Outstanding in the Field Dinner

Well, the event we have been anticipating for the entire summer is now behind us, and it was indeed outstanding. We had a great time and met a lot of great people around the table. It was a real pleasure to have so many interested and fascinating people with whom to chat and share our food and farm. Having had such a wonderful experience,it is now a bit of a relief to have the 100 person dinner party at our field complete and to be able to free up our thoughts to return to farming, and especially, weeding.

We have gotten some good exposure in the press surrounding this event and those articles are available here, for the pre-dinner article and here, for the coverage of the actual event, which was on the front page of the Saturday Burlington Free Press. Many of our guests from the dinner came the next day to visit us at the Farmer's Market and we all agreed that the focus on the price in the articles was a fairly tacky approach. I have rarely seen coverage of other events like concerts or the recent Champlain 400 celebrations focus on who could afford the ticket prices. I will

admit that the focus on the price in the press leading up to the event was a little intimidating and certainly did make us and our friends, Steve and Lara from the Kitchen Table Bistro a bit nervous. I think it did push us to make the event the best possible. Indeed, our own preparations began in March and April as we planted flowers and special vegetables for the event and also involved raising and harvesting cornish game hens for the first time ever. Our foray into meat production was far from smooth, especially the harvest day, but in my opinion, the game birds were the star of the dinner. This made it worth the long frustrating day at the beginning of last week. Steve's menu highlighted the produce and the farm connection as he always does, and was expertly prepared under challenging conditions. The atmosphere at

the dinner was not at all focused on the price. In the first Free Press article, we were unable to answer the question of who would pay to come to this dinner. This question was answered very clearly as we chatted with the guests.

It was a very diverse crowd sitting down together at the table, and despite the claim in the second article, that they all had in common the means to pay for the dinner, this certainly doesn't imply a uniform income bracket. Like many things that cost money, people had considered this an event worth planning and saving for. Many I spoke to had been wanting to come to an Outstanding in the Field dinner for over a year and had been waiting for one to come to a nearby area. We had visitors from Vermont, and also from New York, Massachusetts, Washington D.C., New Jersey and Ottawa. One couple came to this as a special romantic surprise, one woman came to celebrate a birthday, another, a chef, as a part of a professional experience. Many people came as part of a weekend trip to Burlington and included this dinner, only the 147th of its kind anywhere in the world, as part of that vacation. The crowd was more youthful than I expected, with over half the attendees in our

generation. Our conversations at the long table were about food, agriculture and culture. The price of the experience seemed the furthest topic from anyone's mind. People met new friends and realized connections that spanned the country. We gave an opening introduction that tied our farm with farms in the late Roman Republic and that returned over and over as a topic of discussion, even as I walked the length of the table, by request of Kate from Outstanding in the Field, talking about compost. Instead of just an expensive dinner, the evening was really a gathering of interesting, widely different people around a table in the field where the food was grown, and where the conversation was lively, engaging and convivial and tied together with foods and wines expertly crafted by people who care deeply about what they do. While the cost of this experience never came up in the conversations I was hearing, its real value was the central theme of the night. Here are some great photos Mara took of the event with her commentary - enjoy!

Lara Atkins from the Kitchen Table Bistro prepping for the dinner...

The tables almost ready...

Heirloom tomatoes harvested right before the dinner.

The guests start arriving and a wine reception is held.

Jim Denevan and Kate give a history of Outstanding in the Field and some fun anecdotal stories about previous dinners.

Spencer & I split up to give tours of the farm.

Guests sit down for dinner...

...and are served by OITF staff 5 courses, paired with wines.

Much great conversation was had, and people forged new friendships through their love of food. It was such a hot day, but everyone maintained great spirits and lively discussion despite the sweating!

First course: cherry tomato, cucumber and heirloom tomato salad, topped with Vermont Butter and Cheese feta and our microgreens. A second salad with our heirloom lettuce mix and radishes with a sherry vinaigrette was also served. Soooooooo yummy!

Second course: our cornish game hens on a bed of braised swiss chard, with a sweet corn and tomato succotash that had a warm tomato-tarragon vinaigrette. Best dish of the evening!

Third course: grilled Vermont pork loin, red wine veal reduction, new potatoes, haricot vert, colorful carrots and baby squashes with a tomato shallot jam, with a tomato-potato salad with a tomato reduction. Heavenly!

Dessert: cream cheese poundcake with blueberries and vanilla bean cream! Can't believe I didn't take a picture - it was devoured quickly and was delicious! Hopefully someone will post a picture somewhere, and will share with us!

Dessert was paired with Eden ice cider - if you've never had it, you're missing out!

Quail Hunters Return Victorious!

