Deadnettle Farms

Deadnettle Farms Heirloom produce, herbs, and more grown in Pittsville, MD

Happy Fastnacht Day (or packzi day or Mardi Gras or Fat Tuesday or pancake day, or whatever variation you observe)! 🍩Tod...
02/13/2024

Happy Fastnacht Day (or packzi day or Mardi Gras or Fat Tuesday or pancake day, or whatever variation you observe)! 🍩

Today is easily my favorite way to observe the Pennsylvania Dutch traditions that I grew up with. Every year we would make sure there were fresh fastnachts in the morning, and afternoon, and maybe the day after just for good measure. The ensuing lent season never garnered too much observance in our household, but we were religious about our German American fried dough, made with potato and lard.

This year I decided to incorporate even more of the nearly forgotten food culture of the Pennsylvania Dutch by making a saffron custard and ground-cherry jam for fillings. Although not present in my childhood kitchen, these two crops were staple ingredients of past generations and are near and dear to my heart and pallet today. What better way to celebrate our forebears than such over the top indulgence in food and flavors that they also held dear.

Not mad about this pig candy that just came off of a 24 hour smoke. Now, to plan dinner around one of these beauties. ...
01/30/2024

Not mad about this pig candy that just came off of a 24 hour smoke. Now, to plan dinner around one of these beauties.

No big deal just using every possible square inch of real estate in the grill to slow smoke 40+ lbs of ham hocks for th...
01/29/2024

No big deal just using every possible square inch of real estate in the grill to slow smoke 40+ lbs of ham hocks for the next 18 hours or so after 10 days of brining. Sure would be a shame if some collard greens got involved.

The first flashes of spring are upon us already. The light lingers a little longer these afternoons, the cold days punct...
01/27/2024

The first flashes of spring are upon us already. The light lingers a little longer these afternoons, the cold days punctuated by warmer ones here and there, and the first pioneers of the season start to wake up - chief among them my namesake herb, the purple deadnettle - beckoning us back into the light and reminding us that the warmth will be upon us sooner than we think.

Bread was requested and bread was made. Simple dutch oven French bread with a little bit of juniper to make things inter...
01/23/2024

Bread was requested and bread was made. Simple dutch oven French bread with a little bit of juniper to make things interesting and pair with the borscht that I made yesterday. No complaints.

When it’s cold and snowy out and you’ve got every monthly-related symptom that your body could throw at you all at once…...
01/15/2024

When it’s cold and snowy out and you’ve got every monthly-related symptom that your body could throw at you all at once…you make pho to dull the pain. Or something approaching the midpoint between pho and all of those Korean food documentaries you’ve been watching at least.

Spicy and aromatic broth with runny local eggs, stir fried bok choy, sweet potato noodles, and spicy szechuan peppercorn venison sausage meatballs might not cure anything acutely but it sure tastes like it could.

Time to share my absolute favorite component of any taco/arepa/pupusa meal and my favorite ferment to date: curtido! I u...
01/13/2024

Time to share my absolute favorite component of any taco/arepa/pupusa meal and my favorite ferment to date: curtido! I used to bang this together in a few minutes and it was good, but it gets SO much better if you let it ferment into its perfect tangy spicy and probiotic-rich form! And it’s only five ingredients!

You’ll need:
•Cabbage
•Carrots
•Fresh oregano
•Chilli pepper of choice (I used smoked chipotles)
•Salt

Steps:
•Shred your cabbage and carrots - I like about a 3:1 cabbage to carrot ratio
•Weigh your vegetables and toss with about 1.5-2% salt by weight
•Let your veggies sweat for a while, going in to squeeze vigorously every once in a while until things are compact and have released a fair bit of juice
•Mix in your ground chilli pepper (amount to taste) and oregano (don’t skimp! I used about 1/4 cup of fresh chopped for one mason jar full of curtido)
•Pack tightly in a mason jar, pressing down to make sure everything is submerged beneath its own juice, weigh it down so it stays put, and cover with a fermentation lid or mason top.
•Let ferment for a few days - once the bubbling slows down a bit taste and decide if it’s ready or needs more time! Mine only took about 3-4 days to be to my liking. •Put a regular lid on and fridge once it’s done!
•Enjoy your new favorite condiment next Taco Tuesday!

Just brinin’ and smokin’ some birds this week.
01/11/2024

Just brinin’ and smokin’ some birds this week.

Finally got around to the last processing of my deer - sausage! It’s not that hard per se but my first attempt at couple...
01/08/2024

Finally got around to the last processing of my deer - sausage! It’s not that hard per se but my first attempt at couple years ago was pretty bad, and this round puts all other sausages that I’ve eaten to shame.

These also represent something of a thesis project - the culmination of my growth over the past few years as a hunter, farmer, forager, and cook. Made with venison that I hunted, juniper berries that I foraged, sage that I grew, cranberry spice jam that I made, and pork fat that saved from her pigs for me. I never thought I would be so proud of a humble sausage, but achievement comes in many forms in this life, and I’m happy that most of mine these days are achievements that I can eat.

New year new projects and new things to learn! Insofar as I make resolutions my big one for 2024 is to learn more about ...
01/01/2024

New year new projects and new things to learn! Insofar as I make resolutions my big one for 2024 is to learn more about the world of fermentation and eat more fermented foods - for my health and to open up new flavors and textures to explore and adapt to my palate and plate, and to reconnect with and learn from one of the oldest food traditions in human history.

In that spirit I’ve spent today starting off with some easy projects to get my feet wet and build confidence. Two types of lacto fermented apples for snacking on in a few days and traditional German sauerkraut with juniper. So excited to see where this little path takes me and, no doubt, how many weird science experiments start cropping up all through the house this year 🦠🫙🥬🧂

Merry Christmas everyone! Wishing you all an amazing holiday feast and a joyful holiday! We celebrated with venison well...
12/25/2023

Merry Christmas everyone! Wishing you all an amazing holiday feast and a joyful holiday! We celebrated with venison wellington with bacon, tons of home grown herbs, and whiskey caramelized onions and I couldn’t be happier with the result (or looking forward to leftovers tomorrow more). Here’s to many more decadent locally sourced meals in 2024!

Merry Pigmas everyone! I have cherished photos and memories of me as a kid with pigs in this very same barn and after a ...
12/25/2023

Merry Pigmas everyone! I have cherished photos and memories of me as a kid with pigs in this very same barn and after a few decades of vacancy the barn is once again full of pigs, and goats, and sheep. This is Jingle - she had some serious misgivings about me at first but calmed down with some head scritches pretty quickly. What a delight to visit with them (and my aunt and uncle, the next generation of farmers there) yesterday. So grateful to have been able to have such an upbringing and to be able to continue and see the rest of the family continue in that tradition today 🐷🎄

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Pittsville, MD
21850

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