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The Weekly Newsletter for August 11, 2014
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Oh, my sweet friends,
Finally, finally, Fred and I got to put a toe in the water - we paid a visit to Laurey's beloved friends at the North Asheville Tailgate Market. What with house renovations, summer travel, and band camp (loads of clarinet-playing youngsters, at Mars Hill and North Buncombe), we haven't had enough free Saturday mornings to do it all.
Laurey's pattern is my goal - off to market each Saturday morning, inhale an apricot pastry from Farm and Sparrow, pick a pot of herbs, and hop in to the desk to write this newsletter.
Today Fred and I galloped through at 11:15, taking meetings with a few of the best - Laurey's bee mentor Dave! (Go Sourwood Honey!) - piles of blooms from Annie Perkinson at Flying Cloud Farm - three great jams from Wendy Harrill at Imladris. We topped it off with marvelous torpedo onions and heirloom tomatoes from Anne Grier at Gaining Ground Farm. We'll roast them tonight in Laurey's great oven! A perfect inauguration for our first time cooking in this kitchen. Seriously. First time.
Must share with you - that lovely blue speckle is our new COUNTERTOP, in the renovated kitchen at Laurey's cabin in Weaverville. We finished plumbing the water into the kitchen sink yesterday (no more washing dishes in a bucket in the bathtub, thank you very much!) and can't think of a better place to be, or better food to cook in it.
- from Heather Masterton
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Dinners to go for the week
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Here are dinners to go for this week. This, if you do not know, is a fabulous way to have dinner. It's easy - just call us by noon and your dinner will be ready for you to pick up by 3 that very day.
You can stop by to pick yours up until we close at 8.
Add salad (3.25) or bread (1.25) if you like.
 Monday, August 11 Chicken Picatta
with Tomato Garlic Orzo $8.95
Tuesday, August 12
Greek Spinach Pie
with Lemon Feta Tabouli $7.95
Wednesday, August 13
Ancho Roasted Pork with Mashed Sweet Potatoes $9.95*GF*
Thursday, August 14
Crabcakes with Vermont Maple Coleslaw $10.25
Friday, August 15
Herb-Roasted Yellowfin Tuna Skewers with Heirloom Tomato Sauce $10.50
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Casserole and Lasagnas to go !
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Casserole of the Week
whole serves (9) ~ half serves (4)
Wednesday, Aug 13
Chardonnay Chicken with Wild Rice Pilaf
Whole $35/Half $17.50
Lasagna of the Week
whole serves (9) ~ half serves (4)
Friday, Aug 15
Housemade Sausage and Local Peppers
Whole $60/Half $30
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 These marvelous oyster mushrooms come to us from Carol Dreiling and Pete Whelihan at Myco Gardens.
I popped by the kitchen on Thursday, as the crew was all a-swing in our massive support for the diners at the 29th Penland School of the Crafts Benefit Auction this weekend.
In the midst of the (well-controlled) melee, Rebecca whooped, "Oh, you've got to see these beautiful mushrooms!" She produced this grand box: "I almost don't want to cook them!"
Adam added, "Carol worked really hard to get these to us." Good to know her hard efforts are so valued!
These velvet beauties made their appearance in a classic Farro Salad, outstanding in taste and texture and visual appeal.
We're sure you would enjoy the shopping and the cooking - but it's so easy to let Rebecca and our team at Laurey's find and treasure and roast 'em up just for you!
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Laurey's notes (from a lifetime of writing)
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[So much has been written about Laurey and her life projects, but of course the best spokesman is Laurey herself. In this column we present archival reprints of her messages. This is an early newsletter from her online records.]
October 6, 2004
I have just come home from a spectacular week in the southwest and I'd like to share some pictures and stories with you. (I'll get back to food and local things next week - I have a LOT to tell about them - but for now, wander with me for a short time. I'll make sure you get home safely.)
