JAMES CITY COUNTY — Sharing the knowledge they have gained while unearthing 100 years of cultural heritage has become the mission of the Kane family.
Jolly’s Mill Pond Farm sits on 100 acres of land that Bill Kane’s family has owned since the 1950s.
Angi Kane, explains that they inherited the land in 2011 after Bill’s father passed away, “Prior to that, there are family ties to this property that go back to 1915. This has been a mainstay of my husband’s family — as part of celebrations and getaways — because they kept it to themselves, people in the area had no idea how long my husband had been connected to this property.”
The Kanes, who are not farmers by trade, spent years revitalizing and researching possibilities for the property.
“The practical side of this is that if people are trying to generate revenue from their land, it is increasingly difficult and there are only certain business models that support protecting the character of the land while also paying for itself,” Kane said, “So, for us, it has been a long journey. What will make the land self-sustaining for the future?”
Realizing the importance of educating people about the farm’s history and culinary heritage through their exploration, they wanted to find a way to share their knowledge and space.
“Putting together all the elements — wanting to share our history — it is critical people understand history. If you don’t understand your own history, you don’t understand your culture. You may not understand why certain things need to be preserved and maintained,” expressed Kane.
Jolly’s Mill Pond Farm developed several demos and classes (in person and, soon, virtually) that teach the history of food from the region, with a special focus on Black and Indigenous culinary heritage.
“What do we all connect with? Food,” Kane explained, “And, if you talk about sustainable farming, you are talking about focusing on ingredients. I don’t want to beat someone over the head with — oh, these ingredients are local and organic — because that still is not enough. What they really need to understand is the bigger picture and the story the ingredients tell, from where the seed comes from, how it ended up in this region, how is it cultivated and what can you make from it? It is the seed-to-fork story.”
Each class is an immersive learning experience where students will have the opportunity to identify ingredients, harvest ingredients (when possible), learn their role in our local foodway and prepare these ingredients in a heritage recipe.
“When you focus on culinary heritage, in a way that gets people involved in the process they will retain the knowledge in a way that wouldn’t from a textbook,” said Kane, “This is hands-on education. We want people to learn how these ingredients were used, why they are important and how many different groups used them.”
Current classes include cooking over an open fire and individual courses that focus on the histories of okra, Johnny cakes and barbecues with, as Kane said, “the goal of, let’s take people from that seed to fork experience.”
In addition to the demos and classes, the Kanes run Jolly’s Farmstand where heritage-inspired, small-batch local pies are made available during the Williamsburg Farmer’s Market.
The history of the land is what draws people to the property, stated Kane, “history we are still discovering. We have just scratched the surface, we are just learning about the many lives that lived here and how they interacted with one another.”
Visit Jolly’s Mill Pond Farm webpage for more information and class reservations.
