#Bean2Blog 2013–Part 1 - The Kitchen Tour

 

Disclosure: The following post is about the 2013 Bean2Blog event, where P. Allen Smith and the Arkansas Soybean Promotion Board invited twenty bloggers from Arkansas to learn about soybean production in the state and to see how gentleman farmer, P. Allen Smith, has transformed his acres into an amazing dream-come-true.   I received no compensation for attending other than a super-cute t

–shirt (okay 2, there’s a story about the 2nd one coming later), a few soybeans and a gift bag  of soy candles.  Oh, and they fed us some really yummy deliciousness. All opinions are mine.

 

 

I told someone the other say that I am having trouble wrapping my head around all that was #Bean2Blog 2013  .  It was so much more than getting to spend the day and converse with gardener and life style expert, P. Allen Smith, and his extraordinary crew led by Mimi San Pedro.  It was much, much more than getting to spend the day with many of my Arkansas Women Bloggers buddies. And it was so much more than the incredible conversation and dialogue we had with West Higginbothom, a Marianna soybean farmer and member of The Arkansas Soybean Promotion Board

So what was it exactly?  That’s my story to tell.  In not a few words, I might add. 

I decided to start this storytelling journey in the kitchen because… You just knew I would.

 

If the kitchen is indeed the heart of the home, then Moss Mountain Farm has an unbelievably gorgeous heart.  It is the stuff of Southern Accents (no longer in publication), Southern Living, or Architectural Digest
with its attention to detail and function.  Yet, it is familiar and cozy --- a place when friends and family can gather to share in the tasks at hand and the tales of the day.  It is comfortable, warm and inviting.  Friendly.


It is a reflection of his deep Southern roots.  This really is his home and it shows.

 

I had the feeling that I could have stepped right in, donned one of Jerusalem Greer’s cute little aprons, rummaged my way around (which I did) and helped prepare a batch of fresh super soy butter cookies (which I didn’t).  I will, however, be sharing that cookie recipe with you soon.

 

 

But a girl can dream and I rather have the feeling that being the gentile soul that he is, Allen would not have turned away a guest from his kitchen.  Indeed, I think I would have been invited to make his kitchen my own.

 

 

 

 

As it is with the rest of the garden home, the attention is to the details.  It’s the placement of a basket of fresh eggs on the carrara marble-topped counter or a casual just-picked bouquet in a simple vase on the window sill.
 

 

 

Maybe it’s the hint of a book (and, boy, were there books) turned just so

 

or an open-shelved cabinet of gleaming but utilitarian assortment of pots and pans.
 

Perhaps it's found in a gleaming bowl of randomly layered pears and apples and lemons basking in the few rays of sunlight peeking through.

 

The kitchen reflects that same inclination toward detail.  And yet it is a statement of simplicity --- of form, style and function.

 

It’s those details that are reflected in craftsmanship of a hinge or latch.  Or a well-placed pendulum lamp that says anything but new, yet it is.

 

 

Don’t misunderstand.  It is clear from listening to and talking with our gracious host that every square inch of the Greek Revival farmhouse has been well researched and planned.

 

From the hidden storage closets that are part of the passageway between the dining room and kitchen to the design of the window casings, old meets new in a harmonious juxtaposition that simply cannot occur by chance. 
 

 

Smith himself says it best, “The Garden Home is about living life at its natural best.  I believe we can create a stylish lifestyle in keeping with the tradition of the past, while taking full advantage of modern innovations and still be good stewards of the earth.”

In Moss Mountain Farm, I believe he is accomplishing what he set out to create.

 

Next: #Bean2Blog: Part II --- The Rest of the Home

Note: Some of these photos are from a previous trip to Moss Mountain Farm.

 

Join me in reading the #Bean2Blog posts from these storytellers:

NWA Foodie (Lyndi Fultz)
The Park Wife (Stephanie Buckley)
Heather’s Dish (Heather Disarro)
Aunt Nubby’s Kitchen (Anita Stafford)
Approaching Joy (Paige Ray)
A Growing Season (Angie Albright)
Eggs and Herbs (Julie Kohl)
The Little Magpie/The Food Adventuress (Bethany Stephens)
Boots McBlog (JoBeth McElhanon)
Chino House (Alison Chino)
The Jolly Goode Gal (Jerusalem Greer)
Ting’s Mom (Karen Weido)
Desperately Seeking Gina (Gina Knuppenburg)
 A Familiar Path (Melissa Stover)
The Dramatic (Sarabeth Jones)
In Arkansas (Lauren James)
In Arkansas (Blair Neal)