I've been so severely influenced by the practices of Sean Brock, and those that are continuing to push the envelope of food in Charleston, South Carolina. I've been fortunate enough to meet certain people that have put me into situations that most cooks would dream about when they finally get to bed. I am thankful for all of those people who continue to inspire me in a career that will bury you in a second, but you find yourself stronger to leave the wake of something so stressful and intense. Not to mention, extremely gratifying.
I am an intense advocate of Mattawoman Creek Farms. Chef has always hammered the importance of attention to detail. This farm not only meets the standard, but exceeds every expectation of what I eat, sleep, and think. I've had dishes in my life in which my mouth says "wow", but the verbal notion of the thought was absent. I feel like I said the word three hundred times today. My cheeks hurt from smiling. My feet feel blessed for sharing the soil that the produce occupies.
In all honesty, I feel like I should keep the experience to myself. But I want to let people see the hard work, thought processing, and attention to detail that this farm puts to use. There was a moment today in which Rick turned his head to the east, and took a moment to listen. The neighboring farm was spraying their crop, and he thought about wind direction. He wanted to protect something that he works so hard to keep clean. Sean Brock once gave an interview in which he paused briefly to receive a text message, and explained that it was from the kitchen at McCrady's, and they wanted to substitute and ingredient in a salad. He simply told the reporter that he loved having that support, but that he felt like he was allowing someone to have sex with his wife. What Rick and Sean have in common is controlled chaos, and a lifelong commitment to providing something that we lost hundreds of years ago.
My mother has a fascination with babies. I learned today that I carry the same addiction.
When I walked into the first greenhouse, I tried to intently listen to what Rick had to say about the process of starting this process, but I couldn't help but listen to what these plants had to say to me. I felt like I was I was in a monastery that represented what everyone on this planet should spend some time in. In my progression through food and music, I was sent back to a time in which I felt like I was surrounded by organic matter that could speak to me. This was one of the most powerful moments of my life.
Green sorrel is one of my favorite things in the world. My dedication to this plant was inspired by Justin Hershey of Zinc in Charlottesville, VA. I encourage anyone traveling through Virginia to spend some time at this restaurant. I couldn't believe that the first seedlings that were at my feet happened to be the birth of this plant. Shout out to Rumex acetosa.
We were educated on the system in which they use to get seedlings in the ground. On the front of the tractor, a box blade system creates permanently raised beds, in which drip tubing is buried in the ground, and organic fertilizer is introduced.
Vertical slants hold the black trays that contain the seedlings. As the rear of the tractor passes over these beds, one to four discs introduce evenly spaced holes to place the seedlings BY HAND. I used to think that a hayride was a cool way to travel around town, but this process takes the cake.
In order to fight their largest nemesis, this tool is pulled by tractor and set on a certain tension to pull the roots of weeds to the surface of the soil, allowing them to dry naturally and perish into organic matter.
Mattawoman Creek.
This farm is actively farming not only the soil in a responsible manner, but they are also participating in the harvest of cherrystone clams!?#@!@
If you don't have a Mattawoman in your life, you should. The Grateful Dead once said, "That's right. The women are smarter."
Support your local farmers. Enough said.
Best,
Jarrett
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