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Cathy Jacobs’ house in Ellsworth seems an unusual place for a concert. To reach it, music lovers must traverse a partially paved road and down a seemingly endless gravel driveway until they come to a house on a hill surrounded by three flower gardens in riotous bloom and a vegetable garden where squash vines are trying to make a jailbreak over a deer fence.
For the past three years, Jacobs and her husband, Jeff, have hosted concerts for Woo Downeast, a classical music trio comprised of two violinists and an oboeist. Jacobs says putting the concert on is a treat; it gives her an excuse to clean the house and an opportunity to see friends. Besides, she says, the location is convenient. “I love the music and, this way, they come to my house,” she says.
Her home is no stranger to music. In addition to the Woo Downeast concerts, Jacobs has also hosted a handful of old-fashioned sing-alongs. And along with each musical event, she carries on another old-fashioned tradition: the potluck supper.
Tradition has it that in potlucks of yore, everyone would bring an ingredient that would be thrown into a pot. The “luck” of potluck was that everyone hoped the combined ingredients would make something good when mixed together.
Jacobs says she loves potlucks because of the new foods she gets to experience, but she doesn’t leave the success of the meal to chance.
“If everybody else brings a main dish, that’s okay,” she says as she snips mint from her garden. In order to ensure a well-rounded meal, Jacobs’ contributions include a nutritious side dish called tabouli, which she made the day before and is finishing with the fresh herbs. Tabouli is a combination of bulgur wheat with fresh accompaniments mixed in, like parsley, tomato, lemon juice, cucumber, and the mint.
Her other additions to the potluck include a large potato salad made with organic potatoes and eggs from a local farm, and a zucchini and onion stir-fry.
Back inside, Jacobs calmly chops zucchini as her husband rushes around to finish cleaning the house before the guests arrive. The zucchini slices spill off the cutting board much like they are spilling out of the family vegetable garden. The year before, the garden’s soil was in such poor shape that the garden yielded little to harvest, but Jeff healed it with a dump-truck load of compost and tender care. Now, the Jacobs have an age-old gardening problem: too much zucchini. In addition to the green and yellow slices Cathy throws into a giant cast-iron skillet, there’s a grocery bag nearby full of the stuff that she hopes to give away to friends at the concert.
The musicians arrive and begin to tune up. Heidi Powell, a violinist, says the trio is used to playing in living rooms.
“We mostly do house concerts,” she says.
Powell says classical chamber music traditionally was performed in private homes and only recently moved to formal concert halls. In addition to the Jacobs’ house in Ellsworth, Woo Downeast has also performed in cozy confines in the Cranberry Isles, Deer Isle, and Brooklin. But Powell says there usually isn’t a potluck attached to the concert.
“This is unique,” she says, waving a hand at the food that awaits her after the concert.
Soon, the concert-goers arrive. The crowd is a mix of familiar and new faces. Surprise guests include a contingent of four Russian folk singers staying in Surry for two weeks. Some guests bring dishes which they unobtrusively deposit on the marble counter before taking their seats on the couches, white plastic lawn chairs, and stairwell.
The concert’s tone mirrors its informal setting. Musical selections range from medieval madrigals to ragtime. Every now and then, a toddler blowing bubbles outside pipes up and adds her flavor to the songs.
“Get all soapy,” she calls out.
After an encore, Powell announces, “I’d like to invite you all to stay for supper.” Most do. A line forms.
It’s soon apparent that Cathy and Jeff Jacobs aren’t the only ones who have an abundance of zucchini. Elisabeth Powell, Heidi’s mother, has made a zucchini and tomato cheese quiche for the occasion. The quiche recipe comes from Switzerland, where Elisabeth was born. She puts zucchini slices sautéed in olive oil on a pie crust, along with tomatoes, onion, and, of course, Swiss cheese, then bakes it.
The quiche isn’t the only international dish of the spread. The Russians have brought a rice and vegetable salad with a uniquely Russian-looking cream dressing. Side dishes round out the potluck, including bread and hummus, fresh blueberries with yogurt, and a vegetarian paté dish that some people confuse for meatloaf.
