Virginia '14

We enjoyed the Historic Virginia Garden Tour last year so much we decided to do a repeat. This year, the 81^st, we drove to the Northern Neck. This is the peninsula between the Potomac and the Rappahannock Rivers and is the area where my husband’s family settled in the 1640’s. One branch had landed in Jamestown in 1624 but moved up to the Northern Neck. We even visited one old church, North Farnham, 1737, where an ancestor was probably baptized that year.

The Northern Neck tour this year centered in Richmond County on the Rappahannock, a very rural area even today. The treats of the tour were two 18^th century mansions that are still working farms lived in by the original families---Sabine Hall, built by Landon Carter in 1735, and Mt. Airy built by John Tayloe, 1748-1758. Both are set in parks next to their fields with smaller plantings near the house. Sabine Hall has a falling garden, i.e. terraced, which is still there but with diminished plantings. But even Landon Carter after a drought one year had the terraces plowed and planted in turnips.

Perhaps the best thing we saw was Stratford Hall and George Washington’s birth place. Stratford is the ancestral home of the Lees and best remembered as the birthplace of Robert E. Lee. We spent a long time there as there is a lot to see. They are re-interpreting parts of the house and the gardens. The plantation became a museum in the 1930’s but as more information is obtained the interpretation is improved.

George Washington was born nearby at his father’s Pope’s Creek farm. In the rush to provide a suitable memorial for the first President a colonial house was built only later to learn that the original house was located a short piece away and looked quite different. The site is run by the National Park Service and is free. The guide was quite informative. He saw my husband’s Red Devon cap and asked if we raised Devon. We knew that the site raised heritage breeds and that they used to have oxen on display which were Devon steers. Indeed there were four cows that he directed us to in one of the outer fields. The Devon bull was off site doing duty elsewhere. My husband was anxious to see the cemetery where, Jane Butler, Augustine Washington’s first wife is buried. (It was his second wife Mary Ball who became George Washington’s mother.) Jane Butler was a cousin to one of my husband’s ancestors.

There was not much in food offerings in this part of the world. We did have a nice lunch at a small restaurant called The Daily, probably because it was located beside a newspaper office. They have been in business for 5 years and offered variety of good things. We chose the roasted red pepper soup and a sandwich that tasted like a pizza with tomatoes and mozzarella. But perhaps the best was the soup, and in one of the local ‘House and Home’ magazines from Middlesex County was a very nice recipe. I came home and immediately did the recipe and it was a keeper. I found red peppers on sale at one of the local markets here (they are pricey at times), and after roasting them, the rest of the recipe came together fast. Also remember that red and orange peppers contain carotenoids helpful to eye health and the prevention of cataracts and macular degeneration. The fiber in these peppers helps lower cholesterol and promotes digestion.

 

Roasted Red Pepper Soup

Serves 4

2-2 ½ pounds red peppers (6-7)

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 ½ cups yellow onion, chopped

1 cup chicken broth

2 cups water

1 teaspoon salt, or to taste

Pinch of cayenne pepper

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

8-10 fresh basil leaves, shredded (My basil has come in.)

1/3 to ½ cup heavy cream

Cut peppers in half lengthwise; remove stems, ribs and seeds. Lay cut side down on baking sheet; place under broiler. Roast until skins blister and blacken, 15-20 minutes. Remove and cover with foil until cool. Peel off skins, chop into medium pieces. Set aside.

Warm oil in large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and sauté until translucent. Add chicken broth, water, salt and cayenne pepper. Cover partially and bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer 15-20 minutes.

Drain peppers and onion in colander, reserving liquid. Purée peppers and onion in food processor or blender and add reserved liquid as necessary to make a smooth soup.

Add cream at the end and decorate with basil leaves.

Serve hot or cold.