Ok, here's how the hunt went down. We went down to put the ducks and geese away tonight, taking the dogs since they have been cooped up for two days now. It was a pleasant evening after a very rainy day. We had noticed that a quail had somehow escaped from their cage yesterday and was hanging out underneath the others. The thing about quail, I guess, that makes them fun to hunt is that they are elusive, and our efforts to catch it with a net demonstrated that. The quail did fly up and away and into the hoophouse, so we tracked it among the tomato plants. The sort-of hero of this hunt was Bullet. Mr. Smeems gets some credit for flushing the quail towards his brother, but it was Bullet who caught the quail in a tomato path. He didn't have it for long and listened very well when I told him to drop it. Good dog, Bullet! I thought it might be just fine, as it did not seem to have any obvious injuries. However, once the bird was put back in the cage, it rather quickly died. Bad dog, Bullet? While this hunt began as a rescue operation, since the quails are not safe outside the cage (they could be attacked by dogs!), it immediately became a dinner opportunity. "We could have him for dinner," Mara pointed out. The hunting party became triumphant. A few of our quails have died along the way but none in a way that allowed us to eat them. This was a great chance for us to finally try one of our birds. We have been caring for over 200 birds for the past couple of months and this is the first one we can eat! Suddenly, our usual trip down to the farm in the evening became a successful forage for food. The dogs, thrilled at the catch, had a great 35 minute outing, barking at some pigs and rolling on a dead snake to complete the experience. We got home, scalded, plucked and cleaned the quail, butterflied it and grilled it along side our fish. For dinner tonight: seared tuna and quail on an arugula salad with fried capers and lemon peel dressing. Delicious! This outing proved 2 things - the first: our dogs are quite agile hunters! The second: We have dozens of 5 ounce (dressed) quail ready to harvest!

Mid-Summer Reflections

Well.  Here we are at the tail end of July already!  We've been super busy.  So busy, in fact, that we have decided to make some changes on the farm so that we can free up some brain space and have a little more fun.  The forward momentum of the season definitely has us in its grasp - we get up in the morning, while eating a little breakfast we make the list for the day, we motor to the field to do animal chores, and then get ready for the tasks we have laid out for ourselves.  Rinse and repeat every single day!  So.  We have decided to delay getting the pigs until next spring and to harvest the ducks and geese a little earlier than we originally intended.  The ducks and geese require 2x a day care - letting them out of their house, putting them into their house; not to mention the moving of their fence 2x per week.  They were originally going to be used as weeder geese and insect controlling ducks - but it turns out the geese just like to nibble the tips of new grass, and the ducks don't like the taste of Colorado Potato Beetles too much.  As with so many things, we have decided that they just don't fit our temperament.  So - they're freezer bound, and perhaps this means we can sleep in some Sundays in an effort to recharge at least a little bit!

Meanwhile, we've been moving forward with the rare breed chickens - looking good and doing

well at scratching up the ground where their tractor sits each day!  We also have a round of

 cornish game hens in process - those are all slated for our Outstanding in the Field dinner, though!  The quail made the big move outside to their flight pen.  It seemed pretty predator-proof, but last night something paid them a visit... only one casualty as far as we can tell.  We decided to wrap the entire structure in chicken wire in addition to all the wire they already have - so hopefully they have a peaceful evening tonight.

The Haygrove continues to dazzle and amaze, as our pepper plants grow amazingly tall and 

handsome (as plants go), not to mention gorgeous pepper fruits!  The eggplant are producing lovely fruits as well, the cukes are non-stop and uber-delicious, and the squash plants are putting out some incredibly huge blossoms as well as stunningly beautiful (not to mention cute) baby squashes.  And.  Just today... brace yourselves... I saw ripe large tomatoes and tons of ripe cherry tomatoes!!!  And so it has begun!  It's now officially summer!

We had a wonderful Vermont Fresh Network brunch on Sunday - we partnered with Sugarsnap

 Farm & Restaurant to showcase our produce as well as share our farms with some savvy eaters and curious customers.  It is always fun to share our farm with folks, and in this setting it was perfect - slightly breezy, mid-70s, no bugs, sunshine for the most part.  What a nice day!!  Thanks to all who came out - we loved having you!!!

Also... super-fun and interesting happenings are going on every Thursday at the Intervale with our Summer of Taste series!  In partnership with the Intervale Center and Slow Food Vermont, I have put together an 8-week series of tastings for the public.  We have already had carrots and cheese - this week is maple with the folks from Dragonfly Sugarworks; I can hardly wait!  It is a neat 

opportunity to sample food you already know, but interact with it in a new way with a new vocabulary and with intention.  Come on down to experience the Summer of Taste!  

