Yesterday evening, Paul and I drove east, over the lake and through the ‘burbs and beyond… all the way to Local Roots Farm, where Siri, Jason and Dan were hosting a farm dinner. Before dinner, we wandered around the farm, checking out the chickens (some of whose compatriots we would later eat), talking with Dan about this particular piece of land, ogling the hoophouses filled with tomato plants (and, yes, tomatoes!). Then 30 of us sat down to dinner at a long table in the middle of the main field. Platter after platter of food appeared: tiny farm vegetables with garlicy golden aioli, a salad of frisee, grilled chicken and artichokes, served with a pate of the chickens’ livers on crostini, roasted lamb and homemade sausages with hot mustard, grilled savoy cabbage and leeks, crepes filled with apricots and creme fraiche. Oh, it was delicious! I’m sure the mosquitoes thought dinner was delicious, too; despite citronella candles and bug spray, they also ate well.
When we left, just as the moon was rising, I waved to Siri, who stood at the other end of the table, munching on a small head of lettuce she’d just plucked from the field. She waved back, and called out, “Tomorrow’s box will have onions and beets and peas and fennel!” And so it did. In the box were:
- Bunch of kale
- Bunch of beets
- Sweet onions
- Fennel bulb
- Sugar snap peas
- Mystery lettuce #1 (Perhaps it’s Flashy Trout’s Back again?)
- Mystery lettuce #2
When I brought our box in from the front porch this evening, Sasha joined me in the kitchen. He’s always interested in the produce on the kitchen table, and when given the chance, will carefully sniff each vegetable in turn. He’s particularly fond of carrot tops and fennel fronds. Only the frilliest of veggies for the fluffiest of cats.
3 responses so far ↓
Cat’s not the only one interested in that food. Just reading about it makes me hungry. Sounds like you had a feast fit for a king. Absolutely divine.
Found your blog by complete accident while checking to make sure my cat can eat the fennel fronds which he loves. I too have a cat with nearly the identical colorings who is always into my carrot tops and today the fennel fronds, especially when stocking the fridge with our newly arrive CSA box. Here in Minneapolis, it seems the veggies are right on par with yours. Last box, we recieved a huge head of lettuce, some beets, fennel, sweet onion, beans peas, uncured garlic, carrots, broccoli and basil. Your description of you dinner on the farm makes me so hungry. You’ve definately scored a new reader for your blog.
Your veggies look wonderful. We are working out a grocery co-op with a local farmer, hopefully in the next couple of weeks. We bought tomatoes from him this summer and they were great.
The dinner sounded wonderful