NC Blueberries, Sandy Creek Farm Style, Lexington

I wasn't looking for blueberries when I went to Sandy Creek Farm. I was looking for mushrooms. I drove down an extremely steep gravel driveway, thinking to myself, I wouldn't want to get stuck here in a rain shower. Just then I saw a flash of lightning and heard the boom of distant thunder.

Outside of the Farm Store on Sandy Creek Farm, Lexington, NC

I planned to pop into the farm store, grab some mushrooms and go before the driveway became a waterfall. Inside, I saw many reasons to stop and linger. The place was full of nick-nacks from homemade jams to garden supplies and T-shirts. There was a fridge filled with pasteurized goat cheeses, eggs, and berries. But there were no more mushrooms. They had sold out earlier in the week.


Inside the farm store on Sandy Creek Farm,
Lexington, NC

I called my husband to see if he wanted some goat cheese instead.
CRACK went the sky as a bolt of lightning hit a nearby field. He wasn't sure he wanted any goat cheese.
BOOM continued the thunder.

"OK, no more time," I told him, "I'll just get some berries."
I thought about getting just a pint because I was travelling. But then, I thought, I probably wouldn't be back through this area any time soon.

GROWL the storm said, the shop shook, and I made up my mind.
"I'll get a quart of blueberries," I said, "and a jar of honey," scrambling for a lone jar of wildflower honey on the shelf behind me. I paid for my purchases, said a quick good-bye, and managed to get into my car just as the sky exploded above me.

I was right about the driveway. It was a full blown waterfall by the time I got to the top of it. When I got back to my hotel room, two hours later than I expected, I treated myself to a large bowl of blueberries. They were amazing, the best I'd had all trip and worth every scary second.

Sandy Creek Farm is located at 3160 South NC Hwy 150, Lexington, NC, 27295
Phone (336) 853-8834   Their website is www.SandyCreekFarm150.com


 

Florida Chefs Delight Farm-To-Table Style at Small Farms Conference, Kissimmee, Fla.

Four prominent Florida farm-to-table chefs gathered in Kissimmee, Florida, this July to meet farmers. They gave up a Saturday night of sales to cater the Small Farms & Alternative Enterprises Conference. They were looking forward to the advertised "networking event to make new acquaintances," where they planned to make business deals with new farmers.

Chef Dak of Pizzeria Oceano, in prep-kitchen
 at 2012 Small Farms Conference, Kissimmee, Fla.

Chef David A. Kerprich, who prefers to go by Dak, of Pizzeria Oceano restaurant (Lantana, Fla.) sources local Florida ingredients for his pizzas. "It's amazingly hard to source locally in this area. You have to be committed to it. The reason I came, was to source local ingredients better," said Chef Dak. He travelled over four hours to get to the event.




Pickled Florida Sturgeon fish dish from
 Pizzeria Oceano at 2012 Small Farms Conference,
Kissimmee, Fla.

He had a French bread slice stacked with pickled Sturgeon (Sarasota sourced), drizzled with smoked cream, topped with Lake Meadow Naturals sourced herbs, and crowned with Florida pickled beets. He also had a Florida mango salad (from Kiss-Im-Mee's Green Place Farm and Chef Dak's garden, Fla.) that went so fast I was not able to get a picture.

Chef Tony Adams, Big Wheel Provisions, serves devilled
style Lake Meadow Naturals eggs, 2012 Small Farms
Conference, Kissimmee, Fla.

Florida pork belly & avocado on
sticky rice, Big Wheel Provisions,
2012 Small Farms Conference,
Kissimmee, Fla.

Chef Tony Adams of Big Wheel Provisions (Orlando, Fla.) makes a point of including at least one Florida ingredient in every dish he serves. "Local sourcing is a huge reason why we are here. There's going to be so many producers here. It's like a toy store," said Chef Adams. He brought his whole food truck into the dining hall.

He served six different styles of devilled eggs made with 12-hour old Lake Meadow Naturals (Ocoee, Fla.) eggs. He also had a sticky rice dish made with deep fried Florida sourced pork's belly, sesame, and Florida avocado.


Chef Darwin Santa Maria, Darwin's On 4th, in prep-kitchen
at 2012 Small Farms Conference, Kissimmee, Fla.



Florida rock shrimp and Peruvian
mashed potato dish from Darwin's
On 4th, 2012 Small Farms
Conference, Kissimmee, Fla.

