In Search of the Perfect Chicken: Burgundy

We enter the Bresse AOC

The Saone River in Burgundy divides the region into two distinct geographical areas. To the west, the rolling hills of the Grande Cru wine country, where Montrachet, Puligny, and Mersault burgundies are created by God and man. To the east, the flat farmy plain of the Bresse AOC, home of the poulet de Bresse. Every mid-December since 1862, this region has celebrated the noble chicken that defines French character in silhouettes, images, and sculptures thoughout France. The festival, held in Bourg-en-Bresse, is called Les Glorieuses, and is the focal point of the holiday buying season for restaurants and individuals alike. In the week before the festival, all of the area farmers can be found processing and wrapping capons, hens, and other poultry in anticipation of their busiest sales season. Below the owner of a small farm is working with 3 or 4 of his helpers, doing the "roulage" on his capons, sewing a tight cover over the carcass to keep the fat nice and even. The head, feathered neck, intestines, and everything else, is still in the bird. In this manner, the chickens can be aged for up to 21 days, and when a chef prepares the bird for the New Year's feast, the flavor is very good. 

A farmer sews the roulage over his capon.

The judging for the chickens is about consistency in size, skin color and fat. The best birds are sold to the highest bidder, and by the end of the day, all of the birds have found homes in (mostly) restaurant kitchens. 

Prize winning hens

The judges display their gravitas.

Guinea fowl at their best

Customers take the chickens away.

Roasting Coffee

I have begun roasting my own coffee, not only for myself, but also for my guests. My friend Ed Gulyas turned me on to this; he's been doing it for a long time and I have had many wonderful and subtle coffees from his countertop Pavoni. It wasn't until I really began to inhabit Nettles Farm by myself that I slowed down enough to take the time to do it. I bought 20 lbs of green coffee from Sweet Maria's, an Oakland company that really knows and cares about the coffee they purchase and sell. It costs a little less than half the price of  roasted beans. Green coffee gets better as it ages, unlike roasted beans, and drinking a brew from freshly roasted coffee is truly a peak experience.
Ed gave me an old popcorn popper he had bought thinking he would go through one every few months, when in fact his first one is still going strong years into it. It is messy, as the beans go through their first "crack" and shed their outer covering as they roast. Also it creates a lot of smoke and smell, fairly strong smell. First I roasted under the hood of the FarmHouse Suite, and that worked really well, but there was clean-up involved. Now I have the popper and the cooling pans on a sheet pan outside on the deck. Ed is very picky about his roasting, and brings the beans just to their second crack, then immediately cools them down using a second popper with no heating element. I like a dark roast, not only for flavor, but also because there seems to be less caffeine in the brew. So I let the beans go through their second crack, until they are very dark and shiny from the oils released, then dump them into a bowl, where I cool them slowly by pouring them from bowl to bowl. Right now I am roasting Mocha Kadir, which is fruity and smooth.
I make my coffee with a Delonghi Magnifica, and automatic espresso maker that makes surprisingly good espresso. Starbuck's had a sale on them some years ago and I thought I would try it. It took awhile to get a good cup, but you can tweak it to make what you like.
For ease of use, I have fresh beans, a good grinder, and a French Press in each of the rooms. I am setting up the commercial single group Astoria that I have in the carport, so that guests can use it if they want. I can also teach guests how to make a good cup if they don't know how, which is fun if you have never used a commercial machine before.

New Life at Nettles Farm

After what seems like a lifetime away, I am giving up on the life of a bon vivant, and find myself hard at work at Nettles Farm once again. I have come full circle since the spring of 1992, when I first began to develop the property, which was just trees, stumps, and, well, nettles. Then I dreamed of showing the world that this corner of the world could grow good tomatoes, that we could vote with our feet and stop complaining and just do something. Now, since the point has been well made, I am content with growing good tomatoes for my guests. Along with asparagus, raspberries, blueberries, rhubarb, peas, salad greens, eggs, gooseberries, tree fruits, and exotic chickens, that is. My goal is to treat the guests in my two B&B rooms to a taste of Nettles Farm on Lummi Island. I had forgotten how wonderful it is to wake up to the good air, good water, quiet surroundings. Today I could hear the crash of breakers on the beach from the strong westerly winds as I went about my day. Earth and Sea. What a treasure!
For the past 12 years I neglected the farm in order to promote the Willows Inn, down the hill from me, but that is all behind me now, as told in Outside Magazine. I have the privilege of walking the farm, tending the fields and animals, and talking to guests every day now, and watching as the demands of each living thing growing at the farm change with the seasons. It is a chance to slow down, pay attention, and to give needed care without rushing that leads me to think that this could really be a fine retirement.
This month, guests coming to Nettles Farm can expect to find beautiful tender broccolini, salad greens, fresh eggs, rhubarb, spinach, asian greens, and lots of herbs, all free to be picked for dinner. The hope is to maintain a kitchen garden that guests can peruse before deciding what to cook for dinner.