“We’re involved in a lot of things, but most all of them are related to agriculture,” Patty Lambrecht says about herself and her husband, Joe, owners of Oakview Farms Granary in Elmore County. “We started the farm in 1998 when we acquired the grist mill, and since then it seems the more we do with organizations like the Farmers Federation, the more we get excited about different things,” Patty explains.

From their first bags of stone-ground grits and cornmeal in the late ‘90s, the Lambrechts have diversified their farm to include hydroponic lettuce, raw honey and U-pick blueberry fields, as well as other seasonal produce. But one thing Patty said hasn’t changed is her commitment to offering consumers the very best food she can.

“I take a serious interest in food safety and quality. It seems everything is so expensive these days, so anytime you can improve the quality and safety of food and provide it at a reasonable price, I think that’s a good thing,” she said.

Patty’s passion for food also extends to the kitchen, where she said she has always been at ease.

“I cook an awful lot and have always loved to cook, but especially now that I have my granddaughter Kristen (age 11) to help me. We get in the kitchen in the afternoons and cook up a storm. I feel very comfortable when I’m cooking,” said Patty.

Patty went on to say the recipes she shares in this month’s Country Kitchen are her creations or adaptations of dishes she tasted elsewhere.

“We made them up ourselves or tailored them to suit us,” she explains, with the exception of her friend Chris’s Easy Cake recipe.

Many of her recipes feature the ingredients their own farm yields, like fresh lettuce, honey and stone-ground grits, cornmeal and flour.