an invitation.

Hey guys! I forgot to send this along in Monday's email...whoops!  But, better late than too late...right?  So without further ado...

We invite each of you to join us in uncovering a paragon of pottery - fresh out of the kiln!  

On Saturday, John will be unloading his hand built, wood fired anagama kiln.  The product of this kiln is totally different to most of the pottery you have seen recently in the gallery or on our market table - creating earthier tones and textural pieces with a rustic patina.

when:  Saturday, June 29

time:  6:00 - 7:00 pm

where:  1941 Colham Ferry Road (NOT the gallery)

             Watkinsville

      

* look for the red scarf tied to the mail box.  Park in front of the house and follow the path past the sheds behind the house and you will see us!

more on what the heck all this is about...

Anagama traditionally means "cave kiln" - and is an ancient type of pottery kiln used in Japan, and later China.

Depending on size, these kilns can fire for any number of days.  This particular kiln typically fires for about 3 days and 3 nights using wood as it's only source of fuel - devouring 2-3 cords of wood and reaching temperatures in excess of 2400 F.  

The kiln needs around the clock attention and maintenance....stocking wood every couple of minutes.  All the wood has been harvested from fallen tress on the farm and hand chopped.  Yup - hand-chopped (thanks to the help of Willy P., Mr. Brown and John Bradford himself).  

Inside the kiln, a relationship is formed between the intense heat, the wood ash flying around, various minerals extracted from the process, and the clay body itself - which all lends to a natural wood ash glaze and pots that look as though they were born out of the earth.

After a few days of cooling - the kiln is ready to be unloaded.  The result is never the same and is not unlike Christmas day.  Surrounded by family and friends - with the buzz of anticipation in the air... "what's inside that box?" (or huge furnace-y igloo thing in this case).

And just like Christmas - you could get a really great surprise or a bunch of underwear and socks...you just don't know.  And that's the beauty of it all...the unknown.

So, Christmas comes early at The Pastures of Rose Creek and we'd love y'all to be there - caught up in the excitement of it all... Passing pots from hands to hands - still warm to the touch.  Come be apart of the communal effort to "unwrap" this kiln!...(please don't be underwear, please don't be underwear!)

For the love of community and all things pottery,

John Bradford (of Bradford Pottery), Dana B. and Willy P. (from the farm)

Bubble n' Squeak

Hello all and Happy Monday!  And welcome to the first installment of the Pasture's Monday Reads!

This week get ready for 3 local markets as we hit...

1.  the Oconee Farmers Market on Tuesday from 4-7 downtown Watkinsville

2.  the Central Bishop Market from 4-7 downtown bishop

3.  and finishing the week at the Oconee Farmers Market on Saturday from 8 am - 1pm

At any one of these markets you will find a host of vendors offering everything from farm fresh veggies, eggs, meats, cut flowers, first summer fruits, crafts, and so much more!

Shop around for our recipe and your next meal of Bubble n' Squeak.  Yup, that's really it's name.

Bubble n' Squeak?

Fancy the Brits to name a dish something like "Bubble n' Squeak."  A dish guilelessly named after the noise and bubbles it makes while being cooked up. Yet, despite the matter-of-fact origins of it's name - there is, true to British culture and colloquialisms, an element of whimsy that automatically endears you to it just because it sounds so...amusingly playful!

And John, coming from an English mother, has introduced me to a variety of delightful British foods and recipes.  This is certainly one of my favorites!...

Historically, Bubble n' Squeak was an 18th century dish of fried meat and cabbage and was an easy way to stretch foods during a period when precious commodities were subject to rationing.  

Today it's really whatever you want it to be!  And at any of the markets this week you will find all the ingredients you need.

the recipe.

olive oil

potato, diced

cabbage, chopped

squash, chopped (get it from P.oR.C.!)

onion, diced (yay!  we'll have 'em this week!)

bacon 

egg (from your truly, where else?)

grated cheese

salt & pepper to taste

the method.

