Squash Blossoms From Jolley Farms To My Table!
Jolley Farms is located in Canton, North Carolina (Haywood County). This five-acre farm has been in its new operation for approximately one and a half years and already has a great reputation in the Western North Carolina area for producing specialty produce and offering very personal service.
Jolley farms got its start in somewhat of an unusual way. Zeb went to an old friend and chef, Denny Trantham, and asked what he could grow for him that he could not find anywhere else (especially in the middle of winter – remember he had the equipment to grow flowers year round). This was reverse of what usually happens when a farmer shows up at the back door of a restaurant. Typically, in the spring and summer, the farmer shows up with a truckload of produce he hopes the chef has a need for.
Chef Trantham (the Executive Chef of the Grove Park Inn in Asheville, North Carolina) told Zeb that if he could grow some of the micro greens that he was ordering from Ohio, that he would give him the business locally. He also introduced him to other chefs who might be interested in his products.
In addition to the beautiful micro greens, Zeb began planting all sorts of Heirloom tomatoes and unusual squashes. He also grows those beautiful edible flowers. Through his networking and former relationships from selling flowers and plants, he is building a real niche business.
Zeb showed us around the farm pointing out all the types of produce he is growing. We also were able to get very pretty shots of his farm and produce (you knew we were going to do that).
Zeb continues to try all sorts of new varieties of micro greens, squashes and Heirloom tomatoes, so you never know what might be growing there next year.
Jolley Farms is certified by the Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project. “ASAP helps create and expand local food markets that will preserve our agricultural heritage, give everyone access to fresh, healthy food, and keep our farmers farming. Our mission is to help local farms thrive, link farmers to markets and supporters, and build healthy communities through connections to local food.”
As Zeb says, we have to be realistic that we cannot grow everything here, but he is certainly trying to grow what he can and sell it “locally”, which is defined as within 100 miles.
What I find impressive is that Zeb is able to grow some of his produce almost through the entire winter by growing it in low tunnels. He said that even with several feet of snow between the tunnels last year (it was the worst winter in 10 years in the area), he still had lettuces and micro greens growing that he was able to offer his customers. That is really amazing.
He will also have pumpkins, squash (Delicata and Hubbard) and winter greens coming up this fall. Those are some of my favorites, so I can’t wait to see them (and some cooler temps) in the farmers market this fall.
I would like to thank Zeb for taking the time out of his very busy schedule to show us around his farm. (He works with just two other people that help him cut, wash, pack and deliver all of this wonderful produce, so he is a very busy guy.) His family’s story is truly inspiring and his produce is delightful.
Large corporate farming has displaced many of our small family farms. It is difficult for a smaller farmer to stay in business with the way food is manufactured and delivered today. However, it is these small family farms that produce the quality and freshness in our produce that we are looking for. Now that there is a revival of small farms, especially in the Western North Carolina area, I am trying to support them as much as possible. I hope you will do the same wherever you are.
From Zeb’s farm to my table, here is a recipe for Stuffed Squash Blossoms (oh, they are soooo good!). These are adapted from Jamie Oliver’s recipe. The recipe for this batter is a calorie killer keeper!
Enjoy!
If you are interested in reading more about eating locally and the Farm to Table movement, here are some books I recommend. They are available through Amazon.com.
Local Flavors: Cooking and Eating From America’s Farmers’ Markets
Chefs on the Farm: Recipes and Inspiration from the Quillisascut Farm School of the Domestic Arts
Fresh from the Farmers’ Markets
The Art of Simple Food: Notes, Lessons, and Recipes from a Delicious Revolution
The Food Revolution: How Your Diet Can Help Save Your Life and Our World
Slow Food Revolution: A New Culture for Eating and Living
The Berkshires Farm Table Cookbook: 125 Homegrown Recipes from the Hills of New England
Ricotta Stuffed Squash Blossoms
Serves 4
Ingredients:
Filling
12 ounces part-skim ricotta cheese
1 large egg, slightly beaten
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
Finely grated, or a pinch of ground nutmeg
Grated zest of 1/2 lemon
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Batter
1 3/4 cups self-rising flour, plus a little extra for dusting
1 1/2 cups white wine or sparkling water (I used sparkling water and drank the wine!)
