Travels on Farms

I'm getting prepped for a big week of inspections. That's what I get paid do. I inspect stuff. Not just any stuff though. Organic farms. Organic food processors. Organic cows. Okay, and steers and goats and sheep and and and.

I like saying "and and and." It reminds me of the movie The Committments, and watching that in college one night at by buddy Matt's house with him and my other buddy Michelle, and we each had our own bottle of Boone's Farm wine. Bad wine, but good times, man. Good times. Too cool that "Outspan Foster" now has a Oscar.

Anyhow. This big inspection trip. I'll be out in the part of North Carolina that's commonly called the "High Country" for a week. It's up in the mountains around Boone. Gorgeous country. These are some of the highest mountains in on the east coast. In some places, the farms still use mules because it's actually easier than tractors, because some of the fields can get pretty steep. Most of the farms that I'm going to visit are between 1 and 10 acres, growing a pretty wide variety of vegetables. Most of the folks doing the farming have lived on and farmed the land for at least 20 years, and in some cases, are the second or third generation that is tilling that land. These are strong people, who live close to the earth, don't ask for much, don't have much, and love what they do. They don't farm organically because it's the thing to do right now. They don't do it because they'll get a higher premium for their crops. Of course they will, but they've been farming like this for years, premium or no. They do this because that's how it's done. This is how their parents and grandparents taught them to farm.

The smaller communities in the High Country can be pretty insular. They're wary of strangers, probably because far too often, people come from elsewhere and tell them what they're doing wrong, without any respect to the history and traditions of the area. They're doubly wary now because so many land speculators are coming and trying to grab up mountaintops to clear cut and build multi-million dollar homes for folks that will only live there a month or two each year. They're afraid of losing their way of life. They're afraid of being taxed off the land their families have cared for for a couple of generations. So, the first time I inspected in the High Country, I was nervous. I've been an organic inspector for several years, but I knew that I had to approach these folks with respect; not really delicately, but being able to speak their language, and being willing to learn about who they are and what they do. The second inspection I did was this older gentleman. He has deep roots in the area. And commands deep respect from the farming community. "Oh!" folks would say to me "You're inspecting HIM. Good luck." And I did inspect him. And we had a great inspection. He was tickled to show me his barn, and new cooler, and the beautiful young broccoli he'd planted. And I was happy to stand with my arm shoulder deep in his "compost pile" and say "You know, if this really were getting fully composted, do you think it would be a bit hotter?" And this older farmer, he laughed and laughed at the little girl from the city that would now go home smelling like, well, his compost heap. And he was tickled that I wasn't afraid to stick my arm in a pile of shit and straw and vegetable scraps and talk to him plain. After the inspection, he said "You're okay, little lady. You stop up here and see me whenever you want. My home's open to you." Now, I look forward to this trip every year. I may not inspect this particular farmer every time, but I do try to stop by just to see how he's made it through the past year, and so he can show me whatever new projects he has. I'm leaving Monday morning. And I can't wait to get there.

And for those of you that got sidetracked by The Committments I mentioned up above, here's your moment or two of zen. If you don't know this movie, watch. Egad, this is a great movie!


And this:



Now that's music!

Cookin Mojo

I've been cooking a lot lately. Just been in a mood to, and now that it's high summer, there are so many beautiful vegetables out there to indulge in. So, I've been creative in the kitchen. And even more fun, I've just been making stuff up. Sure, I looked at a few recipes, but then thought "But...I'd like it this way better..." So, I make it the way my brain tells me, and just use the recipe as a guide. So, in the past few days, I've made:

Chicken burritos baked in queso fresco and tomatillo salsa
Lemon-zucchini pasta
Crispy oven-fried catfish with remoulade
Zucchini fritters and roasted potatoes (Organic Guy grilled a steak to go with this)
Quinoa salad with yellow squash, carrots, and fresh herbs
Corn macque choux with fresh corn
a really wide variety of compound butters to go on corn on the cob (I think the chipotle butter on grilled corn was the best).
Nut-crusted chicken
Grilled Mahi-Mahi, marinated in lime juice and cumin, with tomatillo salsa
Home made enchiladas (and they're STILL not as good as my dad's...and he STILL won't tell me his secret recipe!)
A sorta veggie risotto thingy. Not sure what to call this, but it had green beans, yellow squash, zucchini, carrots, and sun-dried tomatoes.