1.  Fry up some bacon and set aside.  

2.  Use the left over bacon grease and add the onion...fry gently until soft (about 3 minutes)

3.  Add the potato and veggies.  Fry for about 10 minutes turning over 3 or more times.  You may need to add olive oil occasionally to keep from burning the veggies.

4.  Fry until browned but not burned.

5.  Meanwhile also fry up an egg or 2.

6.  Throw the bacon into the bubble and squeak and add salt and pepper to taste.

7.  Remove bubble and squeak from burner - serve with grated cheese and fried egg on top.

A Scarecrow with an identity Crisis.

And don't forget to help us think of a name for scarecrow!  You can see him as you drive by us on Colham Ferry - watch for him as we occasionally style him according to his mood.  :)

Send us your most creative alias' by Sunday, July 7 and you'll be in the running for the GRAND PRIZE... A weekend getaway to Hawaii (no expenses paid!!!!) OR.... a basket of veggies - perfect for a delicious meal of Bubble and Squeak!

what we'll have this week....

farm fresh eggs

lemon and green apple cucumbers

pickling cucumbers

squash

zucchini

onions

maybe tomatoes

maybe peaches too!

cranberry-almond biscotti

Hope to see ya this week!  And don't forget to check out the attachment for the upcoming "Fields of Promise" Dinner!

For the love of community and all things farming...

Your local farmers,

Wheel- P, Savage, Johnny B., and me

A scarecrow with an identity crisis - You can Help!

Hello all and Merry Solstice!  Let us give thanks for (so far) Mother Nature has been quite generous with the rain and relatively cool transition to summer - we here at the farm hope she keeps it up!  Those veggies (and weeds!) definitely know the difference between rain water and hose water!  I'm sure they grow a foot for every inch of rain...

Oh!  And don't forget to check out the attached flyer for the upcoming "Fields of Promise" Dinner on August 24 - fostering the love of agriculture by raising scholarship funds for FFA students.

things 'bout to get cray...

We're about to turn your whole world upside down as we announce the end of Friday blogs.  Do not fret, however!...the blogs are just moving to a new "time slot" - and will begin your week rather than mark the end of it.  

Just don't get confused on Monday when you receive the weekly P.o.R.C. blog, start making your plans for your beach weekend, don't show up for work the next day, get a call from an irate boss while you sit on a deserted beach (because it's Tuesday, and who else has the luxury of the beach on a Tuesday?)...margarita in hand watching a silhouetted pair of dolphins gleefully frolicking in the sparkling, summer sunset....

Ok - well in the off chance this does happen to you -  you're welcome (and don't forget to send a postcard)!

the competition is on!...

For all y'all who make the daily trek (or even an every once and a while trek) down Colham Ferry - you may have noticed our affable scarecrow hangin' out in Boises Field scarin' crows and makin' threats at other winged species who are very interested in our freshly seeded patch of cow peas.

Well, it has been suggested, by a very wise and respected member of the community (Ms. Cindy Pritchard!) that our scarecrow needs a name...one that fully satisfies the loving and attentive nature of our scarecrow.

So the competition is on!  We invite you to send us your best suggestions. Over the course of the next 2 weeks y'all can send in your thoughts on how to suitably dub our scarecrow.  

All submissions must be in by Sunday, July 7.  Submissions will be reviewed by a carefully selected, undisclosed panel of judges.  The award-winning appellation will be revealed in the following Monday email.

The prize...$1,000,000 cash...or a basket o' farm fresh veggies and eggs - whichever we happen to have on hand at the time.

and then there were 3...markets that is.

Yup there's a new market in Oconee.  In addition to the Oconee Farmers Market held on Saturday mornings and Tuesday afternoons...we also welcome Central Bishop Market which had it's inaugural market yesterday evening.  

Central Bishop Market will be held each Thursday from 4-7 pm, downtown Bishop in the parking lot in front of Bradford Pottery.  This market will run during the peak veggie season and will host a variety of meat and veggie vendors and even a few craft vendors.

So for all you locavores, there's no need for the grocery store! - just make it a market week and hit all 3!

