From the Fyr 8.6.2026
- Jessica Kelleher
- Aug 6
- 6 min read
Farm Forecast
Somehow... it's August.
I don't know exactly when that happened, but here we are. The gardens are overflowing, the tomatoes are finally doing what tomatoes are supposed to do (and what they are doing is mother nature at her finest hour), the corn is outrageously sweet, basil seems to double in size overnight, and every countertop on the North Fork has at least one zucchini sitting on it waiting for a purpose. This is the season I wait for all year because everything we've been patiently tending suddenly comes together at once.
The farm feels alive in a completely different way right now. Every morning brings another crate of vegetables to wash, another basket of herbs to harvest, and another menu to rethink because suddenly there's an abundance of something beautiful. It's a wonderful problem to have.
We've also had such an incredible response to our new Wood Fyr Friday format. Watching people settle in, linger over dinner, wander the farm between courses, and simply enjoy a slow summer evening has reminded all of us why we made the change in the first place. It has been exactly the experience we hoped to create. Our remaining events this Friday and on the 21st are sold out! We are so grateful for all of your support and looking forward to feeding you this weekend!
Café Highlights
The turkey bacon egg sandwich from a couple of weeks ago disappeared so quickly that poor Zack never even got one. For those of you who don't know, Zack (my better half) has alpha-gal syndrome, which means he can't eat mammalian meat (when he does he experiences an extreme allergic reaction. The reaction seems to vary from person to person, but can be life threatening for some and it happens intermittently which is scary! Living out here in tick country, I've been amazed by how many people I've met recently who have also been diagnosed. It seems like every week I hear another story.
Thankfully, turkey has made its return to the café this week, this time in the form of what I think is going to be one of the sleeper hits on the menu: turkey with cheddar, tomato, pesto, and roasted tomato mayo.
I love that it's not pretending to be ham. It's not trying to be roast beef. It's simply a really good turkey sandwich that lets turkey be delicious on its own terms.
Ironically, around the same time Zack was forced to rethink the way he ate because of alpha-gal, I found myself rethinking the way I was eating for a completely different reason. Like a lot of people, I assumed that as long as I was eating "real food," I could pretty much eat as much of it as I wanted. Turns out... not exactly.
Both of us were looking at lipid markers and a few others we'd rather not repeat. Mine had always hovered just above normal, and while Zack's situation was different, we both realized it was time to make a few adjustments. Not drastic ones, just thoughtful ones.
I still eat red meat. I still eat cheese. I still eat butter, and I fully intend to keep eating sweets. But I've learned that balance is not restriction. For me, that has simply meant eating hooved animals a little less often, paying a bit more attention to saturated fat, and letting vegetables take up a lot more real estate on my plate. The result has honestly been one of the biggest health changes our family has made. I'm excited to say my bloodwork is back into the normal range, Zack's has improved too, and somehow we're eating more delicious food than ever. I share this because it's the perfect example of how diet significantly impacts our health outcomes and that we have more control than we think.
Anyhoove...
The rest of the café menu feels like the very definition of August. The caprese sandwich with heirloom tomatoes and buffalo mozzarella is exactly why I refuse to waste my excitement on grocery store tomatoes in the middle of winter. Some foods are simply worth waiting for.
The ricotta toast might actually be my pick this week, though. Ratatouille made from peak summer vegetables, creamy ricotta, and our sourdough feels like one of those dishes that could only exist for a few short weeks every year. It's simple, but only because the ingredients are doing all the heavy lifting.
Market Highlights
For the past few years it has felt like the entire nutrition world has revolved around protein. Protein this. Protein that.
And don't get me wrong, I love protein. I choose my protein and then build my meal around it (but that doesn't mean it's doing the heavy lifting). It's essential for building and repairing muscle, supporting our immune system, helping us recover from workouts, and keeping us satisfied after meals.
But I have to admit, I'm thrilled that fiber is finally getting some of the recognition it has deserved all along. I've always been a fiber fangirl and pushing everyone I know to eat at least 30 different plants per week.
The older I get, the less interested I become in asking, "How can I eat more protein?" and the more interested I become in asking, "How can I eat more plants?"
Not because meat is bad. Meat is good.
Simply because vegetables are unbelievable this time of year.
A perfect example is the eggplant parmesan in the market this week. A few years ago I probably would have happily eaten the entire container myself. Today I'd still buy it in a heartbeat, but I'd plate it differently. Half the container gets served over seasoned ground beef (or turkey) or grilled chicken alongside an enormous pile of whatever greens are threatening to take over my refrigerator that week. Right now that's kale, Swiss chard, romaine, beet greens, basil... honestly I can't keep up.
Suddenly one container becomes dinner for Zack and me (while the kids are usually fighting over the shepherd's pie I have in the freezer). We still get all the cheesy, comforting goodness of eggplant parmesan, but we also get more vegetables, plenty of protein, and a meal that leaves us feeling energized instead of overly full.
That's become my favorite word lately.
Not restriction.
Not dieting.
Just balance.
Kitchen Spark
"We all find ourselves in food ruts, so here's a little spark to light the fyr in your kitchen."
My current kitchen obsession isn't really a recipe so much as it is a formula. It's like a succotash but sans tomatoes. I've been enjoying tomatoes as is with a simple sprinkle of salt. Try it.
Every three or four days I make a giant batch of roasted corn and zucchini because, quite honestly, it goes with absolutely everything. If you've spent any amount of time around me lately, there's a very good chance you've heard me say, "Hang on... I've got corn in the oven."
I cut fresh corn from the cob and spread it onto one sheet pan, then chop zucchini into bite-sized pieces and spread those onto another. A quick mist of olive oil from my mister (which, by the way, is my new favorite kitchen tool), plenty of salt, pepper, garlic powder, and paprika (my four if I was stranded on a deserted island seasonings) and into a 400° oven they go until everything develops those beautiful browned edges.
I usually let the vegetables sit for a minute before mixing them together so they stay roasted instead of steaming each other, and from there they become whatever I need them to be.
Sometimes I finish them with Parmesan. Sometimes feta. Sometimes cotija! Sometimes basil. Sometimes just a squeeze of fresh lemon.
Lately, my favorite version has been piling that roasted vegetable mixture over chopped romaine with grilled fish or chicken (also, if you haven't had the chicken breast from the butcher, go now. It borders on dessert not dinner is satisfying), avocado, pickled vegetables, crushed tortilla chips from the market, and a quick dressing made from Greek yogurt mixed with a little sriracha.
It's somewhere between a taco salad, a grain bowl, and a clean-out-the-fridge dinner, and honestly I don't care what you call it because it's delicious.
Pro tip: grab some of the pulled pork from the market this week and throw it on top of a serving of your giant meal-prepped corn and zuke. You won't regret it.
That's become my favorite kind of cooking this time of year. The vegetables are finally so good that they don't need much help. A little salt. A little heat. A little imagination.
The rest is summer doing what summer does best.
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