You're Invited! A Kentucky Handmade Weekend

A KENTUCKY HANDMADE WEEKEND

A  weekend long popup shop of American & Locally made goods, vintage finds, & folk art along with a series of workshops, demos, & classes.

A one hundred and twenty one year old farmhouse sits back off the one lane rural route road. Wildflowers, crops, and butterflies line the lane. Two decades old maple trees cast shadows and shade over the white farmhouse as time worn wooden swings welcome you to come and sit a spell. Memories of the past, of farm life, and of life outside a small town of three hundred dance and swirl all around. Heirloom quilts on the line, a garden back behind, and apples ripening in the orchard just beyond tell timeless stories. Life is simple and slow here. Life is sweet here, just like the ever present iced tea. We welcome you into our world, we invite you to in, we hope it feels like home.

This summer we start a new tradition at the farm…A Kentucky Handmade Weekend. A weekend where we celebrate hand made, maker made, locally made, and American made. We invite you to join us for a weekend of classes and workshops taught by expert instructors on topics ranging from quilting to basket making, illustration, and pottery. We invite you to join us for our popup shop of hand made goods, art, and vintage finds. We invite you to come and relax and watch the corn and beans grow. We’ll provide endless lemonade and sweet tea. 

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SCHEDULE OF EVENTS

FRIDAY

POPUP SHOP 10-5

Browse our tent filled with handmade, locally made, and American made goods, along with a mixture of fine antiques and vintage goods.

INTRO TO HAND LETTERING 2-4

Terri Minton will lead this workshop that  takes you through the skills and exercises needed to master hand-lettering. $30

SATURDAY

POPUP SHOP 9-4

FLORA & FOLIAGE POTTERY WORKSHOP 9-11

Claudia Overstreet guides this pottery workshop. Students will be creating plates with impressions of foliage. $30

LEATHER BOUND JOURNAL WORKSHOP 11:15-1:45

Riley Minton will guide students through the art of journal making and binding. $35

FARMHOUSE JELLY BASKET WORKSHOP 11-2

Janice Tomblinson leads this beginner basket making workshop. Create a simple and easy to master basket that is farmers market ready. $35 

GOURMET SACK LUNCHES

Available throughout the day. A perfect quick lunch between classes. A delicious homemade "sack lunch" of a sandwich, fruit cup, drink, and dessert will be available for $7. Gluten free and vegan options will be available. Must reserve before event.

SUNDAY

POPUP SHOP: 9-4

BASKET MAKING 9-11:30 (SECOND OFFERING)

FLORA & FOLIAGE POTTERY WORKSHOP 11-1 (SECOND OFFERING)

HOLLY HOBBIE OPEN HOUSE 11-1

The national Holly Hobbie convention is the same weekend in Beaver Dam. During this time we welcome attendees for a light lunch and conversations on the lawn of the farmhouse. 

BLYTHE MEET UP & PLAY DATE

Earth Angels Studios owner Jen O'Connor hosts this light and festive Blythe meet up. Bring your Blythe and a spirit of whimsy. 

A HOLLY HOBBIE & HEXY QUILT PINKEEP 1-3

Guest educator Christie Jones Ray will lead this workshop that celebrates Holly Hobbie. $30

LEMONADE WITH LETTY 3-4 

The weekend draws to a close with a toast to 2021 and fresh lemonade with bear maker and soft sculpture artist Letty Worley.

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WORKSHOP INFORMATION

WEEKEND HOSTED BY OHIO COUNTY ARTISTS GUILD & EARTH ANGELS STUDIOS

INTRODUCTION TO HAND LETTERING

Have you seen all the brush calligraphy around and want to try it for yourself? In this two hour workshop Terri Minton will teach you the basics of this creative hobby. 

$30 workshop fee includes: 2 hours instruction learning basic strokes, letters, forming words and how to practice your new hobby. Your own brush pen by Tombow USA and sample of the papers best used for practice. Printed practice worksheets written by Terri to help you continue to improve.

FLORA & FOLIAGE POTTERY WORKSHOP

$30. Students can make either one large plate or two small ones, by pressing leaves and other foliage into the clay and draping the clay over molds.  Both round and square plate molds will be provided.  Leaves, stamps, and foliage will be provided but you may bring your own from your home or garden to make your piece more personal to you. 

The pieces will be left to dry, and Claudia will add colored pigment to the texture and a clear glaze over top then fire them in her kiln. Pickup will be arranged approximately one month after the date of the class.  All completed pieces are dishwasher, microwave, and oven safe.

LEATHER BOUND JOURNAL WORKSHOP

There is nothing more timeless than a leather bound journal. Whether it be details of a long awaited trip or your grandmother's secret recipes, a journal can hold all your favorite memories. What would be more special than making it yourself, a treasure to pass down to the next generations 

In this 3 hour class Riley Minton will show you how to bind your own journal and make a leather wrap around cover and tie. All materials and instruction are included in the $35 class fee. You will leave with a beautiful hand-bound leather journal to keep for yourself or present as a thoughtful gift.

FARMHOUSE JELLY BASKET WORKSHOP

Make your own rustic Farmhouse Jelly Basket and then tuck two of your favorite flavors into it. A generous 8 1/2” long, 5” wide and 9” high. Features a double wire and wood handle. Can also serve as a great basket to keep your cell phone and keys corralled. This is a beginner basket class - suitable even those who have not previously made a basket. Class fee includes pattern, all materials to make this basket and class instruction. Some “tools” will be provided for use in class. Students should bring an apron or old T-shirt,  and an old towel or hand towel. Class cost - $35.00

HEXIES & HOLLY HOBBIE WORKSHOP

Hosted by Author, Illustrator & Toymaker Christie Jones Ray. Won’t you join us as we take a little trip down memory lane...back to the calicos and ginghams of the 70’s...Inspired by Holly Hobbie’s patchwork frocks, we will be hand-stitching a small cushion of vintage muslin, calicos, and ginghams, embellished with an EPP flower, stuffed with fragrant lavender buds and natural cotton, with the finishing touch ...a tiny vintage shell button. 

You decide if your cushion will be safekeeping for pins and needles...a sachet...or a pillow perfect for your dolly’s bed. If you are new to the world of English Paper Piecing, Christie will be offering tips and tricks, in hopes that you’ll fall in love with this traditional craft that has a fresh appreciation among many.

All materials and keepsake notions provided. Basic sewing skills needed. Please bring your favorite pair of scissors for cutting fabrics. $30 

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WEEKEND HOSTS

The Ohio County Artist Guild was created a decade ago as a community of local makers, artists, and creatives that desired to promote and celebrate the arts within rural Ohio County, Kentucky. Today The Guild hosts a variety of workshops and pop up shops each year throughout the county. The Guild is incredibly proud to sponsor an annual arts based scholarship each year to a student at Ohio County High School. 

Earth Angels Studios is a well-recognized source for contemporary folk art and a trendsetter in the handmade industry with an on-line gallery and a calendar of appearances across the US and Europe. Owner and Founder Jen O’Connor also works as a consultant, providing business development services and coaching artful entrepreneurs. Jen writes "I live a handmade life.  In 2000, I left behind a career organizing urban markets in my hometown of New York City to cultivate my own business managing a talented group of female artists and selling their creations as I raised my kids in Orange County, New York.

