‘Tis the Season for Feasting on the Farm

By Pat Tanner

There’s plenty of time to hop on the bandwagon—or more accurately the hay wagon—and feast plop in the middle of Jersey farm fields, on mulit-course meals prepared by top-name chefs using ingredients from the host farm and nearby. Here are just a few upcoming farm-to-fork dinners:

What: Fourth Annual Farm-to-Table Family-Friendly Grill-Out
Dinner, cooking and wine demos, nature hike, hayrides, kids’ games, s’mores around a bonfire
Who: Terra Momo Restaurant Group and Fernbrook Farm
Where: Fernbrook Farm, Chesterfield (northernmost Burlington County)
When: Saturday, August 8, 4-8 p.m.
Why: Raise funds for non-profit Fernbrook Farms Education Center
Details: $29 (or $39 with wine tasting). Kids under 10 are free with an adult. For reservations, phone Eno Terra restaurant at 609.497.1777

What: Sustenance-on-the-Farm Dinner
Five-course meal prepared by Andrea Carbine of Cranford’s A Toute Heure with dessert by chocolatier Diane Pinder and earth-friendly wines
Who: Sustenance-on-the-Farm and Starbrite Farm
Where: Starbrite Farm, Andover (Sussex County)
When: Sunday, August 23, 4-7 p.m.
Why: Support Slow Food Northern NJ’s earth stewardship and food justice programs
Details: $145. For information and to order tickets, visit sustenanceevents.com

What: Outstanding In the Field Dinner
Who: Host farmer, Kelly Harding of Cherry Grove Farm and guest chef Scott Anderson of elements in Princeton
Where: Cherry Grove Farm, Lawrenceville (Mercer County)
When: Tuseday, September 1, 3 p.m.
Why: Outstanding in the Field, which mounts farm dinners throughout the U.S., originated the concept
Details: $180. To make reservations, visit outstandinginthefield.com

Seriously Sustainable—and Scrumptious

By Pat Tanner

The month of July offers some spectacular opportunities for those of us interested in eating well while respecting the earth’s resources.

On Sunday, July 19, Sustenance on the Farm, a new company formed by Margaret Noon, a founder of the Northern NJ chapter of Slow Food, will hold the first in a series of dinners taking place in the green fields of Garden State farms. The dinners bring together farmers, top chefs, and organic/biodynamic wines, aiming to introduce guests to top-notch local and sustainable food while leaving behind the smallest possible carbon footprint. The inaugural dinner will be held from 4 to 7 p.m. at Griggstown Quail Farm. Guest chefs are David Felton, recently of the Pluckemin Inn, and Chris Albrecht of Eno Terra, who will prepare desserts. Live music is also part of the event, which runs from 4 to 7 p.m. and costs $145. A portion of the proceeds goes to Slow Food Northern NJ’s earth stewardship and food justice programs. For info and tickets visit slowfoodnnj.org.

For those who want to learn to preserve their own seriously sustainable goodies, the Northeast Organic Farming Association of New Jersey (NOFA-NJ) is offering two Saturday afternoon demonstration workshops on canning, freezing, drying, and root cellaring. Both will be held in the kitchen of Princeton Day School. The first, on July 11, focuses on fruits. The second, on July 25, is all about vegetables. The workshops run from 1 to 3 p.m. and cost $18 each. You can sign up by calling NOFA-NJ at 908.371.1111, or by simply showing up on the day of the workshop, following signs to the kitchen, and paying at the door. For more info about NOFA-NJ, visit nofanj.org.

Edible Schoolyards in NJ

By Pat Tanner

Even before Michelle Obama and some local school kids took spades in hand to dig an organic garden at the White House, the momentum for a farm-to-school movement had been building. It began, of course, with the success of Alice Waters’ Edible Schoolyard program in Berkeley, California. (Ms. Waters, of Chez Panisse fame, grew up in Chatham. She credits childhood memories of her family’s Victory Garden as one inspiration for her life’s work.)

On Saturday, April 18th, leading school garden experts from around the state are teaming up for the first ever New Jersey Farm to School Conference. Attendance is open to anyone – including parents – interested in creating a school garden; getting healthy, locally grown food into their school’s cafeteria program; or incorporating food education into the curriculum.

A network of almost 30 groups with successful programs - including chefs, parents, teachers, farmers, and food access advocates - have teamed up for a full day of presentations. Keynote speaker will be Josh Viertel, the newly appointed president of Slow Food USA, who recently met with members of the Obama administration. He is a Harvard graduate who has contributed to the sustainable food movement as an educator, organic farmer, and activist.

The conference is being held at The Lawrenceville School, where chef Gary Giberson helped launch the school’s Green Campus Initiative a few years back and which has become a model for schools nationwide. His business, Sustainable Fare, will provide a lunch of locally sourced foods that is included in the modest conference fee.

New Jersey Farm to School Conference will take place on Saturday, April 18, 2009 from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 pm. at The Lawrenceville School, 2500 Main Street (Route 206), Lawrenceville. The conference fee, which includes lunch, is $25 in advance and $35 at the door. To register, for directions, and for more information visit njfarmtoschool.org or phone 609.577.5113.