You know you’re an adult when re-graveling your driveway is the highlight of your week. (Or am I the only one who geeks out over a freshly graveled driveway?! I mean, JUST LOOK at this magnificent before & after…). It took about 24 tons (!) of gravel, but hallelujah, I can finally cross off this project that’s been languishing on my to-do list for the past year.
In other, non-gravel related news this week on the farm – we planted the first succession of green beans (my go-to variety is Provider), planted another batch of tomatoes, installed a trellis for our cucumbers, and prepped beds for the peppers and eggplant that will get planted next week. We’re also pulling out lots of early spring greens to make room for more summer crops, and next week a few volunteers from our amazing local food pantry, SAFE, are coming to help glean some bok choy, kale, and chard that we no longer need for our CSA, but they’re still perfectly good and I’m more than happy to donate them to community members who could use some fresh veggies.
Tomorrow I’m leading my first cooking class of the year, and I’m genuinely excited to have folks back at the farm for a very hands-on, truly farm to table experience where everyone helps harvest fresh veggies from the garden, and then we make several delicious spring dishes together, all while sharpening up our culinary skills. I’ll be honest, hosting these workshops is a lot of work (especially on top of running the farm while also caring for two small kiddos), but I get so much energy from teaching and it’s worth all the late nights and early mornings to be able to share this place with people. The rest of my workshops for the year have already sold out (wow, thank you!), but I’m about to add a few more dates for the fall, so stay tuned for that announcement coming soon.
And for folks who like to see what we put in our CSA boxes each week, here’s a look at what our members received in their boxes on Tuesday – big bags of lettuce and arugula, parsley, kohlrabi, asian greens, and little gem lettuces:
Need some culinary inspiration for the weekend? Here’s my weekly round up of seasonal recipes from around Substack (and from my ever-growing recipe index) to help you eat like a farmer:
Sheet Pan Miso-Maple Chicken with Radishes & Turnips from yours truly :)
Pane Vecchio Vegetable Soup from
- /
Keep reading for today’s recipe for Strawberries & Cream Mini Pavlovas, available for paid subscribers.
I rarely share dessert recipes on this newsletter (baking isn’t really my “thing”), BUT I’m making an exception because it’s officially strawberry season here in North Carolina, and what better way to enjoy a pint of red-ripe, juicy strawberries than on top of a luxurious cloud of whipped cream and a shatteringly crisp, melt-in-your-mouth meringue (aka a pavlova)?
Pavlovas are baked meringues made from whipped egg whites and sugar, and when done right, they have an airy marshmallow center with a light and crisp outer shell. I think pavlovas are the ultimate spring/summer dinner party dessert because A) all the components can be fully prepped ahead of time, B) they look super impressive, and C) THEY TASTE LIKE HEAVEN.
This recipe is especially good for feeding a crowd, because it makes 10 petite, personal-sized pavlovas (that are so freaking adorable, btw). And pavlovas are an ideal “eat like a farmer” dessert because they’re a perfect vehicle for whatever fruit is in season – this recipe calls for fresh strawberries, but you can absolutely use blueberries, blackberries, peaches, apricots, or whatever juicy fruit you’ve got.
The actual pavlova only has about 5 ingredients, and it really isn’t difficult to make, but there is a precise method that you need to follow. My recipe today has ALL the information you need for a smashing success, but if you want to dig deeper into all things pavlova, I highly recommend checking out this very detailed and helpful post about pavlovas from
and her incredible newsletter all about the recipe development process, .Keep reading for the full recipe (and a handy 1-page PDF for easy printing).
Become a paid subscriber to access today’s recipe (free subscribers get access to full recipes on the 1st Friday of the month). As a paid subscriber, you’ll also get access to my full recipe archive, gardening guides, plus bonus content and join our private community chats.
A note that for the month of April, I’m donating 20% of all proceeds from paid subscribers to World Central Kitchen. Thank you for your support, which allows me to pour back into organizations like WCK – a group led by José Andrés that works tirelessly to provide essential nourishment and aid to communities around the world who need it the most.
Strawberries & Cream Mini Pavlovas
Makes 10 mini pavlovas
Keep reading with a 7-day free trial
Subscribe to Eat Like a Farmer to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.