Raspberry Allergy?

ASAP is a great way to find
local produce and farmers!

Aww...after a few in-home experiments, I've got a strong suspicion that I have developed a mild allergy to raspberries!  I got some lovely fresh berries from Stepp Orchards via Mother Earth Produce, and had a handful right away last Friday.  A bit later, I realized that my tongue was a little tingly and burning, and that my stomach was rumbling and acidic.  Then a few small itchy spots appeared on my arms.

The next day, I had raspberries again, and later noticed a similar feeling.  I recalled everything I'd eaten in the past two days, and only raspberries were both consistent and something I hadn't had in a while.

Later that week, I happened to be at a lovely bar (The Thirsty Monk) and found that they had Framboise Lambic on draught.  Delicious!  I've often loved Lambic, and couldn't pass up the chance to have it from the tap.  It was after the first sip that I recalled that Framboise is French for raspberry - and just like that, my tongue was burning and the tart flavor gave way to a sharp metallic taste.  *pout*

Now, it has been one week since my first uncomfortable raspberry experience, and there were a few more in the fridge just now.  One final test.  A handful of yummy, sweet, tart raspberries later, and the results are the same.  Acidy, achey tummy - a burning tongue, and oops...there's a new itchy bump on my upper arm.

*sigh*

My next experiment is going to be with red raspberry leaf - a longtime herbal ally for menstruation, cramping, and grounding in states of emotional turbulence.  I hope that my new sensitivity does not reach to the dried leaves that I've so often used for teas and medicines!

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I've been off visiting family for my birthday, and saying goodbye to my grandmother's home - a place that has been around my whole life.  I hugged my favorite Catalpa tree and watered him with my tears, I walked barefoot in the sweet, thick grass, and took cuttings of my grandmother's rose to grow in Asheville.  I've been so busy with my own thoughts and emotions that I've not had time to write much.

The new site is still under construction, but we'll unveil it soon!  Until then, here's a few cool things:

Home-made Jerky from theKitchn - I've done jerky before, but I think I need to apply myself a bit more and perfect the recipe.  I'm not 100% happy with my efforts, but this seems like a really good guide.

Crushed Red Pepper Flakes from Sweet Domesticity - I just got a mess o'peppers from my uncle's garden, and aim to do this over the next few days.  I'm fresh out of chili powder, and low on red pepper flakes!  Time to spice things up.

XKCD is an amazing webcomic - oftentimes I don't understand their mathematical references, but there are so many thought-provoking ideas conveyed quite effectively through mere stick figures...for example, today's comic about the orchid Ophrys Apifera nearly made me cry.

Pixie's Pocket Spotlight: Chelsea Farms Honey, Madison Co. NC

Lovely Madison Co, NC honey from
Chelsea Farms (2011 batch)

Limited Edition Honey!  
This 2011 batch is going quickly!

In the hills and winding roads of Madison County, North Carolina is a lovely little place known as Chelsea Farms.  The sweet folks who maintain their small organic fruit farm also nurture two happy, healthy bee hives!

This early winter, they approached me at the market and asked if I would be interested in distributing their excess honey from the 2011 harvest.

I was intrigued, since I've had customers request plain honey in the past, and I don't yet have my own hives...so I agreed.

My agreement hastened when I heard the Chelsea Farms folks tell me that this here honey tied for first place in the Madison County beekeepers association meeting Blind Taste Test!

The honey has layers of flavors, and even some rich tannins that give it a strong base for the high sweet notes of the fruit pollen and Western North Carolina wildflowers.   I was sold at the first taste!  

So, if you are as intrigued as I was, become a fan and get you some of this amazingly rich and flavorful honey before it's all gone!   I can't wait to see what they have next harvest...

Available for sale at:

Pixie's Pocket.com

or Pixie's Pocket on Etsy!

Cabaret and Goblins and Spring!

 I haven't been on here much, I know.  Nor on Twitter or Facebook or other social media, and I'm starting to get phone calls from friends as they ensure that I'm not purposefully avoiding them.

Here's my very good reasons for being so far away right now:

Image by Modern Scribe Photography

Eric and I are members and the costumers for Bombs Away Cabaret.  My character is real sweet, y'all....her name is Iona Traylor (say it out loud!). 

BAC is dedicated to restoring burlesque to it's comedic roots, and protecting the integrity of the art form that is cabaret. Most of our music in the shows are original creations, and we write our own plays as well...and we are goofy, cheesy, and sexy!  I love this group.

