FRIENDSGIVING, A LOT OF GIVING FROM THE PAST AND TODAY...

Last week I participated in not only my very first "Friendsgiving"   on Zoom as COVID rages through our state, but to make this event even more unusual was I only knew 2 other people of the 50+ participants. 

Chef Adrian in her home kitchen

Although I had seen the event advertised on FaceBook, friend Heidi had signed up and the closer the date got, the more appealing it sounded.  This Friendsgiving was part of  restauranteur Adrian Lipscombe's endeavor called 40 Acres and a Mule Project involving community eats, meal kits and a live virtual cooking class from her very own home kitchen. 

For the evening, the transplanted Texas architect/city planner and now restauranteur of La Crosse's Uptowne Cafe had partnered with both Madison's Pasture and Plenty who serve Madison and its surrounding towns with local food and community experiences, and Enos Farms, a meat and local foods CSA.

Forty Acres and a Mule Project is Chef Adrian's vision to have a farm sanctuary emphasizing and archiving Black history's culture of farming, its food and stories. Her GO FundMe was set up to raise monies for the these very purposes of purchasing at least 40 acres of land to be Black owned providing farm to table food and preservation of the political act Black Legacy to the land, involving its past and future in Black foodways of studying the silences.*  

So for this Friendsgiving our menu would include Adrian's family recipes expanding some midwestern 'White' palates for sure with our evening's preparation of Gumbo, Cornbread, rice and Sweet Potato Pie with Chantilly Cream. 

$75 would include the Friendsgiving cooking class and a meal kit for 4,  to be picked up locally/ one could just join the cooking class for $25. All participants would receive the booklet of recipes. 

Since we grow a lot of our own food, I figured I had everything on hand. It would also be one less hour round trip drive to town to pick up the food kit so I just joined the cooking class with my emailed recipes, spending the afternoon chopping for the gumbo, and making the sweet potato pie. There was only one ingredient that prevented cornbread that evening. True confession : the Tupperware stored unopened bag of cornmeal had to be given to the chickens. You guessed it: mealybugs. Oooooh, the chickens were happy- me, not so much.

  beginning

The most difficult part of the prep was my first time making a 'dark' roux ( flour and butter). It did take me a complete hour of stirring in the suggested caste iron cookware.  Heidi had texted me a photo of her kit's roux and it was really 'dark' chocolate. My roux did eventually get darker as you can see. 

final stage of roux

midway

                                                                                          

And by the time the chopped veggies were added to be sauteed it indeed was rich and a pretty color. After sauteeing, spices and  liquid were added before the chicken and  apple and chicken sausage.

As you know from my past posts following the recipes the first time as they are written is my habit but next time this gumbo recipe's amount of cayenne pepper will be lessened.  Although half as much required as the jambalaya I had made 2 weeks before, a little toning down wouldn't hurt.  From now on at least 'half'ing those pepper amounts and adding more if desired before serving/ having the hot sauce at the table. Well, in a southern household hot sauce is always on the table!

Kudos and thanks to all the those who made this event possible and for giving us this insight to the rich cultural Black traditions. I can't wait for another community learning experience and expanding my knowledge about Black History something omitted for way too long from our American History texts.

Did you know?

 "If Lincoln's order never been overturned, it's estimated that there would be land worth $4.6 trillion in the Black American community today."

* Jessica Harris Culinary historian coined the term "studying the silences" Black people have been in the room, but for so long they were so good at being invisible."It should not be forgotten America's culinary traditions  include the contributions of its black slaves. 

CREDIT :All history photos and quotes from Friendsgiving booklet.

We've been having that delicious sweet potato pie for breakfast and snacks. It might not make it to Turkey Day tomorrow... Oh well, I can make us another and this time remember to cover those crimped edges so I don't have to remove them!

Want any of the recipes? Let me know and we can make a deal... ie donations to Forty Acres and a Mule Project sounds like a great plan, don't you think?