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Not Made, But Found

written by

Jesse Straight

posted on

March 24, 2025

My daughter and I run together some mornings of the week, and besides catching up we also like to listen to "The Daily Poem" podcast.

This morning we heard this one by Pulitzer Prize winning Richard Wilbur.  

Wedding Toast

"St. John tells how, at Cana's wedding feast,

The water-pots poured wine in such amount
That by his sober count
There were a hundred gallons at the least.

It made no earthly sense, unless to show
How whatsoever love elects to bless
Brims to a sweet excess
That can without depletion overflow.

Which is to say that what love sees is true;
That this world's fullness is not made but found.
Life hungers to abound
And pour its plenty out for such as you.

Now, if your loves will lend an ear to mine,
I toast you both, good son and dear new daughter.
May you not lack for water,
And may that water smack of Cana's wine."  

My daughter and I both thought it a very sweet poem.   

Part of what this poem is about is making a claim about reality--how in a fundamental way, reality (or God and his world, as shown by Jesus at the wedding) is full of love and blessing and abundance and life that "brims to a sweet excess."  

With that context, this line stuck out to me: "That this world's fullness is not made but found."

One way of looking at the world and our work is that the main task in life is man-handling what we want out of this world.  Squeezing and imposing and "building".  The alternative orientation is the way of this poem--that our main task is mostly figuring out how to best co-operate with reality that is already bursting with life.  

Our approach to farming is with the presumption that "life hungers to abound."  And it is our fundamental job as farmers to facilitate the life that is much bigger than us--we help put the right pieces in the right places at the right time (which is no small task!)--but we don't really "make anything grow."  We can move the animals around the pastures in the right rotation at the right times to make the soil, and plants, and animals happy, but we don't make the sun shine, and we don't crank any gears to make photosynthesis happen, and we don't make the soil microbes work, and we don't wind up the chickens to keep them running.  

In other words, as farmers "This world's fullness is not made but found."  We don't do good work when we aggressively impose our will on the soil, plants, and animals.  We do our best work when we find the abundant ways of nature and life, and in humility, join in collaboration.  

Of course, this poem was not written about farming (ha!), but it is about living and love and how to see the world and ourselves--how it is a sad joke to live in Scrooge-ish grasping dominance, but wonderful to live in the harmony and abundance of collaborating with the nature of reality.  And being a farmer, I couldn't help but hear those thoughts when I heard those lines.  

Our aim is to "find" the abundance in nature's ways, and pass that abundance along to you, our customers, in the form of tasty food that is truly healthy for the land, animals, and community.  

~Jesse Straight

More from the blog

Easy One-Pan Turkey Drumstick Recipe

Everyone has those hectic days when no one has time to spend hours in the kitchen, so we all need quick and easy meals in our back pocket. This one-pan meal (inspired by a combo Liz Straight likes to make for their family) combines the sweet and savory flavors from thyme, sweet potatoes, balsamic, garlic, onion, and goat cheese. It serves about 3-4 people, takes about 20 minutes to prep, dirties only a few dishes, and is packed full of flavor, so it’s a winner! A bonus to turkey is that it is actually cheaper per pound than chicken is, and can be substituted for chicken in just about any recipe! And it is packed with a wide range of minerals and B vitamins. This recipe uses turkey drumsticks, which is the most economical cut of turkey we carry (and dare I say the tastiest?). But you can substitute whatever cut of turkey is your favorite and adjust the cooking time accordingly! Easy One-Pan Turkey Drumstick Recipe: Ingredients: 2 turkey drumsticks (I used 2 - 2.5 lbs drumsticks) 3 Tbsp. butter, tallow, or lard 4 sweet potatoes 1 small onion 2 cloves garlic, minced 1 Tbsp. fresh thyme leaves ½ tsp. Garlic powder Salt and pepper to taste 1 cup fresh arugula Crumbled goat cheese (optional) Balsamic vinegar or glaze Chopped pecans (optional) Directions: 1. Preheat your oven to 300. 2. Peel and dice the sweet potatoes, then slice the onion. Combine both in a 9x13 pan. Add in the minced garlic, thyme leaves, and sprinkle salt and pepper on top. Melt the butter, tallow, or lard in a small saucepan. Add a couple tablespoons to the sweet potato mixture (make sure to reserve some for your turkey drumsticks). Mix everything together. 3. Pat your drumsticks dry. Rub the rest of your melted fat of choice onto the drumsticks, then sprinkle on the garlic powder and some salt and pepper. Nestle the drumsticks in the pan with the sweet potatoes. 4. Place in your preheated oven and cook for about 80-90 minutes, or until the internal temperature of the meat reaches 165 F. 5. Take the pan out of the oven and let it cool a bit. Then add in your fresh arugula, crumbled goat cheese, and pecans. Mix it up, and drizzle the balsamic over the top. 6. And you’re done! I made this at work on a day when I didn’t have any leftovers in my fridge to bring for lunch. It was super quick and easy to whip up, but still a very satisfying, delicious meal.  Another variation you can do with this is to substitute butternut squash instead of the sweet potatoes. Your choice! Enjoy! ~Bethany

