RAMPS!

THE HUNT STARTED WITH MORELS . . .

We were looking for morels. I'm sure I should look for "morals," too, but last week when Alan Muskat lead another couple and I out into the woods near Barnardsville, he thought we just might find this coveted gastronomic treat, even though it was a bit early in the season for them.

As soon as we got out of his car at his friend's farm, he gave us a challenge: Find a mushroom. Alan is known as Asheville's Mushroom Man, the one who forages for chicken-in-the-woods, lobster mushrooms, morels and other gourmet treats for local chefs, and leads folks on mushroom hunts along the Blue Ridge.

And that's when I discovered how hidden and camouflaged wild mushrooms can be. If they had been a snake, I'd been bitten. Brown, floppy fungi, about ten in all, were just up under our noses and I must admit I don't remember their names. But he placed them in his basket along with some creasy greens and dandelion leaves, to add to his own sauteed dinner, foraged for "free" out in the wilds, as per his usual.

We trudged up a steep driveway to a house that he once lived in. It's being torn down now, its gardens abandoned, with no one to appreciate the bright yellow sundrop blooms. And that's when one of us spotted the gray morel nestled among fall's leftover leaves. Note "the." For that was the last of morels we were to see, despite our hopes.

A gray morel, one of three varieties found in the Blue Ridge

Alan led us up steep ridges and down to a valley floor where it took little to imagine that's where the early Native Americans would have camped, right beside the knobby tree that signaled the headwaters of a prominent creek. No morels, but we found acorns to taste, a spice berry tree just leafing out, and more cressie greens along a tiny stream. All of which we tasted. And that was my biggest "take-away" from this outing, that there are lot of things that grow wild that are there for the eating - IF you know what's what, and what's toxic.

Completing the seemingly miles-long hike up and down steep hills, we came upon the backside of the farm's livestock barn. As we stood talking, someone pointed at a "stand" of bright green across the hillside. We sauntered over. Were they daylilies left from someone's forgotten garden? Or better yet, were they ramps, that odiferous but tasty springtime treat?

Either way, Alan would eat them. Daylilies are delicious chopped and sauteed, he says. And if they were ramps, well, we had hit a motherlode, as there were several large gatherings of greens spread among the bare trees.

The beautiful dark green leaves of ramps remind you that they are a member of the lily family. Chewing on one, I could definitely taste the oniony-garlicky flavor that is unique to ramps. I laughed, remembering when one old mountain fellow told me that he had been sent home from school because of his highly odiferous breath after finding and eating a "bait" of ramps.

We had only knives with us, so with no way to dig up the bulbs, we could only harvest the leaves and stems down into the moist, loamy earth. And that's just as well. Ramps are being somewhat depleted from their natural growing habitats, so it's recommended that just the leaves be harvested, or in the very least to only take a few of the bulbs to ensure future growth.

Kneeling on the soft earth, carefully harvesting the pungent leaves, was a rather sensuous experience, one that I know has been repeated through the ages. I felt encased within that "circle of life," gathering food out in the wild. Alan just shook his head. It's just there for the taking, and it's his mission to educate the rest of us.

Alan Muskat, Asheville's Mushroom Man, harvesting wild ramps

WHAT TO DO WITH RAMPS

I doubled bagged those leaves before putting them into my ice chest. I had a few days left before getting home, and didn't want to stink up the car, as I had once when given a few ramp bulbs.

So what to do with my ramps?

We had some leftover cooked potatoes, so I chopped up a few of the whole leaves and stems, and added them to the potatoes while they were being sauteed in olive oil. I replaced onions and garlic with the ramps while making shrimp and grits. We coated some leaves with olive oil, then placed them on the grill with a rack of lamb. My grillmeister misunderstood and they became charred but still tasty as a bed for the lamb.

RECIPE

And there's a great recipe for Rampalicious Chicken Soup in my book, THE NEW BLUE RIDGE COOKBOOK, which you will find below. Can't get ramps? Then substitute those strong smelling green onions you'll find at the farmers market during the spring and early summer. It's a bit involved, but we love this hearty soup.

