Well, we are going big this spring. We have expanded the garden to a field that is 1 full acre. The seed has all been ordered. Here's the planting plan by vegetable and linear feet of rows:
Garden Peas     100'
Snap Peas        100'
Beets                150'
Carrots              150'
Spinach             200'
Leaf Lettuce       100'
Romaine Lettuce    100'
Sweet Onion        200'
Squash               400'
Zucchini              400'
Green Beans       400'
Butterbeans        400'
Basil                  100'
Watermelon        400'
Cucumber          800'
Sweet Corn       2400'
Hot Pepper        100'
Sweet Pepper    100'
Slicing Tomato    400'
Canning Tomato  300'
Cherry Tomato    100'
Okra                   400'

It is going to be a great spring, and we are so, so excited.           
  

We get our cucumber seeds each spring from the Mt. Olive Pickle Company in Mt. Olive, North Carolina. For the second year in a row, they have sent us a variety called Arabian. This short-vine variety is a very heavy producer, and the fruit is not only great for pickling, but is an all around delicious cucumber. Thanks to the good folks in Mt. Olive for supplying us with this great seed. Pickling begins next week.

Driving back from Kentucky yesterday, I stopped off outside of Knoxville for a visit with Earl Cruze. If you have never tasted Earl's buttermilk, then you have not lived. The Cruze's greeted me with pork chops, beans, cornbread, and fresh buttermilk... great hospitality. Colleen fixed me a cone of their blackberry ice cream for a mid afternoon dessert. Unfortunately, the chocolate milk was in the tank, and not quite ready for bottling, but that just leaves me with a great reason to return soon. It was fun to learn that Earl was an auctioneer once too, like my Daddy and Granddaddy.Looking forward to making great biscuits and cornbread all weekend with the buttermilk I brought home. Thanks to the Cruze Farm Family.

A quick trip to Kentucky provided me the opportunity to visit the Buffalo Trace Distillery in Frankfort. Buffalo Trace distills, ages, and bottles the Van Winkle Family products, as well as my everyday bourbon, Old Weller. What a treat to get to visit the sacred ground upon which so much fine bourbon is produced. This is some Old Weller sleeping in a Bonded Warehouse at Buffalo Trace.

We scaled our garden down pretty significantly this year, so that we could make plenty of time to enjoy life beyond playing in the dirt. Our garden is designed to be very similar to a traditional English Four Sqaure Garden. The paths were laid from reclaimed, handmade Charleston bricks which we excavated from the property, and focal point in the center of the garden is an old stock tank which is now home to our kitchen herbs. Tomatoes, squash, zucchini, onions, radishes, peppers, eggplant, okra, and cucumbers have all found happy homes here for the season. The miracle of watching seeds turn into plants, which in turn produce food never ceases to amaze me.
 

This year we planted an heirloom straightneck squash. The seed came from Baker Creek Heirloom Seed Co. in Missouri. We harvested our first squash over the weekend. They are really delicious.

We found a beautiful green caterpillar grazing on the parsley in our garden, and moved it to a Mason jar on the porch. This morning I awoke to out garden friend learning to fly as a Black Swallowtail butterfly. Nature is cool beyond description sometimes.

Last Saturday night, we transformed an urban real estate office into a restaurant for a night. 23 guests enjoyed cocktails, cheeses, charcuterie, live music, dancing, and a six course dinner with wine pairings. Good stuff.
 

Giving back is good. Last weekend, we had the opportunity to travel back to my hometown of Chatham, Virginia and give our time to a local organization called Chatham Arts. They support development of the arts in young people through programs and scholarships. We were excited about the spread we put out for a post performance reception at Chaham Hall on Friday night. It was extra special, because we got to display the menu on my sweet grandmother's silver. As always, it was great to go home.

We had a great time catering some VIP dinner parties last weekend for BB&T during their Charleston Wine and Food Festival.
We served the following four course dinner menu:

Crab Cake, soybeans, grapefruit, parmesan-vanilla broth

Mixed Field Greens, beets, pistachio, goat cheese, sherry vinaigrette

Beef Short Rib, cauliflower, carrot, veal jus

Toasted Oat Panna Cotta, caramel, chocolate, meringue