Angelic's Heavenly Gather & Grow Farm Social
Nonprofit dedicated to better food through better farming had nothing but blue skies
A Heavenly Gathering Under Clear Skies
Angelic Organics Learning Center’s site in Caledonia, Illinois is a pretty magical place. So it was nothing but pleasure to attend their Gather & Grow Farm Social in their north-central Illinois base this past Saturday.
The Learning Center’s mission is to “build sustainable food and farm systems through experiential education and training programs in partnerships with rural and urban people.”
Its vision is “a dynamic and enduring partnership between farmers and consumers who strive for economies, ecologies, and cultures that respect the land and honor the people who work it, know healthy food as a human right, celebrate the beauty and mysteries of life and the living earth, encourage authenticity and self-reliance and cooperation, and are sustainable over many generations.”
Saturday’s event was in part to thank ongoing supporters for their financial assistance, and part to ask for more help either through direct donations or donor outreach to peers to encourage them to contribute.
There was a minimum of speech making, though, and a lot of delicious food prepared by Abreo, a highly regarded farm-to-table restaurant in nearby Rockford; beverages featuring regional product from Letherbee distillery in Chicago and New Holland Brewing in Holland, Michigan; lovely music from the Good Vibrations Chicago duet of Lilianna Wosko and Jason Miller; happy mingling; and lots of just hanging with the Center’s farm animals.
All this played out under a cloudless sky that became a celestial show (very little light pollution in Caledonia) after dusk. And when the daytime temperatures quickly dropped at nightfall, the wood-burning fire pit became the place to be.
Enjoy the photos of the people, the food, the animals and the natural beauty we experienced on Saturday.
All photos by Bob Benenson of Local Food Forum (yes, that’s me).
Jackie de Batista, executive director of Angelic Organics Learning Center, gave opening remarks at the Gather & Grow Farm Social.
The Good Vibrations Chicago duet.
The fire pit helped temper the early autumn chill.
Delicious food offerings from Abreo included a ramen bar, cucumber salad and grill & chill shrimp (top); smoked pork ragu over grits (from Hazzard Free Farm in Pecatonica, Illinois), roasted broccoli and Social Cheese Curds (center); and a meze station that included charcuterie, crudite, whipped ricotta with local honey, and blue cheese cones.
Beverage choices included a hibiscus gin and tonic with Letherbee spirits, and an Ichabod pumpkin ale from New Holland.
I’m going to guess you don’t need help identifying these animals.
And finally, the beauty…
Such a great night! Thanks for being there Bob.
Hi Bob - sorry we didn’t connect at the event! We got there a little late and it was already dark.