A Harvest Dinner can Inspire Preservation and Community
Preserving farms, food and heritage seems to be the buzz lately. In addition to Slow Food USA many other organizations have been around for years educating people on heritage breed animals, heirloom variety plants and traditional foods prepared as they did in the old world. Food preservation techniques have become more popular as well with canning parties, community kitchens; preservation courses and chicken coop construction classes are just a sampling of what is happening throughout many communities here in the US and abroad. Organic gardening workshops have increased as has DIY sales in most hardware stores and farmer supply stores. Tractor Supply now carries heritage breed chickens in partnership with American Heritage Livestock Breeds Conservancy. Even cook books, food TV shows, food blogs and books on all things food have grown in population through online retail stores and at the local library. I find a longer waiting list for books in these areas. The good news is that this trend is helping an entire nation retool its sheds, relearn ancient skills and reclaim our roots. It is helping urban areas by supporting urban gardens which feeds school kids and people in underserved urban neighborhoods for whom fresh produce was a distant dream. Employment and hands on training for volunteers offer a new economy driven by skilled growers, chefs, artisans, trades etc. The value is at the core of what it means to be a steward of the earth. Miraculous things happen when people are taught how to raise their own food, store it properly for winter, prepare it in healthy-tasty ways, save seeds and pass it along for others to enjoy.
There are many benefits found in raising and preserving ones food: more exercise, time spent outside, money spent wisely and better health. Fewer trips to the Dr. and pharmacy mean lower medical costs. One could also make a case for less fast food bucks spent and less fuel used to ship in food from other countries. This all makes for a healthier nation in the long run. Additionally we find that when children are fed wholesome meals their test scores go up and they stand a better chance of succeeding academically therefore making a higher salary as an adult. Economics and agriculture go hand in hand. As Wendell Berry once stated “Eating is an agricultural act”. It is also an economic one. All of this popularity in all things food has spurred on many movements: support local food, farm to table, farm to school and sustainable agriculture. Even prime time and day time TV is turning to cooking and DIY programs, like “The Chew” and “Hell’s Kitchen” thus cashing in on the movement.
One phenomenon which has grown out of these movements is the “Dinner on the Farm-In the Barn” concept happening all over the countryside. “Outstanding in the Field” is a group of trained chefs-cooks-foodies who drive around the country in a portable kitchen bus. They arrange dinners with farmers and chefs at each stop and invite people to join, for a hefty ticket price, in a farm fresh and locally sourced meal prepared by a group of cooks who understand the importance of gathering together in support of the farm to table movement. Tickets sell out online months before the actual meal. These meals are similar to traditional “harvest celebrations” but ironic considering the transport costs of shuttling chefs around in a gas guzzling bus…. But they get bonus points for bringing attention back to the farmers who grow the food, their fields and the structures which hold the bounty and house the livestock.
Harvest dinners have been going on since the first barn was raised. During the end of the growing season people gather in celebration on farms in rural communities throughout the countryside. Think of going to a cider mill for cider and doughnuts or taking a hay ride through a pumpkin patch. Those of you raised on a farm remember getting out of school for harvesting the fields with the whole family and community. Farmers raised barns together where they broke bread after a long day gathering feed and food to dry, save, eat and feed livestock. Thanksgiving is the ultimate harvest meal in my opinion. Add to that a cozy barn setting, a long harvest table, people you love and you have a memory to last a lifetime. It is a way of celebrating the bounty.
