Barn Supper love. In the early fall I love to gather with friends, gab, eat well and be in the outdoors. So on many weekends we gather at local spots, markets, land trusts, granges, farms, barn suppers and restaurants in both Connecticut and New York, my two stomping grounds for work and play. A favorite must-experience-event happens right here in my area… at Dirt Road Farm in Weston, owned by Phoebe Cole-Smith and her husband, Mike.
On this particular occasion we gathered near the barn for cocktails, roamed about the garden (veggie, herb and flower), played on the huge swing and checked out the beehives. The company always includes someone new popping in from a nearby state to see what Phoebe is creating. Everything we eat is freshly picked at her farm or by a nearby farm-of-a-friend (think Sport Hill Farm, Gilberties herb farm, the Hickories, to name a few). She plans menus that easily accommodate my dairy, sugar, gluten-free diet (2+ years). The real fun happens at the tables, eating and laughing and of course, for me, taking a few photographs.
The menu on this evening on August 18 was blackberry-basil vodka gimlet, patti’s popp-corn, summer greens soup shots, grilled leg of lamb crostini, housemade herb pappardelle with sautéed heirloom tomato sauce, striper, succotash, veggies galore, red haven yellow peach + lemon verbena torte, blueberry jam thumbprint cookies and her very own Dirt Road Farm honey and maple syrup (buy it here!).
Admiring the earthy colors, the twinkly lights, the real food, the style … I have such appreciation for the farmers. Getting acquainted with the farmers who cultivate our local food supply is an exercise in gratitude and a reminder to slow down and savor.
Thank you to Jacquie for the swing picture, Rosie and Kate for modeling with the food. And to Heather for joining me on this evening.
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