Food for the Soul

As I looked down the long table at our 6^th Field to Fork Dinner, I have to say I was pretty impressed. Here we are, a small, working, Mom and Pop dairy farm, and we had 150 people at dinner on a beautiful evening with amazing food! 

We start planning the event in April when we pick a date, select a beneficiary and line up the caterer.  This year we partnered with the Mid-Atlantic Dairy Association to support the Maryland and Capital Area Food Banks.  Upon a friend’s recommendation, we chose Palate Pleasers from Annapolis to cater the event and were delighted with the result. 

The weather was perfect – 60 degrees and lots of clouds for great photos.  The catering crew was incredible.  In less than two hours they had transformed our pasture into an elegant dining setting. Staff dressed the tables with linen and burlap, tucked menus into napkins and set out the fine china.

The evening started with beverages including Lockbriar apple cider, Troegs beer and Crow Farm Chardonnay.   Chapel’s Country Creamery’s outstanding cheeses were served with figs, apple chutney and crackers.  Crab cakes set on slices of lemon and decorated with African Violet blossoms from my kitchen were passed to the great delight of guests 

Evening Stroll, featuring Rebecca Petri, provided the music for the cocktail hour.  She and her fellow band members were outstanding.  They had a great selection of songs and a wealth of talent.

  Chef Amy Daniels created a spectacular menu with local produce.  Dinner started with Arnold Farms’ butternut squash soup poured from a silver coffee pot and sweet potato ciabatti from Magnolia Bread Company.  Salad of Colchester Farm CSA arugula and beets with blue cheese followed.  The star of the meal had to be the St. Brigid’s Farm osso bucco with mashed potatoes and roasted vegetables.  Guests were amazed by the tenderness and flavor.  Homemade pumpkin pie and apple crustada with Lockbriar vanilla and cinnamon ice cream made a perfect ending for a perfect evening.                                                                                                                       

Seats are filling fast for the 2011 Field to Fork dinner in part from the response to the NPR story by food commentator Bonny Wolf. You can find her story and listen to the audio about farm dinners around the country by clicking here. It was a hoot to hear her mention our dinner on Weekend Edition Sunday.

To reserve your seats for our dinner on October 1 from 5-9 PM, rain or shine, click on the RSVP link to the right.

For out of town guests, we recommend the Crow Farm B&B just 1/2 mile away or the Holiday Inn Express and Comfort Suites in nearby Chestertown.

2010 Field to Fork Dinner

Chef Dave Perry, Casual Caterers
Chapel Creamery Cheese & Lockbriar Apples

Fresh Riccotta Cheese & Tomatoes


Flat Iron Steak Florentine w/ vegatables

Farmer Guests are acknowledged

Chef John Keller shares his vision for the KCHS Culinary Arts Program

Thank You!

Field To Fork 2009 !

The second Field to Fork dinner, an event designed to showcase local agriculture in an al fresco setting was enjoyed by 80 guests on October 3rd. Luck was certainly with us as the storms predicted earlier in the week stayed south, leaving us with warm temperatures and clear skies- perfect for enjoying the beautiful sunset and amazing full moon.

Special thanks to Chef David Perry of Casual Caterers in Stevensville for his creative touches. The hydrangeas looked lovely with the lanterns and the firefly lights were charming. The food was absolutely delicious. Much of the credit goes to Dave for designing and creating such a fabulous menu. Freshness is the other component of this fantastic meal. Everything was picked, baked or churned within days of the dinner. The milk for the oyster stew was from that evening’s milking.

2009
Field to Fork Dinner Menu
Hot Apple Cider with Rum
(Lockbriar Farms, Chestertown)

Oyster Stew with Fresh Jersey Milk (Choptank River Farmed Oysters)(St. Brigid's Farm, Kennedyville)
Arugula Salad with Chapelle Cave Aged Cheddar
and Balsamic Vinaigrette
(Colchester Farm, Georgetown)(Chapel's Country Creamery, Easton)

Rustic French and Sunflower Bread
with Homemade Butter from Land O' Lakes Cream
(Feast of Reason, Chestertown)
(St. Brigid's Farm, Kennedyville)

Grilled London Broil with olive oil, herb, wine marinade
with Madeira Sauce
(St. Brigid's Farm, Kennedyville)

Grilled Fingerling Potatoes
(Colchester Farm, Georgetown)
Grilled Butternut and Acorn Squash with Fresh Apples seasoned with Cinnamon and Apple Cider (Arnold Farms, Chestertown)
(Redman Farms, Chestertown)
Fresh Apple Pie with Chapel Cheddar
(Lockbriar Farms, Chestertown)
(Chapel's Country Creamery, Easton)
Homemade Pumpkin Pie with Chantilly Cream
(Arnold Farms, Chestertown)

The dinner raised just over $1,000 for Art Hock’s campaign for the Maryland House of Delegates. More important though is the conversation we have started with Art about the issues facing those of us who are working the land. We wanted to bring together farmers, consumers, and local politicians in a special setting for great discussion about production agriculture, quality food, and a sustainable lifestyle.