Misty farm in Ann Arbor, Michigan is just the place for this type of celebration. A group of farmers, food lovers and preservationists celebrated with a fall harvest dinner in their beautifully restored barns which house copper covered bar(s) with antique tin detail, food service areas made of salvaged material, re-purposed local barn wood, a baby grand piano, preserved antique farm tools, custom lighting and a 17 ft. douglas fir harvest table with 6 pine-beam stools seating a total of 22 people. And room for many more at folding tables in an area made for dancing. They regularly host weddings and special dinners on their private grounds. We decided to dine in the smaller of the two barns where the harvest table took center stage. Preservation, local food, farmers and community was our focus as we ate and drank through the evening sharing stories and hearing from Chef Doug Hewitt and Chef Mike Lutz, of Terry B’s restaurant in Dexter-Michigan, the importance of sourcing food from area farmers, growers, purveyors and even foragers and wild crafters. Additionally they focused on (Slow Food’s) Ark of Taste varieties and breeds from our region consisting of American Chinchilla Rabbit, Plymouth Rock Chicken, Lake Michigan Whitefish and many heirloom varieties of vegetables. Slow Food Huron Valley’s representative was present to answer questions regarding the group’s Great Lakes Seed Trial and Ark of Taste program. Farmers sat among invited guests sharing their knowledge on sustainable agriculture and animal husbandry knowing that a portion of the proceeds would benefit a local 4-H club.
While the ideals and values of what we were celebrating came first we simply wanted to enjoy the talents of these young chefs and our own food rose with love and a lot of work, sometimes against all odds, and for little financial reward. We dined at a total of 6 tables dressed in white table cloths, mason jars, flowers, mix match place settings and candles. Some of my favorite dishes on the menu were Rabbit Bulgogi with kim chi (pictured), Rustic French Casoulet, smoked whitefish pate and sausage, several custom cured pork-chicken-rabbit sausages (rabbit and Michigan cherry being the favorite) and a wild mushroom chicken with caramelized winter squash and braised greens. Pickles made of everything from Okra to Pepper were prepared throughout August-September as the chefs were challenged to preserve food for the meal in October. Chef Doug made a smoked applesauce which was amazing! They proved that with a little creativity and skill food can be prepared throughout the season for winter consumption in a variety of ways: smoking, drying, curing, pickling and canning. Well done indeed.
At the end of the evening we chatted amongst ourselves, with distant sounds of the piano coming from the other end of the barnyard, and agreed to come back in a year for another celebration and meal. The night was warm for October in Michigan and the moon at 90% lit the way to a full harvest moon meal experience none of us will forget…….or at least until after the next one. We ended by giving thanks to all who made it possible and to the hands that lovingly grew food, raised livestock, prepared food, preserved the barn, crafted interior for salvaged goods, played music, poured wine and potted flowers.
Check out the following web sites if you are interested in hosting your own barn-farm meal with locally sourced heirloom, heritage and Ark of Taste varieties, or, if you would like to grow and raise these varieties yourself. I encourage you to educate yourself and share the knowledge with your community and family. It is never too early or too late to become a farmer and preservationist!
Resources and Links: American Livestock Breeds Conservancy, Slow Food USA, Ark of Taste Program, LocalHarvest.com, Realtimefarms.com, Outstanding in the Fields, ediblecommunities.com, Capella CSA farm, Lesser family Farms, Happy peasant Creamery, Terry B’s Restaurant, Madaras-Design Garden Studio, Red Gate Farm, Firesign Farm, Scio Valley American Chinchilla Rabbits, Scio Valley Produce Stand, Preserving Traditions, Calder dairy, AnnArbor.com, The Farmers Marketer, Legacy Land Conservancy, Michigan Heritage Trail, Misty Farm, Seed Savers, Seeds of Change, 4-H and future farmer organizations and groups all over the US. Begin your quest and it will lead you to where you need to be.
International Ark of Taste. The US Ark of Taste profiles over 200 rare regional foods, and is a tool that helps farmers, ranchers, fishers, chefs, retail grocers, educators and consumers celebrate our country's diverse biological, cultural and culinary heritage. Slow Food International and Slow Food Huron Valley.
Angela Madaras ~ Ann Arbor, Michigan
www.madarasdesign.com and www.angelasguide.com
Photos By: Bob Kuehne, Kim Bayer, Diana Smalley and Douglas Madaras
Posts
