Isabella Freedman's Feast in the Field

The Isabella Freedman Jewish Retreat Center in Falls Village, CT, which hosts workshops and retreats all year long, prides itself on being inclusive, according to executive director Ellen Carton: "We are all ages and allstreams of Judaism—we’re reform, maintream, conservative, liberal, renewal, post renewal, orthodox, orthoflex, spiritual, religious, secular, Zionist, atheist, Buddist, reconstructionist, non demoninational, post denominational, and environmental and queer and Hassidic and Kabbalistic— and that’s just me." One common denominator is a love of food, which was celebrated at the annual Feast in the Field on August 15. Isabella Freedman runs an organic farm and a training program for twentysomethings interested in farming and environmentalism called Adamah, which organized the event. Almost all of the vegetables, eggs and goat cheese used to make Sunday's lavish vegetarian brunch came from the Isabella Freedman's farm, which also has its own CSA; makes pickles, kim chi and sauerkraut sold in grocery stores (including Guido's); and donates weekly to a local food pantry in Canaan, CT, so clients get fresh vegetables along with their canned goods and pasta.