Laden with plates, people scatter in the living room and on the deck outside. The dinner conversation often comes back to food. In one corner, a man corners a sympathetic ear to rail against the dangers of genetically modified food. In another, a man tells a receptive audience how to make ginger beer like they do in the Caribbean.
After dessert—blueberry cake and a chocolate-frosted cake—the guests leave, promising to come again next year. The house is left in pleasant disarray. Some reading glasses were left behind, as was the Russian rice salad in a green plastic bowl.
Those weren’t the only things forgotten. The bag of give-away zucchini rests untouched. Jacobs forgot all about it.
“I’ll take it to work,” she shrugs as she begins to load the dishwasher.
-----
Classic Tabouli
Serves 8
2 cups bulgur wheat
2 cups boiling water
1 cucumber, chopped
2 tomatoes, chopped
1 bunch green onions, sliced
2 cups fresh parsley, chopped
1/2 cup fresh mint, chopped
1 1/2 cup cooked lentils
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
(not from concentrate)
1/2 cup olive oil
1 tsp. salt
Pour boiling water over bulgur. Let sit 1/2 hour until absorbed. Once it is cool, mix in all other ingredients. Serve chilled or at room temperature.
-----
Cathy Jacobs has been to dozens of potlucks since coming to Maine and has picked up a few tips on how to host one:
• HAVE MORE plates, glasses, silverware, and chairs than you possibly might need.
• COOK MORE than one dish yourself. Make at least one main dish and make plenty of it.
• THINK SEASONALLY. If the potluck’s in the summer, make something you don’t have to keep warm; in the winter, something warm might hit the spot. Use fruit and vegetables that are in season.
• MAKE AT LEAST one dish that would have the greatest chance of appealing to everyone—omnivores, vegans, and vegetarians.
• ASK GUESTS beforehand if they have any food allergies, especially to nuts. If there are any food allergy concerns, tell other guests beforehand to avoid using those foods or have them label their dish’s ingredients.
• DON’T WORRY too much. Potlucks almost always work out.
For the past three years, Jacobs and her husband, Jeff, have hosted concerts for Woo Downeast, a classical music trio comprised of two violinists and an oboeist. Jacobs says putting the concert on is a treat; it gives her an excuse to clean the house and an opportunity to see friends. Besides, she says, the location is convenient. “I love the music and, this way, they come to my house,” she says.
Her home is no stranger to music. In addition to the Woo Downeast concerts, Jacobs has also hosted a handful of old-fashioned sing-alongs. And along with each musical event, she carries on another old-fashioned tradition: the potluck supper.
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Tradition has it that in potlucks of yore, everyone would bring an ingredient that would be thrown into a pot. The “luck” of potluck was that everyone hoped the combined ingredients would make something good when mixed together.
Jacobs says she loves potlucks because of the new foods she gets to experience, but she doesn’t leave the success of the meal to chance.
“If everybody else brings a main dish, that’s okay,” she says as she snips mint from her garden. In order to ensure a well-rounded meal, Jacobs’ contributions include a nutritious side dish called tabouli, which she made the day before and is finishing with the fresh herbs. Tabouli is a combination of bulgur wheat with fresh accompaniments mixed in, like parsley, tomato, lemon juice, cucumber, and the mint.
Her other additions to the potluck include a large potato salad made with organic potatoes and eggs from a local farm, and a zucchini and onion stir-fry.
Back inside, Jacobs calmly chops zucchini as her husband rushes around to finish cleaning the house before the guests arrive. The zucchini slices spill off the cutting board much like they are spilling out of the family vegetable garden. The year before, the garden’s soil was in such poor shape that the garden yielded little to harvest, but Jeff healed it with a dump-truck load of compost and tender care. Now, the Jacobs have an age-old gardening problem: too much zucchini. In addition to the green and yellow slices Cathy throws into a giant cast-iron skillet, there’s a grocery bag nearby full of the stuff that she hopes to give away to friends at the concert.
