For Easter weekend, we traveled home to Augusta to be with my Mom and Dad. It felt great to be out on the open road again, after spending what seems like a lot of time at home recently. It was 48 hours filled with faith, family and supporting local farmers, and just the breath of fresh spring air that I needed.
On the journey from Savannah to Augusta, we always travel straight through Statesboro, and because it was Saturday morning, there was one pitstop I just had to make: the Statesboro Mainstreet Farmers Market. I got to check out the new location (behind the visitors center on the Blue Mile) and catch up with some of my favorite farmers, like Ricardo from Poor Robin’s Farms, and my friends at Jacob’s Produce.
I love that the new location has a covered area, and it sure came in handy that morning because the rain was coming down. With my husband Kurt, and 10-pound shih tzu Ewok, we made our way through the space, sampling orange blossom honey, smelling handmade soaps and deciding what vegetable we would pick up for Easter dinner. I couldn’t leave without a bag of Corks famous kettle corn, my favorite blackberry jam and two inspired cupcakes: strawberry cheesecake and key lime. I also bought some small onions, sweet potatoes and asparagus.
Before I left the market, Ricardo handed me a green bundle of Rapini, otherwise known as Broccoli Rabe and told me to try it. I cooked it down as a side dish for dinner earlier this week with onion and garlic, and threw in a few cherry tomatoes for a pop of color. It was savory and Some Kinda Good.
As we ventured on our way, we passed through Waynesboro and anybody from the area knows, if it’s April in Waynesboro, you stop at The Strawberry Patch. I bought a gallon of hand-picked strawberries and have been eating them every day. Strawberries are in season through July 4, and now is the time to enjoy them.
We made it to the great metropolis of Blythe, Georgia (the small town where I grew up), soon after, and sitting right alongside U.S. Highway 1, I came across a bright red conex-turned-adorable-shop called The Pecan Barn. I was delighted to discover a local family who owns a beautiful pecan orchard and has all kinds of Georgia Grown pecan products. The chocolate covered nuts made a great snack when I returned home to Savannah.
On Easter Sunday, we attended Hopeful Baptist Church, a beautiful, older church in the country with big white columns and long wooden pews. It was a sweet time of worship and a reverent service, and I look forward to visiting again with my parents.
For Sunday dinner, mom cooked a big lunch of baked pork chops, sweet potato casserole, asparagus, squash and mayonnaise biscuits. We baked a vanilla strawberry cake for dessert, and ended the afternoon with a good porch sit. After the rain on Saturday, the sun came out on Sunday, as if all creation was testifying that the stone had been rolled away, shouting “He is risen!”
In the spirit of Easter season, I’m wishing you a beautiful springtime full of all the goodness Georgia has to offer.
Rebekah Faulk Lingenfelser is a private chef and the author of the best-selling memoir “Some Kinda Good.” Featured in Forbes, on Food Network and ABC, she writes about Southern, coastal cuisine, locally sourced and in season. Connect with her on social media by liking Some Kinda Good on Facebook, or follow @SKGFoodBlog on Instagram and Twitter. To learn more, visit RebekahLingenfelser.com.