Mental health day #2

I took another mental health day recently. Actually, it was more of a "restoring Sadie's sanity" day than anything. Poor thing, she's been neglected by me and terrorized by Lachlan lately. Even though there is snow in the mountains (I know! Isn't it crazy?), it's still pretty warm down here in our valley.

So the other day Lachlan and I took Sadie to an awesome little area of the river about a mile from our house. She will swim and chase sticks all day long if I let her. She came home and slept quite soundly for the rest of the afternoon in my room, safely behind the door so that Lachlan couldn't crawl into bed with her.

Mental health day #1

It's been pretty hectic around here, processing orders from the Heartsy sale and also working on several other big projects. So last Friday, Sadie, Lachlan and I headed up into the mountains on the Grand Mesa near our house for a little mental health break. Poor Sadie, it was as much a break for her as it was for me. She's been pretty neglected lately!

The leaves on the aspens were a beautiful golden color, and there was just enough snow on the ground to make it clear that winter is just around the corner.

Outstanding in the Field: The Menu

Sorry for the lack of posts over the last week. I went to NM and then to Baltimore to surprise my friend at her baby shower! We just got back home last night. Now I'm really behind in showing you what I've been up to!

But first I need to finish telling you about the Outstanding in the Field dinner we went to. Here's a photo of the menu.

Every single item in each course was amazing!



The chef was from the restaurant six89 in Carbondale, CO. One of my favorite items of the night was the burrata cheese that he made. That cheese combined with the blistered cherry tomatoes and a drizzle of balsamic vinegar was to die for. (Note to self: Find out how to make burrata cheese!)

I mentioned in my last post that the green beans were the most fantastic things I've eaten in a long time. When that farmer was introduced, he practically got a standing ovation! His farm is Osage Gardens in New Castle, CO. They apparently have one of the finest herb gardens in the country and supply many Whole Foods stores. Next time my mom and I are looking for a field trip, we might have to check this place out in person.

When we first sat down at our table and saw the menu, I admit that my heart skipped a beat when I saw GOAT on the menu. I'm not a vegetarian (not even a little bit), but I've always been weird about the types of meat I'll eat. To me, it's normal to eat chicken, pork, and beef. Anything beyond that is just weird, and no matter how good it tastes, I can't get past the weirdness of eating it.

But for this event I didn't want to miss out on anything, so I tried it. And you know what? It was delicious!! I'm sure it had a lot to do with how it was cooked and the sauce that it was in, but wow. I actually went back for seconds.

What do you think? Have any of you ever eaten goat or any other kind of meat that might not be considered "normal"?

Outstanding in the Field: The Dinner

I got sidetracked with some printing projects the last few days, but I wanted to make sure that I told you about the Outstanding in the Field dinner we went to the other week.



The infamous Outstanding in the Field bus.

The weather was stormy and we had a few sprinkles, so rather than the tables being set up in the field, they were set up inside the "shed" where the farm stores their balers and tractors. Let me say that those are the luckiest tractors in the world. The shed was GORGEOUS! Beautifully constructed with attention to every detail, large windows, and not a spider web or speck of dust in the joint!



The tables were set up in two rows, and each table sat 8 people. Dinners are served family style, so each table of 8 was served one dish with eight portions, and we helped ourselves. Each course was paired with a wine from a local biodynamic vineyard. The servers did an amazing job of describing each wine and each course, including the source of the local produce and meat.



I'm at my parents' house in NM now and I forgot to bring the menu with me. But I can tell you that everything was amazing. Out-of-this-world kind of amazing! After each course they also introduced the farmer or rancher who was responsible for the items of that course. The guy from the farm that supplied the green beans practically got a standing ovation. It wasn't just the husband and I; we overheard a lot of other people there who were in AWE over how good the green beans were. I had no idea that a vegetable could be that good. They were cooked to perfection (if even cooked at all?) and tossed in creme fraiche and something else (none of us could quite put our finger on it, but we guessed lemon and dill might be in there) and then topped with fried shallots. Definitely not your grandma's green bean casserole!

The highlight of the night was that both the farmer, Clara, and Jim, the founder of Outstanding in the Field, sat at our table. That's them on the left of the photo. I was like a star-struck royal watcher sitting at the table with Will and Kate!



What I would have given to pick Clara's brain all night. I did happen to get some info from her about her carrots, which I'll share with you in another post.

Before the dessert course, there was a break in the clouds so we moved the tables out into the field.



We had just enough time to eat dessert and enjoy a last glass of wine as we watched the clouds of the next storm rolling down the hillside in the distance, heading straight for us.



After dessert we got to meet the chef and his team who put together such an amazing dinner. More on them--and their amazing creations--in a later post.