The Best BBQ Drumsticks

Nothing says summer more than a good BBQ (I know, it’s not summer yet, but one can dream!).  But honestly, these drumsticks are good any time of year - the BBQ flavors are compounded when mixed with the smoky essence of a grill, or when it’s cold the spices warm you up and fire up your tastebuds. And served with some roasted potatoes slathered with butter? They are smashing! This recipe is inspired by a recipe that Jesse and Liz Straight and their family love. These drumsticks are served with a tangy white BBQ sauce with a bit of spice…a perfect compliment to the spice rub on the drumsticks! (Or serve ‘em up with whatever your favorite BBQ sauce is!) Drumsticks: 2 Tbsp. coconut sugar 1 ½ Tbsp. salt 1 Tbsp. garlic powder 1 Tbsp. smoked paprika 2 tsp. black pepper 1 ½ tsp. onion powder 1 ½ tsp. chili powder 1 tsp. cinnamon (optional, but adds a nice twist!) ½ tsp. cayenne (optional) 2 Tbsp. water 1 Tbsp. olive oil 2 ½ lbs. chicken drumsticks (or use turkey drumsticks!) White BBQ Sauce: 1 c. mayonnaise ¼ c. apple cider vinegar 2 Tbsp. Dijon mustard 1 Tbsp. honey 1 tsp. prepared horseradish 1 ½ tsp. hot sauce ½ tsp. cayenne (optional, depends on how much spice you like!) Directions: 1. Heat your oven to 375. 2. While the oven is heating, mix together the dry ingredients for the drumsticks. Add in the water, stir, and let sit for a couple minutes to allow the water to soften the spices. Then add in the oil and let sit for another couple minutes to allow the water and oil to draw out the flavor compounds of the spices. 3. Place a wire rack on your baking sheet. Pat the drumsticks dry with a paper towel, then rub them with the spice rub. Lay them on the wire rack with the fat end facing the edge of the pan. (You can always skip the wire rack if you’re in a hurry and want to get supper on the table as fast as possible, or want to minimize clean up after. A wire rack will just create air flow to give you the crispiest skin possible!) 4. Bake in the oven (or on the grill) for 1 hour. 5. While the drumsticks are cooking, mix up all the ingredients for the sauce. Add as much hot sauce or cayenne ‘til it’s as spicy as you want. 6. Serve the drumsticks with the sauce on the side. Some lemon wedges add a nice bright note to the dish as well! I think this is my all-time favorite drumstick recipe. They’re quick, easy, and delicious. I highly recommend adding these into your meal rotation! If you’re looking for more ideas on how to make drumsticks, here’s a few more ideas from Liz Straight: A one-pan meal with drumsticks, brussel sprouts, and diced sweet potatoes tossed in melted lard or bacon fat and sprinkled with salt and pepper. Crumbled bacon on top is a bonus! Nestle everything in a pan and bake at 375 for 60 minutes.Drumsticks, melted lard or tallow, diced potatoes, a few minced garlic cloves, diced tomatoes (canned or fresh), lemon zest to taste, dried or chopped fresh herbs of choice, and olives. Cook the same way as above!Mix equal parts of melted butter and Dijon mustard, mix in dried or chopped fresh herbs of choice (dried basil or tarragon, or fresh thyme recommended!) and paint onto the drumsticks. Cook at 375 for an hour! And the ideas are endless. Have fun in the kitchen experimenting and finding your family’s favorite! Cheers! Bethany

