Studiology

Cherries!

There was a late frost which hit most of the pick-your-own farms and the cherry blossoms in our area. With numerous calls and emails I have been trying to find a farm that may have escaped the damage. Happily I was able to get in on the first weekend of availability on a limited crop, which means I was able to make Cherry Bounce this weekend. I use the original recipe which simply calls for tart cherries, some sugar, and brandy. This was a new farm for me and it's an ordeal to climb the hills to reach the cherry trees. Located in Delaplane, Virginia, the family run business is Hollin Farm. Gladly I left with 6 baskets and it only took 2 high hill hikes and 2 hours. I was advised to bring a stepping stool, which was very helpful. In the past I have tried to find Montmorency or Balaton varieties, known for their tartness and bounce perfection. Today's choice was a variety called Danube, a cross between tart and sweet, and decidedly delicious. The real trick will be the first taste, which doesn't happen until Thanksgiving (although I couldn't wait last year and christened Halloween good enough). 

Now nineteen quarts later, I am finished with my yearly cherry day and can move on to more important things. 

Wisconsin in August

The perfect hostess talked me out of visiting Wisconsin in June, instead recommending August, a nice time to leave the heat of Northern Virginia. Little did I know that it was also the peak week to go for cherry picking, and of course the weather was delightful. My destination was Sister Bay, a small village that is filled with tourists in the summer and located on a narrow peninsula that extends into the waters of Green Bay and Lake Michigan. At its narrowest point it's not even four miles wide so one can walk to the beach either way with fresh water that extends as far as the eye can see. 

The summer gardens there are gorgeous; hollyhocks don't get rust, you can grow lettuce in the summer, and there is even an indigenous primrose (primula). My explorations included wild areas, art galleries with sculpture gardens, and cherry orchards, (which are everywhere).  I met artists, goats, honeybees and sailors, blues singers, hard cider makers, and wayside farm owners. All in just four days. 

My favorite artist was Pamela Murphy, not only is she a painter but she grows 90% of her own food with everything from goats for milk and cheese, chickens, geese, and all sorts of fruits and vegetables. 

Pamela Murphy with Karla (the perfect hostess)

Pamela's art studio is in an old dairy barn where she hangs her canvases to coat with gesso which is liberally added layer by layer to create texture. Silver and gold leaf are a large part of her process and they are also added, often in a random fashion. 

I met my first goats here, one was an escape artist and loved chewing on my clothes.

Steven Woodward was another artist that creates very large installation pieces. His studios are in rental units, where he can store pieces that were larger than the height of any standard house ceiling. Made of wood, metal, and fabric, they were incredible. This is a museum piece that utilizes braided rugs, unbraided and recreated.

Karla's maiden name is Grasse so we visited her cousin who has a vineyard and is bottling wine. They also have goats and Karla keeps her honeybees there so I was able to suit up and learn a bit about how to take care of them.

There was a sunset sail on Lake Michigan from Sister Bay, and we had to help with the riggings, or the sails, or whatever he was talking about (the jargon was lost on me).

I was also treated to a native plant walk at The Ridges Sanctuary with is a bay that has been washed over by the waters of Lake Michigan where they are dumped in ridges that can be narrow or very large. The plant diversity was incredible with wetlands and dry ridges. There are pockets of boreal forest, mostly black spruce. A mistletoe species parasitizes the younger trees which causes them to develop witches brooms, which are clusters of branches growing from a tight junction. The small red growths are the mistletoe.

a black spruce with multiple witches brooms

Jens Jensen, the famous landscape architect from Denmark created a school at the tip of the peninsula which is called The Clearing Folk School. Well known for his council rings, there is one there but I also noticed many in surrounding gardens. 

Nearby are the bluffs where the terrain rises very high and the trees grab onto the rocky soil and their roots are exposed. 

As Karla pointed out, imagine this with a light coating of snow?

The cherries were picked on my second day there, $53. worth. The picking was simple, lift your hand and fill it full of dangling cherries which detach from their stem with such ease that you wonder if it's a function of hybridization or just how cherries work? The Ballantine cherries were ripe and Karla's favorite for Cherry Bounce, so they're mine too. I have tried repeatedly to imitate her recipe only to figure out that it's all about the cherry. 

We drove to the nearest Piggly Wiggly to choose our alcohol, I prefer mine with brandy and Karla likes bourbon or whiskey, and we had them in jars by nights end. Her plan is to mail them to me, and you cannot open the jars until Thanksgiving. I know it will be extra special, and I'm already planning my trip back.

Cheers!   

