Surprisingly enough, everyone was up bright and early the next morning. We headed into town around 7:30 to grab some breakfast, again having to take the circuitous detour to get there, then drove over to Juniper Hills Farm to meet up with Sibby. There we were introduced to our fellow foragers for the day, most of whom were staying as overnight guests in the little casitas that Sibby has added to her spread. The sky was cloudy enough to protect us from the scorching sun, but luckily, it still wasn't raining. After a brief orientation covering what we might encounter that day, we loaded into two huge vans and headed out.
Our first stop was at Texas Specialty Cut Flowers (the blue barn). Due to the over-abundance of rain this season, their flower crops were flourishing, but their vegetable crops had drowned. The only ingredients we managed to obtain there were several tubs of locally made, flavored goat cheese, and some mouth-watering pears. From there we drove over to the new Mandola winery, where we were able to do tastings and take a tour. Sibby scored two cases of wine to go with our dinner, then served us a lovely picnic lunch at long tables out under the huge oak trees. After a brief rest we piled back into the vans and headed towards Wimberley.
Next stop was Bella Vista Ranch, home of First Texas Olive Oil Company. The owner is quite a loquacious fellow, and he told us everything we ever wanted to know about olives - and then some. We actually did tastings there as well, tossing back tiny plastic cups of pail green oil, then waiting for that distinctive peppery glow as it hit the back of our throats. Our most exciting discovery there was the new, blood orange-infused oil that they had recently started bottling. Sibby bought some for us to use on our dinner that evening, and I quickly grabbed some to take home for my own use. While we were learning about the finer points of making a good oil, Dani whispered "Do you think those pears we bought might be good sliced over some lettuce, with a little of that blood-orange stuff drizzled over them?" and I thought "Aha! That's it! " That's what market-based cuisine is all about. You go to the market to see what looks and tastes fabulous, then you wait for inspiration to come, pulling from your arsenal of a few basic recipes that adapt to a variety of ingredients. Now, thanks to Dani, I had an idea about what I could contribute to this evening's feast - my special seasonal salad.
After a brief stop at my favorite little kitchen shop, Kiss the Cook, we were headed back towards Blanco. I think we were all getting a trifle worried about how we would ever pull together any sort of dinner from the few measly ingredients we had obtained so far. Sensing our concern, Sibby said "Never fear, we still have one more stop to make." She was referring to McCall Creek Farm, purveyors of that fine homemade peach ice cream I have mentioned before. There we filled our logo-emblazoned tote bags (a gift from Sibby) with gorgeous heirloom tomatoes, zucchini, eggplant, okra, purple-hull peas, blueberries, and more. Inside the shop I filled a huge bag with mixed greens for my salad, and also nabbed some candied pecans and a jar of marinated feta cubes, then most everyone bought a cup of ice cream to enjoy on the ride back. When asked why, unlike the Arnoskys, McCalls had so much produce to choose from, Sibby explained that McCalls was a truck farm. The Arnoskys sell only what they can grow themselves. At McCalls, though they do grow much of what they sell, they also supplement with produce that has been "trucked" in from other farms. Fortunately, unlike others I have stopped at recently, they do try to keep it as local as possible. We still had no idea how we would turn most of this stuff into our dinner, but if nothing else, at least I knew we would have a mighty fine salad!
By the time we returned to Juniper Hills, our group of strangers had once again turned into friends. Sibby informed us that we had over an hour until we needed to report for duty, so part of the group went back to their casitas to rest, some donned swimsuits, and the rest of us went to stretch out on the chaises surrounding her beautiful, infinity-edged pool. Ever the consummate hostess, Sibby plied us with wine and cold beverages, made sure we had towels and cushions, then headed off to prep our booty.
When we arrived back at the kitchen, Sibby gathered us round for a brainstorming session. Surprisingly, my quiet brother was the first to speak up, suggesting that we stuff our olives with bits of cheese and prosciutto (Sibby keeps a very well-stocked larder!). Another gal, who had some catering experience, said that we could even coat them in Panko bread crumbs and fry them. That sounded a bit strange to me, but turned out to be a brilliant idea. I only managed to grab one before they all disappeared, but it was definitely a moaner! Since they had broken the ice, I felt brave enough to offer my salad suggestion, then ideas started flying fast and furious. We ended up with about fifteen different dishes using all that we had foraged, including appetizers, dessert, and everything in between. There was also a surprise ingredient waiting for us - beautiful racks of lamb, which we cut apart into individual "lollipops", seasoned with olive oil and Sibby's own special Provence-style blend of herbs and locally grown lavender, then grilled to a crunchy crispness. I always thought I disliked lamb, but I am a convert now!
