Bean2Blog 2013 with P. Allen Smith and the Arkansas Soybean Promotional Board

Because I am a native Arkansan, one of the details I appreciate most about garden and lifestyle guru, P. Allen Smith is his love for our home state of Arkansas.

Bean2Blog is all about support for Arkansas, which is why Allen continues to host it.  He designed and built his Garden Home and its surrounding Garden Rooms at Moss Mountain Farm to be a teaching tool for people of all ages, and it has certainly succeeded in fulfilling this purpose.  In addition to gardening, home and interior design, Moss Mountain Farm is a place to learn about raising poultry, raising vegetables, living an ecologically sustainable life, farming in Arkansas and cooking healthy vegetables with the seasons.

All of these disciplines are steeped in history and tradition, and new projects are constantly emerging.

The Rose Garden is the latest garden installment, and it is still evolving as Allen continues to collect antique rose varieties that will be in bloom during different months of the year so that the garden shines with color for as much of the growing season as possible.

I mentioned last week that there is so much going on at Moss Mountain Farm at once that it can be dizzying at times.  Even while a group of us bloggers were there for Bean2Blog, Southern Living was also on the property shooting images of the gardens.

Because his days are so full and events seem to be happening simultaneously, Allen’s willingness to give us (and Arkansas farmers) his undivided attention for the day at Bean2Blog was all the more endearing to me.

Part history teacher and master storyteller, as well as gracious host, Allen led us first through the gardens, which are arranged symmetrically around the Garden Home.  And all the design leads back to the focal point, which is the 350 year old oak tree in front of the house.

Garden Tour

We wandered between terraced beds full of all manner of flower and fauna, through trained wisteria trees that were saved from an area being plowed for a strip mall, around a one hundred year old fig tree that commands the center of a garden room and along a pond with gorgeous swans named Wilma and Fred.

Then on we went to the Rose Garden, which sort of beckons to you from below.

Next was the Vegetable Garden where we planted edamame seeds and enjoyed seeing all the veggies, some ready for harvest (Swiss Chard and leafy green lettuces) and some just getting started (tomatoes and squash),  as well as all different kinds of berry bushes, including 22 varieties of blueberry.

Someone asked what kind of blueberries were in the garden and Allen answered that almost any word or phrase you can think of that has blue in it is probably a blueberry variety.

 Poultryville

Past a field that is home to a horse, a donkey, some sheep and two excited Anatolian shepherds named Smudge and Squeak, is what Allen calls Poultryville. This is home to the many heritage breeds of poultry he is working to preserve.

They all have distinguished names, such as these Silver Laced Wine Dots, and at first glance, you can tell that these chickens are special.  Last time we were here, Cole told me how much he loved that Mr. Smith kept his chickens, ducks and turkeys so well organized.  Neatly lined rows of pens house these pretty birds, and we got to wander in and around them while Allen told us all about this part of the farm.

Garden Home

It began to rain on us in Poultryville, so we moved next to the house.  It did not matter that I had been on the Home Tour before, or even that I had been cooking in the kitchen the week before, I still sat in awe as Allen shared with us about the house.

Each well-thought detail amazed me. (Lyndi caught me mid-gawk.)  I am a cook, not a decorator, so I appreciate those who can create spaces in their minds and then execute their designs.  I can do this with food but not with furniture.

Even with the divine kitchen, I would have to say that the porches of the Garden Home are my favorite spaces.  The front porch, the back porch and the sleeping porch all have soothing color schemes and comfy spots that call out to you to just come and rest for a while.

Q & A with P. Allen Smith

After the tour, before and during our wonderful lunch in the barn was the portion of Bean2Blog dedicated to hearing from our farmers.  This part of the day needs its own attention, so more on that to come!

But after all that, we got to hear from Allen one last time during a Q & A session.

We asked him all our questions and he patiently answered each one.  The best questions were the ones he answered with a story.

He would start a story and I would settle into my chair like a spellbound toddler at a library story hour.  Even if I had heard it before, I was all in.  Our favorite stories are the ones we love to tell and to hear over and over again.

For Allen, these are the stories of a childhood farm, of finding and chasing his first chicken into a women’s clothing store, of discovering a piece of antique furniture in New Orleans and of bidding on a painting that turned out to be much bigger than he had anticipated.

A little rain soaked and full of yummy treats made with soy, we were all a bit sad when the day was over.  I could have listened to stories until bedtime, but we crawled back into our cars and rode home all aglow with our peek over the fence of life at Moss Mountain Farm.

 Special thanks to P. Allen Smith and the whole team out at Moss Mountain Farm, as well as the Arkansas Soybean Promotional Board for the invitation to Bean2Blog and for an amazing day!

Also thanks to my traveling buddies, fellow Dogtown Bloggers, Jerusalem and Sarabeth, who always make a road trip more fun!

The post Bean2Blog 2013 with P. Allen Smith appeared first on Alison Chino.

I put together a new salad featuring edamame this week in preparation for Bean 2 Blog, a super fun blogging event at P. Allen Smith‘s Moss Mountain Farm, hosted by P. Allen Smith and The Arkansas Soybean Promotional Board.

Edamame makes a regular appearance on our table, as a dinner side or an afternoon snack.  The kids love it and so do I, so I am excited that my state is growing more of this great crop.

Edamame is basically a common soybean, but it is harvested at the peak of ripening right before it reaches the hardening that makes it a dry bean.

