Gratitude

Gratitude 

Our farmers, this year specifically Pat and Sarah, have been fine-tuning the harvest for nearly a decade, growing with the kitchen’s needs in mind. This year, their work has reached a remarkable level, with each crop chosen and cultivated to meet exacting standards. We are deeply grateful for the sweat (and occasional tears) they’ve poured into the fields this summer

Our farming practices are a reaction to the modern food system and the diminished quality of produce. Larger farms pick to ship. Produce is harvested under ripe in order to make it into your shopping bag. 

We work with our farmers to harvest at the peak of flavor and ripeness. We pick the green beans when the seeds can just be seen swelling inside the bean. We wait to harvest the tomatoes until their shoulders are soft, often picking every day to make sure they are perfectly juicy and flavorful. 

We are grateful to have this land, these farmers who are on the same mission with us, and a clientele that supports us in learning and getting better at it every year. And we are so grateful to be able to preserve this historic way of growing food and the cultivars that have sustained us for generations. 

Last week’s feature:

Five Tomatoes, Three-Fruit Gastrique, One Bold Bite

Each season we trial new tomato varieties. Not every tomato makes the cut. We keep only those that prove themselves worthy of the plate. On last weeks menu we featured five different tomato varieties: Gold Medal, Cherokee Purple, Candyland Red, Green Grape, and Sungold.

The freshly sliced tomatoes were drizzled with gastrique (vinegar & sugar) sauce made from our vinegar - with quince, pear and apples from our orchard. Our current batch of vinegar was started in 2019. It has a flavor profile that is absolutely unique; bright, crisp and aromatic with notes of tropical pineapple quince. 

Small morsels of ricotta from Bellwether Farms dotted the plate. Bellwether makes their cheese from rich, whole Jersey cow milk. Sold in its original draining basket, this unique ricotta has a delicate pillowy texture. 

Completed Dish

 First-of-the-Season Heirloom Tomatoes, Basil Puree, Fresh Ricotta, Garden Savory, Gastrique, Sourdough Croutons

Wine Pairing

Beau Joubert, Sauvignon Blanc, Elgin, South Africa 2023 - tropical fruits such as ripe papaya and passionfruit with hints of lime and white peach to produce a complex and effortlessly balanced wine.