RAMPALICIOUS CHICKEN SOUP from THE NEW BLUE RIDGE COOKBOOK, by Elizabeth Wiegand, Globe Pequot Press, 2010.

Hearty, spicy, and soul-satisfying, this chicken soup could almost be called a chili. It’s delicious, even without the ramps.

Strong-smelling and wild, ramps are dug from mountain coves during the early spring. A “bait” of them are sold at farmers markets or shared with neighbors. If ramps are not available, substitute spring onions, or just yellow onions with an especially strong taste. Palette Butler serves this soup for the lunch crowd at Veranda Café & Gifts, co-owned with husband Jeff in Black Mountain, NC.

1 whole chicken, about 4 pounds

1 or 2 bay leaves

12 black peppercorns

1 cup diced carrots

1 cup chopped yellow onion

2 15-ounce can red kidney beans

28-ounce cans diced tomatoes

1 6-ounce can tomato paste

1 15-ounce can beef broth

2 to 3 cloves garlic, minced

2 to 6 whole ramps (to taste), leaves and bulbs chopped

1 large sweet onion, chopped

½ to one 4-ounce can chopped green chilies, to taste

1 teaspoon oregano

1 teaspoon ground cumin

½ teaspoon chili powder (or more, to taste)

1/8 to ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper (to taste)

1 ½ teaspoon salt, or to taste

freshly ground pepper, to taste

1. Place chicken in a stockpot with the peppercorns, carrots and yellow onion. Barely cover with water. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Skim off any foam. Cook the chicken for at least 45 minutes to an hour, or until the chicken is cooked through and fork tender.

2. Remove the chicken from the pot. Using a fork and sharp knife, shred the chicken into bite-sized pieces and toss the bones and cartilege. Strain the broth from the stockpot and reserve.

3. Add the shredded chicken back to the stockpot. Add kidney beans, tomatoes, tomato paste, beef broth, garlic, ramps, onion and green chilies. Add enough reserved chicken broth for desired consistency, about 4 to 6 cups. Stir in oregano, cumin. chili powder, cayenne pepper, salt, and black pepper.

4. Simmer for at least one hour or more to allow flavors to meld and onions to soften.

NOTE: Freeze any leftover stock for use later.

YIELD: 8 to 10 large servings

THE BUZZ

BEE SMART

Our honey bees are in trouble. Since 2006, beekeepers have lost from a third to 90% of their hives, in what is called "Colony Collapse Disorder" or CCD. And no one knows what causes this sudden disappearance of all adult bees.

Pesticides are the most suspicious culprits, as is urban sprawl and decreasing farmland. For a while, cell phones were thought to bother the bees. There's a varroa mite that feeds on bee's blood and transmits viruses, and a pathogenic gut microbe, nosema, that also cause bee deaths. It could be a combination of all of the above problems, scientists say.

WHY YOU SHOULD BE CONCERNED

Bees pollinate as they search for food to take back to the hive. And 130 crops - most of them food - depend on bees, from almonds in California to blueberries right here in N.C. Without a healthy bee population, our food supplies will dwindle. Beekeepers here in NC and VA truck their bees all over the South and even out to California, earning money from farmers who rely on bees to pollinate their crops. Without bees, there would be little fruit or veggies.

That's why I'm posting the link below that I want you to follow. Let Congress know that you want the EPA to look into pesticide use and colony collapse disorder.

http://org2.democracyinaction.org/o/5986/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=5833

HONEY DO LIST

Honey in tea, on a warm piece of toast, in marinades, vinaigrettes....I do love my honey. Gallberry is the flavor I have left in my pantry, and I look forward to the spring crop of wildflower honey, and tupelo honey during early summer and . . . .

