Farm On! That’s the rallying cry of Friends of the Farmer, organizers of a two-part festival for lovers of farm-fresh foods and supporters of local agriculture. It could also be the catchphrase for everyone inspired to turn a patch of grass into a productive vegetable garden. This weekend and beyond, at the peak of our region’s growing season, you can participate in multiple happenings that celebrate the fruits of our fertile soil and the farmers that labor to produce them, be they working the fields, or a “micro-farm” in the center of town. The weekend’s farm-focused festivities begin on Friday evening, July 27, when Friends of the Farmer holds its second annual Hootenanny at the Copake Country Club. More than a dinner, the Hootenany is an epicurean celebration of the region’s bounty. It begins at 6 p.m. with the “Cheese Course,” featuring products from Twin Maple Creamery in Ghent, Amazing Real Live Cheese Food Company in Pine Plains, and Tollgate Farm in Ancramdale, among other cheesemakers, complemented by local libations from such producers as Millbrook Winery, Chatham Brewing Company, and Core Vodka, made from Hudson Valley apples by Harvest Spirits in Valatie. Dinner, hosted by superstar chef David Burke, centers on a pig roast. The meal will be served family style to give guests a chance to mingle with farmers; there will be one at every table. Everything guests will eat and drink is sourced from a 30-mile radius – the meat comes from within a five-mile radius of the plate – and all will have been donated by a long list of local farms, including Kinderhook Farm, Herondale Farm Pastures in Ancramdale, Sol Flower Farm in Ancramdale, and Farm Girl Farm in Egremont.
The Hootenanny is more than just a feast; there will be food for thought, too, from several high-powered speakers including Bob Lewis from the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets; New York State Assembly member Didi Barrett and U.S. Congressman Chris Gibson. Capping the night, attendees can dance to live music; watch a documentary about bee colony collapse (drive-in-movie style, in golf carts); and enjoy summer fruit poached in cauldrons by the bonfire. Hootenanny guests get the first look at unique auction lots: picnic tables decorated by such celebrities as John Varvatos, Rachael Ray, the Fabulous Beekman Boys, and the 9 by Design Novogratz Family that will be auctioned off, some that Friday evening, and some during the next day’s Hudson Valley Food Lovers Festival, a foodiepalloozza expected to draw more than 5,000 hungry visitors. Saturday’s festival is a family-friendly affair; there’s a little farmers tent with a fishing derby, face painting, sack races, hay maze, puppet farm show, and petting zoo. But it’s not just kids’ stuff; there will be wine and beer tastings and an extensive array of vendors from cheesemongers to butchers to purveyors of vegetable varieties from the common to the exotic.
Farm On! proceeds will go toward a scholarship fund created to send 20 Hudson Valley students to the Home Grown Business Challenge, a week-long agricultural summer camp headed up by Cornell Cooperative Extension, in collaboration with Questar III and 4-H, to be held in August at Columbia-Greene Community College. The camp is meant to help grow the next generation of farmers. The two-day affair is the creation of culinary entrepreneur and brand consultant Tessa Edick (pictured left, with former Boston Celtic Eric Williams, and his customized picnic table), whose sauces earned a spot on Oprah’s "O List." Edick says she founded Friends of the Farmer in 2011 out of pure necessity, “There was no choice — what would we do without our farmer!," she says. "I have over 100 farmer friends, and realized if I didn't start the dialog about spending money at the farm — everyday — we were going to lose these family farms that feed us so well, and they were going to lose generations of livelihoods. The farmer is the real celebrity and it is time to celebrate his hard work.” Tim Wightman, president of the Farm-to-Consumer Foundation, may not be a celebrity, but Gianni Ortiz calls him a “farming god.” Ortiz has invited Wightman to speak on Sunday, July 29, at her Garden Farm in Chatham Village. Ortiz created the in-town micro-farm last year, on a neighbor’s half-acre plot of land, adjacent to her home. The Garden Farm grows specialty crops such as Asian greens (including tatsoi and yukima) and several varieties of heirloom tomatoes and cucumbers using the SPINfarming method. Shorthand for "small plot intensive," SPINfarming is a new take on French intensive relay cropping (also known as square-foot gardening), which involves rigorous planning and planting high-yield crops in mounded or raised beds that are reused several times during the growing season, resulting in light and fluffy fertile soil that is rich in nutrients. Through this method Ortiz has produced over 1,500 pounds of produce so far this season, which she sells to local restaurants and consumers, some of whom barter weeding for food.
The public is invited to Wightman’s talk on nutrient-dense farming, which will take place in Ortiz’s kitchen and will be part of an informal potluck gathering from 4 – 6 p.m. this Sunday, July 29. It should be a draw for anyone interested in learning about locally oriented alternatives to our food system. Ortiz extolls Wightman: “He was at the forefront of everything in farming, from cow-shares to pioneering CSAs and organic cooperatives." The afternoon also includes a taste test of raw milk from three local farms and a tour of The Garden Farm. Other food-related happenings abound during this bountiful season. Of a not-quite-so-intimate scale is the 12th annual Austerlitz Historical Society Blueberry Festival, also on Sunday, July 29, a yearly thrill for more than 2,000 visitors, offering everything blueberry from soup to pancakes, plus music and demonstrations by traditional artisans. But get there early: most of the sought-after pastries from Samascott Orchards always sell out. The weeks ahead bring plenty more opportunities to break bread with and raise a glass to your local farmers. Mark your calendars for the Hudson-Chatham Winery’s Sangria Festival in Ghent on Saturday, August 4, from noon to 7 p.m.; Katchkie’s Farm to Table Dinner in Kinderhook that same day, August 4 – a fundraiser for The Sylvia Center; and also on August 4, the Third Annual Summer Food Festival at St. John's Church in Washington, CT; Taste of Hudson Valley Bounty Dinner on August 6 at the Columbia County Fairgrounds in Chatham; the Ninth Annual Zucchini Festival in West Stockbridge on August 11; the Second Annual Chef and Farmer Brunch in Millerton on August 19, a benefit for the Northeast Community Center's Farm and Food Education program and Share the Bounty; and, also on August 19, the Mid-Summer Soiree, a locally sourced brunch to benefit the Columbia Land Conservancy, in Germantown. —Dale StewartFriends of the Farmer festivitiesCopake Country Club - Copake Lake, NY Hootenanny! Farm Fresh Dinner/Dance Fundraiser Friday, July 27, 6 p.m. Tickets: $150 Friends of the Farmer Festival for Hudson Valley Food LoversSaturday, July 28, 11 a.m. – 6 p.m. Tickets: $10; family pass (2 adults, 2 kids): $20 Austerlitz Blueberry Festival Sunday, July 29, 9 – 4 p.m. Austerlitz Historical Society, 11550 State Route 22, Austerlitz NY Adults $6; children under 12 free Blueberry pancake breakfast, 9 – 11:30 a.m.; additional charge The Farm Garden at Chatham Village hosts Tim Wightman Sunday, July 29, 4 – 6 p.m. RSVP 518.392.8545, gianni@gianniortiz.com Donations accepted Research assistance by Fiona Breslin and Samara DiMouro