The musicians arrive and begin to tune up. Heidi Powell, a violinist, says the trio is used to playing in living rooms.
“We mostly do house concerts,” she says.
Powell says classical chamber music traditionally was performed in private homes and only recently moved to formal concert halls. In addition to the Jacobs’ house in Ellsworth, Woo Downeast has also performed in cozy confines in the Cranberry Isles, Deer Isle, and Brooklin. But Powell says there usually isn’t a potluck attached to the concert.
“This is unique,” she says, waving a hand at the food that awaits her after the concert.
Soon, the concert-goers arrive. The crowd is a mix of familiar and new faces. Surprise guests include a contingent of four Russian folk singers staying in Surry for two weeks. Some guests bring dishes which they unobtrusively deposit on the marble counter before taking their seats on the couches, white plastic lawn chairs, and stairwell.
The concert’s tone mirrors its informal setting. Musical selections range from medieval madrigals to ragtime. Every now and then, a toddler blowing bubbles outside pipes up and adds her flavor to the songs.
“Get all soapy,” she calls out.
After an encore, Powell announces, “I’d like to invite you all to stay for supper.” Most do. A line forms.
It’s soon apparent that Cathy and Jeff Jacobs aren’t the only ones who have an abundance of zucchini. Elisabeth Powell, Heidi’s mother, has made a zucchini and tomato cheese quiche for the occasion. The quiche recipe comes from Switzerland, where Elisabeth was born. She puts zucchini slices sautéed in olive oil on a pie crust, along with tomatoes, onion, and, of course, Swiss cheese, then bakes it.
The quiche isn’t the only international dish of the spread. The Russians have brought a rice and vegetable salad with a uniquely Russian-looking cream dressing. Side dishes round out the potluck, including bread and hummus, fresh blueberries with yogurt, and a vegetarian paté dish that some people confuse for meatloaf.
Laden with plates, people scatter in the living room and on the deck outside. The dinner conversation often comes back to food. In one corner, a man corners a sympathetic ear to rail against the dangers of genetically modified food. In another, a man tells a receptive audience how to make ginger beer like they do in the Caribbean.
After dessert—blueberry cake and a chocolate-frosted cake—the guests leave, promising to come again next year. The house is left in pleasant disarray. Some reading glasses were left behind, as was the Russian rice salad in a green plastic bowl.
Those weren’t the only things forgotten. The bag of give-away zucchini rests untouched. Jacobs forgot all about it.
“I’ll take it to work,” she shrugs as she begins to load the dishwasher.
-----
Classic Tabouli
Serves 82 cups bulgur wheat
2 cups boiling water
1 cucumber, chopped
2 tomatoes, chopped
1 bunch green onions, sliced
2 cups fresh parsley, chopped
1/2 cup fresh mint, chopped
1 1/2 cup cooked lentils
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
(not from concentrate)
1/2 cup olive oil
1 tsp. salt
Pour boiling water over bulgur. Let sit 1/2 hour until absorbed. Once it is cool, mix in all other ingredients. Serve chilled or at room temperature.
-----
Sweeten the Potluck
Cathy Jacobs has been to dozens of potlucks since coming to Maine and has picked up a few tips on how to host one:
• HAVE MORE plates, glasses, silverware, and chairs than you possibly might need.
• COOK MORE than one dish yourself. Make at least one main dish and make plenty of it.
• THINK SEASONALLY. If the potluck’s in the summer, make something you don’t have to keep warm; in the winter, something warm might hit the spot. Use fruit and vegetables that are in season.
• MAKE AT LEAST one dish that would have the greatest chance of appealing to everyone—omnivores, vegans, and vegetarians.
• ASK GUESTS beforehand if they have any food allergies, especially to nuts. If there are any food allergy concerns, tell other guests beforehand to avoid using those foods or have them label their dish’s ingredients.
• DON’T WORRY too much. Potlucks almost always work out.