LOCATION The weekend’s events are located at the Walton Creek Inn an airbnb and centuries old homestead outside of Centertown, Kentucky. Starting in August 2020 the home will be available for short-term and long term Airbnb rentals. 321 Chandle Loop, Centertown, KY 42320

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321 CHANDLE LOOP, CENTERTOWN, KENTUCKY

OHIO COUNTY ARTIST GUILD & EARTH ANGELS STUDIOS

to register: earthangelsstudios.com

The Coming of Fall

An Essay by Ruth Barnes

The end of Summer is approaching and I don’t remember when it began. As I sit looking out of the window, watching the leaves on the huge oak tree turning colors before my eyes, my mind wanders to another time. A time when this large oak tree was just starting its new life. Oh, the stories this tree could tell. As Fall approaches, the leaves on the old oak tree are preparing for the next season. They will slowly change color, starting with a beautiful yellow, and moving on to a golden amber. When the sun’s rays hit these beautiful leaves, oh how beautiful they are. As the ]days progress and the temperature starts to fall these beautiful leaves will take flight. The wind picks up and one by one the leaves from the old oak tree sail like airplanes, gliding through the air until they reach their destination on the ground.

Often times, I feel like an old oak tree. I change with each season preparing for the next. The Fall brings cooler weather, which gives you a sense that something is in the air! A tingle of excitement, that you can’t explain. You just sense that something is different. As the long hot summer days drag out, we are ready for change, just like the old oak tree. We are ready to shed our own leaves and prepare for new. This is a time to celebrate the “Coming of Fall”.

The “Coming of Fall”, means warm scents in the air, cinnamon, nutmeg and pumpkin. The Farmers are cutting their hay in the fields, and the smell of fresh cut hay is something you will never forget. The cotton in the field down the road is green and I can see tiny buds appearing, preparing to bloom.

A plant that produces a fiber, cotton, what an amazing thing. When the cotton is in full bloom, it is beautiful. The soy bean field across the highway puts off a scent that I can’t describe, but I know it is the “Coming of Fall”.

There is a crispness in the air, it takes my breath away as I walk barefoot in the cool grass under the Old Oak Tree.

I look up to see the leaves flying around me. I watch one leaf as it slowly floats, and the wind picks it up and carries it to its resting place. Over time, the leaf will break down, and go slowly back into the ground from where it came. I step on something with my bare feet, I look down to see an acorn. I pick it up and think to myself, I am holding a new life in my hands. I gently place it back onto its resting place, where one day, a seedling will appear and the little acorn will begin a new life. This is the “Coming of Fall”.

“The Coming of Fall”, brings Festivals to life.

Oh the scents of cotton candy and corn dogs!

The County Fairs, the Barn Shows, and the Craft Festivals! There is music in the air with the sounds of laughter and craftsmen selling their wares.

The night brings bon fires, roasting hotdogs and drinking hot chocolate while sitting on a bale of hay, snuggling with the ones you love! Fall is a family time. It is a time to be thankful for family and friends.

As I look out my window at the old oak tree, I wonder, is it, “The Coming of Fall”?

Slow Living Issue Preview: Under a Tin Roof

The following is a preview from our story with Under a Tin Roof in FOLK’s Slow Living issue. To order the issue CLICK HERE

Under a Tin Roof (@underatinroof) has created a quintessential  farmstand and country store along the endless farmland of Iowa.

IT WAS ALWAYS OUR DREAM TO HAVE A BRICK AND MORTAR SHOP TO SELL OUR GOODS. When we moved onto the farm, it seemed like the perfect opportunity to convert the old garage into our store so that our farm work and little shop could go hand-in-hand. At first, we thought our store would be the home for selling our excess vegetables and be a place for other small farms to sell their produce. While this was a fun dream, we decided to change directions and primarily sell flowers. Now we are an “Occasional Shop” where you can stop by on specific dates to purchase our fresh cut flowers or request an appointment! 

What advice would you give to people wanting to shop from roadside market? Always be sure to check our social media channels or website for our next open dates! Since we are not open throughout the week, the best way to know what is available is by seeing what we have shared online. For the freshest flowers, it’s always best to stop by in the morning when we’ve just cut them. 

What is your most popular item? We tend to sell lots of our little Mason jar floral arrangements! They’re the perfect vessel for our customers to bring fresh flowers home without fearing that they’ll wilt before they get home. 

FOR THE FULL STORY ORDER THE ISSUE BY CLICKING HERE

American Flag Etiquette

In so many of my photos you will find an American flag. I have just always been drawn to it as a form of iconography and Americana. Over the years I have learned the hard way about having proper flag etiquette, this year I wanted to share a bit of proper flag etiquette as provided by the VFW. The following is an except from the VFW.

Basic American Flag Etiquette

On Same Staff 
U.S. flag at peak, above any other flag. 

Grouped 
U.S. flag goes to its own right. Flags of other nations are flown at same height. 

Marching 
U.S. flag to marchers right (observer's left). 

On Speaker's Platform
When displayed with a speaker's platform, it must be above and behind the speaker. If mounted on a staff it is on the speaker's right. 

Decoration
Never use the flag for decoration. Use bunting with the blue on top, then white, then red. 

Salute
All persons present in uniform should render the military salute. Members of the armed forces and veterans who are present but not in uniform may render the military salute. All other persons present should face the flag and stand at attention with their right hand over the heart, or if applicable, remove their headdress with their right hand and hold it at the left shoulder, the hand being over the heart. 

Over a Street Union (stars) face north or east depending on the direction of the street. 

Half Staff
On special days, the flag may be flown at half-staff. On Memorial Day it is flown at half-staff until noon and then raised. 

Special RulesDo not let the flag touch the ground. 
Do not fly flag upside down unless there is an emergency. 
Do not carry the flag flat, or carry things in it. 
Do not use the flag as clothing. 
Do not store the flag where it can get dirty. 
Do not use it as a cover. 
Do not fasten it or tie it back. Always allow it to fall free. 
Do not draw on, or otherwise mark the flag. 

Illumination Guidelines
Per Federal Flag Code, Section 2, paragraph (a), it is the universal custom to display the flag only from sunrise to sunset on buildings and on stationary flagstaffs in the open. However, when a patriotic effect is desired, the flag may be displayed twenty-four hours a day if properly illuminated during the hours of darkness.

Slow Living Issue Preview: A Conversation with Archie Frink

The following is a preview of our story with Archie Frink from FOLK’s Slow Living issue. To order the issue CLICK HERE

With roots in Appalachia and a spirit fueled by Muir, Kerouac, and the open road Archie Frink (@archiefrink) has created a scenic and well travelled life on the road.

Why do you adventure

Out of necessity to live passionately. I have always had the adventure bug, and as I got older, consciously and subconsciously I created ways to bring adventure more closely to core. Growing up in the valleys of the Great Smoky Mountains without means to have experiences like family vacations, books from the library opened my mind to worlds imaginary and real, the adventurous spirit, empowerment to question the world and seek your own answers, and the dangers and the ecstasy of the path to the unknown.

I spent three years traveling the world in my early twenties and felt more empowered and excited for every day than ever before. When I returned to America and graduated from college, I spent four years working in offices, and I was essentially miserable. The office-in-the-city lifestyle undermined my belief in the work I was doing, even though it was impactful humanitarian aid. I was losing myself. I quit and moved my life to the Pacific Northwest to be close to family in Oregon and Montana and mesmerizing nature in all directions.

