I returned to Tree Eater Farm in early October to attend an autumn harvest dinner and community resilience conversation.
The table was set with foods grown and raised on the farm, caught in nearby waters by friends, and grown, raised or hunted by neighbours and friends. To feel, see, and taste the current of story that weaves a meal together is something we often miss in the days of grocery stores and processed foods, and I hope you will find joy in witnessing the parts of this gorgeous narrative that I was able to capture.
It goes without saying that everything was delicious, from the food, to the company, to the conversations, and to the songs.
These words from Magdalene and Peter’s invitation to the feast perhaps capture its essence the best,
“Dear Friends,
We invite you to come gather around the feast table to share the fruits of our autumn harvest and cultivate dialogue together around community resilience.
As the fires of greed and destruction burn up the planet and runaway climate catastrophe becomes the new normal, and as we grapple with the looming threat of ecocide and the deep seated cultural amnesia which has created it, how do we move forward to meet life with open hearts and fresh minds, and to create the resilient community connections which might hold us during crisis and create long lasting grassroots culture?
How do we reconcile having overflowing gardens of abundance while so many starve? Where are the connection points between our settler land tending and desire to support indigenous sovereignty and de-colonize our minds?
How can we transform our relative privilege as land tenders and Islanders into a vehicle for radical transformation? How can we better support each other as neighbours and friends in our food security and activism projects?
These are some of the questions i hope to examine together when i imagine sitting around the feast table with you all. And i imagine lots of laughter and song amidst earnest conversation.
This meal will be a celebration of seeds, water, soil, flowers, pollinators, hard work, friends, and the hopeful little acts and precious small seeds we plant with our hands and hearts everyday to feed a time beyond our own of resilience and relatedness.
In the spirit of community indebtedness and mutual aid, this feast is being created for you with no monetary exchange. My inspiration is to share our harvest bounty, enjoy facilitating some meaningful and important connections, and celebrate the huge labour of love we have put out for yet another year at our farm.
So can you come? We really hope so.
Magdalene and Peter”
Autumn Feast Menu
October 5th, 2019
Appetizer Platter
served on giant wooden boards and garnished with kale, lettuce, and herbs
mini frittata with roasted squash, leek, feta, and pork belly
cornbread made with our blue corn, eggs, lard, and Jess’s goat’s milk
a variety of pickles from Joan and Charred and TreeEater
fresh vegetables from Em and Dylan and TreeEater, carrots, tomatoes, kohlrabi, peppers
roasted beet, garlic, and zucchini dip with hazelnuts
fried goat feta with myer lemon, garlic, cherry tomatoes and thyme
pesto
comox valley brie
roasted garlic
main course
spring salmon in maple syrup, citrus, garlic, and szechuan pepper
apple parsnip puree
roasted beets, squash and leeks
chanterelles in garlic
dessert platter
individual sized galette- apple and plum
candied hazel and heart nuts in apple syrup
apple/quince tarts
grapes, apples, and kiwis
I hope there is inspiration and joy to be found here for you!
xo
Katrina
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Tree Eater Farm and Nursery
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