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Plant Chat: Annemarie Ahearn, Salt Water Farm

Sharon Palmer

I am delighted to welcome Annemarie Ahearn to our Plant Chat today. She is founder of Salt Water Farm and Cooking School in Lincolnville, Maine. Although she grew up in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Annemarie frequently took summer trips to Maine to visit the blueberry farm that has been in her family for five generations. In 1999, the family purchased a parcel of land on the coast of Maine with the goal of transforming it into a farm. A graduate of Colorado College, Annemarie trained as a chef at the Institute for Culinary Education in New York City. After testing the waters as a personal assistant to a celebrity chef, she felt a strong pull towards rural living and farming. Leaving all her friends behind, she packed up her possessions (and her dogs!) and moved to Maine to work on the farm. Salt Water Farm opened in 2009 and Annemarie launched the cooking school shortly thereafter. Her debut cookbook, Full Moon Suppers at Salt Water Farm, was released in May of 2017. Read on to learn more about Annemarie and her passion for farming and making vegetables the star of the dinner plate.

What drew you to a rural lifestyle?

The natural elements of Maine. The sea, the sky, the mountains, the lakes and the shifting seasons, which deeply affect the way we live out each day.

What makes Salt Water Farm and its cooking school unique?

We focus on fundamental cooking skills for home cooks, trusting your instincts in the kitchen, being resourceful and letting go of recipes.

How do you think we can best educate our society about the origins of our food and the earth?

Challenge them to grow something, nurture it, harvest it and eat it. Start with a rosemary plant or a little tomato plant by a sunny window. In my view, the best education is tactile and engages the senses.

What do you find most rewarding and most challenging as a farmer?

Maine has a short growing season and soil that caters more to perennials (berries, fruit trees) than annuals vegetables. It’s taken us nearly a decade to improve our soil through composting and we still have a long way to go.

What are some helpful tips that you share with your classes to increase people’s confidence in the kitchen?

Trust your instincts, rather than clinging to a recipe. Buy foods that are in season, plentiful and local. Let the ingredients speak for themselves.

What is your personal nutrition philosophy?

Everything in moderation.

Do you have any exciting new initiatives on the horizon?

I’m working on a second book that focuses less on cooking for an audience (as my first book did) and more on cooking for the pleasure of the cook (and her family). Turning inward a bit.

Where do you see agriculture heading in the future?

That’s a big question. Rather than solving the problems of the world at large, I’ve decided to focus on my own community, teaching teens about food and farming, working with local farms and spreading the good sustainable food word through the classes. I’ll leave the systems work to the policy experts.

What are 5 foods you can’t live without?

I love so many things, this is a hard one. Anything at its peak, I suppose. Asparagus and tender green herbs in May, berries and mackerel in July, tomatoes and corn in August and fall mushrooms.

What are some of your best tips on how to eat more plants?

Cut back on grains and protein when you shop. Buy more vegetables and find ways to make them the feature of your meals, rather than a side show.

Could you share a recipe with us?

The time has come to showcase the many colorful varieties of heirloom tomatoes, perfectly ripe from the August sun, served sliced and sprinkled with salt. A little sautéed corn, a few crunchy cucumbers, and a handful of basil leaves make this salad a fine tribute to the season.

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Heirloom Tomatoes, Cucumbers, Maine Corn, Basil, and Lemon Vinaigrette (Vegan, Gluten-Free)


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  • Author: The Plant-Powered Dietitian
  • Yield: 8 servings 1x

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 garlic clove, peeled
  • Kosher salt
  • Juice and zest of 1 lemon
  • 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
  • 1 tablespoon local honey
  • 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
  • 1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • fresh ground pepper
  • 3 small cucumbers
  • 4 ears corn
  • 4 heirloom tomatoes
  • petals of 2 small to medium sunflowers
  • 2 bunches Genovese basil, leaves picked from stems and stems discarded
  • 1 bunch purple basil, leaves picked from stems and stems discarded

Instructions

  1. With a mortar and pestle, grind the garlic clove with a pinch of salt. Add the lemon juice and zest, Dijon mustard, honey, and red wine vinegar. Mash the ingredients together with the pestle until incorporated. Drizzle in 1⁄4 cup of the olive oil, give it a couple of swirls with the pestle, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Let sit for 20 minutes to allow the flavors to meld.
  2. With a vegetable peeler, peel every other strip of cucumber skin lengthwise, creating stripes. This allows the vegetable to retain a little color without overwhelming the salad with the bitterness of the peel. Slice the cucumbers in half lengthwise and remove the seeds if they are large. Place each half flat side down on the cutting board. Cut the cucumbers into 1⁄4-inch strips lengthwise, then turn them 90 degrees and slice them every 1⁄4 inch. The resulting pieces should be 1/4-inch cubes. Place them in a medium bowl and toss with a small amount of the vinaigrette to make a quick pickle.
  3. Husk the corn. With a sharp serrated knife, cut the kernels off the cobs. Heat a large cast- iron skillet over high heat. Add the remaining tablespoon of olive oil, the corn kernels, and a pinch of salt. Quickly stir to incorporate and then sauté the corn cook until golden brown on one side, about 4 minutes. Give the corn a stir and sauté for another 3 to 4 minutes, or until the kernels begin to gain color on the other side. Remove to a plate or platter and allow to cool.
  4. Just before serving, slice the tomatoes into thick wedges, 8 to 10 wedges per tomato. In a salad bowl, gently toss tomatoes with the cucumbers, corn, and a few spoonfuls of dressing. Garnish with sunflower petals and whole basil leaves. Top with sea salt and more dressing if desired.

Notes

From Full Moon Suppers by Annemarie Ahearn, ©2017 by Annemarie Ahearn. Photographs by Kristin Teig. Reprinted by arrangement with Roost Books, an imprint of Shambhala Publications, Inc. Boulder, CO. www.roostbooks.com

Written by Rebecca Berg, Dietetic Intern with Sharon Palmer, RDN

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