Christmas 2020

 There is a lot we would all like to forget about this year. But it had its high points too for me and my family. I got married and being Patrick Holladay's wife is definitely a high point! We moved into a dream house with boys and dogs and even planted a garden. I found out just how blessed I am in my family, friends, mud family, work family, and this community. 

So I hope we remember to love our neighbors, lend a hand, drop off supplies, and shop close to home. Let's keep seeking out local farmers, local art, and local services. Our community pulling together and supporting each other is something I don’t want us to forget.

It does my heart good to know and support the makers and farmers that helped make our Christmas 2020 breakfast beautiful and delicious. We started decorating the table with foraged greenery collected near Village Creek Landing and added heirloom placemats made by Patrick's Grandmother, Mama T and cloth napkins by Dot & Army, and Guale inspired plates by me. We enjoyed eggs and potatoes from Uncle Don's Local Market topped with micro greens from Green Way Gardens LLC. It just wouldn't be Christmas without citrus and these satsumas from Grassroots Farms were a real treat! 

Here's to remembering the high points. 

Eat Local Save the World

I have become very passionate about eating local due in part to the book Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life by Barbara Kingsolver. Long before the term locavore existed I knew mullet tasted best when my dad caught them at dawn close to home and we ate them soon after. And that peaches were a treat that I had to wait till July to enjoy where I lived. I also knew I was an artist.

The business of the day on St. Catherines is research and conservation (saving the world). I have always had a great love for wildlife and wild places. Close encounters with said wildlife was a daily pursuit as was recording these moments with crayons, paint, and little animals sculpted out of marsh mud. But I wanted to save the world too.

I believed I could share my magical moments with sea turtles and shore birds through art work. And I did do just that from an early age but most of my stories were being told not through paintings or sketches but at the dinner table. I think if you really want to bring someone round to your point of view then feed them shrimp or fresh caught fish or wild blackberries...you see where this is going. The places, the flora, and the fauna that I wanted to inspire people to love I put on a plate. 

If you care about nature then you will conserve it. And you can start with what you put on your plate.

Local, seasonal, and poison free aren't just tastier but better for us and the planet too.

"If every U.S. citizen ate just one meal a week (any meal) composed of locally and organically raised meats and produce, we would reduce our country's oil consumption by over 1.1 million barrels of oil every week. That's not gallons but barrels. Small changes in buying habits can make very big differences. Becoming a less energy-dependent nation may just start with a good breakfast."
- Barbara Kingsolver
Animal, Vegetable, Miracle

So this blueberry crumble is what I made for breakfast. 

Crumble topping:

1 cup Back to the Basics 101 wheat flour from The Farmer and The Larder 

1/4 cup Florida Crystals organic granulated sugar

4 tablespoons cold sea salt  Banner Butter from The Farmer and The Larder cut into pieces plus more for the skillet.

Blueberry Filling:

1 pint Harrietts Bluff Farm blueberries from Uncle Don's Local Market 

1-2  tablespoons H.L. Franklin’s Healthy Honey

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine flour and sugar then cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse meal.  Set aside.

Heat a pat of butter in an 8"  Lodge Cast Iron skillet. Add blueberries and drizzle with honey. 

Cover berries with crumble topping. Bake for 20 minutes or until top begins to brown. Serves 4-5.

I enjoy setting the table with not only my artwork but with friends and neighbors contributions as well. The cutting board is by Island Sea Designs, linens by Dot and Army. I often pull out Grandma's silver too because every meal should be a celebration. Eat neighborly for the joy of it!

Second photo by Kimbrough Daniels.