04 March 2010

ORGANIC FARM IRON CHEF, or LIVING (LARGE) OFF THE LAND: GETAWAY PART III


As good as getting to see the farm animals up close was the Full House Farm organic vegetable garden just for guests where we (literally) had the pick of beautiful, cool weather produce.



I'd decided not to bring any food, supplies, or equipment (not even my trusty cast-iron skillet)--or spices, herbs, oils, or vinegars. For those who know me, this was big, especially because we were hoping to eat in quite a bit: but I decided it was a lesson in trust--that the garden would provide, that a 'fully-equipped kitchen' meant just that, and that we could create good meals with whatever we found.


What we found, cooked, and ate was great: broccoli, cauliflower, onions, carrots, and beets for roasting; swiss chard and beet and mustard greens for sauteing; all different types of kale for soup; and arugula, mesclun, mizuna, and other greens for salads topped by broccoli flowers. And plenty of rosemary, thyme, and other herbs.


The great Wild Flour Breads also got turned into croutons for salad and soup, and the freshly-laid eggs (can you tell which ones came from the araucanas?) made great omelets and breakfasts (can you see the color and height of those yolks??). Christine's homemade goat cheese was great on the beets and toast, and we got to sample her homemade goat ice milk and yoghurt too.



It was fun trying a completely vegetarian getaway with such incredible materials at hand. We heartily recommend the Full House Farm experience; we found it on the Weekend Sherpa blog, a favorite resource for Bay Area outdoor adventures.


And to end this trip, some veggie porn (or truly raw food): "Aloha, from Carrot Man!" (May not be suitable for all ages! :-P )

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