Traveling always presents a challenge to the traveler when it comes to finding the proper nourishment on the road. Spending time with family around the holidays can foil even the best-laid plans to eat nourishing food on our own terms. I decided to take both these challenges head-on during a ten-day trip to Nashville.
I am spoiled in the food department here on a permaculture farmstead in the heart of the Pacific Northwest. I am surrounded by people who consistently put their money and their minds where their mouth is; eating with a conscience and connection to their cuisine. I had just come off attending the Biodynamic Conference in Portland too… where all the conscious eaters, vintners, and land-tenders came to celebrate their passion for proper nourishment.
It became clear to me right away that my mission here was to be of service and learning, not of martyrdom and trotting through on a high horse (grass-fed, of course). I wasn’t there to preach of the perils of the industrial food industry. I was there to listen to the pulse of my people, our collective culture, cuisine and the familiarities of family.
Instead of trying to take over the Thanksgiving Day meal that was already well on its way, even though days away, I decided the most beneficial way to contribute was to take on the role of the family chef on the days before and after. Simply put, I was going to spend most of my free time, sourcing as much organic, local, and seasonal fare as I could and offer it up in as abundant and creative a fashion as I could.
Step one was getting in a fuel-fed metal horse and trotting about town to scout out ingredients. This led me to the heart of the city where there was an impressive permanent farmer’s market. Although it was on a random weekday, out of season, there were still two vendors there offering a plethora of seasonal goods. They didn’t have any obvious markings of their practices (organic or otherwise) upon first glance, so I feared that they might be chemical-laden conventional fare…
Alas, we must not be afraid to ask, and I was delighted to hear the charming southern man confess, “we don’t spray nuttin’ on ’em, we just let ’em grow.” That was all I needed to know in that moment, and my enthusiasm returned to the surface. I couldn’t help but get a bag full of almost everything they had to offer. From fresh ginger to bulbous beets and mustard greens, and a whole host of things in between. Carrots with the dirt still on ’em, plump onions, pastured eggs, and apples straight from the orchard, all one could ask for in the middle of November.
Next was to the appropriately titled, “Produce Place” to supplement the shopping experience. I was able to score some sliced almonds, organic butter, local goat cheese, squash, spices, pears, kale, shiitake mushrooms. I had no idea what I was going to make, but I knew that having quality ingredients was the key to the door of delight.
How appropriate that the day before Thanksgiving was the day my delightful grandparents were celebrating their 59th anniversary. Some other relatives were flying in that evening as well, and so what better excuse to feast with said family.
My Aunt Kris had suggested soup and sourdough bread, and so it struck me that a butternut squash, carrot, ginger, turmeric, and garlic blend would be just the ticket. I had also recently surprised myself when I made a sweet and savory coleslaw at the farm that consisted of cabbage, apples, mustard greens, specialty mustard, vinegar, and spices a-plenty. For the meat-friendly among us, I leaned into my generous host-of-an-uncle Ken’s request of Wild Alaskan Salmon (topped with butter and lemon, of course). Top it all off with some freshly foraged chanterelle mushrooms and plenty of fine wine, and we had ourselves a feast.
I’ll save the recipes for my upcoming cookbook blog, but I will highlight a few of the features of the feast:
When preparing the soup, saute’ the onions, garlic, turmeric, and ginger on the bottom of a big soup pot while you bake the peeled and cubed squash. This stacks functions and brings out the unique flavors of both separately before you bring them together in the Vitamix for a proper creamy finish. Garnish with the sauteed mushrooms for the gourmet touch.
When preparing the coleslaw-esque salad, try to find the right balance of cabbage, apples, and mustard greens. We ended up making the decision mid-way through to reduce the cabbage proportionately to the number of apples and be extremely light on the potent mustard greens. Add some smoked paprika to round out some of the spiciness, salt and toss the salad until your heart is content. (Pro-tip: garnish with freshly, yet lightly toasted sliced almonds).
Make sure to invite the Uncle who has been around the world to wineries of all kinds and checks a case of hand-picked bottles in his luggage. Those one-of-a-kind pairings had everyone talking and smiling alongside the stories that accompanied them.
After a solid 5-6 hours of preparing, cooking, and dishing out the feast, I invited us all to share some pre-T-day gratitudes and enjoy with care. Much to my delight, all the family couldn’t help but express the sentiments of adoring foodies as the fall flavors flourished throughout the room.
On Thanksgiving, I took a backseat in the culinary department and mostly enjoyed the company of family instinctually feeding each other with easeful enjoyment. I couldn’t help myself later on as I decided to give my uncle’s state-of-the-art steam oven a go and poach d’anjou pears in a ginger, turmeric, and cinnamon infused maple syrup marinade then lovingly add in a side of similarily infused cranberry jam that my uncle suggested would be great with a dab of sriracha to help open up the palate. Toss in some left-over toasted almonds and you have the makings for a one-of-a-kind ice cream topping.
Naturally, there was a turkey carcass left-over, with plenty of meat, fat, and other soft-tissues still on it. Coming from the farmland broth paradise that is Hawthorn Farm, I couldn’t see it go to waste, so I boiled it down, along with all the veggies scraps from the day before, into a thick and delicious soup stock. The next day I was able to intuitively whip together a simple vegetable soup that was rich in deliciousness. Mostly made of carrots, sweet potato, garlic, and onion, my aunt added a nice touch of marinated cherry tomatoes from Trader Joe’s, which helped add a background of the Mediterranean to another Croatian-blooded family feast.
With a dinner, dessert, and a lunch now all in the books, it was time to dabble in the snack and breakfast department. Back to the store to get thick-cut bacon from happy pigs, pasture raised eggs, artisan bakery gluten-free pancake mix, organic blackberries, honey crisp apples, manchego cheese, smoked salmon, pistachios, cashews, multi-seed crackers, organic salsa, and blue-corn chips.
There’s nothing quite like seeing familiar smiles alongside a fancy cheese platter and snacks during a classic Sunday Night Packers/Vikings Football game for a family born and raised in Wisconsin. The only thing that made it better was watching the breakfast fare get devoured the next morning by everyone. I didn’t explicitly say the pancakes were gluten-free because lord knows that some might have abstained, but alas, no one refrained from diving in fork first. Sometimes you have to just let the food speak for itself.
All in all, I have to declare that I did all I could with care in the kitchen department down in the music city, tending to my beloved family. This was a rare reunion of people who have fed each other countless times going back generations, and I feel incredibly fortunate to add my flavor to that tradition. It’s true that we inherit our culture, but it is also true that we co-create it in real time with choices we make and the bread we break. It is never too late to co-create and educate ourselves in the ways of nourishing each other in tune with the rhythms of nature and seasonal celebration. It is important to acknowledge that there is no one way to bring food to the table, and it is okay to let go of our expectations in order to let in the magic of the moment.
Every important relationship in our lives with eventually end up at the intersection eating and unconditional love. How can we meet each other there with care and all the incredible ingredients that make up a memorable fare?
