Farm & Forage Provisions Box - Spring 2022
The peepers are peeping. Temperatures are rising. Trees are blooming, and a woodland palette of sepia-gray has morphed into a lush, verdant landscape teeming with new life. Spring has arrived in the West Virginia hills.
It’s an inspiring season at Lost Creek Farm, and we’re honored to share a piece of it with you in our Farm & Forage Provisions Box! This new offering is more than just a box, Hutchison Bean is more than a seed, and Momaw Betty’s Communion Wafers are more than crispy, slightly salty crackers. The items in this box mean a lot to us, our families, and our community. On this webpage, we’ve pulled together a few recipes, recommendations, and stories, so you can share our experience of spring at Lost Creek Farm. Read on to learn more about each of the box items, watch recipe tutorials, and hear short audio clips from those who passed the traditions and stories on to us.
hand-carved, hand-printed
Original Blockprint Poster and Notecards
In each quarterly box, we include original artwork from Mike’s blockprint collection. Inspired by the seasonal sights around our farm and forest, these are carefully printed from hand-carved blocks. Enjoy them yourself, or pass the Farm & Forage inspiration on with a note to someone else.
A sprinkle of spring
Wild Allium Seasoning with WV Salt
In this hand-made seasoning blend straight from the forest floor, you’ll find a mix of ramps and fresh wild onions. After harvesting the leaves sustainably, we dry them, grind them, and pair them with J.Q. Dickinson Salt for a flavorful addition to your favorite springtime dishes, from grilled meats to fresh garden salads. For a classic ramp-season combination, sprinkle some of our Wild Allium Seasoning in a cheesy potato casserole or a creamy, slightly tangy potato salad.
FROM THE FOREST
Shagbark Hickory Sweet Syrup
The shagbark hickory tree sheds its bark every seven years or so. When those rigid flakes of bark are boiled, they release bold flavors that make for a delicious sweet syrup. Use shagbark hickory syrup in place of maple syrup on pancakes, mix into salad dressings, or make a variety of refreshing cocktails.
Recipe for a spring picnic: Shagbark hickory salad dressing
Starting Snacks
Momaw Betty’s Communion Wafers
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!
VIDEO: Make fresh farmers cheese to pair with Momaw Betty’s Communion Wafers!
Pickled and preserved
Pickled Beet Spices
Use this spice mix to create a spring-picnic staple. Peel 5 or 6 medium-size beets, then cut into ¼-inch slices. In a small-to-medium sauce pot bring a pickle brine –– 1 cup of water, 1 cup of apple cider vinegar, 1 tablespoon of kosher salt, and 2 tablespoons of cane sugar –– to a boil, then add the beets. Cook for about 3 minutes. Pack beets into a sterile, quart-size glass jar. Add the spices, then top off with hot brine, filling to about an inch below the rim. Allow to cool, then place in the refrigerator for a week before enjoying.
FOR THE MAIN COURSE
Aunt Floda’s Dumpling Mix
Mike’s great-aunt, Floda Craft, was known for her chicken and dumplings served at spring picnics in Braxton County. According to family legend, Floda’s Chicken and Dumplings stood out against other homemade entrees and sides, fresh breads, canned goods, and a host of desserts. This recipe remains a springtime favorite of ours today.
VIDEO: Learn to make Aunt Floda’s Chicken and Dumplings from scratch in our video tutorial!
Short(bread) and SWEET
Amy’s Rosemary-Sumac Shortbreads
When Amy was a youngster, her grandmother always had a pack of shortbreads on the kitchen table. We don’t blame her – they’re good! Our recipe is slightly different than the plain, but delicious, shortbreads Amy enjoyed with her grandparents decades ago. Candy coated and flavored with sumac and rosemary we harvested here at the farm, these small, sweet bites are perfect for morning coffee, afternoon tea, or late-night snacks.
Seeds for the garden
Hutchison Pole Beans and Bloody Butcher Corn
The two varieties of seeds in the box were gifted to us by Amy’s aunt, Ann O’Dell, who grew them in her garden in Jackson County, but they have much deeper, richer histories, back to the original peoples of these mountains. If you have a garden space, plant these seeds in the sun with room to grow vigorously. Harvest when dry and fully mature. Take care of them, and they will take care of you. If your harvest is successful, plant more, harvest more, and pass a few of the seeds on to others. For stories about these seeds and others, check out the seediest episode of our podcast below.