12 squash blossoms
Vegetable oil
Small piece of potato, peeled (optional)
2 lemons, halved
Directions:
For filling:
Mix together the ricotta in a bowl with the egg, Parmigiano-Reggiano, nutmeg and lemon zest. Season to taste.
For batter:
To make a lovely light batter, put the flour into a mixing bowl with a good pinch of salt. Pour in the sparkling water and whisk until thick and smooth. At this point the consistency of the batter should be like heavy cream or, if you dip your finger in, it should stick to your finger and nicely coat it. If it’s too thin, add a bit more flour; if it’s too thick, add a little more sparkling water.
To prepare:
Open the squash blossoms gently and snip off the pointed stamen inside because it tastes bitter. Give the flowers a gentle rinse if you like.
Spoon the ricotta into the corner of a plastic sandwich or Ziploc bag. Snip 1/2 inch off the corner and use this as a makeshift piping bag to gently squeeze the filling into each flower, until just full. Carefully press the flowers back together around the mixture to seal it in. Then put the flowers to one side. (Any leftover ricotta can be smeared on hot crostini as a snack.)
Now for the deep-frying: Have tongs or a spider ready for lifting the flowers out of the oil, and a plate with a double layer of paper towels on it for draining. Pour the oil into a deep-fat fryer or deep saucepan so it’s about 2 inches deep. Heat it up to 350F or, if using a saucepan, put in your piece of potato. As soon as the potato turns golden, floats to the surface and starts to sizzle, the oil is just about the right temperature. Remove the potato from the pan.
One by one, dip the ricotta-stuffed squash blossoms into the batter, making sure they’re completely covered, and gently let any excess drip off. Carefully release them, away from you, into the hot oil. Quickly batter another one or two blossoms and add them to the pan, but don’t crowd the pan too much or they’ll stick together. Fry until golden and crisp all over, then lift them out of the oil and drain on the paper towels. Remove to a plate or board. Serve with half a lemon to squeeze over.
So the recipe for these squash blossoms seems absolutely delightful. Fresh produce, rich and creamy cheese…and then of course frying these beauties to a golden crisp. But I so enjoyed reading about this wonderful farm you were able to visit. There aren’t many farmers in my part of the country, so it is a blessing to be able to experience local farms through your blog. Thank you!
Hi Monet,
I am fortunate to have many local farms nearby. There definitely is a revival in this part of the country to bring back the family farm. It is such a wonderful thing to see! Thank you for your comments.
Gwen
I love zucca fritti and make them all the time. I also stuff them but have never tried ricotta. Thanks for the recipe. Love the farm!
Regards,
Patricia
What a beautiful story with wonderful pictures. Your recipe for squash blossoms sounds delightful but the way you shared with us the story of this man and his farm is truly heart warming. I love your website.
Thank you for your comments, Jean. I really appreciate them. This is a great story and we very very touched after meeting this man. He works incredibly hard as a farmer. It should be an inspiration to all of us!
It was so much fun to meet Zeb. Where’s the next road trip?
I am ready when you are! 🙂
These fresh Squash Blossoms look plumped and delicious. The crispiness contrast with the creaminess must be heaven in your mouth.
hats off to Zeb and June, and to you for getting out there and filling the void with incredible wonders…..
Thank you Drick. It has been a great deal of fun to do this. I am glad you enjoy reading about all the local farms and places of interest.
Never really been a fan of squash… this may do the trick.
Hi Gwen
what a great day you had at that farm…..wow….so much great fresh produce….
Those Blossoms are perfect!! I just love them stuffed! your batter looks very light, you can see that beautiful blossom in all its glory!
I have another post coming up tomorrow with more blossoms, I will be eating them through october!
