A Cook and Her Books: Douglas County

Tuesday, November 20, 2012

Harvest Dinner at Le Tre Lune

Lauren & Luca of Le Tre Lune at Glover Family Farm. Lucy Mercer/A Cook and Her Books

These are my friends Lauren and Luca, who have a farm sort of near my house. And this is how they throw a dinner party on a glorious November Saturday afternoon.

Chef Ben McPherson and helper with the main dish. Lucy Mercer/A Cook and Her Books

They invite Chef Ben McPherson, who arrives at 7 a.m. to roast an entire pig and prepare mouthwatering dishes using the organic produce from the farm. This is farm to table cuisine where the farm is literally steps away from the tables.

Harvest dinner at Le Tre Lune. Lucy Mercer/A Cook and Her Books

While the piggy roasted and the vegetables were prepared, Lauren and Luca took us on a tour of the farm, which they call Le Tre Lune. It is on the grounds of the Glover Family Farm, which has been operated as an organic farm for more than 50 years.

Glover Farms. Lucy Mercer/A Cook and Her Books

Lauren at Le Tre Lune. Lucy Mercer/A Cook and Her Books

Some of the beautiful produce we encountered on our tour of the garden...

Le Tre Lune produce from farm to table. Lucy Mercer/ A Cook and Her Books

A few items from the menu. On left, short rib on crostini, above right are the shishito peppers and the brandade. Right bottom is the salad with pecans, goat cheese and roasted beets.

Of course, we love our veggies, but if you're a meatatarian, it's hard to resist the smell of roasting pork. This is the Berkshire pig after nearly eight hours on the fire.

Roasted pig. Lucy Mercer/ A Cook and Her Books

Glover Family Farms is a beautiful spot in west Georgia. I can think of no better way to end this evening and this story than with a few pictures of this lovingly tended farm.

Chickens at Glover Family Farm. Lucy Mercer/A Cook and Her Books

Beware of Angry Rooster sign. Lucy Mercer/A Cook and Her Books

Circles on fence. Lucy Mercer/A Cook and Her Books

Fence. Lucy Mercer/A Cook and Her Books

Honey for sale sign. Lucy Mercer/A Cook and Her Books

Glover Family Farm. Lucy Mercer/A Cook and Her Books

The menu for the evening:

Starters

Brandade Montadito

Blistered Shishito Peppers, Sea Salt

Roasted Baby Beets, Goat Cheese

Beef Short Rib Escabeche Montadito

Dinner

Whole Smoked Pig, Pickled Radish, Red Chimichurri

Salad of Field Lettuces, Fennel, Meyer Lemon, Olive Oil

Broccoli Raab, Garlic, Anchovy, Chili

Wilted Mustard Greens, Daikon Radish, Mushroom-Adobo Sauce

Variety of Fresh Winter Kimchis – Daikon Radish, Napa Cabbage

Wood Oven Roasted Winter Radishes, Brown Butter, Rosemary

White Balsamic Vinegar

Smoked Sweet Potatoes, Cumin, Skip’s Honey, Orange

And for dessert, Warm Sticky Apple Toffee Pudding

Lauren and Luca sell the gorgeous produce from Le Tre Lune at Atlanta area farmers markets and also offer a CSA. For more information about Le Tre Lune and Glover Family Farm, see http://letrelune.org

Friday, October 21, 2011

Honoring a fallen hero

Photo by Lucy Mercer

This story isn't about food or books, but just a glimpse into the town and times I live in. I brought my camera along yesterday as our county honored a fallen hero.

My small town was covered up in the American flag Thursday. It was not the 4^th of July, not Labor Day, Memorial Day or Veterans Day, or any of the traditional days when there might be a parade downtown and folks young and old wave Old Glory. This was a parade of a kind, but a somber occasion - a young Marine from my hometown was killed in Afghanistan last week and his body was brought home. The motorcade from the airport to the funeral home made its way through the heart of the county, the roads lined on either side with businessmen and women, children, veterans, retirees, schoolchildren.

The Marine is Lance Corporal Scott D. Harper, nicknamed Boots, and he was 21 years old. On my way to downtown, I drove along the same route as the motorcade and watched the power company place a flag over the highway. I took this picture from inside my car:

Photo by Lucy Mercer

According to the obituary in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Harper was everyone’s friend in high school, played four years on the golf team, and he really liked boots. His last phone conversation with his dad involved sending a new pair of boots to him in Afghanistan. Along the motorcade route, men placed boots on their truck to honor him.

Photo by Lucy Mercer.

The school where Harper spent his first grade year was along the route and the schoolchildren lined up to watch the motorcade. In the city, volunteers handed out flags and office workers came out to watch. The motorcade began with a dozen officers on motorcycles, and another dozen vehicles, blue lights flashing, representing local law enforcement. Then there was the hearse and the cars with the family members, some of whom looked out the car windows, as amazed as we were that so many citizens came out on a cold autumn day to honor this young man.

Motorcade along Church Street. Photo by Lucy Mercer.

Behind the hearse were at least 100 motorcycles representing the Patriot Guard Riders who protect the family members (with the permission of the family) from protesting groups such as Westboro Baptist of Kansas. Westboro was not present for the motorcade, but has stated on its website that it will protest at the funeral on Sunday. The Patriot Guard and our sheriff have vowed to keep them away from the family and funeral.

Patriot Guard Riders. Lucy Mercer

Like everyone else who watched the motorcade, waving flags and wiping tears, my thoughts and prayers are with this young man’s family and friends. They are grieving the loss of a son, a grandson, a brother, a friend. I don’t know the family directly, other than names that are familiar from living in the same town that I graduated high school. I do know that it was important to me and to my community to come together to remember this young man and to let his family know how thankful we are for his service.

Boy with flag. Lucy Mercer

Flags on the square. Lucy Mercer.