Our Trip to Summerville Farmers Market and Wishbone Heritage Farms Trip with Crispy Duck and Chinese Pancakes

Last Saturday, my foodie friend Mary and I, along with 5 other friends, went on a 'farm to table' trip to the Farmers Market in Summerville, SC and then on to Wishbone Heritage Farms in Ridgeville, SC. It went something like this...

Just sit right back and you'll hear a tale, 
A tale of a bountiful trip 
That started from this southern port 
Aboard this tiny ship. 

Mary was a mighty tour guide, 
The driver brave and sure. 
Five passengers set sail that day 
For a three hour tour, a three hour tour. 

The naviguesser started getting rough, 
The tiny ship was tossed, 
If not for the courage of the GPS 
The market would be lost, the market would be lost. 

The ship set ground on the shore of this uncharted farmer’s market 
in Summerville… 
With Russell too, 
Farmer Dave and his partner, 
The Naviguessor 
And the rest, 
Here on Summerville Isle. 

So this is the tale of the food bloggers, 
They're here for a long, long time, 
They'll have to make the best of things, 
It's an uphill climb. 

The first mate and the Skipper too, 
Will do their very best, 
To make the others comfortable, 
In the farmer’s market quest. 

No phone, no lights, no GPS, 
Not a single luxury, 
Like Robinson Crusoe, 
As primitive as can be. 

So join us here each week my friends, 
You're sure to get a smile, 
From all the farmer’s produce, 
Here on "Summerville's Isle."

Found him! Hey Russell!

Me, Russell of Sunny Cedars Farm and 

Mary of All Things Food ~ Cooking with Mary and Friends
Mary was the tour guide and navi-guesser of our trip...

The GPS couldn't get the directions right,

and Mary would say, "I guess you need to turn up here next."

Caroline, our driver would say, "Great job Naviguesser!" LOL

 Charleston Spice Company

 Wishbone Heritage Farms
Our next stop!

Beautiful Cranberry Beans...
They are kind of like pintos but with a nutty flavor.

 Rio Bertolini's Fresh Pasta
Mary puts the camera down and really gets down to business!

 Lowcountry Olive Oil

Gorgeous oils and balsamic vinegars!

We left the market and took a lunch break at The Crab Shack. Keeping with our theme, The Crab Shacks' primary objective is...

  

"One of our primary objectives is to serve you superior food that is raised, caught or grown in the immediate area, and to continuously source sustainable food producers and farmers."

Now with full bellies, we were off to Wishbone Heritage Farms! Finally, after having to postpone our first trip due to weather... we arrived happy and very excited! Here at Wishbone Heritage Farms...

  

"We believe in local sustainable agriculture and raise animals and produce to the highest standards of health and flavor with absolutely no hormones, medications, antibiotics, or pesticides. 

We are passionate about helping people rebuild a relationship with their food, where it comes from, how it is raised, and how best to prepare it."

 David Gravelin... Wishbone Heritage Farms
describes their chicken raising process. 

He explained that they don't use any hormones, medications or antibiotics. That makes the chicks more fragile, and they require the right conditions, not to hot or cold. They keep them close and, in my opinion, raise them with love... and that's why their farm works! 

 Dyson... the chicken that vacuums the yard! :-)

 Duck, Duck, Goose!

They raise Tamworth Pigs, which are forest foragers
with long snouts to root around for food. 

This was a very hands on trip! Bunnies for Cathy and Liz! :-)

Bob White Quail

The girls hanging out eating watermelon from the market!

Wishbone Heritage Farms

Pasture Raised Chicken 

100% Grass Fed Beef

Free Range Eggs

Forest Raised Pork

Peking Duck

Turkey and MUCH more

David says...

 "You can find Wishbone Heritage Farms @ facebook.com/wishboneheritage.  We happily support farm sales in Ridgeville, SC and have a stand at the Summerville Farmers Market every Saturday from 8:00 am to 1:00 pm and the Mount Pleasant Farmers Market on Tuesdays from 3:30 PM to 7:00 PM.  Thank you all for your interest and support!!!"

For a more technical lesson on the sustainable aspect of their farm, check out my friend Mary's blog about our trip! Click here Mary's blog post about Summerville Farmers Market and Wishbone Heritage Farms. (AFTER, checking out my recipe below! LOL)

Please visit David on Facebook and 'like' their farm. If you are in the area, please go see them at the Summerville Farmers Market! Tell them, I sent you! You will NOT be disappointed. Check out what I did with the Peking Duck that I got from the Farm!!! It takes some time, but it's so worth it! It is awesome, moist and crispy!