Here's a bread recipe from THE NEW BLUE RIDGE COOKBOOK that comes from Sweet Providence Farm near Floyd, Va, given to me by Ann Houston, the just-turned-20 year-old who is the chief baker at her family's roadside market. As a teenager, Ann loved to bake so much and had such success, that they had a "barn-raising" for the bakery/market they built to sell her oven-baked apple turnovers, pies, cakes and bread. She and her siblings man the cash registers, order and sort the produce and meats that come from other local farmers, and display other Southern products. It's worth the drive to check it out, and during the summer, Ann and her six young siblings play bluegrass on the porch on weekend afternoons.

MAPLE, HONEY AND OATMEAL BREAD, from THE NEW BLUE RIDGE COOKBOOK

butter for pans

3 cups boiling water

1 cup rolled oats, plus ¼ cup oats, for topping

2 ounces (1/2 stick) butter

2 tablespoons maple syrup

¼ cup honey

1 ½ cups wheat flour

1 teaspoon salt *(I added)

1 teaspoon yeast

about 4 ½ cups white flour

2 egg whites

1. Boil water.

2. Combine 1 cup rolled oats and butter in a bowl.

3. Add boiling water to oat mixture. Let stand until butter melts.

4. Add maple syrup, honey and wheat flour, and mix.

5. Let stand until room temperature. Add yeast and stir.

6. Add white flour slowly, stirring, and then kneading until a soft and smooth dough forms. You may not need all of the white flour.

7. Place dough in a clean bowl and let rise until it doubles.

8. Punch down and let stand for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350°. Grease two loaf pans with butter.

9. Divide the dough into two equal amounts, shape loaves, and place into loaf pans.

10. Let rise until double.

11. Glaze with egg whites and sprinkle with oats.

12. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until dark golden brown and hollow sounding when thumped.

YIELD: 2 Loaves

(c) THE NEW BLUE RIDGE COOKBOOK

WHADDYA CALL IT?

A couple of weeks ago I found this squash or perhaps pumpkin at a roadside farm stand near Woolwine, VA. (Don't you just love that name, Woolwine?) What's it called? I asked. Permelon, the farmer answered.

Then I saw this bin of Pink Bananas between Fruitland and Hendersonville:

The very next day, at the City Market in Asheville, there were more of these long, cylindrical squash, with a sign that said CANDY ROASTERS.

What gives with all the names?

Turns out they are all of the Cucurbita maxima family, which makes me wonder if the squash were so named because of the faint cucumber scent of its flesh.

I do know that Candy Roasters, Permelons, and Pink Bananas are all prized heirloom squash that old-timers are quick to tell you that of course, they're great for making pies. "Or whatever you do with pumpkin," said one impatient older lady.

FROM THE CHEROKEES

The Cherokee people cultivated this squash that migrated to North America, from South America, by the 16th century, and eventually shared the seeds with European settlers. Today, it's still grown all over the southern Appalachians.

Georgia has a variety of Candy Roaster, and sites post "do not confuse with the Carolina Candy Roaster which is slightly different." And vice versa . . . As if one state could lay claim to the delicious orange and sweet flesh. The variety also makes its home in Bangladesh, Burma and India. How's that for traveling around the world?

Part of my trouble in identifying the Candy Roaster aka Pink Banana also known as a Permelon, is that the C. maxima varies so much by shape, size and color. It can be pink or blue or gray. Tubular, round, tear-drop or squat. Most weigh in at 15 pounds, but can grow as large as 250 pounds.

ROASTING THE "THING" - HOW TO

I love roasting veggies, so thought I'd roast the Candy Roaster/Permelon with a sweet onion.

So to best manage this long squash that hung over my cutting board, I chopped both ends off, then sliced open the middle. The scent of cucumber floated up. The center was full of round, plump seeds, and the filaments scraped away easily.

After simply slicing off the outer skin of a couple of those middle pieces and chopping them into bite-sized pieces, I quickly realized I'd have enough to feed an army, more than enough for the three of us. So with the other half, I left the skins on and placed them cut side down in another pan to roast alongside our dinner. I'd use those pieces in a soup the next day.