My life changed when I left office life and went fully remote with colleagues in Portland and Philadelphia, which coincided with my professional development as a visual creator. It enabled me at first to dip my toes into road life and dirt bagging throughout the Northwest and Northern Rockies, and eventually as I became more comfortable with the lifestyle, commit more fully to a handcrafted adventure lifestyle fueled by creativity. I’ve never looked back.

CLICK HERE TO ORDER THE ISSUE

Slow Living Issue Preview: The Rural Record

The following is a preview of our story with Matthew Walton of The Rural Record from FOLK’s Slow Living issue. For the full story order the issue HERE.

The Rural Way of Life

Though what we see out our back doors is different, I would assume people in rural and urban environments share much in common. We have our shared technology, educational resources, and individual goals that we’re trying to obtain. In this age, we’re connected like no other time in history. That being said, the environment does play a large part in differentiating our lives.

Those that work in the fields or with cattle and other livestock may be a bit more in-tune with the land around them. The weather is something that makes or breaks an entire crop and potentially an entire livelihood. Faith is also a big part of life around here. When you realize you can’t control nature, but see the brilliance of the way life grows from seed to harvest and calf to maturity, you have a good sense that it’s not all up to chance.

People in these parts are often hilariously depicted as a bit slow, especially in the way they talk. And while, there are some folks who do tend to draw out their conversations, I know many whose minds are racing a hundred miles an hour and are some of the most brilliant people I’ve ever encountered. Of course, there are also people who will spit out a conversation faster than a podcast on double speed. So, just like everywhere else in the world, there’s a mixture of personalities and quirks that make people special. We may not have access to every form of art and entertainment, business, restaurant experience, etc., but we have our own special blend of hospitality and hard work.

ORDER THE ISSUE HERE

The Very Best Banana Pudding

I love banana pudding. It is the perfect year round dessert. Good for any occasion and somehow perfectly balanced between refreshing and filling. For years I had just made a standard banana pudding, but when I discovered the recipe for the Magnolia Bakery banana pudding I was in love.

This recipe is rich, but oh it is so simple. Like you won’t believe how easy it is. You can make a batch to feed a family for less than $8…way less than the $6 a serving prices at the Magnolia Bakery.

Lets make it!

INGREDIENTS

1 (14 oz.) can sweetened condensed milk

1 1/2 cups ice cold water

1 (3.4 oz.) box vanilla instant pudding mix

3 cups heavy cream

4 cups sliced barely ripe bananas (see note)

1 (12 oz.) box Nilla Wafers

PROCESS

n a large bowl, beat together the sweetened condensed milk and water until well combined – about 1 minute. Add the pudding mix and beat well – about 2 minutes. Cover and refrigerate for 3-4 hours or overnight. It is very important to allow the proper amount of time for the pudding mixture to set. It will be watery if you don’t let it set up long enough.

In a large bowl, whip the heavy cream until stiff peaks form. Gently fold the fresh whipped cream into the pudding mixture until no streaks of pudding remain.

To assemble, arrange 1/3 of the Nilla wafers covering the bottom of a bowl or pan, overlapping if necessary. Next, layer 1/3 of the bananas, and 1/3 of the pudding mixture. Repeat twice more, garnishing with additional wafers or wafer crumbs on the top layer. Cover tightly and allow to chill in the fridge for at least 4 hours – or up to 8 hours, no longer...bananas will start to brown.

Where do I Want to Adventure to Next? — Luke Gottlieb

Where do I Want to Adventure to Next?

Meet Photographer Luke Gottlieb

A PREVIEW FROM FOLK SUMMER 2019

Luke Gottlieb, the photographer behind Victor of Valencia on Instagram has been one of my very favorite photographers for a very long time. I dream of the day when I have the photographer skills and editing skills he has so brilliantly mastered. I wanted to learn more, so I made my way out to Colorado to learn Luke's backstory and life advice. 

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"Adventure is one of those things that keeps life interesting and completely fresh with experiences. It’s certainly the driving force behind most of my passions in life. It’s something I think about every morning I wake up too; where do I want to adventure to next?"

 — @victorofvalencia

Why do you explore? To me, exploration allows the unexpected to come to the surface of our lives. Without exploration, we never learn or see anything new. I also have this constant feeling of wanting to know what exists around the corner. As a child, it seems your whole existence is all about exploring and being curious. I think that we cary some of that same drive throughout our lives as we get older. 

Why take risks in life? Without risks, growth is absent. To me, evolving as a human being and having a better understanding of the world can’t happen unless you take risks or unless you really step out of your comfort zone. 

 What is your 9-5?  I was never one to resonate very well with a 9-5 job. I’ve worked for myself the last 3 years and I can say it’s the best fit for me right now. I’m a full-time photographer. It’s amazing, but certainly has the challenges that comes with it. I often can’t remember what day it is, but maybe that is the point of it all… to just live life and experience every day as a new and exciting adventure. 

When you were growing up what or who did you want to be? My dad was a musician and my mom was a music lover as well. I think when I picked up the guitar at the age of 12 I fantasized about being a rock star… as a lot of teenage boys do. I still play music, it’s in my blood and will be till the day I die. I record and do the occasional tour with my band. I don’t think I ever really had a firm grasp on what I wanted to really be in life, but I think that I have found my lane as a portrait and lifestyle photographer. 

 

 

What would you say to someone who has never travelled before? 

I think that if we could learn more about each other and be open to new ways of looking at the world it would allow us all to improve as humans. There is just so much diversity on this planet both in body and mind to think selfishly.

READ THE FULL STORY IN FOLKS SUMMER 2019 ISSUE CLICK HERE TO ORDER

Within These Reflections

WITHIN THESE REFLECTIONS

ESSAY + PHOTOGRAPHY: LUKE FRANCIS BIGGS

Two years as a child in Pennsylvania near Penns Creek have affected my vision ever since. We lived as a family of seven in a cinderblock hunting cabin five miles from Coburn on a dirt road, the last place on the hill, past the tunnel and truss bridge of a former rail line. While there was never a lack of movement at that age, the memories of light and space and sound from that time, in that forest, along those banks, have forever taught me to stand still. Wherever I have lived since, from Brooklyn to Philly to Wyoming, that lesson of realization in the present has allowed me find beauty everyday.

Philadelphia reminds me of Ray. We used to drive around West Philly, listening to jazz, talking about life and good coffee. His laugh and smile are incredible. He once took me to his storage unit in the Northeast where he collected old furniture to later resell. It was his ‘side hustle’, as he described it, and it was there that I found a water-damaged Degas replica that has been watching over me ever since. He sold it to me for $20. Then there’s Norma, who, when she writes an email, italicizes the whole of it. She says it reminds her of cursive. She is a continuous moment of grace and wisdom. George will be the best man in my wedding. Despite knowing that I would one day leave, he took the time to share his soul and taught me how to fly fish. Then I left. Through the countless back roads and hours spent with him, I have forever learned what is real. It is with pride that I can say that these friends are in their 60’s and 70’s. It is friendships like these that I have always based my confidence on. I’ve long felt that we are all just diamonds cutting away at one another, becoming ever more faceted as we slow down the light that surrounds us. For your refracted light and patience, I thank you all.

