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Reader Survey, Strawberry Rhubarb Bars, Edible Landscaping Spring Fruit Festival
Our summer issue is at the printer and while we (attempt to) patiently await its arrival, I’ve been digging deep into my garden. Peas and strawberries are enjoying their few weeks of glory, snappy and sweet. While watering this morning, I noticed my bok choy is threatening to bolt so I plan to harvest it tomorrow and serve it up alongside some Kimchi Pancakes for dinner. The raspberry bushes are spreading across a corner patch of the yard and though I was worried about our pawpaw tree out back, it seems to haves survived the winter despite its less-than-ideal soil.
The pawpaw tree is from Edible Landscaping and, if you’ve never visited this fruit-filled oasis, I encourage you to stop in next Saturday for their Spring Fruit Festival. Champions of all fruits —both strange and wonderful — a trip to Edible Landscaping is equal parts education and delight. And if you’re lucky, you’ll get to hear the musical talents of owner Michael McConkey.
Welcome to the Edible Blue Ridge newsletter that brings you food stories from our region and beyond. You're receiving this email because you've purchased a magazine subscription—thank you!—or you signed up via our online form. If you need to opt out at any time, there's a link at the bottom. We're glad you're here.
Thanks for reading, happy eating, and enjoy your weekend,
Lisa - Publisher & Editor
WE NEED YOUR INPUT
We need your help! We are currently conducting a reader survey to gather valuable feedback on how we can improve our content, events and engagement opportunities. This survey has not been deployed since before the pandemic, so your input is more important than ever as we navigate how our community has evolved. Your feedback will be crucial in helping us provide the best possible experience for you as a reader of Edible Blue Ridge. So please, take a few minutes to fill out the survey and let us know what you think. You might even win a prize!* We greatly appreciate your participation and look forward to continuing to serve you in the best way possible.
*NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. Void where prohibited. The 2023 Edible Communities Reader Survey Sweepstakes begins at 12:00:01 AM ET on 3/18/2023 and ends at 11:59:59 PM ET on 8/31/2023. Only open to legal residents of the 50 United States and District of Columbia who are 18 years of age or older at the time of entry. For official rules and how to enter, visit survimage.mrisimmons.com/CU572/Rules.htm. Sponsor: GfK US MRI, LLC
EVENT SPOTLIGHT: CHECK FARM TOUR 6.04
Have an event you’d like us to share? Email: info@edibleblueridge.com
On Sunday, June 4th, small-scale farmers and business owners in Check, VA are opening their doors and invite you to learn how they feed their community. This family-friendly, all-day event is free and open to the public. Participants will need to drive from farm to farm and carpooling is encouraged. Learn more.
MORE TO CHEW ON
📚 Looking to dive into a good book during your next vacation? The Bitter Southerner has a Southern Summer Reading Round-Up.
A recipe for 7 Up Poundcake- Author Kwame Alexander on family, love, legacies and food.- from Lit Hub
Can you eat a martini? Eater reports 🍸.
WHAT WE’RE COOKING: Strawberry Rhubarb Bars
Easy to prepare and ideal for transporting to your Memorial Day picnic, these bars celebrate the marriage of sweet strawberries and tangy rhubarb. You can skip browning the butter if you’re short on time, but we love the nutty flavor alongside crumbly oats.
Ingredients
for the crumb layer
1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/3 cups rolled old fashioned oats
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
3/4 cup unsalted butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
for the filling
1 3/4 cups hulled and diced strawberries
1 1/2 cups diced rhubarb, sliced 1/4-inch thick
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
Prepare the crumb layer: Preheat oven to 350 degrees ℉. Butter a 9 by 9-inch baking dish and line with parchment paper, butter parchment.
In a mixing bowl whisk together flour, baking soda and salt. Add in oats, brown sugar and granulated sugar and whisk to blend, while using fingertips to break up small clumps of brown sugar.
In a skillet over medium-low heat, cook butter, stirring occasionally with a heat-proof spatula until it starts to foam, turns a deep golden brown and develops a nutty aroma, about 4 minutes. Remove from heat and whisk vanilla into melted butter then pour over oat mixture. Stir with a spatula until mixture is evenly moistened.
Using a spatula, press 2/3 of the mixture into the prepared baking dish, setting aside remaining 1/3.
Prepare the filling: Add diced strawberries and rhubarb to a medium mixing bowl. Toss with lemon juice.
Add sugar and cornstarch to rhubarb mixture and toss to coat.
Evenly spread rhubarb mixture over the bottom crumb layer in baking dish. Evenly sprinkle remaining 1/3 crumb mixture over top.
Bake in preheated oven until top is golden brown and crisp and filling is bubbling, about 50-60 minutes.
Cool on a wire rack, then cut into squares and serve.
POEM OF THE WEEK
Baked Goods
By Aimee Nezhukumatathil
Flour on the floor makes my sandals
slip and I tumble into your arms.
Too hot to bake this morning but
blueberries begged me to fold them
into moist muffins. Sticks of rhubarb
plotted a whole pie. The windows
are blown open and a thickfruit tang
sneaks through the wire screen
and into the home of the scowly lady
who lives next door. Yesterday, a man
in the city was rescued from his apartment
which was filled with a thousand rats.
Something about being angry because
his pet python refused to eat. He let the bloom
of fur rise, rise over the little gnarly blue rug,
over the coffee table, the kitchen countertops
and pip through each cabinet, snip
at the stumpy bags of sugar,
the cylinders of salt. Our kitchen is a riot
of pots, wooden spoons, melted butter.
So be it. Maybe all this baking will quiet
the angry voices next door, if only
for a brief whiff. I want our summers
to always be like this—a kitchen wrecked
with love, a table overflowing with baked goods
warming the already warm air. After all the pots
are stacked, the goodies cooled, and all the counters
wiped clean—let us never be rescued from this mess.
Aimee Nezhukumatathil, "Baked Goods" from Lucky Fish. Copyright © 2011 by Aimee Nezhukumatathil. Reprinted from Poetry Foundation.Looking for our Spring Issue? Order an annual subscription for $28 and have it mailed right to your door. Or, find it at one of these businesses who offer it as their gift to you. You can also read the whole issue in a flip-through digital edition (plus our archive).
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