The chunks of squash were mixed in with a sweet onion also cut into chunks, drizzled with olive oil, and seasoned with salt and pepper. Placed into a 350 degree oven, within about 40 minutes or less the squash was tender and fragrant. After it was out of the oven, I seasoned it again after tasting, and sprinkled some chopped fresh oregano from the garden over the mixture.

Not as sweet as she expected, said my daughter. But good. Very good. And so easy to prepare, too. I like that!

SOUP'S ON!

Okay, October should be full of brisk fall days begging for sweaters and soups. This week, records have been set in the 80s. Not exactly a fall soup day, but there was the squash thing I had already roasted.

So I chopped up half of a large onion and sauteed it in a little olive oil. Stirred in some minced garlic. Then I pureed the squash, along with the cooked onion and garlic, all in the food processor, adding a little bit of chicken stock to loosen it up. I then added that puree to the pot, and stirred in some chicken stock until it was the "soupy" consistency I wanted.

Seasonings? It could be the French style, with fresh or dried thyme, esp. But my tastes buds were remembering some "pumpkin" soup from the Caribbean, probably made with a calabash or huge squash, that got its savory flavoring with nutmeg.

Freshly grated nutmeg is very worthy sensory experience. A bit sharp at times, spicy, unlike what you think of as a traditional pumpkin pie spice. A favorite use of nutmeg is grating it over a creamy Painkiller, that tasty cocktail with rum and coconut milk from the British Virgin Islands. And freshly grated nutmeg takes sauteed fresh spinach to a different level.

So the recipe for Candy Roaster Soup? There's one in THE NEW BLUE RIDGE COOKBOOK from the outstanding Asheville chef, Mark Rosenstein. Or, you can just follow the steps I outlined above and wing it, tasting and seasoning as you go.

To top off my soup, literally, we grilled some shrimp wrapped in bacon (all natural, pasture-raised from Hickory Nut Gap Farm), and placed the skewers across the shrimp. All of us wound up dipping the shrimp into the soup. . . a glorious and tasty combination.

I'd say that C. maxima was worth it's weight....for $2 dollars we had a marvelous roasted veggie one night, and a terrific soup, with leftovers, the next. Not matter what it's called, what an heirloom veggie. I'll try a pie from it the next time.

The Gunk-holing Gourmet

MAKING A MEMORABLE MEAL

You know those trips you take when you find yourself smiling a bunch? When conversations flow, laughter erupts, and the weather gods are looking out for you?

We just spent a couple of nights on the Chesapeake with our buddy, Rob, and it was the twelfth year we've taken his 32-foot Fidelio out of the South River near Annapolis and sailed to the Eastern Shore.

And don't tell his wife, Christy, but he claimed the last night's meal "the best meal of his life."
A DAY OF GOOD EATING

At first light we heard the chug-chug of a crabber's boat as he set his lines; later we'd sail by as he netted the famed Maryland crabs into his buckets. Crab cakes made with freshly picked crabmeat, barely breaded and dusted with Old Bay, found their way onto my lunch plate when we later pulled into the dock at Oxford. We sat outside under the shade of an umbrella as we ate and chatted and listened to the sea gulls and lapping of the waves, the smell of marsh and Chesapeake mud overtaken by lime and beer and the spicy whiff of Old Bay seasoning.

That's terroir. That's eating where you are, being in the moment. Is there anything sweeter?

MARYLAND HAD A LITTLE LAMB.....

Rob is not just a family doc extraordinaire who relates with his patients with his heart wide open, but he's also a published poet.

After a day of wind in our sails, we find a quiet gunk-hole up a creek and toss the anchor. We tidy up the mess we made while under sail, while he usually fixes us all a RumDumbDumber. Then Rob pulls out, or more recently, pulls "up" a file of poems from his iPhone to read to us as we lounge around the cockpit. They're free-form impressions and observations that make you chuckle or lament or nod your head in recognition of the minutae and the bigger issues that make our world go round, and I feel richer for his outpourings.