We wrapped things up and were back in the car on the way home just as the rain hit. A perfect end to a perfect night!

When I'm back at home with the menu handy I'll tell you a bit more about each course and what I loved about it, as well as my thoughts on seeing GOAT on the menu!

Outstanding in the Field: The Farm, Part II

I almost cried when I saw the farm that hosted the Outstanding in the Field event we went to. Divide Creek Farm is outside of the small town of Silt, up in the mountains. When we turned off the road onto the farm property, I never would have guessed that there was a farm on the other side of all of those trees. We drove through the woods and over a small, red covered bridge, past a tee pee set up in the woods, and around the corner to one of the most immaculately kept properties I've ever seen.

Clara, the farmer, has three (maybe four?) greenhouses that are on rails. There are 3 sections of land for each greenhouse, and she rolls them back and forth over crops throughout the year, depending on what needs protection.

She had lots of squash inside and outside of the greenhouses. I am kicking myself for not asking her how she controls squash bugs. I am losing the battle with mine this year.



She grows lots of onions, including walla walla onions. I haven't tried that variety before, so they are on the list for next year. Cucumbers grow on trellises in the greenhouse behind the onions.



She grows artichokes! I have wanted to try growing them but didn't think they'd do very well here because our growing season is a little on the short side. I guess I was wrong! (Or I guess maybe I need a mobile greenhouse!)



The tomatoes grow on a single string that is tightly strung between the ground and the ceiling of the greenhouse, and I imagine that Clara must spend the better part of her day pruning these things to keep them looking this good. I tried growing my tomatoes on a trellis like that one year and just couldn't keep up with the pruning necessary to make it work. This year I haven't pruned my tomatoes at all and they are out of control.



When one crop is done she rips it out and prepares the soil for the next crop. I think she said that she'll be starting carrots in this area in August and will be harvesting them throughout the winter.



This really made me jealous. She uses an airstream trailer that has been turned into a mobile cooler to take her produce to the farmers' market. Talk about green with envy!! A bunch of beautiful strawberries grow in rows behind the trailer.



You can find out more about Clara on the farm's website, and she also has a blog.

And yes, I spent yesterday morning weeding my garden and trying to make my tiny patch of dirt look half as good as Clara's! :)

Outstanding in the Field: The Farm, Part I

Last night the husband and I went to an Outstanding in the Field event in Silt, CO, about 1.5 hours from where we live. If you ever get a chance to go to one of these, do it. Don't let the (cough) price scare you off. The experience is TOTALLY worth it if you can afford it.

The dinner was held at Divide Creek Farm. Have you ever been to a place that is so perfect and so amazing that when you get home you want to bulldoze everything you have and start over from scratch? This farm is that kind of place.

The farmer is Clara Coleman. I heard last night that her father had a farm in Maine, but it wasn't until I looked on her farm's website this morning that I realized that her father is the Eliot Coleman. I have his book!!

Every square inch of the farm is beautiful--from the rolling greenhouses, to the trellised tomatoes and cucumbers, to the numerous barns and sheds. Everything is beautifully constructed, with amazing attention to the tiniest detail. The pictures pretty much speak for themselves.

The absolutely stunning office, with an indoor, 2-story rock climbing wall for Clara's sons.



Clara's chicken house puts mine to shame!









(Yes, that's an outdoor sauna, shower and hot tub!)

Bambi's brother

While at Black Canyon National Park the other weekend, the husband and I drove down to the bottom of the canyon to see the Gunnison river up close and personal.

On our way back, a young deer crossed the road, heading toward the river for a drink. We pulled over and I got out with my camera and got these photos of the fella with his friend, who were rather unafraid of me. In fact, one of them came walking up the hill straight toward me! Too bad my camera wouldn't focus a little better... The hung out by the river for a bit before slowly making their way across the road and back into the trees.

Black Canyon National Park

Last weekend the husband allowed me to take a break from tiling/grouting/floor sealing/painting duties, and he treated me to a visit to Black Canyon National Park about 1.5 hours from our house.

The drive and area around the park was unremarkable--rolling hills covered in juniper and pinon pine with bigger mountains in the distance. It looked like regular old western Colorado. But then we got out of the car at the first observation deck and my jaw literally dropped. I never would have imagined something like this hidden in the boring hillside!



The 2,000+ foot tall walls of the canyon drop almost vertically to the Gunnison river below.



We drove on South Rim Road, a 7-mile paved road along the edge of the canyon with 12 overlooks, the most spectacular of which were reached after a short hike.



At 2,250 feet, this cliff, known as Painted Wall, is the tallest vertical cliff in the entire state of Colorado. And yes, it was spectacular to see in person!