Crispy Duck (or Peking Duck)

1 duck
6 cups water
2 tbsp honey
2 tbsp dry sherry
1 tbsp white vinegar
3 tbsp corn starch
Scallion brushes

10 Chinese Pancakes (basically just like my Pita Bread, but no yeast)


Cut the wings off at the first joint and wash the duck thoroughly. Pat the duck dry with paper towels, making sure there are no feathers or quills attached to the skin. Using your hand or a wooden spoon and loosen the skin from the flesh. This is a critical step in getting the skin crispy.

Add 6 cups of water to a large pot. Bring the water to a boil. Once the water is boiling, add 2 tbsp honey to the water and stir. Then add the sherry and vinegar. Bring the mixture back up to a boil.

Create a slurry by adding 1/3 cup of water to 3 tablespoons corn starch. Stir until the cornstarch dissolves. Add the slurry to the boiling mixture in the pot, stir and bring it back up to a boil.

Slide the duck carefully into the boiling water. Use a large spoon and spoon the sauce over the duck until it's fully coated. The duck will puff up and the skin will take on a shine. (Notice the difference in the pictures.)

Place the duck uncovered on a rack. Let it air dry for at least 6 hours. This will remove moisture and tighten the skin. This is a critical step for a perfect Crispy/Peking duck. I turned my ceiling fan on let the duck air dry. You don't have to use a fan, but be sure to put it in an area that is cool and airy.

Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees. Fill a tray with an inch or so of water and place it on the bottom rack of the oven, under the duck. This will catch the duck drippings and keep the meat moist while it bakes.

Place the duck, breast side up, on a greased rack in the center of the oven. Bake for 30 minutes. Then, carefully turn the duck breast side down and bake for and additional 45 minutes. Finally, turn the duck one more time and roast for another 30 minutes…just long enough for the skin to crisp and turn dark brown.

Peking duck is traditionally served with scallion brushes, hoisin sauce and Chinese pancakes. Place some duck meat and crispy skin in a pancake, drizzle on some hoisin sauce, roll and drive on in!

Awesome! You'd think that it would be dry,

cooking it this way, but the juices are sealed in and it is super moist!

Now... Please visit Wishbone Heritage Farms! :-)

Old McCaskill's Farm ~ Spring Farm Day

Yesterday, some of my family and I went out to the 2013 Spring Farm Day. What a wonderful day it was! The sun was shining, and the weather was warm and breezy. The sites, the sounds, the smells... yes, a farm definitely has smells, but this was the smell of food. Awesome food! As we walked along the tents, I got a whiff of spices that were very familiar... Greek Seasoning! We tasted some local lamb seasoned with Cavender's Greek Seasoning... the lady laughed when I did my happy dance!

Yummy! Yummy! Yummy!

As we walked along the tents, we talked to the ladies about their tatting. For you folks who aren't familiar... that's not tattoo-ing. Tatting is a technique for handcrafting a particularly durable lace constructed by a series of knots and loops. To me, it looks like crocheting with thread.

Another tent contained a live bee hive, and yes the store sells the honey from Bell Honey in Rembert! :-)

It was very interesting to watch the bees in the hive. My daughter-in-law's main question was, "Is the queen in there?" Not sure if the queen was entertaining guests yesterday. :-) As we walked along, we came upon a big barrel or tub half full of corn for the kids to play in.

Of course, Miss Kendal had to have a turn!

Her Granddaddy and Uncle JR buried her up to her tummy in corn!

We took a break to grab some good food. They had BBQ sandwiches, Ribs, Hot Dogs, Sausage Dogs, and brick oven Pizza. My son had the pizza and said it was good. For a teenager, that's a very good review! 

 Brick Oven for pizzas

Yummy Pizzas!

And then we were off to see the animals! We watched the Boarder Collies show off there herding skills with sheep and with ducks! Kendal got to pet the baby chicks. We watched the sheep being sheered, and we saw many other farm animals as well as a new baby goat!

Kendal's Mom holds up a baby chick for her to pet!

Some before sheering and some after...

My little calf buddy from the last visit! 

 Goats! :-)

 The little pigs were cold in the wind...

Protective Mommy!

and the Baby Goat!

There was so much to see and do! There was the Blacksmith Shop, the Grits Mill, the Root Cellar, the Store and so much more.

 After roaming around we came back around and the ice cream that was churning was done... and Kendal and her Granddaddy shared a Chocolate Frozen Banana!

