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Bath County foods featured in Millboro
Growth Spurts
By James Jacenich
Summer is here and local foods are kicking into high gear with the opening of the Bath County Farmers' Market at Lickety Splits near the intersection of Routes 39 and 42 in Millboro. "It's all about building community," said market co-organizer Harmony Leonard. She stood out from the crowd with her straw hat decorated with toy chickens. Donna Campagna, also a co-organizer, also wore the symbols of her office - coveralls and a straw hat with toy bees on top. The pair called themselves the Busy Bee and Mother Hen, alluding not only to their hats but also to their tasks as market directors.
Sylvia Yoder of the Buckhorn Inn near Churchville had strawberry muffins made with fresh strawberries. She says that the muffins in the weeks ahead will reflect what is in season.
Right now strawberries are in abundance. I picked a few from my "low-to-no maintenance" garden and they are delicious. Amazing how a few "weeds" covering the garden can actually enhance the growth of other plants that thrive under cover.
Yoder also has pies made from "whatever fruit is in season." She expects to bring blueberries in July. Something that caught my nose and my eyes were the neatly bagged peppermint and spearmint leaves. Yoder packaged the leaves in sandwich bags and said to put the contents of one bag in a gallon of just boiled water and let it steep for three minutes. Strain out the leaves through a strainer or sieve and drink it as is, add ice or a sweetener.
If you just want to brew a cup, try three teaspoons of fresh leaves or one teaspoon of dried leaves in a cup of boiling water.
I made up a gallon of peppermint and the bonus was the delightful smell that filled my house for a day or two.
I also bought a bag of spearmint and put it in the refrigerator to make up a batch of tea in a few days when my first supply is done. But Yoder said I could dry the leaves and save it for whenever I had a hankering for some natural herbal tea.
Peppermint and spearmint are mints from the Mentha species. Folklore has it that the tea is good for digestion, cramps, coughs, nausea, heartburn and headaches. I'm not sure about that, but I do know it tastes good. Mints are perennials that come back year after year and are in season all summer long.
Chin Velasquez is a Goshen herbalist that specializes in organic skin care and aromatherapy products. Her products come from herbs she grew herself. Velasquez also operates a botanical sanctuary at her home, an idea she learned from United Plant Savers, an organization dedicated to saving native medicinal plants and their habitats in the United States and Canada.
Leonard will be at the Soothing Herbals table at the market for the rest of the season. Velasquez will also be at the Lexington and Staunton farmers' markets. Visit her Web site at soothingherbals. com or call (540) 460-2722 for more information about this local herbalist and her products.
I bought a skin care product from her that I hope will take care of the occasional dry skin or minor scrape. It is made up of a lot of different herbs immersed in olive oil. Tastes good, too. But I don't think I will cook with it.
"It has been a good first day," said market co-organizer Donna Campagna. "We couldn't have asked for a better day," Leonard added.
They said a lady came in at 8 a.m. with 25 dozen eggs. The eggs were sold within an hour and a half.
The parking lot in front of Lickety Splits filled and emptied as cars full of shoppers and sightseers stopped by, enticed by Market Milly, the market mascot on Route 39.
Milly acts a bit stuffy and her lips are sealed, but still she does draw the crowd in. She was packed in the back of a pickup and taken home before I had a chance to talk to her. Maybe next time.
Lickety Splits had a steady stream of customers, too, partaking of the restaurant's ice cream, a perfect treat for a hot Saturday in Bath County.
"Owner Len Foutz gave us the space," said Leonard. The arrangement appeared to benefit both businesses. In noticed market customers licking globs of ice cream perched on cones. I stayed for a grilled cheese and fries at Lickety Splits after the market closed.
But before I could settle in for lunch, I had to visit with Tara Miller of Lexington. She manages the Mouse House Garden and had some herbs of her own on display. She is also representing the Rockbridge County Producers and is part of the Farm to You program, which helps "consumers, producers, restaurants and retailers connect with one another to facilitate the enjoyment of Rockbridge area foods."
She had teas and herbs from Paradox Farm.
Mountain View Farm products had a brochure on her table. They have cheese and meat for sale. The cheese was available at the table and comes in five varieties. It is made from raw milk from the Mountain View herd. If interested in buying meat from the Mountain View Farm call (540) 460-4161 and place your order. Miller will deliver it to the market for you to pick up. Mountain View lists individual cuts of meat from soup bones to ground beef, liver and hearts, short ribs, steaks and more.
DJ's Whiteway Restaurant was also at the market with its freshly baked goods.
The market had more to offer and the offerings will change slightly as the weeks progress. One thing for sure, they will be open every Saturday from 8 a.m. to noon until Oct. 11.
Call (540) 997-0239 for more information.
Highland Farmers'
Market
At the Highland Farmers' Market, Lee Mitchell and Bruce Folks were back with more fresh produce. Nicole Balenger of Thorny Bottom joined the vendors' list with her own homemade Highland honey. "Highland is a great place to keep bees," said Balenger. The bees will work from March to September taking advantage of a number of nectars each in its own particular season. The current batch of June honey is from a combination of locust and maple blooms. Blackberry should be on its way. "There's a big bloom of viper's bugloss," said Balenger, anticipating what lies ahead. Bugloss grows in poor soils and creeks, she said. But sweet things sometimes come from not so sweet places, I think. The flavor of the honey supposedly varies according to the plant the nectar came from. I like honey, but I don't know that I can tell the difference between one type of honey or another.
Honey's sweet taste makes it worth further investigation.
One word of caution though, honey is stronger than sugar. Balenger said use two-thirds cup of honey to equal one cup of sugar.
She also said honey substituted for sugar in baked goods makes for a moister product. "It draws in the moisture and helps keep it from getting dry," she said.
Balenger keeps her hives in a shed. That's so the bears don't get to it, she added.
For more information on Balenger's honey, visit the Web at www.thornybottombees.com.
Folks had wild blueberry bread last week. The blueberries were from a batch he picked last summer at Dolly Sods in West Virginia. He preserved the berries over the winter by freezing them.
Folks said he makes the bread he sales, but his little daughter Brianna said he needs her help.
Blueberries will be in season again at Dolly Sods sometime near mid-July. Folks said he has a sure way of knowing when it is time to go berry picking. "I wait for the lady from work to go over," he said.
Mitchell hopes to have potatoes and peas in two weeks. The potatoes are small now and he doesn't want to disturb them just yet. Mitchell seems to have a soft spot for baby potatoes.
Folks hopes to have lettuce, sweet onions, kale, mustard greens, radishes, beets, broccoli, sweet cherries, cucumbers, squash, blueberries, "possibly" green beans, baked goods, maple syrup and candies.
Mitchell is hoping to bring spinach, lettuce, onions, cabbage and eggs.
The market might add another vendor this week. Darwin King will be selling straw.
Erwin Bussard will also be on hand, selling his candleholders. It's amazing what he can do with a pair of tin snips and a discarded can.
For more information on the Highland Farmers' Market email farmersmarket@htcnet.org or call (540) 468-1922.
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