Thanks to Mattie Meehan and Kurt Kolaja for their photography at the dinner. We appreciate very much their view from the lens and willingness to share with all of you.

Field to Fork Dinner

Our motto on St. Brigid's Farm, especially during one of the driest summers on record, is never complain about rain. Another prominent philosophy we practice as graziers is always have a Plan B ready. For our first Field to Fork dinner, we had to follow both mantras and gladly implemented Plan B, dinner in the new barn, as we finally had the chance to celebrate a bit of rain.

Sure, this changed our event from being set in a pastoral scene under the stars to going inside but the storms did not dampen the enthusiasm for local foods, Heifer International, the Chester River Association, and visiting with new and old friends.

The evening was an amazing event. Friends, friends of friends and complete strangers all convened to participate in a unique dining experience. Our guests mingled and enjoyed local beer, wine, music and a sumptuous five course dinner under the watchful and curious eyes of our Jersey cows who didn’t know quite what to make of all the activity.

The skies opened up as the last guests arrived and the rain nearly drowned out the wonderful classical guitar music of Tom Anthony and Van Williamson. Tom later joined his fellow band members, Tom McHugh and Bill Matthews of Chesapeake Scenes to perform local songs during dessert. The group has performed all over the world but, according to Tom McHugh, this was their first performance in a cow barn.

The wind is always stronger here than most place in the county and the night of our dinner was no exception. In spite of our efforts to design centerpieces in anticipation of gusts of wind by putting candles in votives in a vase, the flames were blown out repeatedly until resourceful guests put saucers on top for protection. One tiki light caught on fire but was extinguished when our son-in-law, Rich Yost, quickly buried it in the sand in the freestalls.

We are so pleased that so many people joined us to celebrate community and local food. Almost ninety people braved the inclement weather, some drove from the western shore, others arrived knowing only us and some brought all their neighbors.

Sustainable food production is the thread that ties together all three organizations involved with the dinner. The Chester River Association, Heifer International and St. Brigid’s Farm all strive to facilitate the implementation of the three “Ps” of sustainability: protect the environment, provide quality of life for the people on the farm and promote healthy, vibrant agricultural communities. Our first Field to Fork dinner showcased all three and we are still amazed at the excitement generated by this event. Thanks to all who attended and made the dinner a huge success in so many ways but mostly because we are sending Heifer International a check for $2100!! Check out Heifer International’s website www.heifer.org to learn what such a life-changing gift to resource–poor families can accomplish in promoting sustainable agriculture in the USA and around the world.

We want to extend special thanks and appreciation to Chef Craig Sewell of A Cook’s Cafe who arrived at the farm willing to accept any logistical challenge he faced working with “Plan B” with an open mind and good attitude. He and his wonderful and competent staff transformed our plan barn into an elegant dining space and served a meal that could compete with any of the fine restaurants in the area.

Thanks also to Marjorie Adams and Elise Kolaja for sharing our vision and passion for a local food celebration and supported us during the months of planning and to Kurt Kolaja and Patty Mowell who took time from mingling to capture the event in the wonderful photos on this blog and on the Chesapeake Foodie web site.

Autumn Grazing

It has been too long since I've posted an update to our blog. A dry and busy fall coupled with the recent Field to Fork Dinner have kept us very busy. The steers above seem to be asking "what is next" as they bask in the warmth of the morning light.

Autumn is a wonderful time at St. Brigid's Farm. As I write a post I often wonder who the audience will be so allow me say up front that this one will be a tad technical. Why is it a wonderful time? The list is long...

1. We have finally received rain! Because of that the cows have grass to graze.


2. Grass at this time of year grows similar to spring time vegetative growth but will not get "ahead of the cows" due to shorter days and cool nights.


3. None of our cows are due to calve at this time of year so we have no babies and no expecting Moms.


4. The cows we are milking are all accustomed to the routine and can be called "easy keepers".


5. Stable fly and horn fly annoyance is over.


6. Heat stress for the cows is over.


7. Storage of winter forage is complete.


8. Judy has a very capable part time helper for milking , Katie Dixon.

Now about the pictures...we intended to re-seed Field #3west this fall in to perennial rye grass. Conditions were so dry in August and September for preparing the seedbed that at the last minute we decided to wait a full year before planting a sward that we'd be living with for the next 10 years. Instead we opted to plant winter rye (aka cereal rye) followed by sorghum as a summer annual next year and then get ready again in '09 for the perennial rye grass. So far the winter rye has been a hit!