 

Maple Syrup

On the cusp of spring, closer to winter, across a broad swath of northern North America, maple trees are being tapped for sap. Quebec, Canada is the highest producer of maple syrup, followed by the state of Vermont, a product that is unique to this continent.
The sugar maple or Acer saccharum is not the only maple that produces sweet sap, but the one with the highest sugar content. Occasionally I have icicles where sapsuckers have drilled into my tree, and these are mildly sweet, which is a nice treat on a cold day. The southern most regions of maple syrup production are in the mountains of West Virginia and Virginia with a Maple Syrup Festival in Monterey, Virginia. This year's dates are March 9-10 and 16-17.
The flow of sap relies on two events, nights below 32 degrees followed by a day of 40 degrees or more. The entire process ends when freezing nights stop, so February and early March are the only months for maple sap harvests. Naturally there is a longer freeze cycle in northern climates, where the harvest is extended. Either way, production will vary from year to year, region to region.

Historically the trees were tapped with metal spouts that held a bucket. Each large tree can hold numerous buckets and be repeatedly tapped. The tree will heal and seal over past drill sites over the course of a year. Modern collecting uses tubes that connect the trees and flow with gravity or incorporate a vacuum to speed up the process.

The raw sap is 98% water, which is boiled off, the steam escaping through open roofs in sugar shacks. To avoid burning, more sap is gradually added in large vats which are heated with wood fires that burn day and night. The process is labor and time intensive with a goal of 6% sugar content.

In recent years a process has been developed which separates water from sugar by forcing the sap through filters with high pressure, reducing the amount of liquid to boil down. Both time and wood for fires are reduced, with the extra water often diverted and stored in tanks for alternative uses.

Outside of Monterey, Virginia in the small town of Hightown there is a sugar camp, the Rexrode's Sugar Orchard. Home to a long line of Rexrodes, my husband's uncle ran the operation until he passed and it is now operated by a grandson. The maple trees are many and very old, 200 to 250 years old, highlighted in the book "Remarkable Trees of Virginia". If you visit, it's an uphill climb from Monterey, the hills are steep, the landscape beautiful. Coined "Virginia's Little Switzerland", it’s been said that settlers thought it looked like home and decided to stay. Conventional agriculture is challenging, most farmers raise sheep with some cattle and/or turkeys.

In the sugar shacks it's warm and steamy. Large vats filled with sap boil away; the vats on in the Rexrode Sugar Orchard produce 9 gallons of maple syrup each. Rarely enough for the surge of visitors which also come for the concentrated maple sugar candy, which is left in the bottom of the vat once the liquid is removed. They called them clinkers, which is probably a local term because I find no mention of them on the internet. In my case, clinkers don't make it home, so tasty and delicious, they are consumed with delight.

Occoquan Peep Show

Yours truly built a Peep Show diorama for the annual Occoquan Peep Show. Many of the shops in this quaint little town will display their peeps and people are asked to vote for their favorite. Voting is on March 26th, and shops with a show of Peeps will have yellow balloons outside. Refreshments will also be served.

Going on "no experience at all", I haven't a clue as to how mine will compare to other Peep displays.  I might have to stroll through town to see. But not in a crazy, competitive sense, I present to you "The Circus Peep Show".

And yes, that was the bearded lady Peep, there's also a flying trapeze peep.

Persimmons

There are persimmons this year, unlike last year. The trees around the pond are loaded with the soft round, orange fruit, which is officially a berry. Yes, a berry. Now you may find that an odd fact, but I also want to point out that you can eat the fruit before frost. And that really did catch me by surprise since everyone says they're too astringent to eat unless we've had a freeze or frost. As of today,  I've eaten 3 delicious persimmons, picked directly from the tree, pre-frost. 

The official name for our native persimmon is Diospyros virginiana, a tree that grows from Florida to upstate New York. The champion tree is 94' tall, located in Yell, Arkansas, which is much taller than our average 20'. The tree will either be male or female with entire groves of only females, which I suspect have suckered. We had the most beautiful round grove at the nursery (in the day), all were female, which made for quite a mess in the fall as the fruit fell. Although I was happy to have the subsequent foxes who love persimmons and may have inadvertently eaten a few of my marauding voles. Quail, raccoon, squirrel, deer and possums also eat the fruit so I'm encouraged when I see trees loaded with food for wild animals, they need it late in the year.

One year I attempted to make persimmon cobbler and the recipe required 1 cup of persimmon pulp. You may have an inkling of how the pulp sticks to the seeds if you've eaten a few persimmons, but to acquire a full cup, well let's just say it's almost impossible. I now understand that you can peel them first and then work the fruit into a collander or potato ricer to harvest the meat of the fruit, leaving the seed behind.  Based on the taste of the cobbler, it's worth trying a few persimmon recipes. An internet search reveals persimmon pudding, cakes, breads, cookies and jam. 

 The word persimmon comes from the Algonquian word "a dry fruit", derived from their drying the fruit like prunes. In fact this can lead to fermenting fruit and a persimmon beer or brandy, both of which I'm sure are delicious!  

New Orleans Art & Food

I visited art galleries or shops eight out of nine days while I was in New Orleans. I ate bread pudding eight out of nine days, and no two were alike. I ate more gumbo than I can count and even ate alligator. Grilled pickles, broiled brussel sprouts, yam chips with hot vinegar, all fabulous. There are a few restaurants that I recommend, only because I had such a good experience there, probably all are exceptional, New Orleans is known for many things and food is high on the list. 

