As part of the Blogher Food 13 Conference this weekend, I had a chance to dig around for answers to my food-source issues and share dinner with some fine folks from across the country, each and every one represented the entrepreneurial spirit and sweat-of-the-brow work ethic that I believe is still the reality of farming and ranching today. I’m talking real people with real families and a real commitment to providing quality products – produce, dairy, meat and more. I’ve had the opportunity to participate in several “farm to fork” educational excursions and, as with those previous outings, this dinner definitely reinforced my confidence and trust in today’s agricultural industry. In fact, I’m honored to be putting my name and face in magazine ads to support an industry built with honest, salt-of-the-earth people like these.
Getting these commodities into our grocery stores and onto our plates may be a big business at an aggregated level, but the plain fact is that most farms and ranches across the US are surprisingly small, multi-generational family operations that work tirelessly to provide safe, nutritious and affordable options for America’s dinner tables. Despite our probing questions, I could tell from their readiness to dialogue on a both factual and personal level that these people weren’t just shoveling us bloggers a pile of manure! If you have your own questions about how today’s food is grown and raised, I suggest checking out FoodDialogues.com, an online resource operated by our host for the evening, the U.S. Farmers & Ranchers Alliance.
I have to give a quick shout out to a few people I really enjoyed chatting with including watermelon grower, dairy farmer (and new grandpa!), Russell Boening from Floresville, Texas and Jason and Marianna Peeler also from Floresville. Jason is involved with several sides of the cattle industry and his wife, Marianna, runs a cage-free poultry operation called Peeler Farms. I could really relate to Marianna as we shared so many of the same things – we’re the same age, have teenage children and have a passion for running, CrossFit and preparing healthy meals! I also met Sara Ross, a young mom and 6th generation farmer-rancher from Iowa — check out her blog about farm life and how food gets to the table at Sara’s House HD. Morgan Kontz, another fun young mom, has a blog that chronicles her adventures after marrying into South Dakota farm life – Stories of a First Generation Farm Wife.
So, onto dinner and the sights! Springdale Farms, an almost four-acre urban oasis on the east side of Austin, was decorated like a quaint scene for some movie set. In reality, this venue is a real-live working farm providing organic, locally-sourced food options for the surrounding community. How have I not been here before? Huge oak trees shaded our party until night fell over the farm, at which point old fashioned glass bulbs strung from limb to limb illuminated the rustic picnic tables dressed with a hodgepodge of many a grandmother’s best china. Our facilitator of fun for the night was Danny Boome, intrepid gastronaut and television personality on numerous food shows.
The menu was divine and made with ingredients plucked right from the farm:
- Gazpacho
- Green Salad
- Collard Greens
- Sweet Potato and Egg Salad
- Beef Tenderloin
- Pork Tenderloin
- Berry Cobbler with Cream
- Iced Tea with Mint