We learned at Bean 2 Blog that our nation’s first plant dedicated to the receiving, processing, packaging and shipping of edamame was built right here in Arkansas last year. The plant in Mulberry is also directly helping Arkansas farmers to grow more edamame by contracting with farmers to plant acres (900 in 2012) of this soybean variety.

All the bloggers got to bring edamame seeds home that have been researched and produced right here in Arkansas.  The soybean plants that make edamame are actually different from the soybeans that are grown for other uses.  Edamame plants are not genetically modified and many of them are grown organically.

I am totally going to take my seeds to Sandy and Michael’s land to plant.

Colorful Summer Salad with Peppers and Edamame

This salad is a bright, colorful cornucopia of summer.  Different colored peppers and purple onions give it stripes of color, but then the tomatoes and edamame make it pop.

Happy day!  A beautiful salad that tastes delicious and is good for you!  High in protein, fiber and iron, edamame is a super legume.

{Printable Recipe}

Ingredients

8 ounces spring mix

1/2 cup shelled edamame

1 cup green beans, blanched and chopped

1/4 cup sliced red onion (about half of a small red onion)

1 cup sliced peppers (any mix of colors)

1 yellow squash, thinly sliced

2-4 tomatoes, sliced

1/4 cup fresh dill, chopped

Dressing

1 cup olive oil

1/4 cup red wine vinegar

2 tablespoons honey

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon dried basil or 1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped

Arrange all ingredients on a platter or in a large bowl.  Mix dressing with a whisk or blender.  Pour over salad just before serving.

Enjoy!

The post Colorful Summer Salad with Peppers and Edamame appeared first on Alison Chino.

When I was out in the garden last week, I tried some homemade insect repellent that my friend, Sandy, had made.  I loved the way it smelled, so I asked her for the recipe and made some for my family.

Turns out, it is super easy to make your own all natural homemade insect repellent!  Try it!

Sandy used olive oil in hers, but I used soy oil because I am taking my bottle with me to learn about soybeans today!  Also, I think the soy oil has a longer shelf life.

Homemade Insect Repellent

{Printable Version}

1 cup water, boiled then cooled

1 cup witch hazel

1 teaspoon soy oil

10-20 drops of essential oils

I used tea tree and lavender, but rosemary or citronella oil would also be great bug deterrents.

Mix all the ingredients in a measuring cup with a spout and pour into spray bottles.  Gently shake before using.  Spray freely and enjoy being outside!

PS. I am at #Bean2Blog today at P. Allen Smith’s Farm.  You can keep up with the Moss Mountain Farm happenings today on Twitter by following the hashtag.  More uses for soy products and soy recipes forthcoming!!

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We had the most delectable lunch at Moss Mountain Farm this week.  In keeping with our soy-themed day for Bean 2 Blog, the topping for the potato was made with tofu and the succotash served with the pork tenderloin was filled with edamame.

I enjoyed the whole meal very much, but my favorite part was, as you might guess, the vegetables.  I decided that the succotash should be liberated out from under the pork tenderloin, so I made it last night all by itself.  And with the exception of Simon, it was a hit.

I added zucchini and took out the cumin since I wasn’t pairing it with the pork tenderloin.  The dish came out great and made a wonderful leftover lunch today.

Edamame is one of my favorite snacks, as it is delicious all by itself.  I love to bring a bag of it with me in the car on a road trip, because like unshelled sunflower seeds, eating the beans out of the pods occupies me in a way that also keeps me alert as I’m rolling down the road.

However, pulling all those soybeans out of the pods for a salad can be a little tedious, which is why it’s so great that you can now by frozen edamame already shelled.  Buying the edamame this way makes this recipe insanely simple.  You should probably make it this weekend and take it as a side dish to whatever Memorial Day event you’re attending.  Someone like me will be so happy to see a bowl full of brightly colored veggies breaking up the heavier picnic fare.

Soy Succotash

(loosely adapted from this recipe at Soy Connection that was served to the bloggers at Bean 2 Blog straight from the LOVELY kitchen at Moss Mountain Farm)

Ingredients:

2 cups edamame

2 cups cherry tomatoes, cut in half (I used regular tomatoes because that’s what I had on hand, but I think cherry would work better)

1 cup corn, frozen or cut off the cob

2 small zucchini diced into half inch pieces

¼ cup red onion, diced small

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon salt

Dash of cayenne pepper

2 teaspoons soybean oil

Directions:

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and toss.

Heat oil in medium frying pan over medium heat.  Add edamame mixture and cook, stirring constantly, for around 5 minutes or until warm.

Enjoy!

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P. Allen Smith and the Arkansas Soybean Promotion Board treated several Arkansas bloggers to a dreamy day of doing a few of my most favorite things:

walking, eating and storytelling.

I’m still soaking it all in.

I met lots of new friends, tasted new recipes, learned all about soybeans and filled my heart with farm stories.

I have a lot to share about this incredible day, so stay tuned!

Credits:

photos

aerial view of farm: P. Allen Smith website

Jerusalem, P. Allen Smith, me and Jim Carroll: Jerusalem Greer @ Jolly Goode Gal

bathtub: Stephanie McCratic @ Evolved Mommy

sleeping porch: Cara Wilkerson off the Bean2Blog Pinterest Board

Jerusalem and me: @Jerusalem Greer (instagram)

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