We throw the pits of seasoned olives overboard, or at each other if deserved. We miss Rob's wife, Christy, a busy attorney who sent us off with a lovely salsa made with their own cherry tomatoes, some fresh corn and black beans. As the coals build on Fidelio's small charcoal grill attached to the stern, we again talk politics, movies, books, kids, you know, life. No easy answers to any problems, we decide.

HOW TO COOK A LARGE MEAL ON A SMALL BOAT

I place the beets from the farmers market in Raleigh that I had slow-roasted at home and covered in foil, on top of the hot coals to heat them up. On top of them, I place roasted tiny potatoes acquired from Charles Church, at Watauga River Farms at Valle Crucis.

I believe behind every good bite of food is a good story, so I tell Rob about Charles, one of my favorite farmers I met while researching THE NEW BLUE RIDGE COOKBOOK, and how he switched from growing burley tobacco like his father and grandfather, to going organic. How the fields touch the banks of the river, how he's pulled so many arrowheads, shards of pottery and other remnants of the Native Americans who toiled his soil before him. How when I asked if he had any beets for sale, his helper asked how many I wanted and went to pull some from the field.

We pull our beets and potatoes off and smother them with jackets and a pillow to keep them warm.

Meanwhile I readied a rack of lamb to assume the space on the grill. I had chopped rosemary and oregano from my garden and placed them in a jar with olive oil and minced garlic. We smeared the herbal mixture all over the lamb, then covered the bare, naked bone tips with foil to keep them from burning. As flames flared from the droppings of melted fat, we all gravitated to that end of the cockpit, taking deep breaths and long sips of the tempranillo Rob opened.

One section of the rack was just perfect before the rest were ready, so we sliced up three chops and ate them from the bone, like starving food worshippers. "That is the best meat I have ever, ever put into my mouth," Rob exclaimed.

Oh my God, he said as he took a bite of beets. "And the potatoes, you can almost taste the river soil," he said. We all grinned, and toasted to our good fortune.

The final touch? An apple tart made with the lovely, green Pippin apples I found in Woolwine, VA last week. We groaned and stretched under the moonlit night, looking for constellations.

MEMORIES on the CHESAPEAKE BAY

The deal with these sailing trips is that Rob supplies the boat and the booze, and I do the food. I have become such a locavore and seasonal cook, and it travels with me.

I loved the enthusiastic response to my meal planning and food prep from Rob and the hubby. Yet dinner required teamwork and coordination, so we all "owned" it.

What makes a memorable meal? Is it just the food? The primal taste of garlic and lamb?

The earthy taste of terroir from root vegetables like beets and potatoes?

Or the wine that brought out the best in the food?

Or is it the company and the conversation that make a meal memorable? Or the locale?

How about all of the above?

After dusk, as the sky dimmed and moonlight laid on the water, we were all mellowed.

Our hunger for meaningful moments was as filled as our bellies. An that, folks, makes a

MEMORABLE MEAL.

IS IT ALMOST FALL?

MY MOUNTAIN STASH

"Stop! Turn around," I screamed.

We had just flown past a farmers' stand on the side of a back road that led to Woolwine in southwest VA, on the way home from the Galax VA area and the Blue Ridge Parkway's 75th Anniversary celebration, where I signed copies of THE NEW BLUE RIDGE COOKBOOK.

"Apples!" I yelled louder. So he stopped and made the turn, I'm sure anticipating pies and crunchy snacks.

But this stop was a gold mine. Apples, warty pumpkins, sourwood honey, cushaw pumpkins, and a long squash I did not recognize.

PERMELON

It's a what? How do you spell that? "I dunno," said the farmer. "But I do know the deer love them. They've pawed their way through several boxes worth." At two feet long and several inches thick, it will provide a lot of flesh to devour, I thought.

An internet search tells me that PERMELONS are a term for Old Appalachian winter squashes that are found especially in West Virginia and southwestern Virginia.

Aha.

Another source says they were grown by Native Americans all over the east.

Someone else said they were a sweeter relative of pumpkin, and more nutritious.