When we had finally finished the last morsel of our luscious pear tart, we bid good night to our fellow chefs, feeling quite pleased with how our foraging adventure had unfolded. My only regret was that we had not booked one of Sibby's casitas for ourselves, so that we too could take one of the tiny lanterns she was passing out, to guide everyone on the few steps back to their beds. There they would quickly fall asleep, wondering what breakfast delights would be awaiting them on the porch the next morning, housed in precious vintage lunch boxes. Instead, we climbed back into Bill and Dani's mini-van. As we headed home to Wimberley, I reminded Bill to please keep an eye out for deer on the road. Little did I know that, for once, deer would be the least of our worries.....(to be continued once more)
Our first stop was at Texas Specialty Cut Flowers (the blue barn). Due to the over-abundance of rain this season, their flower crops were flourishing, but their vegetable crops had drowned. The only ingredients we managed to obtain there were several tubs of locally made, flavored goat cheese, and some mouth-watering pears. From there we drove over to the new Mandola winery, where we were able to do tastings and take a tour. Sibby scored two cases of wine to go with our dinner, then served us a lovely picnic lunch at long tables out under the huge oak trees. After a brief rest we piled back into the vans and headed towards Wimberley.
Next stop was Bella Vista Ranch, home of First Texas Olive Oil Company. The owner is quite a loquacious fellow, and he told us everything we ever wanted to know about olives - and then some. We actually did tastings there as well, tossing back tiny plastic cups of pail green oil, then waiting for that distinctive peppery glow as it hit the back of our throats. Our most exciting discovery there was the new, blood orange-infused oil that they had recently started bottling. Sibby bought some for us to use on our dinner that evening, and I quickly grabbed some to take home for my own use. While we were learning about the finer points of making a good oil, Dani whispered "Do you think those pears we bought might be good sliced over some lettuce, with a little of that blood-orange stuff drizzled over them?" and I thought "Aha! That's it! " That's what market-based cuisine is all about. You go to the market to see what looks and tastes fabulous, then you wait for inspiration to come, pulling from your arsenal of a few basic recipes that adapt to a variety of ingredients. Now, thanks to Dani, I had an idea about what I could contribute to this evening's feast - my special seasonal salad.
After a brief stop at my favorite little kitchen shop, Kiss the Cook, we were headed back towards Blanco. I think we were all getting a trifle worried about how we would ever pull together any sort of dinner from the few measly ingredients we had obtained so far. Sensing our concern, Sibby said "Never fear, we still have one more stop to make." She was referring to McCall Creek Farm, purveyors of that fine homemade peach ice cream I have mentioned before. There we filled our logo-emblazoned tote bags (a gift from Sibby) with gorgeous heirloom tomatoes, zucchini, eggplant, okra, purple-hull peas, blueberries, and more. Inside the shop I filled a huge bag with mixed greens for my salad, and also nabbed some candied pecans and a jar of marinated feta cubes, then most everyone bought a cup of ice cream to enjoy on the ride back. When asked why, unlike the Arnoskys, McCalls had so much produce to choose from, Sibby explained that McCalls was a truck farm. The Arnoskys sell only what they can grow themselves. At McCalls, though they do grow much of what they sell, they also supplement with produce that has been "trucked" in from other farms. Fortunately, unlike others I have stopped at recently, they do try to keep it as local as possible. We still had no idea how we would turn most of this stuff into our dinner, but if nothing else, at least I knew we would have a mighty fine salad!
By the time we returned to Juniper Hills, our group of strangers had once again turned into friends. Sibby informed us that we had over an hour until we needed to report for duty, so part of the group went back to their casitas to rest, some donned swimsuits, and the rest of us went to stretch out on the chaises surrounding her beautiful, infinity-edged pool. Ever the consummate hostess, Sibby plied us with wine and cold beverages, made sure we had towels and cushions, then headed off to prep our booty.
When we arrived back at the kitchen, Sibby gathered us round for a brainstorming session. Surprisingly, my quiet brother was the first to speak up, suggesting that we stuff our olives with bits of cheese and prosciutto (Sibby keeps a very well-stocked larder!). Another gal, who had some catering experience, said that we could even coat them in Panko bread crumbs and fry them. That sounded a bit strange to me, but turned out to be a brilliant idea. I only managed to grab one before they all disappeared, but it was definitely a moaner! Since they had broken the ice, I felt brave enough to offer my salad suggestion, then ideas started flying fast and furious. We ended up with about fifteen different dishes using all that we had foraged, including appetizers, dessert, and everything in between. There was also a surprise ingredient waiting for us - beautiful racks of lamb, which we cut apart into individual "lollipops", seasoned with olive oil and Sibby's own special Provence-style blend of herbs and locally grown lavender, then grilled to a crunchy crispness. I always thought I disliked lamb, but I am a convert now!
When we had finally finished the last morsel of our luscious pear tart, we bid good night to our fellow chefs, feeling quite pleased with how our foraging adventure had unfolded. My only regret was that we had not booked one of Sibby's casitas for ourselves, so that we too could take one of the tiny lanterns she was passing out, to guide everyone on the few steps back to their beds. There they would quickly fall asleep, wondering what breakfast delights would be awaiting them on the porch the next morning, housed in precious vintage lunch boxes. Instead, we climbed back into Bill and Dani's mini-van. As we headed home to Wimberley, I reminded Bill to please keep an eye out for deer on the road. Little did I know that, for once, deer would be the least of our worries.....(to be continued once more)
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment