Farm-fresh feast

To call the feast my husband and I enjoyed two Sundays ago “fresh” would almost be an insult. Aside from the salmon, which was flown in from Alaska the day before, nearly everything was plucked from the gardens growing just a few yards down the hill.

The impressive culinary spread of garlic scape pesto, antipasto with sauteed kale, red leaf lettuce salad glistening with a light strawberry vinaigrette and spanokopita with a thick, creamy chard- and spinach-laced filling — not to mention the delicately poached salmon gracing a bed of garnish greens — boasted fabulous color, texture and flavor.

Just before inviting people to work their way through the outdoor buffet, Diane Green explained to her 21 guests that the feast they were about to enjoy grew out her passion to educate people about the value of small-acreage farms and her desire to share the taste of fresh, local food.

This summer, with support from Rural Roots, a nonprofit organization promoting sustainable agriculture, Green and fellow farmer and chef Sora Huff, launched Sunday Brunch on the Farm.

Every other Sunday through early September they are putting together a brunch for anyone who wants to taste farm fresh food while learning a little about what it takes to maintain an organic garden. The menu at each brunch will change. It all depends, Huff explained, on what’s growing in their gardens and what they can get the day before at the Sandpoint and Boundary County Farmers’ Market. The menu often isn’t finalized until late the night before the brunch, Huff said.

Though barely 12 miles northeast of Sandpoint, it seemed as if we were disconnected from the “real world,” if for no other reason than the fact that the cell phone screen blared “no signal” as we drove up the driveway to Green’s home in the Pack River Valley.

Green, however, wants people to know that buying farm fresh produce from local farms is very real, and very important. She and husband Thom Sadoski own and operate Greentree Naturals Inc. In addition to selling their organic produce at the Sandpoint Farmers’ Market, they also run an apprentice program to teach others the art of growing organic food. Now, they’re in the very early stages of planning an on-site farm school with hopes of raising new farmers.

“We need the next generation to continue small-acreage farming,” Green said.

In between the telltale “Mmmms” and comments about the various ingredients used in the brunch, Green reminded guests that they were tasting freshness. Even the eggs used in the spanokopita were gathered from her free-range chickens, she said, adding that fresh eggs with their “perky yellow yolks” make a huge difference.

Before long, questions about what Green uses for fertilizer came up during the brunch.

After explaining that they get manure from their chickens and goats, Green laughed. “Rarely does a table conversation with Diane Green not come to manure,” she said. “I tried. I didn’t bring it up this time.”

Turning the attention back to food, guests praised the pea pods in the antipasto for their sweetness. “This is a great year for peas,” Sadoski said.

We saw that for ourselves as we meandered through the gardens after brunch. “You can see the peas are growing out of control,” Green said pointing to the tall plants at the south end of the garden.

Just below the house is Green’s circle garden where she grows flowers and herbs. She and Sadoski were married in the middle of the circle.

Beyond that there are several rows of plants including greens, cabbage, cauliflower, garlic, onions, eggplant and more. Nestled between each broccoli plant is dill, which Green said draws the aphids away from the broccoli and also deters a worm that likes the vegetable. It’s one of many tricks organic farmers use to keep their crops healthy.

While she and other small acreage farmers talk openly about long days and little time for rest and relaxation during the growing season, Green said, “You can’t have a garden or small acreage farm and not love it.”

She said people who go into small-acreage farming with the goal of making money rarely survive. “You gotta love it,” she said.

To which a guest quickly added, “You also have to be good at it. You can love it and still suck.”

The brunches have been popular, and Green and Huff are already talking about continuing them next summer. Green never seems to tire from spreading the word about small farms.

And though she works with Rural Roots to promote small farm operations and organic practices across the region, Green is adamant on her stance on what local means. “My definition of local is my community — Sandpoint,” she said. “There are enough people in my community to support many small farms.”