Another site said they were available at farmers markets in SW VA, and that she makes permelon butter, like apple butter, or serves it like any other squash.

I'm thinking I'll roast some cubes with olive oil. Any one else have any suggestions or experience with permelons?

CURSHAW PUMPKINS

Now this one I recognized as an heirloom squash - the cushaw or sometimes spelled kershaw - that many farmers in the Blue Ridge are growing. You treat it like any other pumpkin or butternut squash, roasting it to use the flesh in pumpkin pies or in soups.

It will keep well for several months if stored in a cool, dark space.

I plan on using this big boy in a spicy, ginger soup. Any other suggestions?

SOURWOOD HONEY

A favorite and a treasured food source, sourwood honey comes from what's also known as the "Lily of the Valley" tree. The highest concentration of sourwood trees are found in western NC, with some in Virginia and Georgia. Bees flock to sourwood blossoms in late June through July, with new crops of honey available in August and September.

This honey is spicy yet sweet, a bit floral, with a rich, buttery feel. I just love it, and save it to pour on toast where I can appreciate its taste pure and unadulterated.

THE HEAT IS ON!

MY MARKET GOODIES

Small, tailgate markets need our support in order to draw more farmers and more customers. So instead of heading out on Saturday morning to my town's bigger markets, I hit the North Raleigh market off Durant Road. I find about a dozen or more tables laden with organically-grown produce, pasture-raised meats, free-range chicken and duck eggs, and freshly roasted coffee from Muddy Dog Roasting Co. I also bought their bag of "roasted" yellow corn meal, which promises a more robust, nutty flavor. I can't wait to make some polenta or cornbread with it.

Thick, meaty pork chops from pigs who will soon have a portable pen, or "pig tractor," came from Little River Ranch near Hillsborough. Free-range eggs, Mountain-variety tomatoes, a great head of lettuce, and yellow squash got me real excited. So did the fingerling-style potatoes - red, purple and creamy white. And the first of the season peaches! Cling peaches will be in by next week, I understand.

Grilled squash, 'mater sandwiches, a frittata, pork chops with the potatoes, peaches sliced on my granola, and a heavenly-fresh lettuce salad are what's on the menu at our house this week. Can't wait!

CHARD, ARUGULA, SPINACH taking the heat.......

Up in the cooler ranges of the Blue Ridge, markets are still featuring some of the cooler weather greens, like rainbow chard, collards, or spinach. I expect you better grab some fast before the hot weather does it in.

Last week I was in Galax, VA at the town's Book Festival sponsored by Chapters Bookshop. I found some gorgeous rainbow chard at the market, so for my demo of a recipe from THE NEW BLUE RIDGE COOKBOOK, decided to do May Greens Farmer's Market, a recipe shared by Shiloh Avery of Tumbling Shoals farm, who sells at the Watauga Farmers Market in Boone.

Just about any green can be sliced into ribbons or a chiffonade, then sauteed with onions, mixed with feta and hot pasta. It's a simple and easy dinner, fast food, if you will!

RECIPE

1 package spinach linguine or other fresh (or dried) pasta

salt

splash olive oil

1 bunch (4 to 6 cups minimum) chopped rainbow chard or other green

4 tablespoons olive oil

2 bunches green onions

5 to 6 ounces feta cheese

freshly ground pepper

1. Cook pasta in a pot of salted boiling water with a splash of olive oil. If pasta is fresh, be careful not to overcook. Drain and set aside.

2. Meanwhile, separate the stems from the chard leaves. Coarsely chop the stems. Stack the leaves on top of one another, roll them like a cigar, and coarsely chop.

3. Heat the 4 tablespoons of olive oil in a large,heavy skilet. Saute the onion and chard stems (not the greens!) in the oil for about 6 minutes or until getting just tender.

4. Add the chard greens and salt. Cook until wilted.

5. Add the drained pasta and the feta cheese and continue cooking for another minute, until the feta begins to melt. Add ground black pepper and serve.