Peruvian Chef Darwin Santa Maria of Darwin's on 4th Restaurant and Brewery (Sarasota, Fla.) is a relative newcomer to the Florida farm-to-table restaurant scene. He is currently working with a Florida farmer who is growing some Peruvian ingredients.
Travelling over two hours, he was looking forward to networking with more Florida farmers at the evening's event.

He served a delicious Peruvian mashed potato dish topped with Florida rock shrimp, tangy Kalamata olive sauce, and Florida micro-greens. He also had a Florida sourced beef dish and some craft beers.


Chef Greg Baker, Refinery Restaurant, serves pulled
pork dish to 2012 Small Farms Conference attendee,
Kissimmee, Fla.

Chef Greg Baker of The Refinery Restaurant (Tampa, Fla.) travelled over three hours to get to the event, getting caught in Highway-4 traffic on the way.

He sources from a lot of Florida farmers but when he can't, he sources from sustainable providers. He came to event to support local farmers. He served a delicious Florida alligator Ceviche and a pulled pork dish.

As the dining hall doors opened, attendees poured in, and music from a live band started. The food was wonderful but the volume of the music was not. It was too loud and drowned out any possibility of conversation between the chefs and the farmers.

At the end of the evening, I asked the chefs if they planned to return next year and most said only if their schedules permitted it.

To find out about the 2012 and upcoming Small Farms and Alternative Enterprise Conferences you can go to http://conference.ifas.ufl.edu/smallfarms/
 

Mother's Day At Paradise Farms, Homestead, Fla: Vegetarian Brunch

Paradise Farms is the perfect place for a vegetarian Mother's Day brunch. There is excellent organic food, company, and surroundings.

Gabriele Marewski explaining how the farm was designed
using Feng Shui methods, Paradise Farms,
Homestead, Fla.

German born Gabriele Marewski, owner of Paradise Farms, is a lover of certified organic and biodynamic growing practices. She bought the five-acre, former avocado grove back in 1999. Her certified organic farm now grows for and sells to top gourmet restaurants in the Miami area.


Entrance to Paradise Farms, Homestead, Fla.

My husband and I snagged the last tickets, at $65 a person, for this year's Mothers' Day brunch. The day was warm and breezy. When we arrived ice cold glasses of herbal tea were offered to us. They were made with ingredients from the farm like lemongrass and mint. Then the edible tasting tour started.

Marewski talking about the edible, blue, Clitoria flower,
Paradise Farms, Homestead, Fla.

Marewski said she had 52 edible flowers on the farm. She encouraged us to try as many as we wanted. The tour ended at a covered dining area at the center of the farm. Chef and caterer (Broadwings Catering), Kira Volz was waiting for us. 

Fresh yogurt with Florida mango puree, granola, and
Florida strawberries, Paradise Farms brunch,
Homestead, Fla.

She had a choice of two first courses: yogurt with mango and granola or yogurt with granola and strawberries. Chef Volz said all the ingredients were sourced locally in Florida. Mango mimosas were offered to sweeten the experience.

Field greens salad with edible flowers, Paradise Farms
brunch, Homestead, Fla.

Next was a spring mix salad with edible flowers and a light vinaigrette dressing. Unfortunately, the salad at my table was full of sand so it was hard to eat.


Heirloom tomatoes, caramelized onions, oyster mushrooms,
pea shoots, and fresh goat cheese crumble, Paradise
Farms brunch, Homestead, Fla.

Next was an sweet heirloom tomato, caramelized onion, oyster mushroom, and pea-shoots salad with creamy chunks of crumbled cheese.

Sweet squash stuffed fresh pasta with micro-greens and
shaved cheese, Paradise Farms brunch, Homestead, Fla.

Following this dish was fresh handmade ravioli stuffed with sweet squash, topped with spicy micro-greens, and finished with salty, shaved, hard-cheese (from Hani Khouri's goat farm, Homestead).

Orange zest cake with strawberry puree and fresh cream,
Paradise Farms brunch, Homestead, Fla.

And finally for dessert we were treated to a moist, orange zest cake with fresh cream and strawberry puree.

Chef Kira Volz checking plates at Paradise Farms
brunch, Homestead, Fla.

Chef Volz impressed me with her use of local ingredients and light use of salt in each course. She was very knowledgeable about the local farm-to-table food scene in Florida, and was eagerly looking for more farmers to source from.

I can hardly wait until the next growing season starts (November 2012), so I can have another brunch with Chef Volz at Paradise Farms.

If you want to get in on a brunch or dinner, book early because seats go fast. You can call (305) 248-4181 on M, T, Th, F from 8:30 - 4:30 pm OR go to their website to learn more http://www.paradisefarms.net/Paradise_Farms/Home.html