On this day, we are all living under a ‘blue moon,’ which means it is the second full moon in the calendar month. When we speak of a blue moon, we are generally referring to something rare, in this case, an event that happens every two or three years. There won’t be another one until December of 2028. 

Memories

A blue moon triggers a special memory for me because our friends got married on a full blue moon in June, an impromptu affair that began as a garden party and ended up a wedding in what only can be thought of as perfect synchronicity. 

A Blue Moon Party

Our group of quilters, Wild Mountain Women, decided to have a garden party because all the roses were at full bloom, it was a blue moon, and well, why not? We donned our garden party hats, it was the 90s after all, and prepared a feast, everything with a blue theme: blue moon cheesecake appetizer, blue corn chips and blue cheese dip, blue crab bake, grilled blue corn crusted chicken and all-blue potatoes, blueberry shortcakes, and bluesberry punch. We invited friends and a few relatives and before you knew it, there was quite a crowd, a grill, coolers, blues music from the speakers in the window of my office, and a very large table of special foods and treats. 

It all comes together

There was a lot of silliness going on. While preparing food, a few of us started joking with quilter Martha that she and her beloved should use the gathering to get married. After all, Quilter Greta was not only the assistant town clerk of the village (with keys to the office of course) but also a justice of the peace. All the legalities were covered. The joking continued, and Martha asked everyone what her mother would think if not invited, and we all agreed the mother would be happy she was finally tying the knot. A few minutes later, the late-comers started straggling in. My father-in-law brought a beautiful amazing magnum of champagne, and we all laughed at that one. We’ve got the champagne covered. Check.

And that’s that!

Then, quilter Mary showed up with a cake, of course we all said, what else could she possibly have brought. Wedding cake, check. The very last person to arrive was quilter Linda who got out of the car carrying the most exquisite, enormous, pink and yellow peony. She ran up to us, holding it out in awe, and said to us (not knowing anything about the theme of our conversations) “Doesn’t this flower look like it could be a wedding bouquet?” 

Mission accomplished

That did it. The couple looked at each other, and at Greta, and we all started laughing, and off they went to the town hall, just a quick walk away. They returned a half hour later, a ring purchased at the village antique shop, ink drying on the marriage license, and the ceremony was brief but beautiful.

Why not?

Once in while in a big blue moon. The couple decided they would celebrate their anniversary on blue moons from that day forward.

Is it really blue?

It’s always fun to make note of a full blue moon, even if only very rarely does the moon ever actually look blue. I always think of that day almost 30 years ago when a special happening occurred in a matter of minutes that changed lives, and gave us all a really good story.

A crazy spring

Spring this year has been all over the place. A few very warm days, an ample amount of rain, and last night, temperatures in the 40s again! I haven’t even bothered to plant my tomatoes yet because the soil is just too cold! I tucked my pole beans in, but don’t expect to be able to take attendance for quite some time. With the cold and wind of this weekend, no one would have thought it was a perfect day for an impromptu wedding. 

Unstoppable farmers

But our farmers have been very busy with their tricks, and the farmers market this week had an abundance of delights. In my canvas bags this week, we tucked baby carrots and their greens, small fennel bulbs and their greens too, sprouting broccoli and cauliflower, and first of the season little summer squash! I was certainly impressed with the latter, since we still have asparagus as well. It called for a feast on veggies for dinner, so with the addition of some whole grain farro, It all came together nicely.

Waste not

A word about both the carrots and fennel. Every inch of these plants is edible from the roots to the tips of the greens. Yet, we seldom see the whole plants for sale, even at farm stands, just the lonely carrots and stripped fennel bulbs. Such a waste. All the other parts are not only edible, but tasty as well.

Use it all

I lopped off the greens of the fennel and carrots and with the addition of a few leaves of new basil, also from the market, some garlic, olive oil, and sunflower kernels, made a lovely pesto. I’ll be using it all week in various dishes and sauces. For this dish, I thinly sliced the fennel, stalks and all, and lightly sauteed them along with a beautiful Vidalia onion (thank you Georgia) and used this as a base for the farro, sort of pilaf rice style of cooking. It turned out delicious, and served with the carrots from the market and tiny little baby pak choy from my garden, roasted, the dish was beautiful to behold as well. 

About farro

Farro has a nutty flavor and delightful chewy texture we love, but sometime I forget about it on the shelf! I need to do better. It’s an ancient wheat, very flavorful, full of fiber and protein. You will find it whole grain or ‘pearled’ but whole grain has more nutrition and is tastier, so look for that. It is often available in bulk sections of large supermarkets or health food stores and co-ops, and it is quite inexpensive. It cooks in about 25 minutes or so, but you can shorten that time if you think of soaking it overnight. I seldom do, but a little soak is always helpful. You can cook it like rice with a 1:3 farro to water or broth ratio, cook it like pasta, or use the pilaf method, also a 1:3 ratio.

Let’s not forget!

Once the farro and fennel are cooked, a last squeeze of lemon and the addition of toasted cashew nuts adds a really nice crunch and unique flavor. It was a hit all around, and hopefully I’ll be making this more than once in a blue moon. 

Happy Blue Moon Day!

Farrow Pilaf with Fennel and Cashews

• 1 cup whole meal farro
• 2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
• 1 large Vidalia onion, diced
• 2 small fennel bulbs and stalks, sliced thinly
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tsp. ground fennel seeds, crushed
• ½ cup dry white wine
• 3 cups vegetable broth or water
• 1/3 cup pesto of choice
• 1/3 cup toasted cashews or seed of choice, divided

If you think of it, soak your farro the night before, or at least 30 minutes before cooking time starts. Rinse it really well to remove excess starch, and let drain. Save a bit of the fennel fronds to garnish if available.

Heat the olive oil in a large skilled or sauce pan and add the onions over medium high. Let these get translucent, then toss in the fennel, garlic, and fennel seeds. Once the vegetables have softened, toss in the farro and let the grains all get coated nicely. You don’t need to brown this.

Deglaze the pan with the wine, then add the broth. Bring to a simmer, then lower the heat, cover, and let cook for about 20 minutes. Remove the cover and continue to cook until the farro is ready, but still nice and chewy, another five to ten minutes.

Remove from the heat and add the pesto, saving a bit for garnish, and the same with the nuts. Plate up and top with your garnishes.

Second Act

And, if you decide to have a blue moon party…

Serve up a blue moon cheesecake for appetizer! Actually, for many years at the inn when we had our annual holiday party, I would make this to serve with crackers and it goes a very long ways, like the best cheeseball in the world! 

Night Ride Home

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“At the end of the day, faith is a funny thing. It turns up when you don’t really expect it. It’s like one day you realize that the fairy tale may be slightly different than you dreamed. The castle, well, it may not be a castle. And it’s not so important happy ever after, just that it’s happy right now. See, once in a while, once in a blue moon, people will surprise you, and once in a while people may even take your breath away.“    ~ Zane Grey