Thomas Jefferson's Vegetable Garden

So did you know that Thomas Jefferson's vegetable garden at Monticello was one thousand feet long and contained more than 250 varieties of more than 75 species of plants from around the world?

Carved into a terraced, slopping hilltop, and tended by elderly slaves, called “veteran aides,” Jefferson’s garden was divided into twenty-four rectangular squares, or growing plots, arranged according to which part of the plant was to be harvested, be it roots (carrots and beets), leaves (lettuce and cabbage) or fruits (tomatoes, peas, and beans).

Among the many exotic new plants grown there were beans and salsify collected by the Lewis and Clark expedition, figs from France, peppers from Mexico, and broccoli and squash imported from Italy. As methodical as a botanist, Jefferson recorded the results of his planting experiments in his Garden Book, noting such events as the dates that seeds were planted, when leaves appeared, and when his favorite vegetables were ready to eat.

Biographers say that Jefferson’s favorite vegetables included tomatoes, turnip greens, corn, and sweet potatoes. He was also particularly fond of the English pea, and, by staggering the time of their planting, he and his many dinner guests were able to enjoy them from mid-May through mid-July.

According to historians at Monticello:

Jefferson might have taken special note of the English pea because of an annual neighborhood contest to see which farmer could bring to table the first peas of spring. The winner would host the other contestants in a dinner that included the peas. Though Jefferson's mountaintop garden, with its southern exposure to warmth and light, should have provided an advantage for the contest, it seems that the contest was almost always won by a neighbor named George Divers.

As Jefferson's grandson recalled: "A wealthy neighbor [Divers], without children, and fond of horticulture, generally triumphed. Mr. Jefferson, on one occasion had them first, and when his family reminded him that it was his right to invite the company, he replied, 'No, say nothing about it, it will be more agreeable to our friend to think that he never fails.'"

If you'd like to whip up a dish of delicious and nutritious sweet English Peas this week, here's a simple recipe to try from recipe doodle.com and this one from epicurious.com

1 spring onion, sliced
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cups English peas, shelled (about 12 ounces)
6 mint leaves, torn
Salt
Water

Sauté the spring onion in two tablespoons olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the shelled peas, a pinch of salt, and enough water to barely cover. Cook over high heat for 2 minutes, then add the torn mint leaves. Continue cooking until the peas are tender, a few more minutes.

FOOD FACT: When English colonists arrived in America, "pease" were one of the first crops to be planted. This makes sense because peas are nutritious and easy to preserve and ship. They also keep for long periods of time, as reflected in the old  children's rhyming song, "Pease Porridge Hot." Maybe you remember the lyrics: Pease porridge hot/Pease porridge cold/Pease porridge in the pot/Nine days old!

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Thomas Jefferson Macaroni and Cheese

In honor of #NationalDrinkWineDay today, let's raise a glass or two to that fine-wine-and-mac-and-cheese-loving president, Thomas Jefferson, who claimed in 1818 that "in nothing have the habits of the palate more decisive influence than in our relish of wines." But Jefferson's own drinking habits were formed more than thirty years earlier while he was serving overseas as U.S. Minister to France.

According to historians at Monticello:

Before his journey to France in 1784, Jefferson, like most of his countrymen, had been a consumer of Madeira and port, with the occasional glass of "red wine." As he recalled in 1817, "[T]he taste of this country [was] artificially created by our long restraint under the English government to the strong wines of Portugal and Spain."

The revolution in his own taste in wine followed swiftly on the breaking of the bonds of British colonial government. Thereafter Jefferson rejected the alcoholic wines favored by Englishmen as well as the toasts that customarily accompanied them. He chose to drink and serve the fine lighter wines of France and Italy, and hoped that his countrymen would follow his example.

So Jefferson preferred to serve the fine, light wines of Italy and France to his many dinner guests at the President's House. It has also been said that he first served Macaroni and Cheese there in 1802. Of course, the dish that he served was nothing like the boxed versions that we're so familiar with today.

Using pasta and parmesan cheese imported from Italy, Jefferson’s chefs cooked the macaroni until it was soft, then coated it with butter and added cheese. The mixture was then placed in a casserole dish, probably dotted with a bit more fresh butter and cheese, and baked until it was slightly brown with some golden crustiness on top.

If you'd like whip up some Thomas Jefferson Macaroni and Cheese tonight as you sip on a glass or two of fine wine, here's a recipe to try that's simple to make and tastes simply DELICIOUS:

Butter, for greasing dish
16 ounces large elbow macaroni
3 cups milk
2 teaspoons all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 cups (packed) freshly shredded Parmesan
2 cups (packed) grated mozzarella
2 cups (packed) Romano cheese
2 tablespoons butter

Preheat the oven to 450°F. Butter a 13 by 9-inch glass baking dish and set aside. In a large pot of boiling water, cook the noodles until tender, about 8-10 minutes. Drain, but do not rinse.

In a large bowl, whisk the milk, flour, salt and pepper until blended. Stir in 1 ½ cup Parmesan, 1 ½ cup mozzarella and 1 ½ cup Romano cheese. Add the noodles and butter and toss to coat.

Transfer the noodle mixture to the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle the remaining Parmesan, mozzarella and Romano cheese over the noodle mixture. Bake until the cheese begins to lightly brown on top, about 12-14 minutes. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving. Season with salt and pepper to taste and enjoy!

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Thomas Jefferson's Favorite Pet

So did you know that in the fall of 1772, when Thomas Jefferson was newly married and had a one-month old child, he purchased a family pet? "For five shillings he bought a mockingbird...the first in a procession of singing birds that would always be part of Jefferson's household."