It seems the words hardest to find are for those we love the most. Recently, I tried to find them in a letter written to my father. There were usually two chairs in our backyard where we sat in the fading light, listening to the final gestures of squirrels and catbirds, watching the stars rise. While I always wished for words then, I only recently came to realize how few there were that would plunge beneath the placid depths of his eyes and expression to the current below. It was his silence in these moments of unspoken understanding that taught me how to care. My mother understood this silence, but her sincerity (something I’m still trying
to attain) would never allow her to keep it. She would always try to find words. She would always be willing to take time as I drove countless country lanes looking for the right combination of light and lines. She would always endure. She will always be loved.

Within these recollections lies the hope for an explanation of where I am now, some 2,000 miles away from that backyard, those country lanes and those friends, trying to leave again. Recently, I wrote in that letter to my father, that the only things I had going for me was caring and wanting to understand. Those desires and these experiences affect the interpretation of the daily as I move to stand still somewhere anew, and have become a continual reminder to “see without a camera.” They help me to see the wisdom and joy of my friends in the faces of strangers. They help me to find the silence of my father and feel the sincerity of my mother in all that surrounds me. It is the beauty of the patient unknown...It is everyday.

Jen’s Banana Bread

 Jen’s Banana Bread 

A timeless recipe that feels more like a cake than a bread.

This recipe came to me in the very best way…in 2002 I was sitting at my friend Lori Gibbons’s kitchen table, and she put this in front of me…warm, with a cup of tea. I was smitten. She had tweaked the recipe and shared it. I still have the Post-it stuck in the inside cover of my cookbook from that fateful day when she rattled off the recipe to me. All these years later, the first bite out of the oven is still as perfect.

It’s the best of the breads out there…and it adapts well to gluten-free flour. I bake mine in an old iron skillet or a cast Bundt pan. 

2 sticks + 3 Tbsp butter* 

3 cups flour

2 tsp baking soda

2 tsp baking powder 

½ tsp salt

3 super ripe medium bananas (MUST BE previously frozen and thawed)

4 tsp lemon juice

3 tsp pure vanilla extract

2 cups sugar

2 large eggs

1 cup chocolate chips

1. Place rack in center of oven; heat oven to 350 degrees. 

2. Drop 3 Tbsp butter into skillet, set in oven to melt as oven heats (you want it very hot and bubbly by the time you place mixed ingredients in your skillet).

3. Whisk flour, baking soda, baking powder; salt in separate bowl; set aside.

4. In stand mixer or with handheld blender, beat butter sticks and thawed bananas through with lemon juice and vanilla (it will be lumpy and bumpy, that’s ok, life is sometimes…).

5. Add sugar; beat until as creamy as you can, it will still have lumps (relax, life isn’t perfect…).

6. Add eggs, 1 at a time and beat through; add chocolate chips; mix. 

7. Add dry ingredients, mix lightly.

8. Plop ½ the batter in center of skillet (use a 10-12” adjust cooking time as needed).

9. Pop in oven; bake for 1 hour or until batter is pulled back from edges of pan and fork comes out clean. Let cool on wire rack; flip out of pan onto a pretty plate to serve.

NOTES: This recipe makes 2 batches so get yourself a 2nd skillet or make 1 then the next; or save batter for the next day. Do not split the recipe, it’s just not as good.

I heart “Kerrygold” Irish butter…use the best quality you can find and stock up if it’s on sale, you can use previously frozen butter for this recipe.

Resurrection — An Essay

A Short Story by Alice Adams and Amanda Jo Runyon

Essa woke in the early morning to fill the stove with wood and light it with a kerosene-soaked newspaper. She placed the eggs in an iron pot and listened for them to rattle as they began to boil. Soon, the little girl was awake and climbing to reach the cherry drop leaf table where Essa had placed six china cups. Essa watched as the girl carefully dropped tablets of dye into each cup. The girl was unaware that the table was older than Essa’s parents, who used it to begin housekeeping so many years ago. She didn’t realize that she was one of many little girls who had climbed to up to this very table to watch the magic of eggs changing color on Easter morning.

Easter was Essa’s favorite holiday. She loved the Easter flowers growing in the front yard and the sounds of the church bells down the road. She loved to watch the families gather for picnics, sons and fathers in brightly colored ties and mothers and daughters in matching lace hats and gloves. Most of all, Essa loved the egg hunt. She was always the one who colored the eggs with the children and ran out to hide them through the yard as they covered their eyes and giggled from the house. No matter how old Essa got, everything felt new and young on Easter morning. Even now, coloring eggs with the little girl, a third cousin, sixty years her junior, Essa felt as excited as a child.

When the eggs were boiled and cooled, Essa filled each cup with hot water. Heads pressed together, she and the girl watched as the dye tablets swirled and filled the china with brilliant blues, reds, and greens. She gave the girl a wire scoop and helped her turn the eggs gently until the colors were even across the shell. One by one they transformed the eggs into colorful canvases. Essa felt the resurrection of her own childhood wonder as the girl’s eyes widened with each work of art.

When the eggs were ready, Essa and the girl placed them in a tattered basket filled with green paper grass. They rushed outside where the girl ducked by the front door, covering her eyes while Essa hid the eggs. Essa chose her hiding spots carefully. She placed the colorful eggs around the swing frame, along the fencerow, behind the cistern, near the rose bush growing over the trellis, and in the tufts of grass surrounding the house. Essa called for the girl and she came running, swinging her basket in the crook of her elbow. Her squeals filled the yard as she uncovered the eggs. When they were all found, she begged Essa to hide them again. Essa hid the eggs over and over, bending her old frame low to the ground to find new nooks and crannies to use as hiding spots. The girl did not tire of hunting them, even after they grew cracked and mushy.

Just as Essa’s youth was restored each Easter, the joy in the girl’s eyes was reborn each time she spotted a flash of blue beneath the grass.

In Like a Lion Quiche

IN LIKE A LION QUICHE

FROM THE KITCHEN OF KATRINA OHSTROM

INGREDIENTS

1 1/2 cups goat’s milk
4 eggs
2 springs rosemary
1 1/2 cups goats cheddar
1/2 large onion
2 fistfulls arugula
1 bulb garlic
8 spears asparagus
1 tablespoon butter
Salt + pepper
1 pie crust

INSTRUCTIONS

Prep: preheat oven 375, chop rosemary, onion, garlic, grate cheddar. Roll out dough 1/4” thick, sprinkle 1/2 of the rosemary on top, gently roll into surface of dough. Place dough in pie plate, sprinkle 1/4 of the goat’s cheddar into the center, blind bake 5-10 minutes, this will prevent the bottom of the crust from getting soggy.

While crust is blind baking, melt butter in skillet, saute onions and garlic, remove from skillet and saute asparagus and beat together eggs, goat’s milk salt and pepper. Remove crust from oven, add arugula, onions, garlic, pour in egg mixture and top with the remainder of the cheddar and rosemary

Arrange asparagus on top. Bake until crust is golden brown and quiche is set in the middle, approx 40 minutes. Let stand at least an hour before serving. If preparing the night before, cool and refrigerate and then bring to room temp before serving.

