Miss Okra
In the South we love our vegetables. From Louisiana to North Carolina, the end of season harvest is abundant. We have finally had some rain here in the mountains bringing on a new growth spurt for annuals that realize the end is near. One vegetable, loved by many but unappreciated by others, doesn’t care if it is hot and dry. That vegetable is okra. A slender somewhat fuzzy green pod from a member of the hibiscus family, okra is high in iron and vitamins C and A. It is completely fat free unless of course you roll it in cornmeal and fry it in bacon fat or olive oil. And who wouldn’t?
Jan was visiting New Orleans a year or so ago, reveling in the miraculous recovery of one of our most unique and romantic Southern cities when he came upon this amazing produce truck covered with hand painted graffiti . He asked the young proprietress if he could take her picture. She said yes. He then jokingly asked, ” Are you Mrs. Okra?” She replied, ” No, I’m Miss Okra, Mrs. Okra is my momma!”
This fall during the week of Oct 3-9 we have a fabulous cooking class led by Norma Jean Marcon glorifying Creole and Cajun cooking. Recognizing the regional flavors of New Orleans, this garden to table style class will use produce from the folk school’s fall harvest augmented by seasonal favorites Norma Jean brings with her from the great Crescent City. You can learn to make an authentic gumbo in this class (gombo is French for okra). There are still a few spaces available. It’s a great opportunity to heighten your culinary skills in our well loved studio while celebrating the great culture of la belle New Orleans. Click here for more info and to register for this class.
Until then you can cook up a mess of these tasty okra fritters:
OKRA FRITTERS
Use fresh young okra and slice it thin.
In a medium mixing bowl, stir together just until moistened:
1/2 cup self-rising cornmeal
1 large egg
1/2 small onion, minced
2 cups okra, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon water
a pinch of cayenne pepper
Pour peanut oil into a cast iron skillet to a depth of 2 inches. Heat carefully to 375 degrees. Maintain this heat throughout cooking. Drop tablespoons of fritter batter into hot oil. Cook until golden on first side, then flip and finish cooking the other side. Drain on paper towels and serve hot.
This was the second Tin Can Art class this summer and it was a really creative group. Students learned how to cut, punch, rivet, solder, design, and build objects made from old tin cans. After starting slowly, the class began to see creative recycling uses for old painted tin cans and went to work. Items made ranged from animals to toys to wall sconce candle holders. We had many visitors, and they were all amazed at the varied objects being made by the students. We finished on Friday with a full table at the student exhibit. We received lots of “oohs” and “ahhs” as well as “When is the next time this class is going to be offered?” The pictures below will give you a small glimpse of the work accomplished this week. Look for this class when the next catalog comes out. The classes will be held in July 2011 and October 2011. Please join us and be sure to sign up early.
A dachshund made from tin
A giraffe!
A truck and driver
An unbearably cute four week old white kitten with blue eyes was recently discovered outside the Dining Hall. The cat, stuck in a crawl space, must have been dropped by its mother, who was then unable to retrieve to kitten. A staff member heard the pathetic little mews, almost mistaking them for bird chirps. She quickly sent word to the Buildings and Grounds Department that there was an emergency. Alan and James came to the rescue, having to actually chip away some concrete to reach the terrified and malnourished kitten.
A dining hall staff member has adopted the kitten and is considering naming him ‘JC” or “Campbell.” He promises to make regular visits to the office so we can keep track of this lucky kitten!
This past weekend, the Folk School traveled to Asheville to represent our cooking program in a Wine and Food Festival. The annual festival, sponsored by WNC Magazine, celebrates and promotes local food sources, from wineries to restaurants and specialty food producers. Tasting glasses and plates in hand, participants strolled through the Agricultural Center, enjoying what vendors had to offer. The Folk School stood out, and not just because we had the most attractive booth (which we certainly did), but also because we are a school. Few of the other vendors offered cooking classes. As the samples of chocolate chili zucchini bread, southern cheese pennies, and smoked trout dip lured people to our booth, we familiarized them with the variety of classes the Folk School has to offer. Participants were delighted by our fresh, colorful display of flowers and produce, all harvested by our Folk School gardeners. Nanette Davidson was first on schedule to present a short talk on the Folk School, after which she hurried back to our booth to demonstrate how easy it is to make white gazpacho and raspberry buttermilk sorbet in a food processor, with fresh, seasonal, healthy ingredients, of course. (See Nanette for recipes.)
Want to sign up for a cooking class at the Folk School? Our spacious, state of the art cooking studio hosts a variety of delectable classes such as chocolate, cheese making, artisan breads, canning, hearth cooking, and food of many nationalities. Click here for a list of our cooking classes.
The 'Traditional Split-oak Basketry" class taught by Mary Ann and Bill Smith
The Folk School offered an abundance of classes this week, all vastly different in subject and even more diverse in personages present. Classes ranged from Repoussé Blacksmithing to Split Oak Basketry to Painting/Drawing and more.
Mindy Gardner teaches repoussé techniques.
Folk School host Marisa works on a white oak basket.
Although it may sound more like a chore or a social gathering, Woodburning is a truly intricate art form. Students transfer drawings to create elaborate patterns, words, and images onto a wood bowl or wood form. Delicate fairies, serene cabin scenes, and proud tigers (all bearing striking resemblance to the original picture) are surrounded by articulate poems or cute inspirational phrases.
On the first day of class, woodburning students learned how to use various woodburning tips by creating this sampler.
As the week progressed students worked on individual projects.
Silver and stones, silver and stones. The Jewelry class this week focused on using sterling silver to engrave designs onto beads, as well as a variety of other decorative applications like gold foil.
Focused concentration in the jewelry studio
Weaving is a craft that encourages creativity and individuality, and the students in this week’s class are exercising the full lengths of their artistic freedoms. Some choose to incorporate feathers, others fluffy material, and others still silky Egyptian-like thread into their weaving. All to achieve a finished wall decoration that is both artistic and fashionable in its own way.
This student wove feathers into a unique wall hanging.
The country of Italy is renowned worldwide for its culture, history, and above all, food. And this week the cuisines and delicacies of northern Italy come to Brasstown for students to experience. Culinary pupils use small metal horn- shaped contraptions to wrap around pastry for an ice cream cone. Others are preparing sauces, and much more. And of course the best part about the class is the frequent and delectable samples.
Wrapping pastry into a cone-shaped vessel
Other classes this week included Clay Pottery, Doll Making, Service Knitting, Mountain Dulcimer, Nature Photography, Printmaking and Book Arts, and Woodturning.
In the "Print it! Book it" class students made prints and beautiful books to showcase their work.
A student's Fair Isle knitting graph and swatch
Written By: Taylor Bello, Summer Intern from Murphy High School
