Meat Me in the Middle
Spring Events | Chickweed Pesto
As with most holidays, this weekend likely includes a meal with loved ones or friends. There may be colorfully-dyed eggs, chocolate rabbits, and Easter Dinner. As a kid, I didn’t care for lamb (something that cannot be said today, I love braised lamb shanks!, but I knew it was a special dish that my mom would only cook once or twice a year, usually at Easter. Though I grew up participating in 4-H and being surrounded by farm land, I never stopped to consider where my meat came from, it was something we would get at the grocery store, usually packaged on styrofoam plates and sealed in plastic wrap. It wasn’t until adulthood when I worked in a small specialty grocery store with a nose-to-tail butcher counter, that I learned to have a true appreciation for where my meat came from. It was a shop where quarter steers and half hogs would be delivered by the farms or processors and be carried in by the butchers and painstakingly broken down into steaks and chops, fat trimmed, and meat ground for burgers and sausages. It was an eye-opening experience, watching the women and men behind the butcher counter expertly wield knives and saws— an artform.
Not everyone is lucky enough to have such an experience, too often we find ourselves removed from our food systems. In our Spring Issue, storyteller Daniel James explores the complexities of raising livestock in Virginia, and the long process is takes from pasture to plate. As I braise my lambshanks this weekend, I’ll be thinking about the folks that allow me to savor such a lovely dish: the farmer, the processor, the butcher.
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EVENTS
Have an event you’d like us to share? Email: info@edibleblueridge.com
4.16-4.20 Tom Tom Festival - Charlottesville
4.19 & 4.20 Experience Easter at the Frontier Culture Museum- Staunton
4.18-4.19 Culpeper Palooza - Culpeper
4.26 15th Annual Cork & Fork - Blacksburg
5.02 Strawberry Festival - Roanoke
5.16 Veritas Supper Series with Smoke in Chimneys - Afton
FEATURED EVENT: Primland, Auberge Resorts Collection will be hosting its Second Annual Highland Golf and Wine Classic this Memorial Day Weekend, May 23-26, 2025.
Located on 12,000 acres in the heart of Virginia’s Blue Ridge Mountains, Primland offers a majestic year-round mountain retreat with a myriad of outdoor adventure experiences.This three-day celebration promises a weekend of outstanding golf, fine wines, and epicurean experiences, all set against the stunning backdrop of the Blue Ridge Mountains.
Along with exciting rounds of partner play on Primland’s Highland Course – recognized as the No. 1 public golf course in Virginia by GolfDigest – the Highland Golf and Wine Classic invites attendees to immerse themselves in the golf lifestyle with three nights of luxury accommodations and a range of extraordinary culinary and wine experiences. Guests can look forward to an exquisite lineup of wine dinners, receptions, and tastings, all hosted by world-class vintners including Laurent-Perrier, Yes Society, and The Mascot, a Harlan family wine. A highlight of the weekend will be a special visit from visiting Chef Antonio Votta, the Executive Chef for Bowie House, Auberge Resorts Collection, who will craft a five-course dinner on Sunday evening. Early bookings are recommended and can be made here.
WHAT WE’RE COOKING: CHICKWEED PESTO
Yield: approx. 12 oz
½ c of pine nuts, almonds, or walnuts
3-6 cloves garlic
2 c chickweed, chopped, divided
1 c olive oil, divided
¼ c grated parmesan cheese
Sea salt to taste
Place nuts, garlic, 1 c chickweed, ½ c olive oil and cheese into a food processor. Process on high for 1-2 minutes. Add remaining chickweed and olive oil. Process another 2 minutes. Add sea salt to taste. Pesto can be stored in the refrigerator for one month or frozen.
As its name suggests, chickweed is considered a weed by many, but it is actually a great source of nutrition (rich in iron and vitamin C). It appears robustly in the spring, with a growth cycle of 5-6 weeks. Stellaria media prefers cooler temperatures and moist soil, and you can find it growing in clumps or mats in lawns, gardens, agricultural areas, or waste-like habitats. It can grow from 4-8 inches tall, with egg-shaped, pointed leaves; Stellaria is derived from the Latin for “star,” and the white, star-like flowers at the tips of the plant are beautifully delicate.
Recipe by Marlene McKenzie, Evingston, Virginia
POEM OF THE WEEK
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