PHOTOGRAPHY & RECIPE: KATRINA OHSTROM

— ohstromphoto.com

Carol Woodard

A visit with one of America’s most talented folk artists.

STORY: HEATH STILTNER

When most people think of handmade Folk Art today they think of the reproduced and reproducible craft goods like wind chimes made from two liter bottles and tin cans, but there are still a few true artists out there today who are keeping the tradition of quality handmade goods alive. Carol Woodard has been keeping that handicraft alive from a very young age and today is one of my favorite true Folk Artists. Using found and new materials Carol creates works of fiber art with an authentic and antiquarian feel and appearance.

Growing up with a love of antiques, American history, and sewing Carol learned to fuse her three passions after her older sister taught her to crochet as a child. “I loved to sew clothing when I was growing up and, after my sister taught me to crochet, I made my first garment—a vest,” she remembers. “The vest I crocheted ended up being twice as long as it needed to be because my sister never taught me how to finish a project. That was when I gained my fist nugget of wisdom from my mother, she said to me ‘A good seamstress always rips!’, and from then on I kept my passion for fiber arts close and honed my skills.”

Carol’s mother was a talented seamstress herself and taught Carol that she could make anything she set her mind to. “My mother could sew anything from doll clothes to tailored suits and she told me early in life that I could do it too.” Carol allowed her mother’s advice to fuel her passion and she has never let anything stop her. At 12 she received a book about macramé and started making macramé plant hangers with gourd bowls and sold them to her parents friend, the first time she had sold any of her creations.

Today Carol combines her love of early American antiques and sewn handmade items with her passion for nature and women’s crafts into quality handmade notions like fabric fruit likenesses and simple-yet-beautiful birds. “I can’t draw at all, so sewing has always been the way that I express myself creatively,” Carol explains. “Anytime I get an idea of something I like, I turn into some kind of sewn item.”

More than anything, Carol says that her passion for creating is to produce one-of-a-kind treasures she’d be happy to have in her own home. Using her love of American history and antiques she creates a collection of baubles that speak of a time gone by when Folk Artists and homemakers captured real-life things in an imaginative sense. “I have collections of old quilts, fabric, bed ticking and parts that I use in my items. When I use new reproduction fabric it is treated to look like it was in Grandma’s attic. One of my favorite items is my Granary Angel ornament that was inspired by a tombstone in the Granary Cemetery in Massachusetts.”

— woodlandprimitives.com

Beautiful, Timeless, and Well Made — A Conversation with Fount

This conversation with FOUNT co-founder Jackie Wachter originally ran in Where Women Create

JACKIE WACHTER and her husband Phillip, are the creators and owners of FOUNT Leather of Cleveland, Ohio. FOUNT produces an ethically-produced high-quality line of leather goods, which has allowed them to support and enrich their local community. When Jackie and Phillip are not in their studio, they are taking care of their two beautiful kids and managing their two retail locations.

I grew up in Cleveland, Ohio, and according to my mother, I was a creative person straight out of the womb. My family fostered my creativity. I have my grandmother to thank for teaching me to sew when I was seven or eight- years-old—she was a very special person in my life. When I was younger, I used to daydream about potential craft projects at school. Often, I would get off my school bus with a list of supplies and have my mom take me straight to JoAnn Fabrics.

In 7th grade, I started my first business out of my locker. I loved to make macramé hemp jewelry, and my friends started to ask for their own. Soon, the girls from my classes were coming to me with requests for their own brace- lets. By demand, I would talk to my clients, sketch designs, and then go home to create their jewelry. I sold the bracelets for $12 each and was selling several a week. Unfortunately, my venture garnered the attention of the faculty, and after about a year of business and a trip to the principal’s office, I had to close up shop.

LOOKING BACK, I HAVE ALWAYS BEEN SOMEONE WHO LOVES TO WORK WITH MY HANDS.

After high school, I attended the Virginia Marti College of Art & Design and pursued a degree in fashion. While there, I was allowed to hone the skills taught to me by my family and channel them into something I was very passionate about. This was still many years though before I met my husband, Phillip, and we started FOUNT together. After college, I moved to New York for a while, but I found myself missing something. I was very lonely there, and I craved the Midwest charm I’d always known. I was seeking purpose, and after a six-month activist trip to Africa became passionate about becoming involved with my community and supporting local and ethical work. This experience allowed me to get a better view into what I could eventually create through my craft and passion.

A few years ago, all of the stars seemed to align. I met my husband, Phillip, and he became someone who inspired and motivated me daily to be creative. He is also someone who enjoys crafting with his own hands, and like me, had his own schoolyard business (selling homemade beanie babies). In our first year of dating, we decided that we would make all of our gifts for each other. Phillip made me a pair of wool mittens using a vintage Pendleton coat, as well as a cutting board. I made for him a wool pencil case, laptop sleeve, and journal. After looking at our gifts, Phillip suggested that the sewn goods could be beautifully made out of leather, and I agreed. We sought out leather and found a local cobbler that sold scraps from his hides of leather. We bought our first leather, and the sweet older couple taught us about some of the hand tools and techniques we should use.

Our first product trials were a leather wallet and lucky penny pouch. Phillip and I quickly fell in love with our newfound hobby, and after a little trial-and-error, we started to make more leather goods. At the time, I was selling vintage clothing and goods at our local market; slowly we started to introduce a small table of our leather goods alongside it. It was at one of these markets that the mother-in-law of my friend Nikki said we should start trying to design a purse. She wanted a bag for Nikki for Christmas and suggested that I give it a try. Soon after, during church, I sketched a design, showed her, and she said she would help us buy our first sewing machine to get us started. After finding a listing for a Singer 111 on Craigslist, we went to test it out. It had been used to stitch WWII parachutes, and it ended up being the sewing machine we used for our first six months of business as FOUNT.

Our first great bag was created after many discussions about what every woman would want. It quickly became apparent that our best chance would be a tote. The first produced tote though was designed in our first apartment together on Bellfield Avenue, in a tiny studio that was ten-by-ten feet. The Bellfield Tote was designed to be a durable everyday bag for anyone. This tote is now our number one seller and is currently available in three sizes. It’s gone through many small transformations, like adding two pockets and straps that are designed to be unbreakable.

OUR MISSION has been, from the beginning, that we want to make products that are beautiful, timeless, and well made—enough to last a lifetime while also being made ethically.

From that simple beginning, we have now grown our husband-and- wife business to a team of forty-six employees. It has been a wonderful four- year journey, and I am so happy that we have been able to create a thriving community within and around it.

Today, after years of hard work and leaps of faith, FOUNT has not just one, but two retail locations—as well as our studio where we manufacture. Growing up, my parents had a wire manufacturing business in the United States, and as production in our country started to move over- seas, it saddened them to have to move some of those jobs out of the

U.S.A. in order to survive in their industry. When we started FOUNT, I wanted it to be able to stimulate my local economy by making all of our products here in the United States. Today, we are happy to say that we have been able to do that by supporting our forty-six employees, as well as supporting local printers, graphic designers, packaging companies, web developers, photographers, models, etc.