We traveled to the high mountains outside Santa Fe last week. Though our original plan was to drive to the beach, this seemed liked a more remote and unusual destination, so those mountains is where we ended up. The air is so clear there, the rocks so elegant, the breeze so fresh. Sure the area has its challenges - not really enough water, too much building, crowded roads, those kinds of things. But we were on vacation and so those problems fell away.
Our little round house had been handmade by our landlady. The inside walls were actual adobe - a first for my eyes - with bits of straw sticking out. The roof and floors were made of fat slabs of red rock. The outside walls were plump, stacked rocks. So for one whole week we lived on the other side of the Chama River, well within view of Georgia O'Keefe's old stomping grounds. Being there it was clear that she merely painted what she saw - big puffs of fat white clouds reflecting pink sandstone or grey cliffs or brown land. If we drove south, we passed the spot where Ansel Adams photographed "Moonrise over Hernandez." We were in that land for the nights around the full moon. Clean light poured in our windows after the sun sank. When the moon was not visible, the Milky Way filled the sky. It was amazing.
We hiked some. I went to the end of my very first "box canyon." You hike and hike and hike and then, at the end, there is a wall and you can't go any further. "This," said Chris, "is a box canyon."
Ah!
One day we made it to the top of Kitchen Mesa, a towering flat-topped slab behind some of the buildings at Ghost Ranch. At one point a hiker needs to squiggle up a "chimney" straddling slabs of rock, hoisting oneself up and up and - unh! - over a ledge. All this a thousand feet off the valley floor! The view from the top made it all worth the effort as the mountains spread out for miles and miles. We could see yesterday's box canyon, tomorrow's "Plaza Blanca" - a curious conglomeration of white temple-like formations. Our little Adobe house hid, tucked in behind one of those round brown knobs to the south. And, best of all, we had the entire mesa to ourselves.
We drove to town and dined out a number of times, though, in my opinion, the best meal was grilled vegetables and sausages right at our little home. Our wood fire took some time to light because the wind from the west was persistent, but so were we - and the result was perfection.
After our days in the rocks, our time in Santa Fe were kind of a shock. What had once, on a prior visit, seemed rustic and quiet, felt crazy: bustling and loud and pushy. I wanted to go back to the rock, the sky, the quiet. We ventured up into the Santa Fe mountains a bit and they were nice, though I think that, on a return trip, we'd probably just skip all that and go right back to the rocks.
Thankfully, it is always nice to come home to the lush folds of these beautiful mountains. This is a good place to call home. I love going away - but I am always glad to come home. Always.
By the way - the gang at work is gearing up for a Pumpkin Carving contest in a couple of weeks. I'll tell you all about it in my next newsletter. The best part of all is that you get to be the judge(s). Sounds fun, right?
Take care - and, before I forget - do come get some soup. We've got a pot of some fall flavors all ready for you. Yum!
[source: Laurey's Cafe and Catering newsletter, October 6, 2004]
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YWCA kids enjoy their new entrance!
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On Friday the YWCA cut the ribbon on their new covered entrance, courtesy of the Asheville Design Center.
A memorial garden has been designed, in bee-inspired hexagons, for completion later this fall, dedicated to Laurey.
How fun to see the kids spread their loving arms to the students and design staff - poised to cut the ribbon, squeals of joy in the rain...
YWCA Executive Director Liz Maczka remembered Laurey in an interview with Carrie Eidsen in the Mountain Xpress:
“She was really committed to our mission of eliminating racism, empowering women and creating a Beloved Community — a place where everyone is welcome,” Maczka says. “She cared about people who were frequently forgotten.”
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It's never too soon to plan your fall farm outings.
 The Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project (ASAP) welcomes friends this fall.
37 farms open their doors to visitors the weekend of September 20 and 21; buy a pass to give a whole carload of folks access to these farms:
Farm Tour!
(If you'd like to volunteer, you get to tour for free the day you're not working!)
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