Ice Cream

Kendal with Granddaddy... eating a chocolate frozen banana

and drinking Coca Cola!

If you know of a farm, a working farm, in your area, check them out and more importantly... support them! The quality of their products is unequaled by mass produced products! The lamb I mentioned earlier was totally amazing! If you know me, you know I love Greek food and the Greek seasoning that they used on the lamb. Here's a recipe for Greek Potatoes that would be awesome along with the lamb!!!

Greek Potatoes

This recipe is so delicious!
The lemon, spices and herbs make my house smell so good!
• 1/4 cup oil
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• Cavender's Greek Seasoning
• 2 lemons, juiced or 1/4 cup juice
• 4 or 5 baking potatoes, cubed

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

In a plastic bowl, mix the olive oil, garlic, 1 tbsp Cavender's (I use more like 2 T, but we like more spice.) and lemon juice. Pour mixture over potatoes. Bake uncovered for 45 min to an hour or until potatoes are golden brown and tender.

Sourdough Bread Starter

How many people remember when the ladies of the church or any social group passed around a bread starter? Since we lived far out in the country, we only made trips to town maybe once a month. My Mama always had a jar of starter handy to make bread. Here is the recipe for the starter and directions on how to use it... Mama's own Sourdough Starter!

Sour Dough Starter

2 cups Flour

1 ¾ cups Warm Water

6 t Dry Yeast

2 T Honey

Combine flour and dry yeast in a bowl. Mix honey in warm water and gradually add to dry ingredients. Store in earthenware pot at room temperature for two days to one week.

Sour Dough Bread

1 cup Starter

2 cups Warm Water

1 T Salt

1 t Baking Soda

2 ½ cups Flour

The night before baking, combine one cup of starter with warm water. Mix salt, baking soda, and flour and sift them together into mixture. Beat well. Cover and leave 12 hours in a warm place. Now, before adding more flour, return one cup of batter to the storage pot for future use. After it has been removed, add enough flour to make stiff dough. Turn out onto lightly floured board; knead vigorously until smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes. Place in greased bowl, turning to grease top.

Cover. Put in warm place and let rest for 20 minutes. Form into loaves. Let rise until doubled in size. Bake at 400 about 25 minutes. 

Cinnamon-Vanilla Fig Topping

With all the figs coming in early, I'm putting a lot of them in the freezer for now. I'll make one big batch of preserves and then save some to experiment on with new recipes! 

This recipe is great as a topping for oatmeal, pancakes, biscuits and ice cream...

plus anything else you can imagine!

4 cups of figs, washed, stemmed and quartered
8 tablespoons of sugar (or honey)
1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon of vanilla
4 oz of water (for consistency)

Combine the ingredients in a sauce pan and simmer until mixture is the consistency of a thick glaze.

Herbed Butter and Honey Mustard Chicken

I'm always looking for new ways to cook chicken, and I've just about tried them all... Today I had frozen chicken breasts and wanted a way to cook them with flavor but keeping in the moisture. I was just going to used the herbed butter and turn it into Chicken Kiev, but I read a post by Ann from Fountain Avenue Kitchen and decided to add honey mustard to the recipe.

Herb Butter

1/2 cup butter
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon minced onion
1/2 teaspoon basil
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
salt and pepper, to taste

Mix ingredients in a bowl until well combined.

I took the chicken out of the freezer but didn't let it thaw completely. (This helps it stay moist inside) I tossed it in honey mustard dressing, placed it in a baking dish and added a dollop of the butter on each chicken breast. I baked it at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes. I turned the broiler on and left the chicken in the oven to get some color.

Mine!!!

Elliott didn't like the smell of the honey mustard,

so I made him one with just the herbed butter.

Pretty Flavored Butters

Strawberry Butter

2 sticks Butter, softened
1 cup 10X Sugar
16 oz fresh Strawberries*

Blend in a blender or processor until very smooth. Store in refrigerator.
*Remember to always taste your berries for sweetness. Some may need more sugar than others.

Orange Butter: Beat 1 stick (1/2 cup) softened butter, 1 tsp grated orange peel and 1 tbsp orange juice until fluffy.

Honey Butter:
Beat 1 stick (1/2 cup)

 softened butter
and 1/2 cup honey until fluffy.

Pumpkin Butter

29oz can Pumpkin

1 1/2 cups Apple Juice

1 1/2 cups Sugar

1 1/2 t Cinnamon*

Pinch of Ground Cloves

Whisk ingredients together. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes.

*Add 2 t for more intense cinnamon flavor.