FOUNT is a direct-to-consumer business, so we don’t have a face in the consumer market and boutiques. This can be a challenge, but until recently, we have regularly marketed ourselves by attending maker shows. We take pride in making a high-quality product, and word of mouth is our best type of marketing. In every bag, we place a little pouch filled with a couple of business cards that asks our new friends to share our message when people love their bag. It’s a very simple marketing solution, but FOUNT has had a lot of success because of it. We recently had an event in our Cleveland store, and a lady pulled out three business cards and approached me. “I work for Apple, and I can’t tell you how many times I have complimented your bags, but after getting several of these business cards I had to come to see what you were all about,” she said.

Aside from opening our two retail locations—in a time when people say brick-and-mortar is dead—one of the greatest accomplishments we have had has been our success in building inventory. When we first started, we were making each bag by hand, one-by-one. Now, we do batches by type of hide or pattern. We were part of a television show that helped business-owners with their models, and one constant piece of advice we were getting was that our website was always sold out. We learned that we needed to take a leap of faith, bought a ton of leather, hired nine new employees and built our first inventory. It was a great success and having a product on hand that a potential customer wanted has allowed us to grow our business further. We now offer handbags, as well as, clutches, wristlets, wallets and other leather accessories.

Every day with FOUNT seems to fly by. It’s very rewarding, and a lot of work, but getting to work with artists and artisans to create and share products makes it all worth it. We have three new designs coming soon and are planning to create more elevated designs that can be formal as well. Through this business, I’ve been able to do something impactful, both in my community and across the world—like our partnership which brought over ten thousand dollars to dig wells in Africa and provide clean water. Being able to share our products with the world and see the positive impact they bring to our families, friends, and community makes every minute of this business worth it.

— www.fountleather.com

Easy Banana Pudding

This one is an absolute favorite and classic. Super easy to maker and so darn cute in these sweet canning jars. 

Easy Banana Pudding

• 2 5 ounce packages of instant vanilla pudding mix

• 4 cups of very cold milk

• 4 ripe bananas

• 1 box vanilla waffers

• 1 quart heavy whipping cream

• 2 tsp vanilla

• 1/4 powdered sugar

Mix pudding mix and milk as instructed on box. Set aside. Slice bananas. Beat heavy whipping cream, vanilla, and powdered sugar until whipped cream is desired thickness. 

Starting with waffers, cut or break as necessary to fit into jar, create layers. Alternate between the waffers, the pudding, the sliced bananas, and the whipped cream until jars are full. Finish with a a spot of whipped cream and a banana slice tucked into the top. Garnish with fresh mint if desired. 

Use lids of jars for the perfect beach or picnic treat. Keep cold until serving.  

Old Fashioned Orange Juice Cake

Orange Juice Cake

This recipe was a staple for every church potluck, funeral dinner, or just a go-to everyday cake. It’s super moist like pound cake.

1 box yellow cake mix

1 box instant vanilla pudding

4 eggs

½ cup vegetable oil

1 cup orange juice

¼ cup brown sugar 

¼ cup pecans, chopped

GLAZE

½ cup butter

1 cup sugar

¼ cup orange juice

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Mix cake mix, pudding mix, eggs, oil, and orange juice together. 

2. Grease Bundt pan. Spread brown sugar and chopped nuts in the bottom. 

3. Pour batter in pan; bake 35–40 minutes. 

4. For glaze, melt butter in saucepan, add sugar, orange juice; bring to boil, stirring constantly. 

5. After removing cake from oven, pour glaze on cake; cool 15–20 minutes; then invert onto plate.

Snow Had Fallen

An Essay by Linda Burgess

As winter gives way to spring, I must share one snow story that about a late winter/early spring snow when I was probably no older than five…if that.

Our farm lay less than a quarter mile from the main highway. The one lane, gravel road that led to our house was lined with huge trees (mostly cedar) that gave the appearance of a tunnel. Though good for shade and a cool walk in summer, they sheltered the road from needed sunshine for melting snow in late winter or early spring. 

The later in the season it seemed the deeper the snow accumulated. At the time I had no idea what adults meant when they said it was a wet snow. To a little girl, snow was snow. When I played out in the snow, I always ended up wet from head to toe so I didn’t understand that “wet snow” comment. Now that I’m an adult (really just an overgrown kid), I understand moisture content, humidity, powder snow and packing, or snowman building, snow. 

It seems we had deeper and more frequent snows when I was a little girl. I’m not going down the global warming path. I was short for my age (which is hard to believe being 5’ 8” now) and I know that the snow probably wasn’t that much deeper than what we have today. It just didn’t take much for it to be deep for my short legs. Playing in the snow was terrific fun! I didn’t mind the required layers of clothes or getting wet as the snow melted on my gloves and outer layers. That’s what snow was all about for me!

Just as I didn’t understand the term “wet snow” I didn’t realize the hard work of shoveling snow or the hazards of driving snow-covered roads. Mom did. She knew Dad had about 70miles, round trip, of slick 2 lane roads to travel to/from the steel mill. I remember watching him drive out that long tunnel-looking road headed to Owensboro for his shift at the mill. On snowy days or nights, depending upon which shift he worked, I would watch till I couldn’t see him or his tail lights and marvel at the cloud of snow that swirled up behind his vehicle. He probably was driving a little faster than normal just to keep the momentum needed to overcome the snow banks. 

One day, the six of us had all been to either Louisville or Lexington (possibly both) to visit our grandparents. As we traveled home, snow began to fall as did night. There were no salt trucks or pre-treating the roads with brine solution in those days. What snow removal equipment available only worked the most traveled roads so neither the highway in/out of Centertown nor certainly not our road were cleared for traffic. So, on this particularly cold night, an unexpected snowstorm settled in over our part of Kentucky. 

State route 69 from Hartford to Centertown, a curvy stretch of 7 miles to our road, also had 6 one lane bridges. The biggest and narrowest spanned “Muddy Creek”, a creek that fed off Rough River. Dad carefully negotiated those treacherous miles and one lane bridges then made the turn of the main highway onto our road (now known as Chandle Loop) and, within 100 feet, into a snowdrift. We were stuck. He tried backing up, pulling forward, backing up and pulling forward with only minimal success. The snow formed a barrier that our Chevy couldn’t penetrate. Dad got out and pushed as Mom steered the car. In the fall, I had walked that stretch of road from the house to the highway to greet my brother and sister when they got off the school bus. I didn’t think it was very long at all, but on that snowy night, it seemed to stretch to the end of the earth. I just knew we would have to walk home in all that snow, in the dark and without our boots. I saw an adventure in my future but I sure didn’t like the idea of not having boots for that adventure. 

Dad finally got back in the car to warm up a bit. He told us to sit tight and he’d be back in just a few minutes. He knew he would have to dig the car out of the snow so he set off for the house while we waited. Of course he went for a shovel and we expected to see him and his flashlight coming back for us. What we didn’t expect was the mode of transportation. He came back riding our trusty mare, Bonnie. I didn’t have to walk the endless pike in the dark with snow up to my ears and without boots. Dad hoisted his 4 children onto the bare back of that gentle soul and sent us to the house, my big brother in command sitting in front, my sister at the back and the other 2 of us sandwiched between them. 

As gentle as that horse was, she balked at every bridge and that posed a problem. To get to the house, you had to cross a bridge over a branch of Walton Creek. Sure enough, we reached that bridge and Bonnie stopped. She had been so good with the 4 of us perched on her back but when she got to that bridge, she had reached the end of her journey. She could have gone down the short bank and crossed the creek as always but she didn’t want to do that either. She deserves credit for not endangering us. She could have slipped or jumped or bucked and lost her passengers but she stood still. 

