food that tastes good and sweet! So I tried something new with stuff already in my pantry. (Just so you know, you'll be tempted to lick your fingers at the end...)

Pumpkin Doughnut Muffins - makes 12
Food Magazine

batter:
1 1/4 sticks butter
3 cups flour
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp allspice
1/3 cup buttermilk
15 oz can of pumpkin
3/4 cup light brown sugar
2 large eggs

coating:
3/4 cup sugar
2 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 stick butter, melted

1. Preheat oven to 350.  Butter and flour muffin tin (don't use liners).
2. Make batter by combining all dry ingredients. Set aside. Combine buttermilk and pumpkin.  Set aside.  Mix butter and sugar, add eggs, then alternate between flour and pumpkin til combined.
3. Divide batter into 12 muffin cups.  Bake for 30 minutes. Cool 10 minutes in pan on rack.
4. Mix up sugar and cinnamon and have butter ready.  After 10 minutes of cooling time, remove muffins one at a time, brush with butter and toss into the sugar mix to coat.  Repeat til all are done.
5. Let muffins cool on rack.  Enjoy!

Mindful Bowl for mixing...   

Strawberry Fields Forever

To make room for my 3 months of CSA meat from Austin Farms, I had to make room in my freezer. I found a bag of frozen strawberries that I had picked this past summer and decided to see if they were not too freezer burned to use. I made a batch of strawberry muffins and those hand picked strawberries were perfectly delicious...



Strawberry Muffins - makes 12
Joy of Cooking

2 cups flour
1 T baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp nutmeg
2 eggs
1 cup milk
2/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cups strawberries, thawed

1. Preheat oven to 400.
2. Grease liners for 12 muffins in a muffin tin.
3. Combine dry ingredients. Combine wet ingredients. Add dry to wet with a couple of quick beats.
4. Fold in strawberries. Divide batter into 12 muffin cups and sprinkle with a little sugar.
5. Bake about 17 minutes but allow 20. Cool a couple of minutes in the pan before cooling on the rack.

a vase of flowers for the table .....

The Good Food News

Each week I am blessed with an email entitled "The Good Food News". It is the Powisset Farm Community Supported Agriculture newsletter that lets me, as a shareholder, know what's up for the weekly distribution. I am always thankful that it is both well written and inspiring.

This week marks a turning point in so many ways. One, it's starting to feel like fall and the produce is changing to include more dark leafy greens, peppers and eggplants. We are saying good bye to cucumbers, tomatoes and summer squashes. Two, we start sign ups for a winter share (I'm keeping my fingers crossed I get one). And, three, it is the last time this season, I will be selling my pottery at the farm stand(Saturday, September 18th from 1:30-5:30pm).

Change of season inspires a change in color palette.

Ah...Tomatoes!

Not only was today distribution day at the farm, but I also received the latest issue of Everyday Food Magazine. Today is all about tomatoes...5 lbs of fabulous summer fruit from the farm and fresh tomato recipies to try!

Italian Panzanella - serves 4
Everyday Food Magazine

1/4 c red wine vinegar
1/4 c olive oil
coarse salt and pepper
2 cans (15.5 oz each) cannellini beans,
drained and rinsed
3 cups large cubes country bread (5-6 oz)
1 pound plum tomatoes, cut into small pieces
1 cucumber, thinly sliced crosswise
1/4 medium red onion, thinly sliced
4 oz provolone cheese, diced
1/4 c fresh basil leaves, torn

1. In a large (handthrown!) bowl, whisk together vinegar, oil, salt and pepper.
2. Add beans, bread, tomatoes, cucumber, onion and cheese. Toss to combine. Cover and refridgerate at 2-8 hours. Just before serving, stir in basil.

Big Blue Bowl for Salad...

Selling at Powessit

I'll be selling my pottery at that Powessit Farm in Dover on Tuesday, July 13th in the afternoon. So much of my work has been inspired by this place; I can't wait to spend the afternoon interacting with other CSA members!

Vases for fresh flowers

Parsley, Rosemary and Thyme...

The first day of pick your own in the Powessitt fields had me picking fresh herbs today! A friend shared this great tip on storing fresh herbs for future use. Wash herbs. Microwave until crispy. Crumble into a bag. Label and store for use all year long! Thanks Sue!

Herb stakes for planting some of my own...