Makes 3 to 4 servings.

recipe copyrighted

TWELVE BONES, Asheville

The First Couple choose their first meal in Asheville to be at Twelve Bones. Ribs, Mac & Cheese, greens, corn pudding . . . which sounds like a fine Southern meal to me. I love Twelve Bones' Blueberry Chipotle sauce on ribs, and the jalapeno cheese grits grits are to die for.

Seems President Obama liked his first visit to Twelve Bones so much that he had to take the missus there while on their honeymoon-like getaway. See the video for yourself, HERE

A second location for Twelve Bones has been opened in Ayden, down Hendersonville Rd, and is open for Sat lunch. As you can see from above, the old service station draws a crowd looking to fill up.

SANDHILLS FARM TO TABLE COOPERATIVE is a marvelous organization bringing boxes of farm fresh food weekly to members in the Southern Pines vicinity. You will enjoy their newsletters chock full of ideas and recipes for dealing with the season's bounty, written by an old newspaper buddy and excellent writer, Jan Leitschuh. To get the newsletter, email Jan HERE.

FARM TOURS .....

Charles Church, of Watauga River Farms, is one of my favorite farmers. He's been farming on land that butts right up to the river there in Valle Crucis since he "could drag a bucket across the fields." Ever resourceful and innovative, he gave up farming tobacco and learned to produce potatoes, beans, squash and "you name it" organically. He's also raising pigs the old fashioned way, on pasture, and produces beautiful chops and terrific sausage.

And he'll be among the ten farmers featured in this year's High Country Farm Tour by the Blue Ridge Women in Agriculture on August 7 and 8th from 2 to 6 pm. That's gorgeous country folks, and a beautiful way to spend a summer's day.

Also check out the Asheville area's Family Farm Tour sponsored by the ASAP on June 26 and 27 from 1 to 6 HERE. It's a huge tour, with over 30 farms included, in some of the most bucolic scenery in the world!

RHUBARB QUEEN........

Susan Boylan of Otus Branch Farm near the gorgeous rural community of Todd, NC, shared her recipe for Rhubarb Mint Chutney for THE NEW BLUE RIDGE COOKBOOK. When we tested the recipe, we served it with grilled salmon, and it was an unusual and absolutely delicious relish. Spicy yet balanced with a bit of sweetness. Ditto with roasted pork. I must admit I had never had rhubarb unless in a pie sweetened with lots of sugar and strawberries. This chutney is marvelous!

This past weekend, Susan helped man a booth at the Watauga Farmers Market sponsored by the Blue Ridge Women in Agriculture, who welcomed both me and my cookbook. An intern from Appalachian State, Kristen, made up several chutney batches and served it on top of slices of baguette from Stick Boy Bakery in Boone, and slices of Ashe County Cheese, also featured in my book. Along with samples of Apple Spice Cake, we drew a taste-ful crowd!

Here's Susan's recipe, as printed in THE NEW BLUE RIDGE COOKBOOK.

RHUBARB-MINT CHUTNEY

2 to 3 stalks rhubarb, finely chopped

1 small chili pepper, seeded and minced

10 to 15 leaves of mint, preferably spearmint, chopped

2 to 3 tablespoons raw or brown sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

Combine rhubarb, chili pepper, and mint. Gently stir in sugar and salt.

Allow flavors to mellow for at least 2 hours, then adjust sugar and salt to taste. Can by made 1 day ahead and will last up to 3 days in the fridge.

Foodie Feastivals

Recipe at the bottom!!! FRESH PINEAPPLE, CARROT AND WALNUT CAKE

Spring is my favorite time of the year. Seeing bud break, the first violets, redbuds, daffodils and bluets means that in a very short while the farmers markets will be brimming with fresh produce, greens and fruits that my taste buds are aching for. The chickens will be laying once again, goats and cows will be sharing their milk, and livestock will move to greener pastures.

Ramps, the harbingers of spring in mountain hollers, are slower to bulb this year, due to this year's mean, cold winter, says Palette Butler, co-owner of Veranda Cafe in Black Mountain. She shared a recipe for Rampalicious Chicken Soup for THE NEW BLUE RIDGE COOKBOOK, which will be available next week!

