Fall Provisions 2025
greetings!
In recent weeks, the daylight shortened and the afternoon shadows grew longer. Morning frost now clings to yellowing grass as red leaves fall from giant maple, oak and hickory trees. Autumn has arrived at Lost Creek Farm. The seasonal shift reminds us to reflect on our deep connection with this land, through the cycles of growing and harvesting and preserving for the months ahead.
We’re honored to share a piece of this special place with you in our Farm & Forage Provisions Box! This season’s box includes hand-crafted snacks and pantry staples passed down through our families and communities for generations. On the page below, we’ve pulled together a few recipes, recommendations and stories, so you can better enjoy Lost Creek Farm from afar. Explore our site to plan a visit of your own, learn more about the farm, and support our efforts to preserve the seeds and traditions behind West Virginia’s story-rich mountain cuisine.
Starting Snacks
Momaw Betty’s Communion Wafers
These crispy, savory crackers were made by Mike’s grandmother, Betty Williams in the basement kitchen of Emmanuel Baptist Church, where elders were known to break out into song as they cooked extensive meals and baked wafers for Sunday service. Though Mike didn’t attend church with his grandma, he snacked on plenty of these wafers, and we serve them frequently during our Farm & Forage Supper Club events.
VIDEO: Learn to make communion wafers at home!
from the orchards
Bourbon-Sage Apple Butter
If you ever visit us for one of our Farm & Forage Supper Club events, you’ll likely enjoy a taste of our Bourbon-sage apple butter paired with communion wafers and fresh farmers cheese. Whether spread on crackers, biscuits, or salt-rising toast, apple butter evokes an important Appalachian rite of fall. Amy grew up making apple butter, joining family and neighbors in cooking fresh apples in large cauldrons over an open fire for the better part of a day. Though hints of Bourbon and sage from our garden reflect our own flavorful twist, our base recipe is steeped in tradition passed down for many generations.
VIDEO: Make fresh farmers cheese to pair with apple butter and communion wafers!
something sweet
Black Walnut Brittle
We sure love those flavorful, slightly bitter black walnuts that fall to the forest floor by the hundreds each October. You’ll find their pleasant funk in dishes on our menus throughout the year, but we especially love to honor the black walnut’s annual arrival in a seasonal sweet treat. One of our favorite recipes is Amy’s classic Black Walnut Brittle, which we’re excited to share with you in our fall box.
from the forest
Shagbark Hickory Syrup
A pantry staple with a history that predates European settlers, this sweet syrup’s rich flavor comes from the bark of the shagbark hickory trees in the forest behind our farmhouse. The shagbark hickory also produces delicious culinary nuts you might find on our dinner menus. Use our Shagbark Hickory Syrup on breakfast pancakes and waffles, or in salad dressings and marinades.