 As restaurants go, Booty's Street Food in Bywater was so very different and wonderful. The meals are served as "tapas- style small plates" with portions that are appetizer size, designed so you try many different things. My Tecate beer was served in a paper bag.

Jacques Imos Cafe was also a real treat. Touted as serving "real Nawlins food", it's always packed. My meal was chicken pontalba and every bite was a treat. Check out the interior -

 One night was scheduled as an artist's studio tour finishing with a five course meal served by Thomas Mann at his home. We started with Linda Berman's home, she owns the Nouvelle Lune Gallery where Michael deMeng currently sells some of his assemblage art. As an artist and art gallery owner, her home was full of awesomeness.

 

Linda is also an artist, she paints and is a raku clay artist. She demonstrated the firing of a clay piece and explained the process. Linda's first business was Drunk Monkey Art Studio and she showed us one of many paintings of a monkey imbibing. 

Then on to Benjamin Bullins warehouse studio. A new and upcoming artist that uses salvage pieces to create large assemblage art. A photographer and even salvage furniture artist, we were joined by his wife, Hannah. 

Here is one of his pieces that includes an old sign for snowballs, not to be confused with snow cones. Oh yes, we were corrected, the snowballs are made of much finer, shaved ice.

 

This is one of the walls in his warehouse, just a small section, the photographs themselves are very, very large.

 Before dinner we were treated to a tour of Thomas Mann's  "Studio Flux", where his jewelry business is headquartered and the actual making and design of each piece is carried out. We had the grand tour which included some of Thomas's assemblage art. 

Dinner was served in Thomas Mann's home which was once "The Rose Tattoo Bar". The bar remains and is the center of the kitchen and living room area.

Sam Shaw, a well known jeweler from Main,  is making some very different pieces of art that are made up of doll body parts, most of which come from Germany. They were on display at Thomas's house, unfinished at this point but very interesting.

Before we sat down to dinner, the artists posed for us. Left to right - Michael deMeng, Benjamin Bullins, Thomas Mann, Linda Berman and Sam Shaw. 

 Dinner included, sweet potato bisque with a corn and jalapeno hash, black bean sauce and pepper cress. Asian slaw came next before the entree of  "Rose Tattoo Shrimp n' Grits" and dessert was a bread pudding assemblage with chocolate hazelnut brittle, balsamic glaze, maple syrup and roasted pears.

  Thomas Mann mentioned a cook book he is writing, the first chapter is finished and will include photography of his jewelery as it pertains to his dishes. Clearly he is very talented, a man that is also very generous and truly gave us a night we will never forget. We left just after midnight on sensory overload.

Katherine Engen organized the entire workshop, great kudos to her for another wonderful day!

And so it went as this trip was just starting. There will be lots more art, food and then there's the music, the out of this world, crazy wonderful jazz of New Orleans.

New Orleans

After 9 days in New Orleans I feel richer in so many ways. Hard pressed to say what's best about this rich old city, our guide Katherine Engen  wasted no time in showing us (once again), the greatest places to eat, drink and see art. I arrived early for the workshop with Michael deMeng so I could settle in and tour at my own pace. The hotel was right on Bourbon Street in the French Quarter where the streets are packed, especially on weekend nights, with party people. Street signs advertise "Huge Ass Beers" , hand grenades, jello shots, etc.... It's the town of extreme indulgence. But oh, there's so much more!

Jackson Square is the historic park where the St. Louis Cathedral sits, surrounded by the oldest apartments in the country.

 Little shops surround the square where I fell in love with this mask, but alas it was $395. From France, the little gems are Swarovski, hence the price.

A few Mardi Gras decorations were still up, blending in with the incredible architecture and tropical plants. 

New Orleans is in zone 8b for gardening which means it may go as low as 15 degrees, which I find hard to believe since the gardens were filled with philodendrons, dracaenas and other tropicals.

Russelia equisetiformis or firecracker plant, one of my very favorite tender plants. 

Almost every morning I walked to Camellia Grill for breakfast. 

The entire staff puts on a show, you can't help but fall in love with Camellia Grill where you're entertained as you eat.

In the wee hours of the morning street cleaning machines wash and vacuum up the previous nights party debris. One particular morning it took awhile for Bourbon Street to be cleared. Some poor woman lost her shoe and I assume had to limp back. Yuk!

Signs in the bars ask patrons not to carry glass bottles out and leave plastic cups on the bar for those that want to leave with a drink. It's all very laid back. One year I was with this same group for a workshop and we asked a policeman what was the best way to get to the parade route for Krewe du vieux, he asked us if we were going to drink and then politely suggested that we put our name and address on a paper and keep it in a pocket. 

I will be posting about some of the great art galleries in town as well as the music and food.