Super Moon of February

As we make our way into the cold fields, there are only a few crops surviving the January winter weather. At the top of the list are Jerusalem Artichokes, also known as sunchokes. On our way down to the sunchokes, we always pass by the eagles, now fully engaged in establishing their nesting domain and their courtship to each other. One moment they are perched side by side, and the next, aerial flights and high-pitched calls fill the cold air. They make life feel so much more romantic and wild in these grey, grey weeks, as we feel our cold farmer joints calling us to idle.

One of my new favorite cookbooks is Full Moon Suppers At Salt Water Farm, written by Annemarie Ahearn. In this gorgeous book, seasonal meals are created around the lunar cycle, paying tribute to the bounty of the land and sea. Showcased in February’s full moon menu is a fantastic recipe for Jerusalem Artichokes, along with parsley, watercress, grain mustard and bacon, if you so desire. A little bit of all of these ingredients goes a long way to hearty, delicious flavor; mustard, sherry vinegar, olive oil and lemon zest dressing finishes off these unique potato-like veggies.

As the snowy cold days have dominated, we look upon the full Hunger Moon of February in the coming weeks to celebrate preserves, pickled veggies, cured meats from the fall, and to cook with vibrant spices that can add dimension to our winter meals. Ahearn’s cookbook has many creative ideas in all of these realms, and while her inspirations are from the East Coast, in Maine, we here in the Pacific Northwest coastal region can equally dive into our own specialty foods natural to our land and sea.

On February 9th, the moon will be one of the largest full moons of the year, a supermoon, as its orbit swings close to the Earth. We can start preparing our own full moon meals and enjoy true seasonality.

Make sure to find us on Instagram @fullcirclefarms.