Our shows are not for profit - we choose a local charity every year to reap the benefits of our shakes and shimmies.  This year, our show opened on 4/20, and it is called "High Skirts: Illicitly Yours" - subtle, right?  We perform four shows each weekend, and we sold out 3 of our 4 shows this past week!  We'll see how this coming weekend goes, and send the proceeds to Brother Wolf Animal Rescue, a fabulous no-kill shelter who is working to buy their kennel property.

So there hasn't been much posting or gardening, as I've been sewing silk pot leaves to bras and bedazzling underwear.

 And then...

Eric and Amber DePixi with Gandersnitch the Goblin
at Festival of Legends, April 2012

The 1st Festival of Legends took place in Chapel Hill, North Carolina in April. 

Eric and I know some amazing performers from festivals like the Maryland Renaissance Faire and the Carolina Royal Faire, and when some of them informed us that there was an effort to create a new Faerie/Fantasy Festival in North Carolina, we were thrilled!

The Festival of Legends was in large part a community funded event, some of their funds being raised via Kickstarter.  Eric and I got in on the earlybird VIP ticket purchase but couldn't make it to the festival for it's opening day.  So on a cold, wet, rainy Sunday, we drove the 4 hours to get to Chapel Hill.

We dressed as Kender, since we needed to wear layers, and had many colorful things that didn't suit our normal Faire pirate gear.  Eric finished his hoopak on the road, and we jingled and bounced into the festival with glee!

We met new friends (like Gandersnitch in the pic above, who makes very clever things) and hugged the bejeezus out of the ones we've missed and drank just enough alcohol to keep warm.  Frenchy and the Punk kept us dancing, and wouldn't you know it, the beer being served was Green Man Brewing from Asheville.  We enjoyed the acoustic performance of Hayley Jane, as well. It was a small fair, being so new, but we can't wait for next year, and are making plans to work it for sure!

Anyhoo...between that, making honey, and looking around for a new hollar to settle in 'round these parts, I haven't had much time.  But you know what I do have?  Love.

Thank you for reading, and I'll try to keep y'all posted!

WNC Farm Profiles: Hickory Nut Gap Meats

Pepperoni.  Hot Sopressata.  Sweet Sopressata.  I keep trying to get a picture of these amazing meats for you all, but it's been impossible.

Every Saturday, I go to the Woodfin YMCA market.  Every Saturday, I come home with some cured meat product or another from Hickory Nut Gap, and place it on the counter, and BOOM!  It's gone!  Within hours, it has been devoured, nommed and thoroughly enjoyed by everyone in my home.

This family farm has branched out beyond their own acreage and created a partnership with other meat producers from up and down the east coast.  They all agree to the same excellent standards of animal rearing and butchering, and the quality shows in their final products.

From their page: "Our mission is to connect sustainable agriculture practices, our family history, and our customers by sharing the family farm experience and serving as an example of healthy land stewardship while providing high quality ethically raised meats.  At Hickory Nut Gap Farm you will find animals raised in their natural environment. Pigs outdoors, cows on pasture eating grass and clover, multiple species grazing together, drinking fresh spring water and living the good life."


Since I can rant and rave and praise but can't get a picture, I am happy to let you know that you can purchase their products online! They also supply many Asheville restaurants with their fabulous food.

(March 23) Update from Hickory Nut Gap Meats:  "We are looking forward to our upcoming market season, you'll be able to find us at the North Asheville Tailgate Market, Asheville City Market, and West Asheville Tailgate Market. You can also come out to the Farm Store in Fairview where we house our meats, eggs, berries, and dozens of other locally made products."

The Local Food Movement in Western North Carolina

There were many things that caused me to move to Western North Carolina to seek my fortune...my time spent in the Blue Ridge mountains of Virginia taught me that I enjoy life in the rolling elevations and sloping hills.  Many of my friends had visited or spent a bit of time living in Asheville and I often heard about how much I would love this odd little town with it's vibrant art scene and it's appreciation for it's green places.

One of the things that I have most come to appreciate about western North Carolina is the vibrant local food scene.  The farming community here is strong, and made up of folks whose families have been working the same spots for generations, but equally represented are the suburban organic gardeners and small-scale city farms.  A lot of the people here are very aware of everything that they consume, and do their best to ensure that it is organic and as locally-sourced as possible.

After a couple months of living here, it dawned on me that my honey-infusing hobby might actually be a viable business in a community like this.  With the help and support of my friends (Modern Scribe Photography) and family and with time, trial and error, I find myself a busy pixie with a small but increasingly stable business.

