Celebrating St. Patrick’s Day
Hey, everyone! It’s Macey here – Karen’s daughter-in-law and ½ of The Farm on Federal. Recently, my husband, Mitchell, and I bought 15 acres in East Tennessee, and we are venturing into full-time regenerative farming. We love food and especially knowing where our food comes from, the life it has lived, and that the ingredients that we use to make our meals in our home are clean and promote optimal health. (I’m sharing my Sourdough Irish Soda Bread recipe below, so be sure to scroll down to get it! Check out Karen’s St. Patrick Day Ideas post for more Irish-themed recipes including a delicious Oven Beef Stew.)
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We also love any chance to fellowship and share a meal with a loved one, friend, or neighbor. Celebrating holidays, even “small ones,” is a great opportunity for showing hospitality, whatever that looks like for you in your season of life. Being hospitable is not just a fun suggestion. It’s a command from the Lord. Romans 12:13, says, “Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality” (NIV). (Psst! If you’re having a difficult time with hospitality ideas, I would highly recommend purchasing Karen’s book, Make Their Day. It is chock full of great hospitality ideas, especially if you don’t know where to begin!) Just remember – it says to “practice” hospitality in the book of Romans. Don’t worry about perfection; just listen for the Holy Spirit’s prompting and be obedient!
Speaking of celebrating holidays, Saint Patrick’s Day has always been one of my favorite “small” holidays, if not my very favorite. I grew up in a tiny town in rural south Georgia, and I attended school in a neighboring city – Dublin. So many of my favorite memories were made in Dublin with my best friends Megan and Alicia. At the top of that list of favorite memories are the ones where I spent time with loved ones during the Saint Patrick’s Day festivities. From the Leprechaun Road Race to green lemonade at the local Chick-Fil-A to the used book sale at the library to the Saint Patrick’s Day parade – my hometown of Dublin goes all out, all March long, literally. There are festivities scheduled for every single day of March, reminding me of a Hallmark movie or perhaps an Irish version of Stars Hollow.
A look at the history of Dublin, Georgia shows why this small town is bursting to the brim with pride for its roots. According to the website for Laurens County, Georgia (n.d.), an Irish immigrant named Jonathan Sawyer donated the land in 1811 with the caveat that the town must be named after his wife’s hometown of Dublin, Ireland. The officials agreed to his condition, and Dublin, Georgia, was born. Speaking of “roots,” a recent Christmas gift that I received from my husband that assesses DNA and tells you your genealogy yielded some interesting results. Apparently, my love for all things Irish is not only rooted in my love for my hometown but also in the fact that I am of Irish heritage! Erin Go Bragh!
After exploring my ancestry more in-depth, I decided to combine my love for genealogy with my love for food. Ever since that wonderful Christmas gift, I’ve been experimenting with recipes native to my cultural heritage, and a recent favorite in our household is Sourdough Irish Soda Bread.
(NOTE: If you don’t make your own starter from scratch, you can purchase some here that will get you started and keep you going for many loaves! Or, if you want to know how to make your own, click here.)
Sourdough Irish Soda Bread
Ingredients
- 1 cup unfed sourdough starter discard
- 1 egg
- 2 tablespoons butter, melted
- ½ cup buttermilk, plus more for brushing
- 2 ½ cups flour
- ½ cup rolled oats
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees with the Dutch oven and lid inside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the starter, egg, butter, and buttermilk.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, oats, baking soda, baking powder, sugar, and salt.
- Combine the wet and dry ingredients in a stand mixer. Mix on low for a couple of minutes until the dough forms into a ball. If your dough is too dry, add more buttermilk. If your dough is too sticky, add more flour.
- Place two pieces of parchment paper the width of your Dutch oven in an "X" on the counter. Place the dough in the middle of the "X" and form it into a ball.
- Score the top of the dough with an “X” making sure that you cut at least ½ of the way through the dough. Brush the top of the dough with buttermilk.
- Carefully remove the preheated Dutch oven. Grasping the sides of the parchment paper, use it like a sling to pick up the dough. Place the parchment paper and dough inside the Dutch oven.
- Bake at 400 degrees for 35 to 40 minutes or until the top is golden brown. Let cool for 15 minutes before cutting. Enjoy with your favorite toppings!
Notes
It has been so fun to celebrate all of the church holidays with my family (for fun celebration ideas check out my favorite resource here). We love any occasion to make amazing food and to have fellowship around our kitchen table with friends and neighbors. This Saint Patrick’s Day, I challenge you to make your favorite Irish dish (perhaps this soda bread and Karen’s famous Oven Beef Stew) and to share that dish with a loved one or neighbor.
XOXO,
Macey
P. S. If you’d like to follow along with The Farm on Federal, be sure to check out our Facebook and Instagram pages!
P.P.S If you like these recipes, you can find more like them in my and Karen’s cookbook “Come and Get It!” Available on Amazon.
