Fried Green Tomatoes!

Anyone who knows me knows that I love food and I love cooking almost as much as photography. My mother taught me a lot in the kitchen on her seldom days off growing up. I must thank her in an exquisite way someday. Maybe with a delicious meal?You might also know that I am a bit of a nut when it comes to my food. I want to know where it came from, if any pesticides were used, and if it came from a non-GMO mother, or an heirloom.

I grew up in the South and I am an avid fan of Southern comfort foods. I love fried foods, but really limit the intake in my household to one fried thing a week, or every two weeks. When I do fry, I use coconut oil because of it’s healing properties. Did you know coconut oil aids in the treatment of many ailments? Epilepsy being one of them! To read more about the wonderful coconut oil, click here.

When I moved to Maine, I went on a rapid friend-adding spree on Facebook. I needed people to know who I was, what I do, and what I am all about. Upon adding people, I weeded out the ones who always complain on their walls, the blatantly racist ones, and the ones who aren’t actually the age listed on their profiles. Why parents let 13 year olds on Facebook is beyond me. I kept the sane, level-headed, and like-minded folks. One of these folks is a farmer down in Presque Isle, ME. His name is Isaac and he helps run the Baird Farm.

I was headed to Presque Isle the other day to do some food shopping when I called Isaac and asked if we could buy a 100% natural, cage-free, anti-biotic-free, seed-fed chicken from him. This is where the adventure began. We made our way to Route 1 and headed South. A little over an hour later, we were right by the  Presque Isle Airport… driving in circles looking for this farm. Once I got in touch with Isaac, I realized I was looking for the wrong thing. Isaac was at work. D’oh!

Upon finding Isaac and receiving our chicken (and a FREE dozen eggs!), he offered to show us the farm. Like I would say ‘no’ to actually seeing where my food was coming from! We drove another 3-5 miles and arrived at Baird Farm. Right about now, I began kicking my butt for not bringing my camera. Chickens! Pigs! Roosters! Turkins! Highland Bulls! This place was great! The animals had huge fenced in areas to roam, graze, and frolic (do chickens frolic?). They were happy and you could tell. My daughter had a blast checking the animals out and letting them lick her hands.

Isaac doesn’t grow or feed anything that he and his family won’t eventually eat. Sustainable living at it’s finest! His garden was HUGE and definitely puts mine to shame.Tomatoes, carrots, radishes, peppers, corn… you name it, Isaac is probably growing it right now. I found his place very serene and inspiring. Next year, we plan on getting a couple chickens to lay eggs for us. We also plan on using the majority of our backyard for raised bed gardens, instead of just a small portion.

I have yet to cook the chicken, but I did fry up some green tomatoes Isaac gave us. This was my first time to ever do this alone and without my mother’s kitchen guidance. As with any meal I plan on making, I took to allrecipes.com to look for a general guideline. I always add my own ingredients to recipes and try to make it my own, but I need a guideline! Once I found one, I took to the kitchen to work my magic.

That was so, seriously delicious. I love their spice! – Jenna Beaulieu

If you’d like the recipe, just ask. The worst I can do is say ‘no’. Kidding!