Professor Butter Beard’s “The Hay Wain”
“I ought to respect myself for my friends’ sake, and my children’s. It is time, at fifty-six, to begin, at least, to know oneself, - and I do know what is am not, and your regard for me has at least awakened in me to believe in the possibility that I may yet make some impression with my “light” – my “dews” – my “breezes” – my bloom and freshness.” – John Constable in a letter to C.R. Leslie, March 1833.
I feel ya, John! I too have reached that turn on the journey when you hope that your passions may move forward and inspire others to taste and smell and appreciate. It must be the teacher in me. Every September, my soul is almost giddy with the anticipation of returning to the classroom and witnessing which work of art brings a dancing smile to a student’s eyes. Almost the same dancing smile that blooms in my eyes when I walk into the autumn Farmer’s Market and absorb the richness and potential of the harvest.
If I could choose one work of art that actualizes that autumnal smile, it would be “The Hay Wain” painted by John Constable in 1821. The painting is of the millpond at Flatford on the River Stour between the English counties of Suffolk and Essex. Flatford Mill was a watermill for grinding corn, operated by the Constable family for nearly a hundred years. The house on the left side of the painting belonged to a neighbor, Willy Lott, a tenant farmer, who was said to have been born in the house and never to have left it for more than four days in his lifetime. Willy Lott's cottage has survived to this day practically unaltered and was recently photographed by my friend Ian Bracey (see below).
The title, “The Hay Wain,” refers to the wooden wagon (wain) used for transporting cut and dried meadow grass (hay) to be used as animal feed over the winter. The empty wagon being pulled by three impressive horses is making its way through the shallow millpond towards a ford across the stream – the ‘flat ford’ that gave Flatford its name. The goal of the waggoneers is to reach the far meadow where haymakers are already at work: one sharpens his scythe; others are pitchforking hay into an already laden wagon. Period scholars have suggested that the reason for the wagon stopping at the ford was to allow the river water to cool the horses' legs and to soak the wheels. In hot dry weather, the wooden wheels would shrink away from their metal rims and wetting the wheels reduced the shrinkage and kept the outer metal band in place.
Although the finished work perfectly evokes the Suffolk early autumn harvest, it was actually painted in the artist’s studio in London. Working from several open-air sketches made over multiple years, Constable prepared a full-size preliminary oil sketch to establish the composition before painting the final picture. Upon its completion in 1821, Constable sent the work to the British Royal Academy with its given title “Landscape: Noon” where it was favorably received by reviewers. The Examiner declared that it “approaches nearer to the actual look of rural nature than any modern landscape whatever.” However, it did not sell.
In 1824, Constable agreed to sell the now re-named “The Hay Wain” (a nickname given to it by his friend Archdeacon Fisher) along with two more of his landscapes to the Anglo-French dealer Arrowsmith for £250. Arrowsmith entered them in the 1824 Paris Salon, where they caused an immediate sensation. Constable is said to have commented: “Think of the peaceful farmhouses of Suffolk, forming a scene of exhibitions to amuse the gay and frivolous Parisians.” In a delicious moment of triumph, he was awarded a gold medal by the French king, Charles X, for his exhibits at the Salon, but chiefly for “The Hay Wain.”
Well played, John! You inspired me to absorb your light and dew and breezes and reimagine them with into a combination of roasted butternut squash, cider-soaked golden raisins and aromatic toasted almonds. All combined in a muffin worthy to join a waggoneer’s hearty breakfast with strong tea and fried eggs. Hello autumn!
Harvest Muffins with Butternut Squash, Golden Raisins and Almonds
24 Large Muffins
Ingredients:
1 large butternut squash, peeled, roasted and mashed (about 1 ½ cups mashed squash)
1 cup golden raisins, soaked overnight in apple cider to cover
1 cup sliced almonds, toasted and cooled
4 ¼ cup all-purpose flour
1 Tbsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 ½ tsp kosher salt
18 Tbsp unsalted butter, room temperature
1 ½ cups dark brown sugar
¾ cup granulated sugar
1 ½ Tbsp cinnamon
2 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground clove
½ tsp grated nutmeg
4 whole eggs and 1 yolk
2 tsp vanilla paste
¾ cup buttermilk
1) The night before, peel, core and dice (1” cubes) the butternut squash. Toss with a little olive oil, salt and pepper and roast in a 375-degree oven for about 35-40 minutes until caramelized and soft. Mash the squash with a potato masher, place in a small container, cover with plastic wrap and let sit at room temperature overnight.
2) Soak the golden raisins overnight in just enough apple cider to cover.
3) The next day, line your muffin tin with paper inserts (or make your own with parchment paper).
4) Lightly toast the slivered almonds in a non-stick pan and set aside.
5) Strain the raisins, reserving the cider. Add the cider to the buttermilk and stir to combine.
6) Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
7) In a standing mixer, cream the butter and sugars with the spices until light and fluffy.
8) Add the eggs (and yolk) one at a time and finally add the vanilla paste.
9) Lightly stir in the 1 ½ cups squash.
10) Alternate adding the dry mix and the buttermilk (dry, buttermilk, dry, buttermilk and dry)
11) Add the raisins and almonds and stir to combine. Let the batter sit 30 minutes.
12) Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
13) Fill the muffin tins to the top and lightly sprinkle with additional granulated sugar.
14) Bake the two trays of muffins in the 425-degree oven for 8 minutes. Without opening the door, lower the temperature to 350 degrees and bake for roughly 8-9 more minutes until tops are golden and solid.
15) Let the muffins cool in the tins 15 minutes and then finish cooling on a wire rack.
Willy Lot’s Cottage at Flatford Mill, photographed by Ian Bracey, summer of 2021.
John Constable by Daniel Gardner, 1796.
