Fig & Honey Cream Cheese
by fig + fauna farm on 07/15/12
It's officially the season of Figs ~ and luckily for us, the chickens are not yet aware of this. Mission, Brown Turkey and Kalamata figs emerge so quickly after these rainy days. I touch each one, feeling for the soft figs just before they fall from the tree. Inside, the taste is a maple syrup-like juice amongst the dainty seeds and tender fruit.
// PHOTOS BY ROSE E MARTIN
FIG & HONEY CREAM CHEESE
You will need:
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3-4 fresh Figs, skins removed (alternatively, Fig preserves can be used)
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8 oz Cream Cheese
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Raw Honey, to taste
Blend all ingredients in a processor until smooth. Serve right away ~ enjoy on toast, muffins, bagels or even cake.
Decisive Moment
by fig + fauna farm on 07/08/12
In the language of photography, there's a term called the decisive moment - so my sister Rose tells me. It means to capture the time where something is about to happen. The photograph could be a drip or a baseball player just about to make a home run. It's the picture that leaves you hanging and gives your mind the chance to fill in the next frame.
In many ways, to live on a farm is to dwell in the decisive moment. It's the dough that is rising in the window, the chickies waiting to hatch, the beets growing deep down in the soil, the honey forming cell by cell, the slow morning milking and the pastures improving with each rain. We are hanging on for everything to happen. Meanwhile, I have learned to live in these moments, realizing that the harvest is the smallest part of the equation - it's the life happening now that we are seeking. We happily welcome four new Aracauna chicks to this world ~
// PHOTOS BY ROSE E MARTIN
Rosemary & Basil Focaccia
by fig + fauna farm on 07/02/12
While the dough is rising, the sun is full. Ear to ear, it wears a smile - one that seems to invite us to play in its warmth. These moments can't be purchased and neither can a bread that you have worked between your fingers with a toddler covered in flour. I did promise a summer of picnics not long ago and so we pack our basket and stomp around the bees and tall green grass. Grandma enjoys the afternoon with us - I listen in on their big conversations about tiny things, such as bugs and snails...these findings are true treasures!
I can smell the bread so well as the basket swings in my arms, and I know just what is in store for us: crispy on the outside and warm, melt-in-your-mouth texture on the inside. The herbs soothe me in my mouth, just as it does when I run my fingers over our rosemary bushes, awakening the fragrant oils of the plant.
/// PHOTOS BY ROSE E MARTIN
ROSEMARY & BASIL FOCACCIA
Adapted from The Herb Bible - Jennie Harding
Serves 6
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2 2/3 cups White Whole Wheat Flour, plus extra for dusting
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1 envelope active dry yeast
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1 1/2 tsp sea salt
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1 tbsp honey
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1 1/4 cups hand-hot water
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3 tbsp EVOO, plus extra for greasing
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4 tbsp finely chopped Rosemary & Basil
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Polenta for sprinkling
Combine flour, yeast and salt in a bowl and make a well in the center. Gradually stir in the water, 2 tablespoons of EVOO and honey to make dough.
Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead. Sprinkle herbs into the dough and work through until soft but not sticky. Shape dough into a ball and place in a oiled bowl - cover bowl and set in a warm place to rest until dough has doubled in volume. Sprinkle polenta over a baking sheet.
Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface and lightly knead. Let stand for ten minutes. Roll out and at dough into a circle about 1 inch thick and carefully transfer it to the baking sheet, placing it on top of the polenta.
Using a lightly oiled finger, poke indentations all over the surface of the loaf. Drizzle remaining EVOO over the top and sprinkle with sea salt. Bake in a preheated oven, 450 degrees for 15 minutes or untill the top is golden and it sounds hollow when tapped. Let cool on a wire rack and devour quickly!
