ARTfarm-to-Table Dinner with T. Shelley

A hip, tattooed chef prepares a six course meal in an open-air farmstand at ARTfarm.
Chef Thomas Shelley chops fresh veggies from the gardens around him while Nadine Donath plates up the first course.

The ‘Farm-to-Table’ concept was first popularized in the US in the 1990s in restaurants in Northern California, in a movement led by celebrity Chef Alice Waters among others. The idea, now embraced by many chefs, is to create a seasonal menu and cuisine that is based on foods that are fresh and currently available from local fields of local farms. Followers of this type of cuisine are often called ‘locavores’. Our ARTfarm-to-Table dinners bring the chefs and guests right onto the farm, featuring ingredients grown within 600 yards of the spot where you’re sitting down to enjoy them. There is a wonderful energy in the experience of fine dining in the midst of a pineapple grove.

Saturday evening, May 28th 2011, ARTfarm hosted our first ARTfarm-to-Table dinner for nine guests. The ombitalented Chef/Artist/Musician/Gallery Owner Thomas Shelley prepared a six course meal for the maiden voyage, assisted by artists Alisha Westerman and Nadine Donath.

A menu rests on a plate of a formally set table with flowers, vines and candles.
Yum! A six-course meal at ARTfarm made from ingredients grown in the gardens all around your table.
A formally set table for twelve, with flowers and candles, looks elegant under a barn roof overhang at ARTfarm, with pineapple groves in the background and a glimpse of the Caribbean Sea beyond.
ARTfarm-to-Table dinners can accommodate 24 or more guests.

Chef Thomas’ photos of the event are viewable on his Facebook page.

…and the menu…

ANTIPASTI
Pineapple–Mango Salsa over Homemade Sage & Rosemary Flatbread
Local Lamb Sliders over Grilled Eggplant and Homemade Bruschetta topped with Caramelized Onions

PRIMO
Cold Cucumber and Dill Soup topped with Farm Fresh Tomatoes

SECONDO
Farm Salad with Roasted Carrots and Beets

CONTORNO
Homemade Pumpkin Ravioli with Sauteed Chicory

DOLCE
Alisha’s Birthday Chocolate Truffle Cake with a Spicy Molasses Crust

The crowd was very happy!

Lemongrass (‘fevergrass’) bush tea over ice was a lovely refreshment for a hot night, and Chef Thomas generously included his white-hot Garlic and Tejaswani Indian Hot Pepper Oil on the table for those brave enough to try it.

Our next ARTfarm-to-Table Dinner will most likely take place in early fall 2011, as our gardens come out of the summer resting period and begin to produce again. Please let us know if you’d like to be on a guest list for upcoming farm dinners at ARTfarm!

ARTfarm Farmstand open today!

Today we have gorgeous beets and carrots, spicy and micro mix salad greens, lots of cooking greens, scallions, lots of beautiful mangoes, and pineapples!! Come on out and see us this morning, 10am – 12 noon 

Happy Memorial Day everyone, and much respect to those who have made the ultimate sacrifice for the freedoms we cherish.

ARTfarm Farmstand’s OPEN today… with Farmer Luca!

Today’s stand is open from 3pm to 5:30pm. Pineapples, mangoes, sweet mix, spicy mix, micro greens, cooking greens, scallions, cherry and slicer tomatoes, herbs including lemongrass, lemon and italian basils… ice cream and chocolate.

Come out today with your gardening questions, Farmer Luca will be running the stand!

Beeeeeee Sunday!

With all the fantastic rain and blooming flowers and growth it is swarming season for bees that have outgrown their hives.

A swarm in May is worth a bale of hay.
A swarm in June is worth a silver spoon.
A swarm in July isn’t worth a fly.

Over the last two days we observed a group of about 20-30 bees actively investigating various structures around the farm. They were curious but not aggressive or interested in us. (Bees are very singular in purpose. When they are scouting, they are not looking to sting anyone. They look scary as they swoop about in large groups, buzzing loudly, but since they are not defending their home, they won’t sting unless someone is swatting at them, crushes one, or shows aggression toward them.)

This morning the same smallish group of 20-30 bees was spotted scoping out a space above the back kitchen door of one of the historical buildings on the property. Within ten minutes, a deafening hum could be heard as literally thousands of bees descended and began moving into a 1/2 inch crack near a roof beam at the same location.

Christina called our beekeeper, Wanda of Wright Apiary, for assistance and the two ladies donned bee suits and were able to pry up a small piece of plywood covering the hollow space in the roof structure, and gently vacuum the extremely large and healthy swarm out of the inside of the roof and into two small cages using special beekeeping tools. A bit of smoke from a hive smoker along a crack in the wall encouraged most of the rest of the bees to come back out from the deep recesses of the roof structure.

About halfway through the removal process Wanda was skilled enough to spot the large queen and capture her in a special queen box. Wanda installed the queen, in her cage, into a temporary small hive box and we began the process of gently shaking and brushing pounds and pounds of buzzing bees from the now heavy small cages into the small hive box. Lastly, Wanda placed a bit of bee food in the hive box to help them feel invested in their new location.

The hive box will remain near the hole in the roof for a few days until the rest of the bees have found their queen. Then we’ll move them into a larger hive box with a comb or two of ‘brood comb’ where the queen, once released from her cage, can immediately start laying her eggs. This should encourage the bees to stay in the new hive, even though it wasn’t their first choice.

If you spot bees swarming around your yard or home, don’t panic. Bees that are out and about looking for a place to live are focussed on the move and are not looking to sting people. A large swarm hanging off a tree can look like an odd, dark colored termite nest. It’s thousands of bees surrounding their queen, awaiting directions from the scouting party. Keep a comfortable distance and be careful not to disturb the swarm, but feel free to observe them. They’re only in an exposed area like that briefly, and will be gone within hours or a day or two at most, as soon as their scouting party finds the perfect new hollow spot.

To prevent a swarm of bees from moving into structures, patch up or caulk up cracks. Bees can move into hollow spaces with just a 1/4″ opening available to them. If bees do move into a structure, you can call 911 for assistance and they’ll direct you to a local beekeeper who can remove (or exterminate) the hive using specialized tools, protective clothing and equipment.