Atlanta on my Mind

PUBLISHED ON: 10.20.2015

Who say’s you can’t create an urban farm in your neighborhood on less than an acre? After a stay at the The Social Goat Bed and Breakfast in downtown Atlanta Georgia I am rethinking my situation. Gone is the 5 acre dream!  Folks, I just need a new neighborhood to move into.  I promise to share my vegetables, eggs, and honey with my neighbors.

I love my husband.  We were planning a weekend trip to Atlanta and he came across this bed and breakfast while looking for accommodations.  I think the first phrase he uttered when he was perusing the site was “Woman, this bed and breakfast has your name all over it”  Yes, it did!  My discovery of a real urban farm setting with a bed and breakfast worries my husband (as it should).

 

 

 

We visited the President Jimmy Carter Library and Museum in the morning and spent the afternoon walking the Atlanta BeltLine

Its no secret that our travel is centered around eating and this was no exception.  We enjoyed a hip sandwich and cocktail joint called Victory Sandwich Bar.  We spent part of a late afternoon roaming the Krog Street Market and the grand finale ended at the Miller Union Restaurant a sustainable and modern approach to farmstead cooking.  Chef Steven Satterfield’s approach was responding to what was in season and available at the local farmers market.  Vegetables are front center and a little less on the proteins.  He sums it up very nicely by saying “seasonal cooking begins with the harvest.”  To honor our great meal I ordered his cookbook Root to Leaf and prepared a traditional southern favorite Slow-Simmered Field Peas.

Slow-Simmered Field Peas
Serves 6 to 8
Recipe from Millers Union
 
 
 
Ingredients:
4 cups fresh shelled field peas (lady peas, pink eyed peas, blackened peas crowder peas, zipper peas, or a mix)
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 cup finely diced (1/8-inch) yellow onion
1/2 cup diced celery
1/2 cup diced fennel bulb
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 thick slice country ham or a small ham hock
1 sprig fresh thyme
 
Directions:
Place the peas in a large pot, cover with water, and agitate them gently.  Pull them out in small handfuls and check for blemishes or debris.  Set the washed peas aside.
In a large saucepan, heat the oil over medium heat.  Add the onion, celery, and fennel; season with a little salt and pepper: and sauté  until translucent, about 5 minutes.  Add the ham, peas, and thyme, and add water to cover by 1 inch.  Simmer on low heat until peas are tender, skimming all the while, 45 to 60 minutes.
Enjoy!
 
 

 

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