Lagniappe
If you grew up in south Louisiana, you absorbed lagniappe alongside mothers’ milk as a way of dealing with the world. Lagniappe is lagniappe, and so when pressed for a definition, I consulted my mother. Who had to consult her sisters. Who then had to consult their friends. Coming up with a definition caused a lot of discussion but one thing became clear. Lagniappe, while always expected, is never unappreciated.
Lagniappe is a little something extra added to any transaction so there is always good value from seller to buyer. Whether it is weight rounded up and price rounded down ,or some fruit or candy handed to a tag-a-long child, or a little something different added to the bag at the last moment, lagniappe is tangible good will. And so with that in mind, the following is a list of links and suggestions to enhance this visit to our website.
Restaurants
One of the best ways to approach a new vegetable is to taste it at its best. Never cooked eggplant before? Enjoy it first prepared by a master so you know what to shoot for in your own kitchen. The following is a list of some of the restaurants who serve our vegetables. I am not sure if it is that our veggies are worthy of them or if they are worthy of our veggies! Either way, if after tasting around, you still do not like eggplant, don’t bother bringing it home. Find another vegetable…we’ve got plenty!
Underbelly | Pondicheri | Da Marco | Mockingbird Bistro |
Recipes
Ernest’s newest favorite dessert is a corn cake made from a recipe from another farmer, at a different market. Sweet corn, cornmeal, any berry combination you can dream of (we like blueberry and blackberry and strawberry because that is what we grew this year) and olive oil and not so much sugar. Good stuff.
Cornmeal Cake with Fresh Corn & Berries
from Farmers’ Market Desserts by Jennie Schacht
Fresh corn, cornmeal, olive oil? Doesn’t sound much like dessert. But add ripe berries and a little sugar and you will have a captivating cake that is hard to stop eating. Why shouldn’t corn play a starring role in a dessert? Fresh from the field, it’s as sweet as most fruits — sweeter than many. This moist cake gets a double-corn wallop, with a little crunch from cornmeal and sweet bursts of fresh corn, all balanced by sweet-tart blackberries. The cake is best the day it is made but will remain moist if stored tightly covered at room temperature for up to 3 days. Serves eight.
1 pint (about 2 cups) blackberries or raspberries
3/4 cup corn kernels (from about 1 ear corn)
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup fine or medium stone-ground yellow cornmeal
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
2 large eggs
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
Lightly sweetened, softly whipped cream, for serving (optional)
1. Preheat the oven to 350oF, with a rack near the center. Oil or spray an 8-by-2-inch round cake pan. Dust the pan with flour, tapping out the excess.
2. Set aside 1 cup of the berries for garnish. Put the remaining 1 cup berries into a small bowl with the corn kernels. Sprinkle with 2 tablespoons flour and 2 tablespoons of the sugar. Stir gently to coat and set aside.
3. Stir together the remaining 1 cup flour, 3/4 cup of the sugar, cornmeal, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. Whisk together the eggs, buttermilk, and olive oil in a small bowl or measuring cup. Stir the egg mixture into the flour mixture just until they are well combined. Gently fold the floured-and-sugared berries into the batter.
4. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and spread evenly. Bake until the top is golden and a toothpick inserted near the center tests clean, 40 to 45 minutes. Let cool in the pan on a wire rack until almost completely cool. Run a thin knife around the inside edge of the pan to loosen the cake sides. Invert a flat plate or baking sheet over the pan and invert the pan and plate together to release the cake. Lift off the pan, then invert the cake again onto a serving plate.
5. A few minutes before serving, toss the reserved berries with the remaining 2 tablespoons sugar. Serve the cake slightly warm or at room temperature. Top each slice with a dollop of whipped cream, and a scattering of sugared berries.
Season to Taste: Substitute other berries, or a combination of berries, for the raspberries.
Read
This years’ National Endowment for the Humanities Jefferson Lecture was delivered by Wendell E. Berry. Profound and accessible, his words illuminate a way of life and at the same time offer a road map for us to pursue here on the farm. It should be required reading for every citizen in this country, for sure all elected officials. It is one of the most important pieces I have ever read.
http://www.neh.gov/about/awards/jefferson-lecture/wendell-e-berry-lecture
The New York Times recently published a must-read article, “Has ‘Organic’ Been Oversized?” by Stepanie Strom. Take a look.
Understand
Farm and Ranch Freedom Alliance is the best friend the small farmer/rancher has in this country. The new farm bill being worked over in Washington is critical to the future of food grown in this country. The issues are stated clearly, and the impact of various points of legislation are defined, both on the federal and state levels.