As such, I've been honored to be the newbie vendor at a great little farm market.  The Woodfin YMCA is hosting an indoors Winter Market through the end of March, and I have been learning a lot.

I've also been meeting some amazing people, farms and food producers who are well-known and much-appreciated in WNC for their amazing products.

Home Grown Goodness!

For example, for lunch today I had a slice of Farm & Sparrow market bread, with Spinning Spider Creamery plain chevre spread on thick, and topped with slices of Hickory Nut Gap Farm's pepperoni.  Freaking amazing, simple, and such good quality food!  Each of these places are located within an hour's drive of my home.

I'm going to be doing a couple of posts to highlight some of the farms I've met in this market.  Keep posted, and if you live in the area, please come meet me at the Woodfin YMCA Farm Market (Saturdays, 10-noon, through March) and support your local food producers!

Apple Picking & Processing 2011

J.H. Stepp Orchards, by Modern Scribe Photography

I live in an incredibly beautiful and bountiful area.  Western North Carolina has so much to offer in the way of local, healthy food that I'm becoming quite happily spoiled by my diet.  There's hop farms for brewers, local bison ranches, and in Hendersonville, North Carolina, you can't throw a stone without hitting an apple tree.  The winding roads around Lake Lure and Chimney Rock are a verdant place where orchards and small farm markets thrive.

My love and I recently went winding down that road with our housemates, a friend, and his six-year old daughter to pick apples from J. H. Stepp Orchards, a beautiful old orchard we picked from last year.  We missed the really sweet apples of late August and September, but still delighted in the bushel of Golden Delicious, Fuji and Rose Cameo Fuji apples that came home with us.

Stepp Orchards also has a wonderful common room in their barn, with a fireplace going to keep icy fingers warm, hot cider on tap, fresh apple juice, apple cake, and accessories such as apple peelers and corers available for purchase.  I picked up a handy dandy apple-corer and gorged on butterscotch apple cake while we all got assembled and directed to the proper picking places.

Calliope, by MSP

By the by, if you have an enthusiastic and bright child to bring along apple picking with you, I highly encourage it.  Boy, can they pick like little devils! And run. And climb trees. And not carry heavy apple baskets, at all.

Once we were laden with big, gorgeous apples, we didn't linger long at the orchard, because we had plans...oh yes, we had plans.  The bushel of apples, the gallon of apple juice, and a bag of fresh, clean sweet potatoes made it home with us in no time.

The rest of the day involved relaxing, for the most part, but I just couldn't wait.  Within a couple of hours of being home, we were diving into a still-warm pan of German Apple Cake!

In the month since picking, we're down to about 5 apples after we made everything...but we still haven't made all that we wanted.  We might just have to go again so we can have apple pie filling!

The complete list of what my housemate Sarah and I made from a bushel of apples:

Dried Apple Rings:  Soft and chewy, melt in your mouth, super-yummy apple rings!  And then the dehydrator started making the most TERRIBLE sound...time for a new one? Any suggestions from you food-preservation people out there?

German Apple Cake:  Nuh-uh. No way.  Not this recipe...if I tell you, I'll have to kill you.

Apple Sauce: (which became Apple Butter)  Easy to do...chop apples, put in pot with small bit of water or apple juice.  Cook down with a lid until soft.  Strain if needed, and ta-da!  If you want to turn it into apple butter, transfer it to a crockpot and season the ever-loving sense out of it with brown sugar and cinnamon and cloves and such, and then let it cook on low until you like it.  SO EASY, and smells soooo goooooood.

A happy apple crew, by MSP

Apple Pectin:  (Check out this recipe on Mother Earth News for reference) We did not succeed completely at this task...but we used up all the peels, cores, and otherwise unwanted bits of apples on hand in the attempt.  Our pectin didn't clear or settle well, because our apples were too sweet. Apparently, this works better with sour or crab apples, which I would have know had I read the entire recipe. Whoops!

Apple Cordial:  This is so fun, and so easy.  I peel my apples by hand, and leave flesh clinging to the peel.  I put the peels in a jar.  I put spices in the jar sometimes...othertimes, just apple-y goodness.  Then I fill the jar with vodka (or rum. or brandy.) and remember to shake it occasionally.  Once I've forgotten about it for a while, I strain out the peels, add sugar or sugar syrup to the alcohol, and bam! Apple cordial.

Apple Mead (Or Cyser):  A grand experiment has begun!  The jug o' juice that we picked up from Stepp Orchards was wonderfully tasty, but we stopped drinking it when it was half-empty.

