We experienced zany wintertime weather this week; freezing at the beginning (we saw a few flakes of snow on Saturday!) and a high of 75 by the end of the week. Construction on the high tunnel continued, and as we bid farewell to some of the winter crops, like carrots and turnips, we welcomed a newcomer on the farm in the form of an historic, native grape, the Herbemont. Keith Willoughby of Wil-Moore Farms flexes his culinary skills at the farmers market and we all relished the warmth of the sun after a bone-chilling few days.
City Roots Farmers Market getting started, with Peter making sure we're all set.
This is a City Roots Farmers Market meal, created off-the-cuff by farmer Keith Willoughby of Wil-Moore farms, using one pan, a hot plate, and ingredients from the market! You're looking at fresh butternut squash ravioli topped with garlic pork sausage (sautéed in a healthy pat of Happy Creamery butter), Trail Ridge marinated goat feta, and City Roots microgreens. Voila!
Keith Mearns (left). Horticulturalist at Historic Columbia, first propagated the Herbemont at the Robert Mills house in Columbia last sprong. These cuttings are from those vines, and are the second planting of the grape since the 1820s.
Eric McClam, Farm Manager, placing the cutting in the planter at the entrance of the Pavilion.
The unassuming, dormant cuttings of the Herbemont grape went in the ground this week, as part of the efforts to revitalize the hybrid variety, first created by Nicolas Herbemont in the early 19th century.
