Talking Grain and Talking Farm Seed Sale
Elawa Farm May 5 event features Artisan Grain Collaborative
Floral Figure 8
One of the nearby buildings in Lakeview East did a really nice job on its early spring landscaping.
Grain Panel and Great Eats at Elawa Farm
Elawa Farm is a public-private partnership dedicated to the preservation and stewardship of a unique combination of natural setting, designed landscapes and buildings of architectural and historic significance. And they have two great events coming up that you should get on your calendar.
The first, “Grain Culture: A Panel Discussion,” will take place on Thursday, May 5, 5-7 p.m., at the Elawa Farm Foundation, 1401 Middlefork Dr. in north suburban Lake Forest. The rapidly increasing interest in Good Grain among consumers, bakers and farmers is one of the most powerful trends in our region. You will learn more about it from this great lineup of panelists:
• Wesley Rieth of Granor Farm (Three Oaks, Michigan)
• Aaron Harris of Molino Tortilleria (Sawyer, Michigan)
• Jesse Zien, Two Eagles Distillery (Mt. Prospect, Illinois)
• Andy Hazzard, Hazzard Free Farm (Pecatonica, Illinois)
This evening of engaging conversation about our regional grainshed will be moderated by Artisan Grain Collaborative. The panel discussion will focus on the role of the local grains in sustainable farming, modern-day cuisine and regional food resilience.
And wait, there’s more… The event will include light fare curated by Chef Abra Berens — who was highlighted in yesterday’s issue about Granor Farm’s upcoming series of farm dinners — and Elawa Farm Foundation’s Resident Chef Steve LoTempio. Abra will be doing a signing of her cookbook Grist, focused on grains, beans and legumes; her previous vegetable-focused cookbook Ruffage was nominated for a James Beard Foundation Award.
Click the button below for tickets.
Elawa Farm also is kicking off this season’s farm dinner series on the evening of Saturday, May 14. The organization’s description and a link to buy tickets is below.
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We are kicking off our farm dinner series! Join us for an intimate dinner at the farm. With a cocktail in hand, you will walk the garden for a private tour led by our Executive Director, Laura Calvert, from 6 - 6:30 pm. Following the tour, there will be a casual family-style supper with a view of our beautiful garden. Chef Steve LoTempio will create rustic dishes with locally sourced and sustainably grown ingredients. The night will end with a bonfire and housemade s’mores.
This will be an indoor/outdoor event, please dress accordingly. There will be an indoor contingency plan in case of inclement weather.
Our Menu:
Spring Greens Salad - V/GF
Chicken Liver Pate w/ Rose hip Mustard & Pickles - GF
Seeded crackers
Baguette
Grilled Spring Vegetables w/ Citrus Ramp marinade - GF/V
Farro grain salad with olives, dates, almonds, peppers and leeks - V
Trout escabeche - GF
Smoked beef Picanha steak - GF
Citrus honey pistachio olive oil cake - V
Get Your Seedlings at The Talking Farm in Skokie
Order organic seedlings for your garden from The Talking Farm in north suburban Skokie. I’ll let them speak for themselves in the following description:
The Talking Farm’s popular seedling sales will return again in 2022! Seedlings are locally and organically grown by our farm staff and come in 3″ pots. We will offer 43 varieties of tomatoes (heirloom, cherry, and slicers), cucumbers, squash, eggplant, flowers, greens, peppers, and herbs.*
Seedlings are ordered in advance online and picked up during a pickup date and window of your choice. Pickup dates are May 14, 21 & 28 at the Howard Street Farm. As with prior years, there will be no in-person sales.
*All proceeds from the seedling sales support The Talking Farm. Seedling varieties are subject to change without notice.