Oconee Farmers Market - TUESDAY 4 - 7 pm

Watkinsville First Christian Church

4 Main Street Watkinsville

Central Bishop Market - THURSDAY 4 - 7 pm

Parking Lot in front of Bradford Pottery

4860 Macon Hwy (Hwy 441) Bishop

Oconee Farmers Market - SATURDAY 8 am - 1 pm

Downtown in front of the Courthouse

Main Street Watkinsville

*If you are interested in becoming a vendor please contact John Bradford (575.224.1369) for the Central Bishop Market and Cindy Pritchard (oconeefm@yahoo.com) for the Oconee Farmers Market.

our offerings this week...

• cucumbers - pickling, diva, and lemon & green apple varieties 
• squash - zepher, yellow, zucchini
• red radishes
• beets
• and perhaps a few extra surprise veggies...
• farm fresh eggs (get your order in soon...these guys go FAST!)
• pottery from bradford pottery

Hope to see y'all at the market in Watkinsville on Saturday 8 am - 1pm & Tuesday 4-7 pm, and/or in Bishop on Thursday 4-7 pm!

For the love of community and all things farming...

Your local farmers,

Willy P., Savage, the Potter, and me

The Pastures of Rose Creek, LLC
1051 Rose Creek Drive
Watkinsville, GA 30677
706.254.9391
575.613.2029

cute cukes!

Hi there folks!  After a mini-computer calamity, the weekly emails are back on track!  It will be a short one this week as the farm swings into full tilt and an upcoming wedding swiftly approaches.

Nevertheless - the buds of new warm weather veggies abound in the garden and a few have really taken off!  So this week, check out our stand for the much anticipated return of the lemon cucumber accompanied by it's buddy thegreen apple cucumber...

cute cukes...

They're not just cute - they're BEAUTIFUL...and scrumptious too!  

Have you ever seen a lemon cucumber?  They're like little orbs of sunshine - spherical veggies aglow in their resplendent, golden skin.  They're not shaped like you're common cucumber - they look more akin to the meyer lemon or a gourd.  

But once you bite into one you know it's cucumber - not a lemon or a gourd at all.  It has that cool, crisp cucumber texture that, if you're a cuke lover, you anticipate every year...but this cucumber is a little different- sweeter, crunchier - and more delicately flavored.

This year, we've added the green apple cucumber - a granny smith green to contrast the bright yellow of it's counterpart.  This cucumber is similar in shape and appeal - although it carries a slightly tart taste.

Both of these varieties can be prepared in anyway you please - raw, as a cucumber salad with balsamic vinegar and olive oil, cooked, or pickled.  Or you can try 'em our favorite way...just biting into it like an apple (although you may want to rub off the bristles first!)

a splash o' cool...

OR...you can impress your guests and an extra element of cool to your water on these hot summer days by infusing your water with cucumbers.  The lemon and green apple cucumbers are perfect for this both in flavor and aesthetic.

Not only do you get the delicious, refreshing hint of cool cucumber you also add nutrients and minerals to your water.  By adding cucumbers you add silica (great for improving skin, tendon, etc. tissues), Vitamin C, and Potassium just to name a few.

AND the sensation of cucumber essence feels extra hydrating and cooler than regular old ice water....take it from a farmer who may know a thing or two about the importance of a refreshing cup of water!

Add mint and lemon to ramp up the flavor even more!

Ok, so this email wasn't as short as I thought - but once you try a lemon cucumber you'll understand why I was compelled to gush over them so.

what you'll find this saturday and next tuesday at our market table...

• cucumbers - lemon and green apple
• squash - zepher, yellow, zucchini
• beets
• kale
• romaine
• and perhaps a few extra surprise veggies...
• farm fresh eggs (get your order in soon...these guys go FAST!)
• pottery from bradford pottery

Hope to see y'all at the market on Saturday 8 am - 1pm or Tuesday 4-7 pm!

For the love of community and all things farming...

Your local farmers,

Willy P., Savage, the Potter, and me

The Pastures of Rose Creek, LLC
1051 Rose Creek Drive
Watkinsville, GA 30677
706.254.9391
575.613.2029