5 minute read
THE KINDRED FARM — THE ESSENCE OF FARM-TO-TABLE
The Kindred Farm
THE ESSENCE OF FARM-TO-TABLE
By Christine Bailey
Walking down the hill from the greenhouse after harvesting the first ripe tomatoes of the season, I was cradling one in my hand as tenderly as a jewel. It was a new variety we grew this summer, Toronjina, a cherry tomato with orange skin as vivid as tangerine flesh or the petals of a marigold.
I popped the still-warm-from-the-vine fruit into my mouth and actually had to stop walking for a second. Standing there in the middle of the gravel driveway with my eyes closed and mouth full of the bursting summery goodness, I had already been transported ... to seed-starting day in winter when I was still wearing a puffy vest ... to the many days coddling seedlings through cold and frost ... to the expectant day we finally planted them in a neat 100' row in the warmed greenhouse. What’s even more special? The tomatoes on that vine would be served on someone’s dinner plate that very evening at a special dinner for a birthday celebration.
The fact that something that grew from a tiny seed can grow and evolve into a meal that’s a catalyst for connection, vulnerability, and authenticity around the table is no mere thing. When something you’re about to serve is entwined with memories of sowing, growing, harvesting, and eventually, sharing it with others, that’s both magical and miraculous.
Here on our 17 acres at Kindred Farm in Santa Fe, Tennessee, cultivating connection is the heart of all we do. We raise vibrant produce, flowers, bees, and chickens in a sustainable way that heals and nourishes the land and grows into beautiful food. We also love gathering the community at long tables under the stars at our unique farm-to-table events, Kindred Dinners.
At these communal-style dinners with tables that go on as far as the eye can see, multiple courses are spread out over a long, slow evening. The finest seasonal, farm-fresh fare cooked over an open fire by our own chef, my husband Steven, and team … strolls around the farm … fresh flowers on the table ... seasonal craft beer and wine ... friendships forged and memories made. Folks may arrive as strangers, but by the end of the night they are sharing stories of their lives, exchanging texts, and making plans to see each other again. And that’s the beauty of what can happen around the table. It’s more than a piece of furniture — it’s a place where our bodies and souls are nourished.
We hosted our first farm dinner on our land in October 2017. Several years and many more big dinners later, it still doesn’t get old seeing people connect on a deep level as they walk around the farm, meander through flower fields, clink their glasses, linger at the table, and huddle around a roaring fire. Fall 2019 was our biggest dinner yet — 150 people in the greenhouse, right next to the arugula and under a ceiling of twinkle lights and hanging fall leaves. And then COVID hit.
During 2020, we had to pivot like everyone else, and we changed our format temporarily to smaller sized dinners and seating guests at private tables with their own party. We were so grateful to still be able to continue Kindred Dinners in the midst of all the changes in our world. What we found is that people needed these times of nourishment and connection more than ever.
This fall 2021, we’re excited to be back with communal tables, which has always been our heart for gathering. Seating people at long tables that go on forever is a glimpse into eternity and the ultimate feast of feasts.
As stewards of the land and the gifts we’ve been given, we don’t take lightly the time that people choose to spend around the table here. We’ve been reverent over the Bolognese sauce made from pastured pigs that grazed on our pastures nearby. We’ve shared collective awe over the sweetness of the first frame of honey from our beehives as the honeycomb was carved onto sourdough bread on guests’ plates tableside. We’ve passed the bowls down the table towering with crunchy lettuce that was harvested that morning, still pulsing with life. Soon, we’ll be harvesting our butternut squash on a sweaty summer day. Tucked into the soil in early spring, seeds became vines that grew into mature squash. After weeks of curing, they’ll be hauled into the barn, awaiting their chance to become creamy butternut squash soup or butternut sage ravioli at one of our fall dinners.
What happens under the surface of the soil alone is a complete wonder — from seeds the size of thumbnails grow squash as big as a footballs. But that’s not all — after being cooked over an open fire in a pasture on a fall evening on the farm, they’ll become the center of conversation around the table where we come together in our humanity to not only be fed, but nourished. This is the essence of “farm-to-table.” n
CHRISTINE BAILEY is a grateful farmer, writer, wife, and mama to two young daughters. She can often be found making technicolor zinnia bouquets, adventuring with her family, and sharing meals around the table with friends. She is releasing her first book through Harper Horizon in March 2022.
