FallProvisions2
In recent weeks, the days got shorter and the shadows grew longer. The morning frost now clings to yellowing grass and red leaves recently fallen from the limbs above. Late-fall has arrived at Lost Creek Farm. The seasonal shift reminds us to reflect on the immense privilege of another busy summer connecting with this land through the cycles of growing and harvesting and preserving for the months ahead.
We’re honored to share a piece of this special place with you in our Farm & Forage Provisions Box! In this season’s box, we’ve included items that mean a lot to us, our families and our community: hand-crafted snacks, pantry provisions, and artwork inspired by time-honored communal traditions of autumn in the mountains. On the webpage below, we’ve pulled together a few recipes, recommendations and stories, so you can share the experience of fall at Lost Creek Farm.
Starting Snacks
Communion Wafers with Toasted Squash Seeds
These crispy, savory crackers were made by Mike’s grandmother, Betty Williams in the basement kitchen of Emmanuel Baptist Church, where elders were known to break out into song as they cooked extensive meals and baked wafers for Sunday service. Though Mike didn’t attend church with his grandma, he snacked on plenty of these wafers, and we serve them frequently during our Farm & Forage Supper Club events.
VIDEO: Learn to make communion wafers at home!
from the orchards
Bourbon-Sage Apple Butter
If you ever visit us for one of our Farm & Forage Supper Club events, you’ll likely enjoy a taste of our Bourbon-sage apple butter paired with communion wafers and fresh farmers cheese. Whether spread on crackers, biscuits, or salt-rising toast, apple butter evokes an important Appalachian rite of fall. Amy grew up making apple butter, joining family and neighbors in cooking fresh apples in large cauldrons over an open fire for the better part of a day. Though hints of Bourbon and sage from our garden reflect our own flavorful twist, our base recipe is steeped in tradition passed down for many generations.
VIDEO: Make fresh farmers cheese to pair with apple butter and communion wafers!
seasonal seasonings
For Spanish and Italian Sausage
Among the most revered late-fall traditions in our families and community is the butchering of hogs raised on small farms and homesteads. With butchering comes a variety of tasks, like curing bacon and ham, rendering lard and making sausage. As a nod to the time-honored Harrison County traditions of Spanish and Italian sausage-making, we’ve included two spice mixes so you can produce small-batch heritage sausage at home. Refer to the included information card for recipes and recommended techniques.
For a well seasoned sipper
Mulling Spices for Cider or Wine
As the cold weather sets in and the holidays get closer, we find ourselves looking forward to evenings by the wood stove with a hot cup of mulled cider or wine. The included spices will season 1 gallon of apple cider or wine (about 2 750 mL bottles). In a pot, simply add the sachet of spices, a small sliced orange and a few slices of lemon to your beverage of choice. Bring to a simmer and heat for 30 minutes. For dry wine, you may want to sweeten to taste.
for the table
Amy’s Cast-Iron Cornbread Mix
At Lost Creek Farm, we take our cornbread seriously! We’re thrilled to share a special blend of red, white and yellow West Virginia cornmeal so you, too, can make Amy’s Cast-Iron Cornbread. The mix includes Bloody Butcher and Hickory Cane corn grown and ground here at Lost Creek Farm, Hickory King corn grown by Arbaugh Farm in Greenbrier County, and other varieties from The Davis Brothers/The Vegetable Garden in Preston County. Simply follow the recipe on the back of the package for a hearty, savory cornbread that pairs well with our Bourbon-sage Apple Butter, as part of a soup-bean supper, or as the base of a Thanksgiving pan dressing.
hand-picked and preserved
Dried Heritage Apples
In late fall, the heritage apple trees here at the farm and in orchards throughout West Virginia produce an abundance of fruit. Apples are traditionally sliced and dried, often smoked, for long-term preservation, for cooking throughout the year. Dried apples are used in hand-pies and apple stack cakes, as well as plenty of savory dishes. We love to throw a few dried apple slices into a skillet of hearty braised autumn greens. Late-season kale, chard, collards, or turnip greens are the perfect match for apples. For some extra apple flavor, add just a splash of fresh-pressed apple cider.
something sweet
Black Walnut Brittle
We sure love those flavorful, slightly bitter black walnuts that fall to the forest floor by the hundreds each October. You’ll find their pleasant funk in dishes our menus throughout the year, but we especially love to honor the black walnut’s annual arrival in a seasonal sweet treat. One of our favorite recipes is Amy’s classic Black Walnut Brittle, which we’re excited to share with you in our fall box.
hand-carved, hand-printed
Sausage-Making Block Print
For the fall Farm & Forage Provisions box, we’re honoring local sausage-making traditions in various ways. In addition to the spice mixes included in your box, enjoy one of Mike’s original blockprints, inspired by long days spent with our friends and neighbors stuffing, tying and smoking hundreds of meaty, flavorful links for future use.
hand-carved, hand-printed
Original Blockprint Notecards
When we started rebuilding the farm, we uncovered dozens of antique farm implements as we tilled the soil and sifted through remains of old, mostly dilapidated outbuildings. So varied in shape, size and utility, these tools gave us a glimpse into the hand labor that went into working this land over the generations. We draw inspiration from these tools, reminding us of the work that came before us, and the work that remains to nourish ourselves, our guests, our neighbors and our community. Your membership in our Farm & Forage Provisions Box program helps us continue this work. We’re grateful for your support!