A Little Bit About a Lot of Things

Last weekend I was invited to attend a farm dinner (at Appleton Farms in Ipswich) and lecture featuring Patrick Martins, author of The Carnivore’s Manifesto: Eating Well, Eating Responsibly, and Eating Meat.

I arrived a little early and was able to walk around the farm. The Trustees manage the 1,000 acre property that was a gift of Colonel Francis R. Appleton Jr and his wife Joan. The property has goats, sheep and pigs that you can visit, along with a dairy barn, where you can see the cows being milked at 3pm daily. The milk from the cows is bottled or made into cheese (on site!) and is available for sale at the dairy store.

Guests are encouraged to climb on board the antique carriage outside of the Carriage Barn.

I was lucky enough to sit next to the architect who designed the Carriage Barn and his lovely wife at dinner.

Martins is the founder of Heritage Foods USA, Slow Foods USA and Heritage Radio Network. He was an engaging speaker with a great sense of humor, adding in little personal stories here and there. Martins talked about how to make smart and informed choices about the food we eat and participated in a Q&A session afterwards.

The dinner was served buffet style and featured Appleton’s grass fed beef prepared by Bonne Bouche catering. The farm has a growing White Park herd and the public can buy meat at the farm store. Heritage breed cattle have been growing in popularity due to the local food movement and the farm has a strong commitment to sustainability and the ethical treatment of animals.

The evening started out with hot cider and a sampling of the farm’s own artisanal cheese.

Quinoa salad with kale, roasted beets, crumbled feta, red radish and tossed with a citrus balsamic vinaigrette.

Roasted Brussels sprouts tossed with bacon, grapes and shallots.

Starting at top right and moving clockwise: crispy kale with mixed bell peppers salad, topped with Parmesan; chicken with lemon, mushroom and capers; bread pudding a la mode; beef short rib pot pie with mushrooms, pearl onions, carrots and parsnips.

Can’t make it out to Ipswich to Appleton Farms? Don’t worry, head down to the Boston Public Market and check out the classes in the KITCHEN.

Disclaimer: I was invited as a guest of the Trustees to attend this event. My ticket, which included the lecture and the meal, were provided complimentary. All opinions are my own.

Appleton Farms

219 County Road, Ipswich, MA

http://www.thetrustees.org/places-to-visit/north-shore/appleton-farms.html

Tags: events, farm, the trustees