Spencer's mom Nancy and stepdad Garth have

 come for their annual summertime visit.  It is

 always a pleasure to share our farm with family - especially in the heat of the season; they get to see how our farm truly operates and help out, too!  They are fantastic garlic, carrot and onion harvesters!  We know how lucky we are to have 

family willing to get right in the dirt with us everyday of their visit and help out!  Thanks, guys!  You are such good sports and we love having you visit us in the summer - even though it's always super-busy!

Today we harvested all of the garlic crop - and it was magnificent!  We certainly have more this year than in years past - a great illustration of why it is important to save a portion of your garlic crop to plant out for the next year.  We've been diligently withholding garlic from folks for years to finally be able to have enough for everyone that wants some, but also to have enough to plant.  Feels good - plus, this garlic is AMAZING!

Next things coming up for us - tomatoes, peppers, shallots, cipolline onions, artichokes!  Want to try our amazing Japanese cukes in a new recipe?  See below!  Have a great week and keep that sunshine coming!

Asian Cucumber Salad

Serves 2

• 1 japanese cuke
• 1 cipollini onion
• 1/4 c. rice wine vinegar
• 2 T. shaoxing cooking wine
• 2 tsp. sugar
• 2 tsp. toasted sesame oil
• 1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes

1. Make dressing.  Combine last 5 ingredients and whisk until sugar dissolves.  Taste for seasoning.
   
2. On a mandoline or with a very sharp knife (and rock-steady hands), slice cuke into long flat ribbons - the length of the cuke.  Place ribbons in a bowl.
3. Slice cipollini into rings.  Cut rings in half (optional), and sprinkle onto the cucumber.  Give the dressing one more whisk, and pour over cukes.  
4. Refrigerate as long as you'd like.   Makes a fantastic and refreshing salad.  Enjoy!

On-Farm Brunch!

Hello!  We are partnering up with Sugarsnap Farm and Vermont Fresh Network to offer to you a great Sunday morning experience at our farm as a part of the VFN Farmers Dinner series!  Mornings at the farm are particularly beautiful - great light, perfect temperature, and bug-free - we can't wait to share both Half Pint Farm and Sugarsnap Farm with you!  This Sunday, July 19th at 10:30 am we are planning an amazing spread with Chef Anthony from Sugarsnap replete with pork and herbs from their farm, and a wide variety of early summer produce from our farm.  We will also be offering a tour of the farms, which are adjacent to each other down here in the Intervale.  The price is $35 per person.  Contact Sugarsnap to reserve your spot (652-5922), or email them at contact@sugarsnap.biz.  We look forward to seeing you at the farm!!!

Slow Food Tastings!

Just wanted to remind everyone that this Thursday is the kick-off event at the Intervale for the 8-week series of Thursday events that we're calling the SUMMER OF TASTE!  These Thursday events not only include some fun music, flatbread and educational happenings, it also includes Slow Food tastings that I have organized for each week!  This week we have a special kick-off panel that brings together some local food-enthusiasts (chefs, farmers, etc.) to help answer the question, "Why is Taste Important?"  This week the featured tasting is on carrots, and we have several stations to help you create a new food vocabulary, and help you to answer the question, "Why is Taste Important?" for yourself!  We hope to see you every Thursday from July 9th to August 27th, starting at 5:30 pm each day!  The tastings schedule is below, and the Intervale events calendar is HERE:

• July 9th: Carrots and Panel on Why Taste is Important.
• July 16th: VT Cheese
• July 23rd: VT wines and ciders, plus Kid's Day
July 30th: VT beer and root beer
• August 6th: VT Maple
• August 13th: Heritage Chickens and Heritage Pork
• August 20th: Heritage Apples
• August 27th: Heirloom Tomatoes!

Summer's Here!

Finally!  June 21st came, and so did the sun, the storms, the rain, and the growth of everything around us!  It truly feels like the Earth has tilted on its axis to align in the much-anticipated summer configuration.  Now we can enjoy late sunsets, early sunrises, nice overnight temperatures (can sleep with windows open again!), and the rapid maturation of everything at the farm!  The major transplanting period is officially over, the plants have all spread their rooty toes deep into the soil and have established themselves.  So, that means that everything can commence growing in their new places.  And, commence growing they are!  Everything is busting out all over the farm, and so far we've been able to keep all the weeds in check.  Having the Haygrove has really made us realize how crucial keeping rain off the crops and the paths really is.  The rain never reaches the paths to germinate weed seeds, so we can keep ahead of them with hoeing.  What a relief!  What a change!  It's been really fun looking at past journal entries of this time of year to find that we're usually up to our eyeballs in weeds.  Not this year!  All of our Haygrove crops look so much better than they ever have - the squash blossoms are HUGE, the favas are heading for the stars, the tomatoes have a million flowers and tons of clusters of small fruit, the cukes are flowering, the peppers are fruiting, the carrots are maturing faster than expected, and the head lettuces are virtually rot-free!  Outside the Haygrove, we've finished harvesting all the garlic scapes, which means that fresh amazing garlic is just around the corner - perhaps next week?  Also - the potatoes are in full flower - always a delicious smell 