On Monday, I have to go on the road for inspections for a week, which means eating on the road. Many many restaurants. So, I won't be able to cook for a bit. I'm really glad I've been in the mood, and had the positive energy to cook lately...and I'm really going to miss it while tromping around NC and VA for a while. Hopefully I'll be able to find locally owned places to eat that are as thrilled with the summer's vegetable bounty as I have been!

Oh, yeah, if any of these things sound good, or if anything else about cooking I've posted in the past interests y'all, let me know, and I'll try to figure out how I did it, and maybe post a few recipes.

Rain Gods

Organic Guy and I have learned something new about our relationship. Apparently we, when combined with his motorcycle, become North Carolina Rain Gods.

You see, we've been in a pretty bad drought throughout the whole state. Right now, it ranges from Abnormally Dry to Exceptional Drought. No part of the state is spared. As of this week, though, if you draw a line from Charlotte down to the SC border, then up to Winston-Salem and the VA border, everything east is in one of the two least severe categories. Organic Guy and I will be taking credit for this, and thank you all very much. As recently as June 24, Raleigh itself was in Extreme Drought, according to the national monitor. But, since then, we've gotten over 4 inches of rain! And we're taking at least a bit of the credit.

The last weekend in June, Organic Guy tanked up the bike, we got on, and headed out to a nearby lake, west of our house, with nice hills, trees, and lots of back roads that many of the local motorcycle riders like cruising. We pulled off to dip our toes in the lake, and it started sprinkling. We ran back to the bike, and it started raining. We realized we had no rain gear, jumped on the bike and headed off. And it really started raining. We just headed home, stripped off in the laundry room because every stitch of clothing was soaked, made a pot of coffee, and laughed. We make plans for a longer ride the next day. On Sunday, we fired the bike up, and headed north to the small town of Youngsville, where our buddy Johnny Row lives. Organic Guy, his close buddy Skull, and Johnny Row have worked together on and off for a couple years (and yes, they all have nicknames, I'll tell you some time about Two Taters and Large White). Skull had mentioned that Johnny Row (and yes, you have to say the whole thing) was having a cookout and inviting everyone over for the race, and we should come. And off we went! Got to Johnny Row's and everything was suspiciously quiet. No cars, grill off, and no guys hanging around the picnic table talking about Junior and the Busch boys, and why one is a nice guy and one's a prick. Odd. We knock, and Johnny Row answers. And he explains that they all hung out for the race the night before, and no one had any plans for todays race (which is part of why NASCAR confuses me...they race two days in a row? with the same guys? huh?). Johnny Row has some left over watermelon, tho, so we hang out at the picnic table, chat, eat watermelon and spit seeds. After a bit, Organic Guy and I decide to head back on in, and stop at a local restaurant/watering hole that's owned by the same guy that customizes bikes at the shop next door. Big motorcycle hangout. On the way back south, though, we see something bad. And dark. And hanging over all of Raleigh, and headed our way. Yep, another storm. And this one is big. It opens up. And cars are going past us, sluicing us with water. I hang on tight, we sent up a few water rooster-tails ourselves, and decide to hie on home, and heck with stopping. We just want to dry off! So, two rides, two rain storms. But the next weekend is a long one, with the 4th, so we'll have plenty of time to ride, right?

