July was a quite the whirlwind for the farm! Epicure and Culture listed us as number 11 in their compilation of the USA’s 12 Unique Dining Experiences. (We attribute that to Hazelnut our lamb!) This month we also had The Rocky Mountain PBS show, Chef Driven, film one of their episodes on the farm! With all of this media coverage we are busier than ever before, so much so that we are having to grow our farm to meet all of our community’s needs. It’s time to hire an on site farm manager so that we can continue educating and growing food for the North Fork Valley. You can learn more about how you can support The Living Farm, as we grow to better fit your needs by visiting the page, Help a Farm to Help a Family. Do you want to hear more about this insane month? Keep reading!
Chef Frank & Lynn Touring the Greenhouses Photo credit Jim Brett
We had a special guest in July! The Rocky Mountain PBS show, Chef Driven shot an episode for their new season at the farm and cafe. Chef Frank Bonnano and his film crew enjoyed an afternoon tour of the farm with Lynn. The rainstorms we have been experiencing almost every afternoon cleared up just in time for filming! Lynn and Chef Frank went through our farm-to-table process of growing, harvesting and cooking all in one day. They harvested produce in each of our greenhouses to make a new dish for The Living Farm Cafe. Chef Frank and Lynn hit it off discussing their shared passion for good food as they harvested in the gardens.
Harvesting in the Gardens – photo credit Jim Brett
The Greenhouse Tour – photo credit Jim Brett
After touring our greenhouses and gardens we visited with the sheep. All of the ewes and lambs were excited to have a rare mid-afternoon treat.
The Flock Enjoying a Mid Afternoon Treat- photo credit Jim Brett
The camera crew were just as curious of the sheep, as the sheep were curious of them! – Photo credit Jim Brett
Once we had finished visiting with the ewes and lambs we headed to the cafe to cook up our delicious harvest. Chef Mike, Chef Frank and the film crew piled into the kitchen to create a beautiful farm-to-table meal.
In the Cafe Kitchen – photo credit Jim Brett
Once the meal was cooked we all sat down and enjoyed the fruits of our labor. It was wonderful to share the farm with someone as passionate about food as we are! We are honored to be on the Chef Driven show and to have the chance to reach out to more people than ever before with the message of the fresh foods movement. On the farm we look forward to seeing The Living Farm Chef Driven episode in the next six months.
Hazelnut, one of our bottle babies
A few months ago we toured journalists from all over the United States on the farm as a part of a Western Slope Tourism event. The group were taken on our VIP Behind the Scenes Farm Tour. They loved it so much that after their dinner at the cafe, they came back for Lamb Loving. And that was when the magic happened. Our signature Lamb Loving where guests are invited to tame our lambs by cuddling them from 7:30-8:30, paired with dinner at the cafe is the best example of farm-to-table living we can offer. Hazelnut, our bottle fed baby, charmed the entire crew of writers with her sweet attitude. Katie Foote was one of the journalists who fell in love with the farm (and especially our lambs). In her article, a picture of Hazelnut represents our Farm; and rightfully so! She listed 12 unique dining experiences in the USA and The Living Farm & Cafe are number 11! We are so grateful for this opportunity.
As we grow to fit the needs of our community we have been given more and more opportunities to spread the word of the joys of eating locally. It is exciting to see what August holds for us as we grow the farm staff in a new way and put out more exciting gardening education. We are excited to see what could happen next! Learn how to become a part of growing our farm staff by checking out the Help a Farm to Help a Family web page.