Next, I heated water and melted a large pour of honey into it to make a must (un-fermented mead) and poured it into the gallon jug, and added one single solitary allspice bud.

I popped an airlock on the jug, and pitched the yeast the next morning.  We've got a perfect spot to keep the jug warm (between 80-84 degrees) and it's been bubbling merrily for about a week.  It will soon be bottled (if we can save enough...we keep tasting it and it's already dwindling rapidly).

Check out your local farm offerings for a U-Pick near you.  I used the Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project (ASAP) to find Stepp Orchards!

Let's Talk About: Local Honey!

Every now and then, folks ask if I ever sell plain honey in my shop, The Pixie's Pocket.

Unfortunately, I won't feel quite right doing this until I have my own hives and bees to tend to, as it feels like cheating to sell another beekeeper's honey without adding my own touch to it, infusing it with lovely herbs.

Here's a recent query I received about The Pixie's Pocket:

"I have a question about your honey...We LOVE your naturally flavored honey, and I was wondering, particularly with interest in regard to its basic flowery flavor,  are you willing to sell the honey plain?"

Weeeeelllll....I suppose that am willing to do so, but it would be more beneficial to your health and your local economy to support one of your nearby beekeepers!

The honey that I have used as the base of infused honeys from the Pixie's Pocket are both wildflower blends. When I lived in Virginia, I supported Golden Angels Apiary from the Shenandoah Valley.  Now that I live in North Carolina, I use Haw Creek Honey.

Now, I suppose I could fill one of my pretty jars with Haw Creek Honey, package it up, and mail it to you. But I'd have to charge you pretty well for it...instead, for the same price, you could be getting a larger jar of honey made from the wildflowers in your town, supporting your local beekeepers, and saving on carbon emissions from shipping!

Check your local farm market to find someone selling honey from their hives.  Or you can use this list of resources to find a beekeeper near you:

• Check your local farm market

• Local Harvest:  These guys don't just list honey, but all farm markets and u-pick farms in the United States

• Find your local beekeeper's association and inquire with them

• The Honey Board:  Another United States site, search by state for honey distributors.

• Honey-O: Finally, an international guide to beekeepers and beekeeping associations!

New Dawn Holistic and Organic Community Fair

On Saturday, June 5th, you will find me at New Dawn Chiropractic Center here in Candler, North Carolina, as a happy participant in their first annual "Holistic and Organic Community Fair"!

The New Dawn Holistic and Organic Community Fair is an event for the whole family. It will even include a bouncy castle and hypoallergenic face painting for the kids!

Everyone else has a chance to participate in the grand raffle for free, where you could win a gift from each of the many participants...from massage therapists to food vendors, nurseries, mineral makeup crafters, to me and my honey, and Sarah and her camera!

New Dawn Chiropractic Center is located at:

90 Acton Circle, Candler, NC  28715

This place is just gorgeous! The office and wellness center are situated on a couple of acres, crowned by a large, open, and spacious 1920's home!  I look forward to setting my booth on the soft grass and watching the old trees make dappled sunlight on everyone's faces.

I hope to see you there from 9:00 am - 3:00 pm!

Visit us at the Asheville Herb Festival!

This weekend, Friday through Sunday at the WNC Asheville Farm Market

Hear ye, hear ye!

Come one, come all to the 21st Annual Asheville Herb Festival! 

I will be there on Saturday and Sunday with Pixie's Pocket honey, situated with Shannon Haun from Candler's House of Herbs.

See more info at http://www.ashevilleherbfestival.com/

"Every spring, more than 25,000 residents and visitors come to the Asheville Herb Festival to find the southeast’s best variety and selection of herbs, herb plants, and herb products ranging from herbal salves, balms, lotions, and ointments to herbal soaps, shampoos, and medicines. You can buy how-to books on cooking with herbs, herbal healing, and herb gardening, and even take a break to enjoy a fresh-cooked lunch and herbal beverage. The 2010 festival takes place Friday, April 30, Saturday, May 1, and Sunday, May 2, 2010. "


WNC Farmer's Market

570 Brevard Road
Asheville, North Carolina

Directions and Details: http://www.ashevilleherbfestival.com/festivalinfo.htm

Pixie's Pocket Spotlight: Cocoa Honey

Cocoa Honey Heart by Modern Scribe Photography

Today, I had to whip up a whole new batch of what is quickly becoming one of the most popular items in the Pixie's Pocket shop!

And the excited customers are not wrong! The superbly decadent Dark Cocoa Honey is indeed a delight for the senses.

