FARMIN'...bitches! :)

As some of you may/may not know, I'm pretty much a Dallas Farmer's Mkt junkie - hey, support your local farmers! So, somewhere along the way, I came across a wonderful lil' farm by the name of Akin Farm Organics. So, I joined the newsletter that the wonderful Wendy Akin sends out, who owns the farm w/ her husband. (If you're interested, e-mail her at akinfarmorganic@aol.com and ask to be on her e-mail list for all the latest on what's harvesting week-by-week at the farm, and recipes for what's comin' outta' the ground!) :)

I called my good friend David (Avi) on a whim on an early Sat. morn a few weeks back, and we went to check it out! You must get there early, Wendy likes you to get there early. Farm opens at 7:30am once it gets past 95 degrees. We weren't quite that early, but Wendy obliged, and took us on a wonderful tour of the boutique farm - on her golf cart, complete w/ a cat riding companion, "Prada".

Now don't mistake Wendy for just a simple farmer, as she's come into this way of life by way of retirement. She has many interesting stories of spending summers as a child in France, and her many visits there since, and all over for that matter! She is a self proclaimed "wine snob", and has a penchant for French cuisine. Julia Child and Patricia Wells are just a few of her global faves, and she's got quite a following with some of our local chefs as well, like Sharon Hage of York Street, whom she supplies with okra and artichokes.

Avi and I dug right in, picking our own cannellini beans, 3 varieties of squash, 3 varieties of cukes, and 4 varieties of onions. Following images: Squash and cukes growing on the farm, cannellini beans I blanched and then froze, our haul from the farm, onions - bucket for $8!, a cuke/tomato salad I made from the 3 varieties of cukes, and baskets of potatoes up at the shed.

Y'all, Avi and I got outta' there for $40, and we had a great morning w/ some great conversation, and we felt good helping out a local farmer. It was well worth the drive to Terrell, TX, and we will definitely return. We have to keep tabs on Wendy and what she's up to! :)