What's Happening 

in The Mountain Kitchen

Meet Chef Charity

March was the month of NEW for our Kitchen and Dining Hall. The last piece of new kitchen equipment was installed. Made possible by a generous anonymous donor, our shiny new stainless kitchen equipment included: a Convection Oven, Reach-In Refrigerator, Steamer, and Steam Table. We reached a new goal of having our very own chicken eggs available at each meal. New veggies and herbs were potted and seeded in the Many Hands Peace Farm greenhouse. I began my quest to hire new kitchen staff. For the first time since I started my employment, our staff had a Team Building Retreat which gave me a new understanding of the spirit and foundation of The Mountain.

Most exciting, we had the pleasure of hosting for 11 days the Ontario, Canada Cycling Association for their first time at The Mountain. These friendly and energetic young people volunteered to help with the production and clean up for each of their meals. Their sense of gratitude, accessibility, responsibility and kindness was contagious and made the staff and guest experience far more rewarding. Team work truly makes the dream work. The month of NEW has given me a new vision for the future of The Mountain's dining experience.

April will be the debut month of many new Mountain Menu items. I will be welcoming some cool new volunteers and staff members as well.

-Charity

P.S. I've had personal requests for the following recipe of a very simple new Mountain Menu item.

Charity's Pepperoni Blitz (Serves 1- 10)

   Ingredients:

• 1 puff pastry sheet          
• 1 Tablespoon of your favorite herbs
• 2 cups of pepperoni        
• 1cup of mozzarella         
• 2 Tablespoons of tomato paste

Mix by hand, or put tomato paste, herbs, pepperoni and cheese in a food processor until well combined. Put the mixture on the puff pastry sheet in an even layer. Roll it into a long cylinder and slice into half inch circles. Place the circles flat on an oiled or nonstick cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees until golden.

It's early morning on the spring equinox, rhododendron leaves are unfurled reflecting the warmer spring sun. On Little Scaly, bare trees show little evidence of the rosy glow of eastern redbuds seen at lower elevations. However, in a sense of suspended animation, branches are sporting buds, the daffodils are blossoming along Pond Road, and birdsong is announcing the imminent arrival of an awaited guest - spring. Since ancient times, this first day of spring has been celebrated as a time of rebirth and renewal.

Over 240 years ago in 1775, William Bartram came to these mountains looking for flowers. He believed that "the immediate finger of God" was at work in every flower and that "a portion of universal intellect [was] diffused in all life." While few spring flowers have sprouted along the trail to Chinquapin, our most common orchid, Downy Rattlesnake Plantain and the evergreen Spotted Wintergreen/Pippsissewa are seen poking through decomposing fall leaves. The common name Pippsissewa is a Creek Indian word for "juice breaks stone in bladder into small pieces," and refers to their belief that the plant could cure kidney and bladder stones. Another evergreen, the herbaceous perennial Galax, is turning green after exhibiting a striking color change from green to claret red during winter months - stimulated by the increased sunlight through bare winter branches.

And the bears will be emerging from hibernation right about now, many with cubs as an addition to the family pack. These cubs, born during hibernation, will stay with their mothers and hibernate together next winter. Bears have a very positive impact on our environment as they need a variety of habitats to thrive. As a result, bears are a good indicator species of a healthy wildlife habitat. If a habitat supports bears, it will support many other creatures.

This elevation creates an ecosystem that is similar to southern Canada. Over 160 species of birds use the Highlands area regularly for breeding, wintering, or spring and fall migration. A hike to Whiteside Mountain is timely where Peregrine Falcons nest on the steep rock face in springtime. One of our rarest birds, the raven, is frequently sighted - it's throaty-gurgling-croaking caw unmistakable. Unable to identify a strange urgent sound, I was recently drawn outside my cabin by the call of a raven's "Cr-r-ruck."

"Cr-r-ruck" call of the raven - let yourself be drawn outside to savor spring in the Blue Ridge by joining one of our Mountain Hiking