agrarian kitchen news feb09

the vegie patch

As we eluded to in our intro waft the new vegetable garden, after a slow start, is coming along well. We had a bumper crop of lincoln peas in spring which found their way into most of the Agrarian Experience classes held at the time, usually accompanied by feathery light pink eye potato gnocchi (we can say that cause it was the students making it). One of our favourite gardening books says that fresh peas are reason enough to start a vegie garden and that we can now attest to. Alas, they are now a distant memory and in their place are members of the brassica family including sanda and long island brussel sprouts and violet sicilian and self blanche cauliflower. Fingers crossed that they will sustain us in the lean months approaching, along with the newly planted multiple varieties of turnips, swedes, kale, cabbages, silverbeet, parsnips, carrots and cold weather salad greens such as lambs tongue, mustards, chicories and cress.

It has been thanks to our good mate Luke and god-sent Ally that the garden is looking in such tip-top shape at the moment, weed-free and freshly mulched it is producing beans (purple long pod, borlotti, frost, blue lake and scarlet runner), beetroot (detroit dark red, chioggia), lettuce (too numerous to mention), mustard (lime streaks and osaka purple), artichoke, potatoes (pink eyes and dutch cream), zucchini ( golden, lebanese, golden arch crook neck, verde scuoro di milano and black beauty) and the first Burgess buttercup is about the size of a human head in the extensive pumpkin patch.

The sixty or so varieties of tomato have been the bane of our lives, shortly after taking possession of the seedlings they were badly frosted and had to be trimmed back and put on life support (twice). After being planted out spring decided that it didn’t really feel like arriving. Thankfully the plants survived, grew and set fruit - tomato gluttony here we come. Alas, mother nature is having her last laugh with a plummet in temp this week, just before the class, just when I need the fruit to ripen....green tomato chutney anyone?

Welcome to the launch of our newsletter.

After nearly two months of classes it is a huge relief to be properly underway, and yet we both feel we are still at the base camp of Everest. Already in the planning is a milking shed, smokehouse, poly tunnel and cellars for charcuterie, cheese and vegetables. That, however, doesn’t include the co-opting of neighbours into the Agrarian Kitchen fold, should the weather be kind over the coming year we are hoping to have our own wheat grown for flour on a nearby property.

We must say the most rewarding thing thus far has been watching the new vegetable garden take shape. Our sporadic summer hasn’t helped but considering that Rod’s greatest achievement was radishes and carrots in year 7 agriculture class, it ain’t half bad.

From the time we launched the support and interest we have received has been overwhelming which has justified our suspicions and vindicated what at the time seemed like a ludicrous dream of giving up good stable jobs to pursue the ideals of country life.

However, before you all pack in your city lives we must warn you, it’s not all plain sailing. The learning curve has been massive and many a kilo, Rod earnt lunching with the Gourmet Traveller crew has been shed by the handle of a spade, but whether being awaken at the wee hours of the morning by an irrate neighbour to come get your cows from their garden or snipping back frosted tomato plants and praying for their survival it can all be put down to experience.

the whole hog masterclass

Our first “Whole Hog Masterclass” held in January was a great success. Spanning two days with Wessex Saddleback breeder Lee Christmas of The Farm Gate Cafe and Providore we began with a whole carcass suspended from the ceiling of the kitchen, unsure whether it would indeed hold the 70 kilos of one of the finest swine any of us had ever seen.

The majority of the first day was spent deconstructing the pig, with Lee leading the charge with the first half and the eager participants following suit with the remaining. It all makes sense once it is cut up and reassembled on the bench. Apart from the recipe for Lee’s secret sausages the group also made a bevy of recipes including a pie of trotters and freshly dug pink eye potatoes, rolled and roasted belly, silverbeet stuffed inch thick chops, roasted loin with the best crackling ever (check out the pics), and sticky chinese vinegar ribs, which according to our guest, Janis (in a lilting Irish accent) “you’ve changed my life, people would start wars over these things”. At the end of the class, guests were able to take home sausages, bacon and chops.....well, we couldn’t expect them to consume the whole hog as well.

We are excited to announce that our new cooking class calendar for classes from February 2009 to February 2010 is now available.

We will be adding more masterclasses towards the end of he year as they become available. You will be notified of these via our newsletters or special e-updates.

our first handmade pasta masterclass

the passing of Alan Scott

It is with great sadness we heard about the passing of Alan Scott. It has been only in the past year that we have come to know him and feel deeply honoured to have done so. Regarded as a cult hero among sourdough bread bakers his ovens are the rolls royce of ovens and after reading The Bread Builders it had been a dream of Rod’s to include one of his ovens at The Agrarian Kitchen. It was sheer luck that he had moved back to Tasmania after spending most of his life abroad and it was upon his insistence we built the oven inside (after having to resubmit plans to council and heritage), “It will become the centrepiece of the kitchen and never get cold” he said, and how right he was. Click here for his obituary in The New York Times.