We sat huddled on the horse while Dad dug and Mom maneuvered. It wasn’t long till the sound of spinning wheels turned to a more normal tone, its lights came into view and Mom and Dad came to our rescue. Dad lifted Mark, Janet and I off the horse and put us back in the car. He sent Ronnie on to the barn with the horse. I guess that’s one time Ronnie was less than happy to be the oldest but he was able to get Bonnie across the creek (not the bridge!) and on to the gate of the horse lot where he released her and sent her kicking snow all the way to the barn. It was a short car ride for us to the house…again about 100 feet. 

Dad’s work was not finished for the night. We had been gone for the bigger part of 2 days. We heated with a Stokermatic stove. The fire burned out with no one home to feed the coal into the hopper so the house was cold but not so cold that the water lines froze. Thank goodness for that! Dad cleaned out the firebox while Ronnie carried in a couple of buckets of coal to get the fire started. While they worked on restoring the heat, Mom started cooking and Janet, Mark and I huddled up on the couch to stay warm. 

Traditionally, when we returned from a weekend visit with grandparents, Mom cooked breakfast. That night was no exception. By the time the Stokermatic started blowing warm air, Mom served bacon, eggs, biscuits (homemade, of course) and gravy. She perked (old school, not brewed) a pot of coffee for her and Dad but had hot chocolate for the 4 of us. Warm and well-fed, we headed to bed. 

Dad didn’t have a lot of weekends off with working swing shift. Usually he had farm work to do on his days off but he did manage to make time for visiting his and Mom’s parents and giving us treasured time with our grandparents. I’m sure that he probably didn’t make it into bed until way past midnight that night and had to get up earlier than normal for his trip to work the next morning due to the road conditions.  Only as an adult can I now fully appreciate the struggles and worries Mom and Dad endured that night. I was a 5 year old adventure seeking little girl who thought it was another of her adventures rather than a trial. 

Breakfast for supper still reminds me of that snowy adventure in late winter…long, long ago. 

Victory Garden of Tomorrow

IN A TIME WHEN PINEAPPLES, GUAVA, AND ASPARAGUS ARE AVAILABLE YEAR ROUND AND NEARLY ANY FOOD IS STOCKED ON THE SHELVES OF MOST GROCERIES, JOE WIRTHEIM OF VICTORY GARDEN OF TOMORROW WANTS TO FURTHER EXPAND YOUR SELECTION.

If you want fancy French lettuces that your local market does not carry or heirloom blue pumpkins from Australia, he wants you to have it. The one caveat Joe has is that you grow it — on an organic farm. He also wants you to make compost, and to have a few backyard chickens.

BY: DAVID GOBELI | 2012

The Victory Garden of Tomorrow has its roots in Portland, Oregon, a city that has long been seen as a center of political and cultural activism, so a poster campaign that wants us to re-identify our eating habits is fitting. He hasn’t always been in Portland though; he moved there in the mid 2000’s from Columbus, Ohio.

Remembering Columbus, he says, “I was...one of the small group of people getting around on bicycles — I had no car at the time. I was living in a neighborhood that was a little out there in terms of low rents, and eccentric

In an age when most everything is available year round, Joe sees it as more of a perceived choice. Processed foods come at a very high price to our health, the environment, and in petroleum dollars. “Our entire food system is built on oil and corn subsidies. Today there’s no reason to believe these will last. To top it off, the industrial foods we’ve been eating are terrible for our health. Childhood obesity makes my ears turn red. I realize that in many ways, it’s difficult for an average middle-class person living the urban or suburban lifestyle today to see a reason to supplement their diet with a backyard garden. But that’s why I make propaganda, to insert the message that gardens need to become a normal part of what Americans do again; and even if the amount they produce is small, there occurs an important education and rise in awareness.”

Joe calls his propaganda campaign The Victory Garden of Tomorrow. He designs and prints art posters that
are based on the iconic American propaganda posters of both World War I and II. Using their style, and sometimes actual posters as inspiration, he has begun to create a new type of propaganda; this time it is about what we eat and where we get it.

artist types. I suppose being on a bike and being around a sensibility that is acutely aware of waste, the greater city seemed strange to me. I wondered why it was the way it was, why it was segregated, why
the suburbs were so popular, [and] why shopping centers were a thing to be excited about. Parking lots everywhere. I just felt that this wasn’t normal.” So, Joe left Columbus and moved to Portland, where bikers rode in crowds and morning rush hour traffic jams involved not only cars but cycles. In awe of the city and the old main street aesthetic that housed small community businesses, he enrolled at Portland State, the local university, where he met and has since had the chance to work with a variety of talent that he can draw inspiration from.

Then came The Victory Garden of Tomorrow, his self- described poster campaign that is “designed to channel the bold energy of historical poster propaganda. It is committed to civic innovation and social progress — better food, better gardens, and better cities. It is design, politics, and whimsy for the modern home front.” Drawing inspiration from the Victory Gardens of WWI and II and the 1939 New York World’s Fair (“The World of Tomorrow”) he developed the name of his campaign. “... like a lot of nerdy kids of my generation, I was enthralled with the idea of space exploration, loved the images and stories of moon landings, and just loved the idea of heroic, capable explorers. I imagined our mid-century economic era as a kind of fork in the road where America sort of chose the industrial path. However, the world of tomorrow could have been, and still can be, the path illustrated by the Victory Garden and waste-reduction movements.” He began to imagine the “Victory Garden of Tomorrow” as an “exciting new 21st century place of discovery, innovation, and excitement. A place where young people are needed to urgently man the gardens and consider creative, imaginative ways to solve contemporary problems.”

Then Joe designed atomic lettuces, atoms spinning around the leaves in mid-century simplicity; pickles
in space; and heroic chickens standing guard like B5-2 bombers over the airstrip. Taken out of the posters are airplane hangars, rockets, and industrial powerhouses pumping out wartime munitions. Common everyday backyard heroes now take their place. In his design about compost, a father and son peek into a compost bin watching the micro-organisms doing all the dirty work. Another, emblazoned with the words “Break New Ground,” calls to mind a soldier’s boot on the edge of a shovel digging a trench, but instead urges “Plant an Urban Farm Garden.” Even the flying bee in the poster’s background is reminiscent of a warplane, whimsically crafted into the modern, backyard air force.

Each piece calls to mind the strong imagery and text of the old propaganda posters. Bold, normally few colors, heavy strokes, and implied detail make every design speak with the same intensity as the originals. Joe loves the idea of “... turning the hero into something that is common, that is understated, and right in the backyard. To me, chickens, compost, [and] lettuce all speak to the idea that there’s more power in small and ordinary places. Our society has been all about industrial sized power moves, and I’m just thinking that the future might be a place that’s smaller scale, more human, er, chicken powered.”

A whopping 1.5 million people contract either e. coli or salmonella per year. Many of these cases involve large- scale industrial farming and crops that should never be exposed to those bacteria. Type 2 diabetes (which was once an adult disease but now is found in 1 of every 400 children), obesity, hypertension, heart disease, and cancer are all on the rise. It is thought that the current generation is the first generation that will have a shorter lifespan than their parents—the first time in American history. Our food plays a direct role in all of these diseases as well as our mental states and, it has been said, our general state of happiness. Millions of Americans are sick and the food they eat has a lot to blame for it and Joe Wirtheim is trying to do something about it.