The magic begins with Haw Creek wildflower honey, which is gently warmed.  Then I slowly add the shaved 65% dark organic chocolate into the pan and watch them dissolve into each other...they dance and form beautiful swirls and spirals as I stir them together. 

After it is all joined together into a solid golden brown syrup and blended with the powdered dark cocoa, it is drizzled into the jars, onto a bed of cocoa nibs and Madagascar vanilla bean.

Once the Dark Cocoa Honey cools, it's texture is more reminiscent of frosting than honey - it is quite thick and creamy! It's great for toast, for heating and pouring over ice cream, for just about anything you put it on...which brings me to the most popular serving suggestion for the cocoa honey:

Cocoa Honey by MSP

1. Warm the honey VERY gently; you can microwave the whole jar it by taking the lid off, putting it in for a mere couple of seconds, or you can put the jar into an empty, heatsafe bowl and pouring boiling water from a kettle into the bowl.
2. In both cases, please allow it to cool for a moment, and then test the temperature. 
3. Dip a soft paintbrush into the honey, and proceed to decorate the bare skin of your loved one's body! Hee hee...now make sure you clean up your mess!

This honey would make a great gift for a bridal shower, wedding gift, honeymoon suite appetizer, or any sort of experience where luxuriousness is the number one goal. Stop by The Pixie's Pocket and try some today!

Oh, March...you are going to be busy!

Modern Scribe Photography

So far, March has been a damn sight better than February!

Now, mind you, we woke on Tuesday to snow that didn't stop falling until it was 6 inches! So we did the logical thing; played dress-up, went outside, and had Sarah direct a photo shoot of me mincing around in the tumbling snow! It was a great way to spend a cold, gray day - cause I can tell you, the fascination of just staring at the snowflakes gracefully falling went away about mid-December...

But this evening, as I gaze around, I see more green on the ground than the frosty white and muddy red clay. The birds are out thick everywhere, singing and fussing and picking the ground for the insects that are rousing. It has certainly been warm enough to imagine their reemergence - we were just at 60 degrees on both Saturday and this fine Sunday afternoon.

I left myself sleep in until 11am on Saturday...it's been a long week, after all! Post-coffee, I  set myself busy to making some Chai Honey. I have to fill the abundance of Etsy orders that poured in last week! Then I get the call that I have empty shelves at the local shop, the Candler, NC "House of Herbs."  I put three jars of honey in just about a week ago, and two of them have already sold!

Feeling motivated and accomplished, I put on jeans and boots and ambled down to the lower lot to poke around the future garden plot.  I turned the compost and found a couple fat and wriggling earthworms living in there. I welcomed them, thanked them for their hard work, and set off to work with Eric.  He has been checking our scrounged lumber, pulling apart pallets, and measuring out designs for the chicken coop.  As he worked away at our free lumber supply, I got busy picking up trash out of the dirt. It's something I do every time I visit the lower lot, yet I've only barely made a dent.

You see, whoever lived here before us wasn't as conscientious as we are with the disposal of trash...there's was a burn barrel that got dumped regularly. We are forever picking up bits of plastic and glass, metal cans, aluminum foil remnants - it seems like an inexhaustible supply of tiny trash bits that have malevolent intent and really want to stick in your finger when you pick it up!


Until we get the yard clean, raised beds are one of the garden projects that we'll be using the pallets for.  As we develop our plans, I'll be sure to post the progress...for now, here's our To-Do list for March:

• Build Chicken Coop (scrounged lumber, fence panels, pallets)
• Set up rain barrell
• Modify pallets into Raised Beds
• Gopher/Vole/Groundhog proof the garden beds
• Varmint-proof the Coop
• Feed and work the compost pile
• GET CHICKENS! 
• Buy local, heirloom veggies that will thrive here (zone 7b)
• Herbal First Aid Class (March 15, 6-9pm @ AB Tech, Madison campus, Free!)
• Spring Garden School (March 20, 8:30-3:30 @ AB Tech, Ferguson Center, $10)
• Healing From the Hive, Apitherapy Class (March 22, 6-9pm @ AB Tech, Madison campus, Free!)
• Continue to invest time in building and promoting my Etsy shop 
• Invest time in my local community by joining farm markets and supplying local shops with my products
• Take other classes that come up that can help me with chickens, bees, gardens!!

Phew! All that, and it isn't even technically SPRING yet...what do you all have planned for your March?

Visit "The Pixie's Pocket" on Etsy!

Photo and Design by Modern Scribe Designs