outstanding in the field

Back in March, I found out that a farm outside of Nashville Arugula Star was hosting an Outstanding in the Field meal on their farm this September. The tickets sell out elsewhere in the country so I bought them the first day they were available. Outstanding in the Field is an organization that travels the country putting on meals with local farmers, chefs, cheesemakers, and ranchers to help spread the knowledge about eating locally and simply. The thing I came away the most with was getting to know the farmers. In this case Allison and Matthew at Arugula Star spend their lives making nutritious and beautiful food for their community. They grow organically and sell locally so their food has less of a petroleum cost to it. In order for us to have melon and strawberries out of season, they are shipped in from very far places. Why are we buying cheap say, tomatoes, from Mexico as an import and exporting our own? I hope to show the boys how eating local and simply helps out the environment around them. We've taken them to the Farmer's Market with us but I go every week. I also can and jelly things from my mom and dad's garden for the winter. I try to do my part as best I can.

Ok so the meal! We arrived in the mid afternoon for a cordial made from local tea and prosecco while walking around the fields. It was a beautiful overcast afternoon. Matthew gave us a tour of his farm before the dinner. They sell their food as a part of a CSA and have steadily grown over the last three years. They farm for 44 families and that is about their maximum. They have about 35 soon to be egg laying chickens who live in a very clever movable coop. They hope to provide eggs in as little as a few weeks. Matthew and his father have a wonderful reuse and recycle approach to life and he took the time to point out what each thing, including their shade cloths and stakes, were in a former life.

After our tour we joined all 200 guests at one table for a beautiful dinner in the tree canopy on an old farm road. The dinner included lemony heirloom tomatoes, roasted local chicken thighs, sweet and dense yellow melon which was planted and grew feet from where we were eating it.


I'm so glad Ted and I took the time for this special date not only for each other but to feel a part of a great community of people who also wish for us to get back to what's important about humanity. We really need to take care of this world. We really need to make conscience decisions about our footprint and try our best to shoulder the responsibility of passing on a beautiful world to the next generation. We also need to know where our food comes from and thank a farmer. I'm so glad I had this chance to do just that.