On the weekend of July 4th, we planned to take the bike out. On Friday, Organic Guy parked the bike in the carport, the plan being riding around the Triangle, and watch the various firework displays. As soon as we changed to jeans and helmets, the sky turned black. And not due to nightfall. Local television stations started sounding alarms, and the heavens opened. All firework displays were put on hold until Saturday night. So, Saturday, we plan on heading out, same as Friday's plan, check the firework displays. At about 7ish we stop for supper, and it starts sprinkling again. Okay, heck with it. We head home. Not too wet ourselves, but definitely, the rest of Raleigh was. Not sure still if any fireworks happened last weekend. So, on Sunday, we decided we're going out on the bike, come Hell or high water (and more likely the second). It's Organic Guy's birthday, and he wanted to celebrate on the road a bit. So, early in the afternoon, we turn on the TV. The only rain, according to the radar, is north of us. Some to the direct west, but that's tracking north too. Check various websites. Same radar. Nothing south. Clear and sunny skies. Finally! We hop on, and head south. We drive toward a little town about an hour away, Carthage. It has a really well preserved historical district for puttering around in, and gorgeous old houses, and rolling hills with farms just outside town. And the ride out is beautiful. At one point, we round a curve, and are treated to a field full of sunflowers, and a small farmhouse, sitting just behind all the flowers, like a picture. Just breathtaking. We turn around to head home. Happy that we've finally gotten a good ride in. Planning on calling Organic Guy's parents to come celebrate the birthday with some steaks on the grill. And, just as we get out of Carthage, it happens. The sky just changes. From blue to black. Wispy white clouds to dark, angry, and filled with thunder. And it rains. So hard, harder than any other ride. So hard I'm not sure how Organic Guy can even see. Then we see an oasis. Off to the left is a little gas station. With an awning. Salvation! We can pull off somewhere dry! Then...then...this pickup with a trailer (all covered no less) pulls in, in front of us. And takes the whole awning space. No where to park the bike out of the rain. Organic Guy flips up his visor, and says "Babe, we're going for it!" And he hits the gas. Off we go, into the driving rain. As we get closer to home, we're pulling ahead of it. We finally drive out of the rain, and make it home. We're inside all of 15 minutes, and I make a mad dash to get the grill under the carport. Because the storm caught up. If we had pulled off, we would have been in the rain the whole ride home.

About five minutes after it started raining, I just started laughing. I'm not sure I've stopped laughing yet. Because we're coming out of a drought. And Organic Guy and I have discovered that, if we really want to take the bike out, we can bring the rains with us.

Bonnaroo Part 2

Okay, I said I'd add more of this. Again, I was there, part of the wet, happy crowd...it had been raining cats and dogs before and during the show, and for about the first 20 minutes of the rain, Organic Guy and I were trying to stay dry by standing outside. No, not really. It's just that the tent was so crowded, we couldn't get under it. To many hippie space hogs. No, not spaced-out hippies, but idiots that sat down, spread out big blankets, laid down, spread out backpacks, and basically were space hogs. Eventually they simply just got stood on. Okay, again, not really...everyone just stood on their blankets.

This is Superjam. The name fits. Superjam is a Bonnaroo tradition, where folks that might be playing Bonnaroo get together and jam. Or sometimes someone unexpected comes in. Last year, it was Ben Harper, John Paul Jones (yes, THAT John Paul Jones, the Led Zep one), and ?uestlove. 2006 had Phil Lesh, Trey Anastasio, and Mike Gordon.

This is this year's Superjam (warning, NSFW):


This is Les Claypool (I love Les Claypool), Gogol Bordello (OH MY GOD, I fell in love with them this year!), and later in the evening, Kirk Hammett from Metallica showed up and jammed, too. The whole thing was a tribute to Tom Waits, the whole Jam was covering Tom Waits tunes. Man, Man Man! This was something to remember, and probably one of my fave Bonnaroo experiences this year. Gogol Bordello, is, if you're not sure, commonly referred to as a "gypsy punk" band. Yes, that's an accordian you hear. And a violin. I think the name fits. Check 'em out. I swear, you'll fall in love too!