Of all the feathered friends that Jefferson purchased, his favorite was a little mockingbird named Dick. In The First Forty Years of Washington Society, Margaret Bayard Smith, a prominent Washington socialite who was frequently invited to dine at the President's House, noted that Jefferson "cherished this bird with peculiar fondness, not only for its melodious powers, but for its uncommon intelligence and affectionate disposition, of which qualities he gave surprising instances."

According to Mrs. Smith, this unsually intelligent little bird

was the constant companion of [Jefferson's] solitary and studious hours. Whenever he was alone he opened the cage and let the bird fly about the room. After flitting for a while from one object to another, it would alight on his table and regale him with its sweetest notes...Often when he retired to his chamber, it would hop up the stairs after him, and while he took his siesta, would sit on his couch and pour forth its melodious strains.

So what in the world does this have to do with presidential history and food? Well, not a whole lot, except that Jefferson was so fond of Dick that he would often let him "perch on his shoulder and take its food from his lips!"

Although Jefferson didn't record the types of food he fed to his little feathered friend, experts say that mockingbirds generally feed on insects, wild fruit, weeds, and seeds. During the spring and summer, caterpillars, grasshoppers, ants, bees, and other insects make up most of their diet, and, during winter, they primarily eat vegetable matter. Because of their insect-eating habits, most people consider mockingbirds more helpful than harmful, and no one can dispute the fact that these birds "truly sing for their supper," something that Jefferson took great delight in throughout most of his extraordinary life!

James Hemings: Thomas Jefferson's Head Chef

Before departing for his diplomatic appointment in France, Thomas Jefferson decided to bring his teenage slave James Hemings with him for the “particular purpose” of mastering the art of French cookery.

Between 1785 and 1789, James apprenticed under famous French chefs and pastry cooks and became chef de cuisine in Jefferson’s residence on the Champs-Élysées, earning roughly $48 a year. Of course, these were the tumultuous years leading up to the French Revolution and there was no slavery in France at that time, and so James could have claimed his freedom at any time, but for reasons that remain unexplained, he chose not to do so.

Instead, he returned to the United States and later became head chef at Monticello. When James petitioned for his freedom in 1793, Jefferson agreed upon the following condition:“if the said James shall go with me to Monticello…and shall continue there until he shall have taught such persons as I shall place under him for the purpose to be a good cook…he shall be thereupon made free.”

To fulfill the terms of this manumission agreement, James taught his brother Peter all the cooking techniques he had learned in France. Three years later, James became a free man.

No one knows exactly what became of James after that, but we do know one thing: After Jefferson was elected president in 1800, he asked James to be his head chef in Washington, D.C. James declined this post, however, and a Frenchman by the name of Honoré Julien was head chef at the President’s House during most of Jefferson’s administration.

FAST FACT: Manumission is a fancy legal term for the freeing of a slave. In the United States, manumission of slaves was achieved by a variety of means, including state-ordered manumission and through private manumission agreements, like the agreement between Thomas and James.

Thomas Jefferson Macaroni and Cheese

So did you know that Thomas Jefferson first served Macaroni and Cheese at the White House in 1802. Of course, the dish that Jefferson ate is nothing like the boxed version we're familiar with today.

Using pasta and parmesan cheese imported from Italy, Jefferson’s chefs cooked the macaroni until it was soft, then coated it with butter and added cheese. The mixture was then placed in a casserole dish, dotted with more butter and cheese, and baked until it was slightly brown with some crustiness on top.

If you'd like make some Thomas Jefferson Macaroni and Cheese today, here's a quick and simple recipe to try:

Butter, for greasing dish
16 ounces large elbow macaroni
3 cups milk
2 teaspoons all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 cups (packed) freshly shredded Parmesan
2 cups (packed) grated mozzarella
2 cups (packed) Romano cheese
2 tablespoons butter

Preheat the oven to 450°F. Butter a 13 by 9-inch glass baking dish and set aside. In a large pot of boiling water, cook the noodles until tender, about 8-10 minutes. Drain, but do not rinse.

In a large bowl, whisk the milk, flour, salt and pepper until blended. Stir in 1 ½ cup Parmesan, 1 ½ cup mozzarella and 1 ½ cup Romano cheese. Add the noodles and butter and toss to coat.

Transfer the noodle mixture to the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle the remaining Parmesan, mozzarella and Romano cheese over the noodle mixture. Bake until the cheese begins to lightly brown on top, about 12-14 minutes. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving. Season with salt and pepper to taste and enjoy!

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Thomas Jefferson Grilled Peaches with Honey

Although native to Asia, peach trees were so abundant in Virginia by the early eighteenth century that one colonist wrote that they grew as wildly as weeds: “We are forced to take a great deal of Care to weed them out, otherwise they make our Land a Wilderness of Peach-Trees.”

While George Washington recorded only two varieties of peaches in his Mount Vernon orchard, Thomas Jefferson cultivated 38 varieties in his Fruit Gardens at Monticello. Jefferson was particularly fond of dried peaches and also used the fruit to make mobby, a peach brandy popular in Virginia.

Mary Randolph's popular 1824 cookbook The Virginia Housewife contains six recipes for peaches, including peach marmalade, peach chips, and peaches in brandy. This recipe for grilled peaches is a snap to make and is great to serve at summer barbecues and other large social gatherings.

4 large ripe peaches, halved and pitted
1 pint French vanilla ice cream
4 teaspoons honey

Heat a grill set to medium. Place peaches on the grill, cut-side down, and cook until grill marks appear, about 3 minutes. Turn over with a metal spatula and grill for another 4 minutes, or until the skin starts to shrivel and the peach softens.

Remove from grill and place 2 halves in 4 separate bowls. Top with the vanilla ice cream, drizzle with the honey and enjoy!

Credit: View of the West Front of Monticello and Garden, painting by Jane Braddick Peticolas

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