http://leenewlin.com/ If you drive about 8 miles west of Chapel Hill & Carrboro, you’ll find food & dairy farming among lush gentle rolling hills dotted here & there with homes with plenty of space between them. Lee & Larry Newlin bought 18 acres that had a previous history of farming. They wanted to continue the history of farming on this land. Their mission is to grow
really good food & to teach others how to grow & cook not just delicious but also healthy food.
Today, Lee was teaching a class on creating healthy fall soups. Lee is a small woman, full of zip & infectious humor telling stories about cooking, farming & life. After we watched her make Curcubit Fall Bisque with Crispy Sage Leaves, (& we'd all had bowls to enjoy), Larry led us on a garden tour, talking about how they organically grow many different crops. The farm is peaceful, beautiful, & calming.
We return to the classroom to watch Lee & her daughter Kathryn prepare & cook 2 more soups, with generous tastings. All this, with printed recipes to take home, in 3 short hours! During this time, Lee shares lots of cooking tips & gardening stories: we learn how to create veggie stocks, how to
“really” cook with olive oil, that miso should never be boiled, how to sharpen kitchen knives with a whetstone, how to make vegan parmesan cheese, & much more. I left class with a full tummy.
They also have Farm Dinners featuring local chefs preparing delicious meals using local, organically grown foods. Food is passed around the table; the idea is to enjoy a wonderful meal prepared with fresh, locally grown produce, meet new people, & create a community-type event for the evening.
