Hattie's Heirloom Tomato and Rocket Dream Garden

Hattie Allen, Lewes, DE

Hattie’s story is an excellent example of one woman who made her dreams come true.  Making your dreams come true takes guts! Since the age of four Hattie has loved being in the garden witnessing the miracle of nature take hold of a simple seed and reliably transform it into a bounty of edible delight. It takes a lot of faith, I think, to trust that nature will nurture the seed you’ve planted. We all have within us seeds of passion and purpose for some expression of good which we hope will grow and one day render a fruitful and fulfilling bounty for ourselves and for others. The life-force of garden-fresh produce is a treasure of love meant to share and such is the life of one Delaware farmer. 

Hattie's Garden Delights

We can all be inspired by Hattie’s willingness to follow her passion that caused her one day in 2004 to leave her comfortable position in a large D.C. law firm and move to the Delmarva region of Delaware to begin her new life as a farmer. When Hattie arrived in Lewes, Delaware, a coastal resort hot spot, she discovered the community was sorely in need of a farmer’s market. So in 2006, along with others, Hattie helped to establish the Historic Lewes Farmer’s Market (HLFM).  This last August the market  joined three others which were awarded the title of America’s Favorite Farmer’s Market by American Farmland Trust. Historic Lewes Farmer’s Market won second place last year and this year gathered 1,837 votes (350 more than the runner up) in the medium-sized category with more than 380 farmer’s markets competing nationwide.

Hattie's Fall Rocket Salad photo courtesy of Deny Howeth

When I saw Hattie’s celebratory post on Facebook about the win, I knew I had to interview her. "What makes an award winning farmer’s market?" I said to myself. What’s their secret? I had met Hattie last June at a weekend spiritual retreat in San Diego, CA. Through that brief but pleasant encounter I had learned that Hattie was well-know for her signature crop: rocket or arugula, as it is commonly called. Every summer Hattie plants a bed of rocket every week and sells as many as 150 bags of triple-washed arugula every Saturday. This resort area’s population in summer swells from its average of 2,750 to over 50,000. Among her offerings at market are heirloom cherry tomatoes, washed salad mixes, flowers, and other garden delights.

Hattie's Award Winning Kohlrabi

Hattie, an innovator, likes to think outside the box taking advantage of nature to produce a more flavorful harvest. Hattie, being the independent thinker that she is and committed to a yield that bursts with flavor, prefers to plant carrots only in the fall as experience has shown her that in her climate region that time yields the best flavor. She uses a high tunnel to extend her harvest year selling way beyond the season of the market which runs from May to October. She has, as she says, “had wonderful luck hooking customers on delicious carrots, succulent kale, cabbage, kohlrabi, and other cold weather crops that only taste good after several nice frosts”. In 5 years her post-market delivery service has grown from a handful of names to an email list of over 700 with at least 200 active customers every month. The delivery service now includes other farmers goods with between 60-80 Saturday deliveries from November through early May.

Hattie Allen, Chairperson HLFM 2011 (far right)

When I asked Hattie what she felt contributed to the customer loyalty that resulted in the overwhelming amount of votes that won the market the award this year she said that it is a combination of a committed “working” board of directors who follow smart market guidelines established by D.C. FreshFarms and the strict prohibition of non-grower prepared-food vendors which maintains an attractive and diverse sampling of local grower goods. It is indeed the most extensive assortment of farm-fresh goods which include free-range, no-hormone eggs and meats, pesticide-free produce, flowers, coffee, prepared pies, sheep & goat cheeses, fresh-caught seafood, and more! In addition, every Saturday the market features cooking demonstrations and classes that help shoppers learn new ways to prepare their market selections. They sponsor recipe contests and post the winning recipes online. In addition, the market has a program to donate excess produce at the end of each market day to a nearby soup kitchen to feed those in need.

I am truly inspired by Hattie’s story and her love of good food. Rocket is one of those greens that just bursts with flavor - good for salads and makes a great pesto. The trick with Rocket Pesto is to avoid it becoming bitter either by way of the rocket itself or the way you prepare it. Many folks prefer the mortar and pestle so if you like you can blend it that way but I like the quick method myself. 

DEB’S ROCKET PESTO

NOTE: Blanching the rocket involves plunging it into boiling water for a few seconds, removing it to an ice-water bath, then patting dry then adding to your food processor or blender to blend with the rest of the ingredients (except olive oil). If your rocket is at its peak and fresh you may skip the blanching and add a little more water in blending step as needed.

3 cups packed rocket (arugula) leaves, washed, blanched, dried

12-14 sweet basil leaves

½ cup lightly pan-toasted walnuts

¼ cup lightly pan-toasted pine nuts

6-8 garlic cloves, unpeeled

1 garlic clove, peeled, minced

1 tablespoon of fresh lemon or citrus zest

1 teaspoon sea salt

1/3 cup of water

Add After Processed:

2/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Optional:

½ cup Pecorino (hard Sheep cheese)

LOVING PREPARATION: 
1. Pan-roast the unpeeled garlic cloves over medium high heat in a skillet for about 10 minutes until lightly browned. Let cool slightly then peel and add to your blender or food processor.
2. Add the rest of the ingredients to the processor bowl then slowly pulse the mixture while adding the water until well-blended.
3. Pour pesto into a mixing bowl. Slowly add the olive oil mixing it in gently then adding the cheese if you like. Stir gently until pesto is well-blended.
4. Taste and adjust if you need. Store in a sterilized jar and cover with olive oil before placing in the refrigerator. Should keep for up to a month if you continue to pour more olive oil over the top of the pesto after each use.

Enjoy this pesto sauce on gluten-free pasta, pizza, steamed veggies, a raw bread or cracker, or stuff a chicken breast, or use as a sauce atop fish. So versatile and so nutritious!

That’s all for this week…I’m off to a food writing class tomorrow and a wonderful farm-to-table dinner on Sunday. 

See you in two weeks and until then…prepare your food with love and enjoy the love in every bite!

Deb