Susan is the author of a number of books.  You may have read On Rue Tatin, her culinary memoir about moving to Normandy and creating a life in France. 

 

She has a new cookbook called Nuts in the Kitchen and she is coming to the United States to promote it.  We have managed to save a night of her time for you.  She'll be here with us, sitting with you and telling stories about living in France and about cooking with nuts.

 

Sounds fun to me.

 

Save October 20th, won't you?  The dinner will feature recipes from her book and will give you a taste of fall in a nutty sort of way.  Her cooking class sold out in a snap.  Call soon to save your spots on this dinner.  $60 per person (add $12 if you'd like wine too) will give you the full four course meal and an opportunity to spend the evening with this lovely chef, author, storyteller.

 

It is time to get back to the stoves, my friends.  And I've decided to teach one class each month for at least the next three months (and probably longer than that.)

 

My bees are not far enough along this year for me to have been able to harvest any honey for you.  I'm hopeful that by next year I'll be able to offer Stoney Knob Gold.  For now, this is the very best possible alternative. 

 

My mentor, Carl, keeps bees in the most holistic way.  No medicine.  No pesticides.  No artificial feeding.  His bees are called survivor stock - the kind that are strong enough to withstand the environmental pressures so prevalent these days.   His honey is pure and local and so wonderful.

 

He and Joan, who is the bottling and selling arm of the business, call this "Summer Honey."  Made by the bees at the height of the sourwood season, the honey is predominantly that, though it may also have a bit of the flora that is also in bloom on their farm mid summer. 

 

Here are our dinners for this coming week. You might enjoy taking dinner home or to your favorite picnic spot or, heck, just to one of our tables. We'll reheat it for you even!

 

Order by noon and we'll have your dinner ready to pick up by 3. We are open until 8 now which makes it easy for you to dawdle if you like.

 

Monday, October 11

* Lemon Thyme Chicken with Twice-Baked Potatoes 11.50

 

Tuesday, October 12

Seafood Crêpes with Garlic Frites 12.75

 

Wednesday, October 13

Classic Meatloaf with Cheddar Potatoes 11.25

 

Thursday, October 14

Crawfish and Sausage Gumbo Filé 12.50

 

Friday, October 15

Chipotle Flank Steak Tacos with Fresh Guacamole 11.75

 

* these are gluten free

 (though it is important to know that

We make a special casserole each week.

 

Order by noon or so. Order a half if you have around 4 folks. If you have a bigger group, or you just like leftovers, order a full-sized one.

 

Then come pick up between 3:00 and 8:00. (Or bring a gang and enjoy your dinner right here. We do have beer and wine by the glass, you know.)

 

Please order by phone (252-1500) or stop in to speak to one of us in person.

 

The casserole for next week is:

 

Wednesday, October 13

Shrimp, Saffron, and Polenta Bake

Full: 60 Half: 30

 

We make Lasagna every Friday. Here is this week's offering.

 

Friday, October 15

Local Beef and Cremini Mushroom Lasagna

Full: 55 Half: 27.50

 

We've also filled our shelves with hot chocolate from my beloved Vermont.  New this year is a Minted blend.  We also have their Aztec, a zippy zing of heat for those frigid mornings. 

 

Aaron Lee wrote to me recently with an intriguing request.  He'd like, he said, to come here to offer a ukulele concert.  The catchy part is that he is getting here on his bike. From Washington, DC!

 

He's a New Hampshire fellow who is doing this unique tour to highlight good things that are happening in good places.  He chose us for his Asheville stop!

 

Our chef Brendan is the impetus for us being involved in this very cool project.  His sister, the Chef at Lantern in Chapel Hill, is one of the people behind getting more attention for local food, and for the people who grow and sell and buy and cook and present it.

 

We've joined, committing to buying at least 10% of our products from North Carolina.  (I think we do more than that, but, now that we're actively tracking it, we'll know for sure.)

 

It is such a gorgeous day here! I’m going to try to get my work done quickly so I can take advantage of the sun and the warmth and the day. Pretty soon it will be cold and so I need to get on my bike as much as possible. Today seems like a good day for that.

 

I’ve been on a cleaning tear at home. Things are sparkling! I’ve been so full of the energy of the season that I’ve been going home, picking a project, ripping through it, and moving on to the next one. My gardens are getting cleaned out, put to bed for the winter. My home is getting dusted, vacuumed, shined, organized. I must be getting ready for hibernation or something. I don’t quite know what else to give as an excuse.

 

Things seem to be flowing along nicely. Something has clicked. Things feel good. Manageable. Full.

 

Right now my bees are VERY busy doing their final stock up for winter. These warm days are terrific and are just what they need. The air is redolent, if you can use such a nice word for not such a nice aroma. Goldenrod honey does not smell great but I fill my lungs with it now, thrilled that my girls are finding things to bring home. I hope that they’ll make it this year. Now it a crucial time for them as they fill every available spot with honey stores, pollen, extra brood. Stock up. Get ready.

 

I hopped back into the glass shop this past week. I was working with a new assistant and was trying to get my balance back. It is NOT like hopping back on a bike at all. It can take a full day to get back. And yes, by the end of the day last week I had a full collection of wonky bowls, funny pumpkins, and wobbly things. Next session will be better, I’m sure. I mean, wonky can be fun. Come take a look at the windows here in the shop to get a gander at the latest attempts. I guess it’s safe to say that perfectly centered things do not just roll off my hands but take work and time and a sense of something more than I had this past week.

 

And around here things are getting organized too. We’ve been working on a new, easier to use website for awhile. Truth – we’ve been working on it for almost a whole year! OH my! I think we’re getting close to having it done. See, we want to be able to get in and change things like words and pictures and so on. It has taken a shockingly long time to do this renovation. I think we’re getting there.

 

We’re going to redo our signs in the shop. We’re redoing some of our brochures. We’re getting ready to show you our Thanksgiving Menu for this year – a really fun dinner of the favorite things of everyone who works here. We have a new Holiday Party menu for events that you might like to do here with us in our Garden Room. All of these things have been percolating along. It’s almost time to reveal them.

 

And so on we go.

 

The kitchen is buzzing with preparations for a big wedding this evening. I can smell the smoker out back, the sweet scents wafting from the ovens inside. I’ll get to go say hi later on, since the groom’s brother is one of our key staffers. Fun!

 

It's official.  I am going to do another bike ride next year.  A bit shorter than my previous ride, this one will go from North Dakota to Maine.  2500 miles or so.  6 weeks or so. 

 

And it will be a fund and awareness raiser for the Be The Match Foundation.  This is the group that supports people who need and get bone marrow transplants.  Henry, my favorite boy, is alive now because of his successful transplant this past Spring.  He is my inspiration.