In the meanwhile, April brings festivals for foodies to enjoy:

CUPCAKES FOR CURES (www.cupcakesforcures.com), Saturday, April 10th,

1 to 4 pm at the Grove Park Inn in Asheville. For a donation, you get to stuff your face

with creative cupcakes made by competing professional bakers or amateurs, who hope

to earn bragging rights and fantastic prizes. In keeping with the true spirit of Asheville,

categories include Best Beer Cupcake, Best Gluten-Free Cupcake, as well as best holiday

or birthday or local foods cupcakes.

THE BLUE RIDGE WINE FESTIVAL, (www.blueridgewinefestival.com)

April 15 through 18th, Blowing Rock. Join winemaker dinners, watch an Iron Chef-like

competition, Fire on the Rocks, join house tours, champagne brunches, and a chance to

taste many of the fine wines made in the Blue Ridge area of NC and VA. I'll be there to

Meet and Greet on Friday afternoon, and under the Big Tent with all the wines and

gourmet foods, when THE NEW BLUE RIDGE COOKBOOK makes its debut

appearance.

Down east, the little town of Grifton will hold its 40th SHAD FESTIVAL also on

April 17th & 18th along the banks of Contentnea Creek. EAT MO' SHAD as in fried

or in a delicious traditional fish stew and enjoy the carnival-like atmosphere of kiddie

rides and other fair food. www.grifton.com/shadfest/

The largest sustainable farm tour in the country is the annual PIEDMONT FARM

Tour, April 24th & 25th, sponsored by the Carolina Farm Stewardship Assoc. and

Weaver Street Markets. In Orange, Chatham and other counties, you can visit buffalo,

a third-generation beef farm, see the work that goes into producing organically grown

veggies and fruits, and the efforts behind getting chevre and other cheeses to the

market. It's a chance to expose your kids, and your friends, to the world of farming.

Get your tickets in advance at Weaver St Markets and area farmers markets.

For $25 per car, you can visit up to 40 farms, although usually only 3 to 4 in one good

day! www.carolinafarmstewards.org

PROMISED RECIPE?

Dessert for our Easter dinner! Since cream products bother my kids and me, I cut back on the cream cheese in the frosting, and fiddled with the cake batter, too! It was a winner!!

FRESH PINEAPPLE, CARROT & WALNUT CAKE

adapted from Ina Garten

For the cake batter:

2 cups sugar

1 1/3 cup canola oil

4 medium/large eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 1/2 cups flour

2 teaspoons gorund cinnamon

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1 cup raisins

1 cup chopped walnuts

1 pound carrots, grated

1/2 cup diced fresh pineapple

For the frosting:

1/2 pound (1 large package) cream cheese, room temp

2 sticks (1/2 lb.) butter, room temp

1 teaspoon vanilla

About 1 pound confectioners' sugar

1. Preheat oven to 350. Butter two 8-inch round cake pans, then line with parchment paper, then butter again and dust with flour.

2. Beat the sugar, oil, and eggs together in a large bowl, using an electric beater. Beat until light yellow. Add the vanilla.

3. In a small bowl, sift together the flour, cinnamon, baking soda and salt.

4. Add the dry ingredients to the egg mixture and slowly mix just until all is moist.

5. With a spatula, fold in the raisins and walnuts, then the carrots and pineapple, mixing well.

6. Divide the batter between the two prepared pans. Bake for about 1 hour, more or less, or until a toothpick comes out clean.

7. Allow the cakes to cool in the pans over a wire rack.

8. With an electric mixer, cream together the cream cheese and butter and vanilla. Gradually add the sugar until you've got a spreadable mixture.

9. Place one layer of cake on your serving dish, and spread its top with the frosting. Place the second layer on top, and spread the frosting on the top and sides. Wipe the edges of the plate clean. Lick your fingers and your spreader.

10. Place in the refrigerator under cover.