“I believe that ... America needs a culture change around food and eating. People need to set examples for each other, begin discussing these things in their community, demand better foods from their grocers, demand variances for [egg-laying] hens from their municipalities, and so on. We need critical mass of demand before government programs are successful. I’d like to see more support for local farms and gardens, while seeing a reduction of government support for the industrial corn and soy based products. But to get the ball rolling, folks have to demonstrate this is something they want, not something imposed. That’s why I make the art I make; I want to charm while accessing people’s imaginations as to what is possible.”

SHOP

A Cast Iron Primer

The Little Black Dress of the Kitchen

By: Jen O’Connor of Earth Angels Studios

Cast iron is like one of those ancient species, so ideally suited to its environment, that its need to evolve was forgone forever ago. It is one of the most versatile objects in any kitchen and can be used for everything from frying the perfect egg to baking a cake. Cast iron can take the heat on stovetop or oven, transferring from one to the other with aplomb! So, if you have a cast iron skillet, you could use it, and it would keep coming back from more. It just doesn't wear out; indeed many of them in active service have been on duty for more than 100 years. So, if you have a cast iron skillet in your kitchen, and you are not pressing this dedicated workhorse into service, you should be wondering just why not?

Cooking is a learning process—an art form that constantly absorbs the new. So many cooks are forever on the prowl for the new gadget, the more convenient appliance or a utensil that will make some task easier. In the hunt for the new, there are those among us that might just be guilty of setting aside a three or four pound cast iron pot for something more lightweight or easier to store. In the era of super non-stick surfaces and the age of anodized aluminum, cast iron may have been overlooked for commercially promoted brands and sleeker lines of cookware promising efficient and specialized attributes.

But, like all truly beautiful things, cast iron feels no threat. It has no need to waver from its perfection, and that little skillet will wait in quiet confidence for renewed appreciation by the cook who decides to use it. Fortunately for cast iron and its devotees, there's been a recent celebration of its merits among those who pursue slow living. In its versatility and simple charms, it appeals to cooks who treasure its humble beauty. Cast iron is affordable and versatile…it’s practical and durable…and the art of slow living celebrates these qualities. Like the little black dress that hangs in your closet just perfect for any occasion, cast iron stands at the ready to save the day by simply doing what it does best…cook like nothing else in your kitchen! 

Cooks love cast iron for what it does for them with regard to handling temperature. It does not heat evenly, but once it's hot, it stays hot and will cook something evenly by retaining the heat more consistently. As such, cast iron lends itself to baking and was fashioned into inset ovens as well as the tightly lidded pot—or Dutch oven—that we picture baking biscuits over a campfire. Conversely, on the stovetop, cast iron sears meats in a way no other cookware can.

Origins of the Alloy….

Cast iron has been around forever…well, almost forever. There are archaeological finds that date cast iron to 400 AD in China where the alloy was first made and used in the production of agricultural tools, architectural ornaments and pagodas, and some weapons. The knowledge of this metallurgy production, along with cast iron objects and tools, slowly made their way from Asia to other regions along trade routes. By the 1400s, cast iron was well ensconced as an alloy in Western Europe and was used widely in the production of household goods and weapons. Some cooking vessels were used in the early years of cast iron production, but it wasn’t until the 1700s that the cast iron “Dutch Oven” became the ubiquitous cooking pot.

That said, it's safe to say that in the past 300 years many kitchens had a cast iron skillet and a cast iron Dutch oven to manage the meals of the day and perhaps a cast iron oven—set into a chimney—for the baking. When the Europeans brought cast iron to the Americas during the colonization, the pots populated the hearths and homes of the early settlers and took them westward working their way one meal at a time. Cast iron has always been decidedly at home in the US. Over time manufacturers have added a glass enamel lining and coating to cast iron, and also made cast steel, but cast iron is much cheaper and its proletarian appeal warrants celebration!

Using cast iron…

Cast iron deserves a spot in everyone’s cabinets. And while it might get moved to the back of the shelf, its form and function will never go out of style. It’s durable—and it’s practically indestructible—but it asks for a few simple things to assure its functionality. After use, it should be washed with mild soapy water and dried, THOROUGHLY. If you really want it to love you forever, give it a quick swipe with oil on a paper towel and pop the pan back in a hot oven to dry it completely or heat it for just a bit on a burner so the oil will not go rancid. This preserves the seasoning.

You can’t put a cashmere sweater in the washing machine, and you can't put cast iron in the dishwasher. Period. If you do, the seasoning will be gone, and while you can "re-season" it, this can easily be avoided.

Find these US-made vintage lovelies for your kitchen…

Griswold and Wagner are the most sought after of the manufacturers of cast iron cookware. Griswold manufactured in Erie, PA from 1865–1957, and Wagner in Sidney, OH from 1891–1999, but the companies’ success waned in the late 1940s and continued to decline after these family businesses were bought and subsumed into a larger housewares brand. Griswold is usually marked, and it's easy to spot, with “Erie” or the well-known logo featuring a blocky cross in a circle logo on the bottom of pots. Wagner used a variety of logos—and sometimes none at all—so its provenance is more difficult to document. Pre-1890s cast iron may have what is called “gate marks” on the bottom—this slash mark is a remnant of the casting process.

Lodge—a company, based in TN has been making cast iron—and cast stainless steel—since 1896. They're a great option if you prefer new to vintage, and since 2002 they've been selling "pre-seasoned" pans…a game-changer in their appeal and capacity for immediate use. If a cast iron pan is not seasoned, there is time and patience involved with imparting the seasoning to the surface so that the pan can be used and a natural non-stick coating develops with use.

Not-So-Soda Irish Soda Bread

Aunt Julie’s Not-So-Soda Irish Soda Bread

By: Jen O’Connor of Earth Angels Studios

I was raised in an Irish-American household, and the only thing I liked about Irish Soda Bread was the butter you got to put on top to make it palatable! This recipe comes from my husband's Aunt Julie Flaherty O'Connor, and it's the best stuff out there. Moist, easy to make…but back to moist… 

I used to call Aunt Julie every St. Patrick’s Day morning to get the recipe, not that I didn’t have it jotted in my mess of a cookbook, but it was an excuse to chat and celebrate the small joy of a recipe shared. And don’t tell anyone, but I make it with ¾ cup of chocolate chips instead of raisins if no one is looking…but here’s Aunt Julie’s, the classic version.

INGREDIENTS

5 cups flour

7½ tsp baking powder 

½–¾ cup sugar (depends on your taste)

1 box raisins 

1 can evaporated milk + water added to make 3 cups liquid

TOPPINGS

1 tsp cinnamon (to taste)

2 Tbsp sugar (to taste)

4 tsp butter

1. In large bowl mix dry ingredients, add raisins; mix them in by hand. Add liquid; mix. 

2. Place in greased cast iron fry pan (size 7 or 8 Griswold). Sprinkle top with cinnamon and sugar.

3. Bake at 325 degrees for 1 hour or until toothpick comes out clean. Brush top with butter while still warm.