- Nectar

One of the best things about our move down South was the waiting arms of Ashley English. Ashley and I had known each other for some time online, but upon our arrival to Asheville last summer, she immediately took us into her flock and made us feel at home in this quirky little town. She has introduced me to some of my favorite people in my life and has been a wonderful friend. And she inspires me endlessly - whether we decide to delve into the world of keeping chickens and bees or not (and her new book about pies looks beyond amazing), she is our resident expert who I can turn to for all sorts of homesteading questions. We were lucky to work together recently on a shoot for the new issue of Kinfolk. Ashley and her husband Glen put together a delicious breakfast after gathering eggs with their son Huxley, and I had the honor of photographing their morning together. Here we are sharing some of the outtakes of the shoot, the recipe and a playlist Ashley created. For more images and Ashley's story, be sure to either download the latest issue here or buy it in print here (or both!).

Ashley says: "We're huge frittata makers, chez English. Whatever is in season, either picked straight out of the garden or gathered from local farmer's markets, gets chopped, diced, minced or otherwise broken down and added to eggs from our flock, a bit of milk, and, typically, some cheese. This particular frittata is special as it's sort of a nod to the fortitude and perseverance of things growing and living out here. We planted the collards this past September, in our autumn garden, and, given the mild winter, they've continued to grow and thrive ever since. The eggs are from our flock of laying hens and pullets, with blue eggs we've just been able to begin gathering from the newest flock members, Blue Wheaten Ameraucanas. I love harvesting the collards and eggs with our young son, Huxley, and then cooking them together, as a family. He's privy to the entire process, and gobbles up the results with gusto!"

BACON, COLLARD & PARMESAN FRITTATA

Serves 4-6

- 3 pieces thick cut smokey bacon

- 1/2 onion, diced

- 1 bunch collards (ribs removed and chopped into bite-sized pieces)

- 1 c. chicken, vegetable, or ham stock

- 6 eggs

- 1/4 c. milk

- Pinch of salt

- Several drops of hot sauce (optional)

- 1 T. butter

- Several grinds black pepper

- 1/4 c. grated Parmesan

Cook the bacon in an ovenproof pan over medium heat until it starts to get a little crispy. Remove the bacon from the pan, and set aside to cool on top of a plate covered with a paper towel. Drain off about half of the bacon fat from the pan and reserve for a later use.

Add the onion to the pan containing the bacon drippings and cook for about 8 minutes. Add the collards, stirring to coat them fully with the bacon fat. Cook for 2-3 more minutes. Add the stock and cook down for about 25 minutes, until the liquid has evaporated. Remove the collards from the pan, and set aside in a bowl. Turn the burner heat down to low.

Whisk the eggs, milk, salt, and hot sauce together in a large bowl.

Melt the butter in the same pan used to cook the bacon and collards. Coat the bottom of the pan with the butter, then add the egg mixture. Add the collards evenly across the eggs. Turn your oven to the "broil" setting (we used the "Hi" setting). Crumble or cut the bacon into bite-sized pieces and distribute evenly over the pan and sprinkle the Parmesan evenly on top. Add a few grinds of black pepper.

After the eggs have been cooking for about 4 minutes, remove from the burner and place under the hot broiler for 3-4 minutes. Remove from oven and let it cool for 2 minutes. Invert the frittata onto a platter, then invert that onto another platter, so that it is right-side-up again. Use a pizza cutter to neatly cut into 6-8 wedges. Serve and enjoy.