FEAST OF FIELDS: A GOURMET AFFAIR
Saturday, August 22, 2009
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Feast of Fields 2007 – Everdale Organic Farm |
Celebrating its 20th anniversary, Feast of Fields transports people out of the grocery store and into the fields where organic food is produced to create a unique, gourmet experience.
This year’s event will be held Sept. 13, from 1:00 – 5:00 p.m. at the Kortright Centre for Conservation in Woodbridge, Ont. Attending guests will extend their knowledge of organic food by leisurely wandering through pastures and talking with local farmers, celebrity chefs, vintners and brewers committed to producing and preparing organic fare.
Tickets for the one-day event are $100 per person. Patrons will receive a carry bag with a ‘keepsake’ cookbook. Here is a sampling of one of the many recipes included.
ORGANIC ONTARIO LAMB RIBS WITH PLUM AND BALSAMIC REDUCTION
Lamb ribs
Sea salt and pepper
5 plums
1 cup organic sugar
1 cup Frogpond Farm Cabernet Franc
1/2 cup water
1 cup balsamic vinegar
Rice or bread
Cut ribs into individual pieces or leave as whole rack. Season with sea salt and pepper, sprinkle with balsamic vinegar and bake at 300° F for about 2 hours or until the fat has become crispy.
Pit plums and chop roughly. Place in a heavy saucepan with organic sugar, red wine and water. Bring to a boil and then simmer for 20 minutes.
Reduce balsamic vinegar to a half-cup. Add to plum mixture.
Purée plum mixture in a food processor and return to sauce pan.
When ribs are cooked, place in pan with plum mixture and simmer for 1 hour.
Serve ribs over rice or thick pieces of organic bread.
Recipe courtesy Daniel Gilbert of Daniel’s of Nobleton.
PROUD ACHIEVEMENTS
Established in 1989 by renowned chefs, Jamie Kennedy and Michael Stadtlander, and other like-minded professionals, Feast of Fields is a culinary event unlike any other in Canada.
Held annually at varying rural locations, Organic Advocates is responsible for putting on the event, which is a unique way for people to discover organic food.
Some of the non-profit organization’s proudest achievements include:
- Establishing Toronto’s first organic farmer’s market, which has become a place to shop and exchange information with organic advocates.
- Publishing two editions of the Consumer’s Guide to Eating Organics, a directory of Ontario organic farmers – what they produce and where to buy their organic products – as well as stores that sell and restaurants that serve organic fare.
- Funding a cable television program, Field of Greens, about organic agriculture.
- Publishing The Organic Gourmet, a 192-page cookbook to celebrate Feast of Fields’ 10th anniversary.
Additionally, every year Organic Advocates makes a significant donation to an ecological group or organization to promote sustainable, organic agriculture. Past recipients include the farmer chef intern program at Everdale Organic Farm, Ecological Farmers Association of Ontario, the University of Guelph Organic Agriculture Program and Seeds of Diversity Canada.
