appalachian supper club

From the Mountains of Virginia it's what I cook & eat everyday.

[chefjfarmer]

Porchetta di Testa Leaping Waters Pig Head cured for 2 days. Rolled, cooked for 14 hours with the circulator at 200 degrees, and finally smoke on Hickory for 3 hours.

[chefjfarmer]

Charleston Wine & Food Festival 2013 Q: How do you Impress people & make new friends? A: always have a bottle of bourbon in your hand!

[chefjfarmer]

Known as Creasy Greens, Upland Cress, or just Wild Watercress(though the latter is misleading, given that it is cultivated for the most part now). The flavor is peppery similar to Arugula, but with a distinct floral taste, slight bitterness. It shows up twice a year if the conditions are right, first in late November & then in early Spring. All is dependent upon temperature; too cold in November and nothing, too hot in early spring & it bolts before you can pick it. It was a mainstay of my Grandparents dinner table, as a child I despised the stuff, but as I got older and my palate matured I've found the complex flavor of Creasy to be far better than most other "greens". I have only one source for it, a local farmer in his late seventies. It's not terrible popular these days, but the reaction I get from diners when they taste it is either one of nostalgia or surprise at its distinct taste. It can either be eaten raw or cooked. I like to wilt it in a warm bacon vinaigrette with a dash of apple cider vinegar. If I'm cooking it, I general prepare it the same way I would collards or Kale. If you by chance come across it at you farmers market, give it a go.