AT LOCAL FARMERS MARKETS
For sale
Vegetables and nuts: arugula, Asian greens, beets, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, carrots, celery, chard, chicory, collards, cornmeal, endive, escarole, fennel, frisee, green onions, grits, herbs, Jerusalem artichokes, kale, kohlrabi, leeks, lettuce, mushrooms, mustard greens, Napa cabbage, pecans, polenta, popcorn, radicchio, radishes, rutabaga, sorrel, spinach, sweet potatoes, turnips and greens, winter squash
From local reports
Residents of Wrightsville, Georgia, stake most of their claim to fame to the community’s famous son, Herschel Walker, winner of the 1982 Heisman Trophy. Wrightsville also is the home of Local Lands, a family farm started in 2010 when Asa Ysrael, a native of the Bronx, New York, quit his marketing job to move to Georgia and become a full-time farmer.
The dream to be a farmer was planted in Ysrael’s youth during his childhood in California, where his uncle had a horse farm. He found he had a passion for growing things, and for much of his adult life, while working New York City and living in Pennsylvania, he kept a garden to feed his family.
A search for a place to truly begin farming led him to 40 acres in Wrightsville. “The soil was good, the land had 12 acres of pines and 12 acres of hardwoods, and it just called to me,” he said. “We put our money down and slowly we put in electricity, laid out irrigation, built greenhouses.”
Ysrael continued to travel between New York and Georgia until the entire family — his mother, his wife and their children, his brother and his brother’s family — moved down. On the 40 acres they bought, there are 10 acres in vegetable and fruit production and 6 acres devoted to cows, chickens, goats, sheep and rescue horses.
They also raise quail and have about 100 of the little birds in a 16-by-24-foot structure that formerly housed chickens at a farm down the road. They hope to expand the flock to about 500 birds.
“Quail are interesting,” Ysrael said. “They don’t nest, they just hang out and lay their eggs wherever. We don’t eat chicken eggs, just quail eggs because we think they taste better. They’re rich tasting, but without an eggy taste. We like them scrambled, fried, whatever.”
Quail eggs are small, about the size of a grape tomato. It takes four or five to equal the volume of a chicken egg. At the market, most quail eggs have gray shells with speckles of black and brown. But Local Lands quail lay plain white shelled eggs as well.
“Like chickens, they lay about one egg a day,” Ysrael said. “And just like all poultry, the weather and the amount of light the birds get impacts production. As the days get longer, the birds lay more eggs.”
Right now, you can find Local Lands with their quail eggs, organically raised produce and tea blends at the Wednesday evening Decatur farmers market. During the season, they’re at the Sunday Avondale Estates market, the Wednesday Macon farmers market and the Thursday market in Warner Robins. The farm also offers a community-supported agriculture program.
On the farm, the Ysraels host interns and also offer a “Food for Work” program where people give six hours of work to the farm per week and earn a “food box” that will feed one person for a week.
Rodney Ashley’s Hummus Deviled Quail Eggs
Chef Rodney Ashley of Polaris at the Hyatt Regency tells us why he created this recipe. “I wanted to provide a dish that would surprise and delight guests with not only its taste, but also its nutritional value. Quail eggs pack even more protein, iron and vitamins than your ordinary chicken egg. “
For the restaurant, Ashley serves this curry waffle cones, filling each cone with hummus, then topping with a boiled quail egg and a tiny bit more hummus. He adapted this recipe for those of us without an in-house waffle cone maker.
Quail eggs are sold by Local Lands, and at some stores such as the DeKalb Farmers Market. Naan is widely available in the prepared bread section of most grocery stores.
12 quail eggs
1 (12-ounce) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1/3 cup tahini paste
1/4 cup lemon juice, or to taste
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
3-4 minced garlic cloves, minced and roasted
1/2 teaspoon cumin
Salt and pepper
Julienned vegetables such as peppers, carrots and celery
12 2-inch circles of naan
Edible flowers or herb leaves, for garnish
Prepare a bowl of ice water and set aside. Put eggs in a medium saucepan and cover with several inches of cold water. Cover pan and bring water to a boil. When water reaches a bowl, turn off heat and let eggs sit 2 minutes, stirring water every 30 seconds or so. Use a slotted spoon to transfer eggs to ice-water bath. Let cool completely, about 5 minutes. Remove eggs and dry on paper towels. Peel and put in a medium bowl. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use, up to 6 hours.
In the bowl of a food processor, combine chickpeas, tahini, lemon juice, olive oil, garlic and cumin. Process until mixture is pureed. Taste for seasoning and add salt, pepper and more lemon juice as needed. If making ahead of time, cover and refrigerate. May be made up to 2 days in advance.
When ready to serve, arrange naan circles on serving plate. Top with julienned vegetables. Cut off tops of each egg and place on vegetables. Put hummus in piping bag and pipe 1 teaspoon on top of each egg. Reserve remaining hummus for another use. Garnish with flower or herb leaf and serve. Makes: 12
Per serving: 166 calories (percent of calories from fat, 45), 5 grams protein, 14 grams carbohydrates, 1 gram fiber, 7 grams fat (3 grams saturated), 89 milligrams cholesterol, 166 milligrams sodium.
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