Dennis
Hi Chef Dennis,
I will have to check out your post and see where the squash blossoms end up this time! 🙂
Gwen
As a small farmer, I really appreciate the spotlight you are putting on local food and supporting small farms. We need people to realize their ARE alternatives to buying everything at the big boxes. The Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project has helped get the word out for many of us in Western North Carolina. Thanks for all you do with your blog.
Hi Lenny,
Thank you so much for your comment. It has been great fun getting to meet lots of the local farmers and I look forward to continuing the journey. I just went to the Cashiers Farmers Market today and got local corn, squash and strawberries. There is nothing better!
Gwen
I do so wish my squash blossoms looked like Zeb’s!! I guess I could do small appetizers for dinner, if they didn’t disappear! What a great blog and farm! Guess I’ll have to go on the road to see a neat farm…
Hi Martha,
Thank you for stopping by! I think smaller squash blossoms would be perfect as an appetizer. These were quite large and were our dinner that evening. They are so good…I need to make more myself!
Gwen
Love your potato trick to know when the oil is ready!
You can thank Jamie Oliver for that one! 🙂
This stuffed blossoms look really good. I am still trying to get my hands on some of these blossoms and that patty pan squash. Maybe I am not looking in the right places. Beautiful pictures as always.
Hi Biren,
Thank you for the comment. You need to come in North Carolina! All the great produce is available here.
Gwen
That recipe is real keeper. I have some blossoms in my garden they will come to good use. What a great story. I also try to use as much local as possible and love visiting farmers market.
I really enjoyed this post, and the photos as well. I love the sunflower sprouts and eat those every single day. Thank you for the inspiring post and window into this part of our food.
Everyone is doing these right now. Yours are not only prettier, they are the first of the bunch that I have envied to the point of salivation! (or do I mean salvation??) GREG
I obviously live in the wrong part of this State (or just haven’t taken the time to find the wonderful things you’re finding around you!). I think you need to head up to mid-state and do some of this stuff so you can find places for me to visit close to home.
I need to find these squash blossoms. I’ve been coming across some wonderful recipes and ideas like yours and I’m dying to try them too. I don’t think I’ve ever seen them in our mkts here. I’m on a quest. Fantastic looking recipe…stuffed with ricotta and using parmigiano.
You know I love, love, love our farmers Gwen, and am appreciating your work on writing about this very important topic – keep it up!!! I’ve got squash blossoms in my garden – keep saying I’m going to make some but haven’t yet – but am committed to doing so before end of summer.
Wow. What a great post! I love it I love it I love it!! I should bookmark this for the next batch of blossoms. There are PLENTY out back right now. 🙂 [K]
What a great story. And these look divine! I haven’t tried the fried squash blossoms yet, but I’ve got a couple of local suppliers that look so tempting every time I see them.
Great post !!! I ate zucchini blossoms stuffed with mascarpone at a restaurant in Marseille…will post about it! Nice trip !!
Hehe, certainly looks like suffering through the miserable heat was well worth it. Beautiful photos and those blossoms look just perfect!
Dear Gwen – I love these stories – the people behind the food. Such a great movement, this – from farm to table!
Those squash blossoms are amahzing and the nearly transluscent batter is incredible..sock them calories!
I love this Italian inspired way of serving squash blossoms.
Gorgeous in everyway!!!!
Ciao, Devaki @ weavethousandflavors
My best wishes for now and in the future.
You have made it possible to keep it local.
Thankyou
Good Luck
Roger Mease
I love squash- it tastes great and it’s healthy, too! Have you ever tried squash pear soup? It’s awesome!
Squash blossoms are one of those foods that I can never seem to resist. The recipe looks great and similar to how I have had them many times in Italy (the other way is filled with mozzarella and a small anchovy).
But simple is good too. The other day a friend came over with blossoms from his garden in the town in Navelli we spend part of our summers in. He fried them in a simple batter, with nothing else.
Yummy.