This week the pickings were slim at the Clarkesville market with many vendors busy with school and other weekend activities and in that between summer and fall crop time. Instead of sighing and heading home empty handed, I decided to head to Osage Farms in Rabun County. It is a great time to take a little drive up the mountains and with the four-lane complete, no worries of getting caught behind meandering tourists…
Osage Farms is located outside of Mountain City just beyond Clayton on 441 North. There is always a busy parking lot of people anxious to get their market bags full of mountain grown goodies. Osage grows much of its produce and I love looking out over the cabbage fields with the mountains looming in the background. They look a bit like a blue lake and as the leaves begin to color it is a gorgeous sight.
There are two things I really enjoy at Osage during the season. The first is corn. As a good Georgia girl, I am partial to Silver Queen, but I must admit that last year I discovered Osage’s early bi-color super-sweet variety and it is equally as good. The other must buy is the heirloom tomatoes. Osage grows their own heirlooms and at the height of the season, it is a gorgeous display of 20 or more varieties. As a disclaimer, when Osage’s tomatoes are not in, they will sell South Georgia grown tomatoes, but they are clearly marked as such.
My market basket included both of my favorites and I will be enjoying the last of the season’s bounty tonight. I like to take the corn off the cob and sautee it in butter with some chopped up chives, thyme and basil from my little garden. Add a dollop of cream at the end and it is perfect! One of my other favorite dishes is a recipe of my Mother’s. Take the gorgeous eggplant like you see in my basket, peel and slice it into rounds about 1/2 inch. Place on a cookie sheet (greased) and cook for about 15 minutes in a 350 degree oven until fork-tender. Place the slices in a greased casserole dish and place sliced tomatoes over the eggplant and then sprinkle liberally with chopped vidalia onion. Take shredded cheddar cheese and coat the top of the dish and then place all back in the oven for about 25 minutes or until the cheese is nice and bubbly with a crisp edge on the sides. Even the most ardent eggplant hater will enjoy this dish.
While enjoying the last of the summer bounty, I also enjoyed seeing the early fall harvest. Apples are coming in as well as the autumn favorites of pumpkins, winter squash and gourds. Other items not to miss are the grits ground by a teacher at Rabun Gap that are some of the best I have ever had. They are a little coarser grind but with a rich, creamy base…truly delicious….They also carry a full array of breads from Our Daily Bread that you can also get at Jaemor Farms. My fall favorite is the sourdough apple. Toast it with butter for a taste of fall in the morning.
Pictured above, holding a tomato is Randi Williams, a senior Psychology Major at Piedmont College. Selecting veggies are members of the Johnson family of Sautee and pictures are courtesy of Tim Lytle of Clarkesville. Osage Farms are owned by Ricky and Clint James. The market is open from May through October when the James brothers head off to get their Christmas Tree Farm ready for the holiday. The address is 5030 North Highway 441 and the phone is 706-746-7262.