in the air, as well as promise of baby potatoes to come - perhaps next week?  We are sitting in hopeful anticipation!  The animals are doing well, though we had to put down one of the ducks last week due to an apparent dog hassling that happened over a weekend.  I guess this is one of the major drawbacks (as well as an unbelievable asset) to farming in the city - lots of foot traffic and curious onlookers.  At any rate, the duck was limping and then quickly deteriorated over the week, the other birds were not supportive and we had to end it.  Such is life.  On other, more happy news - the quail are feathering out nicely, the chickens have moved to the field and are loving life out there, busily gobbling up weeds and bugs!  Our farmers' markets have been very successful business days and so far we're happy with the 2009 season in general.  We even

 found some time to enjoy a 2-day canoeing trip for our 12th wedding anniversary!  Felt pretty luxurious and we got to know our little state of Vermont a little better.  We came back to find our farm in need of a mow, a haying, a little weeding, and some tomato trellising.  We're taking good care of everyone's future tomato salads, you'll be happy to know!  We know everyone's just biding time until tomatoes come in - we know!  Well, so are we!  Some pictures for your viewing pleasure, and recipes to tickle your early summer culinary kitchen skills - buon apetito!  Addendum: just got back from putting the geese and ducks to bed, and thought I'd try and do a little commemorative attempt at the moonwalk.  Not recommended that you try this on uneven farm soils.  Let's leave it at that!

Spencer happily paddling the Lamoille

Pointing out the covered bridge we paddled under - how Vermonty!

Happy to make it to the portage at the end of the 26 miles - we did it all in one day instead of two!  The day was just too beautiful to stop the fun!

The root wall fringed with green - nice to have so much color these days to add to the spectrum of green!

Ahhh.  Beets - such a nice addition to the fare.

In one week, the tomatoes went from this to...

...this!  What an amazing difference!  You can tell that they are clearly out of the transplant shock stage and into the active growing stage.  Such a nice place to be!

In one week, these three little Paul Robeson tomatoes went from this to....

...this!  I know it's hard to believe - but those are seriously the same tomatoes!  Very promising, no?  Can't wait to taste these babies!

Garlic scape fun!  Not sure what to do with them?  Recipe at the end...

So stately, the favas - they look like miniature olive trees... kinda.

Fava-liciousness!

Not sure what to do with them?  Not interested in doing the fava bean two-step dance of blanch peel, blanch peel?  Recipe at the end...

Cleaning up the goods for your eating pleasure!

Potatoes in full bloom!

A close up of the beautiful blossoms of a Satina potato.

Our stand of rye ready for mowin'

Spence getting ready to mow...

...mowed!  Now we let it dry and the bale it - we'll see how many we get.  Any guesses?  On farm guesses range from 2.5 bales to 32 bales.  Clearly we are new at this!

And, in 3 weeks, the quail have gone from this to...

...this!  Chubbin' up, as promised.  

OK!  Some recipes, also as promised!

Garlic Scape Pesto

by: Dorie Greenspan

• Makes about 1 cup
  
• 10 garlic scapes, finely chopped
  
• 1/3 to 1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan (to taste and texture)
  
• 1/3 cup slivered almonds or any nut you like (you could toast them lightly, if you'd like)
  
• sea salt
  

1. Put the scapes, 1/3 cup of the cheese, nuts and half the olive oil in the bowl of a food processor (or use a blender or a mortar and pestle).  Whir to chop and blend all the ingredients and then add the remainder of the oil and, if you want, more cheese.  If you like the texture, stop; if you'd like it a little thinner, add some more oil.  Season with salt.
   
2. If you're not going to use the pesto immediately, press a piece of plastic against the surface to keep it from oxidizing.  The pesto can be stored in the refrigerator for a couple of days or packed airtight and frozen for a couple of months, by  which time tomatoes should be at their juciest!

Grilled Fava Beans

as suggested by: Aaron Josinsky

• young fava beans, still in pod
  
• olive oil
  
• salt
  
• pepper
  

1. Set grill or broiler on high heat - at least 350 degrees.
   
2. Toss favas with olive oil, salt and pepper.
   
3. Place directly on grill or on a pan under the broiler.
   
4. Cook until browned, roll around to brown other sides, cook until brown all over.
   
5. Put on a plate, sprinkle with a little more salt.  Eat pod and all, great as an appetizer with beer, or as a perfect side dish.  Enjoy!