Top Chef!

On Wednesday, our boss told us that we have special lunch plans for the next day so bring a clean shirt to put on.  As farmers, we obviously have dirt, tractor grease, and sunblock all over us the whole workday so we were intrigued as to why we would need to be clean for this mystery lunch!  Thursday late morning, still not knowing where we were going, we changed our shirts and hopped into the car.  Twenty minutes later we arrived at Mercer County Community College to be judges for the culinary class final!  How fun!  If only I had been an avid "Top Chef" viewer, I would have had more intellectual feedback besides "It tasted delicious."  A fellow judge, who is also a chef, used the phrase "flavor profile" which sounded really fancy but I couldn't bring myself to use it in a sentence.  Those two words would not have sounded as authentic coming out of my mouth!  But the class really appreciated having farmers eating the meals that they just prepared and some were even interested in working at farm to table restaurants.  An odd disconnect exists between chefs and the origin of where their food comes from but a shift is a-brewin'.  More and more culinary professionals are getting in the know with local farms and farmers.  Chefs know that fresh is best so obviously working with a local farm is the best choice for taste, quality, and supporting a farmer!  Check out this Eat Local Guide by Edible Jersey to find a farm to table restaurant near you!    

Julie showing off our first lettuce harvest of the year!

Potato plant!  If you have never had fresh potatoes from a local farm, then you do not know what you're missing out on!  If I really like you, I may just give you some in the fall.  But I would really have to like you to share these potatoes.

Mud cracks and weeds.

Farmer Jeff getting down and dirty while checking on our crops.

We brought kale from the farm to be used in the meals.  Eating our own harvest made the experience even more special.  I taught this young chef how to quickly get the kale leaf off of the stem by grabbing the base and just running his hand along the stem while ripping off the greens.  Such a time saver!  

An English inspired dish of mashed potatoes, roasted carrots, Fernbrook kale, and peas.  It was delicious!

Farmers and chefs unite!  What a great afternoon we had eating delicious food and exchanging stories with the chefs about how stressful but rewarding it is to be working in our chosen fields.  Best of luck to these soon to be graduates!  If we can get more chefs to make the connection to local food, our world will be happier and healthier.  And keep local farmers in business!