Tasty Curried Drumstick Recipe

Finger food (noun): food that can be taken on a picnic, enjoyed outside or made for a tailgate party, and must be messy, finger-lickin’ good. (From the Whiffletree Farm Dictionary, unabridged.) I don’t know about you, but the beautiful weather this last week has had me thinking about SPRING! While I love soups and roasts and warming comfort food during the wintertime, I’m always ready to ditch the spoons and forks and make finger food again. We have a couple drumstick recipes to share with you this month. The first is curried drumsticks with a zingy yogurt sauce. Bake in the oven, or, if you’re like me, it’s time to break out the grill! Reasons why drumsticks are so great… They are the most economical cut of chicken you can get and can easily be substituted for any recipe calling for thigh meat for half the price!The moist, dark meat is some of the best! Dark meat is richer in vitamins, minerals, and fat than white meat is. Also the skin is amazing for you, full of different minerals than the meat contains. AND dark meat is forgiving - it’s almost impossible to overcook!There are so many variations of seasonings you can do with them, so your loved ones won’t get tired of eating the same thing over and over. Points for being versatile!For those who don’t like to get their fingers dirty, it’s easy to cut the meat off, but for those who don’t mind getting their fingers a little sticky, it’s great fun and saves on some dishes! So without further ado, here is the recipe! Curry-Roasted Chicken Drumsticks with Herbed Yogurt Sauce Chicken: 4 tsp. curry powder 1 Tbsp. kosher salt 1 ¼ tsp. ground cardamom 1 ¼ tsp. packed coconut sugar ¾ tsp. ground ginger ¾ tsp. ground nutmeg ¾ tsp. smoked paprika 2 Tbsp. plus 1 tsp. water 2 Tbsp. plus 1 tsp. extra-virgin olive oil 2 ½ lbs. chicken drumsticks (could also do turkey drumsticks!) Herbed Yogurt Sauce: 1 c. plain Greek yogurt ½ c. fresh cilantro leaves, minced 3 Tbsp. lime juice (2 limes) 2 Tbsp. water, plus extra as needed ½ tsp. grated fresh ginger ½ tsp. honey 1. Adjust oven rack to the upper middle and preheat oven to 350F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil and place a wire rack on the sheet. 2. While the oven is preheating, whisk all the spices and coconut sugar together with the water. Let sit for a few minutes until it has thickened into a paste. Then whisk in the oil (see note below). 3. Pat the chicken drumsticks dry with a paper towel. Roll each drumstick in the curry spice slurry until evenly coated on all sides. Arrange the drumsticks, skin side up, on the prepared rack with the thicken end closer to the edge of the baking sheet (the edges of the baking sheet get the hottest, so this helps them cook more evenly, and the wire rack ensures plenty of air circulation and crispier skin). Spoon any of the excess spice mixture on top, or use a brush to brush on. 4. Roast the drumsticks for 45-50 minutes or until they reach 180 degrees, rotating the sheet halfway through for even cooking. Once they reach 180, turn on the broiler and let the drumsticks sit under it for a few minutes to crisp up the skin. Remove from oven and let sit for 10 minutes before serving. 5. While the drumsticks are roasting, prep the sauce. Simply add all the ingredients together, and add as much water as you want to thin it out to your desired consistency. 6. Serve the drumsticks with the sauce on the side. (For the best enjoyment, no forks or knives allowed.) For an idea of what to serve these drumsticks with, they pair amazingly with a cucumber salad! Note: The flavor compounds of spices are largely fat soluble. Some, however, are water soluble, so adding water and oil ensures every possible nuance of flavor is drawn out! I absolutely love this recipe. It is a perfect combo of warming spices and bright, fresh flavors from the yogurt sauce. It makes a perfect spring dish! Up next on the blog is one other favorite drumstick recipe of ours, so stay tuned! Cheers! Bethany