Introducing Katie!
Katie brings twelve years of professional culinary experience as she joins our farm, enlivened by her passion for connecting people to the earth through their palates. Most recently, she was Chef at Posh Nosh Catering. Prior to that, she honed her talents not only in Raleigh, but in Charleston, Providence, and in the United Kingdom, including at a Michelin-starred restaurant. In Katie's words:
"I have always wanted to make cheese, especially goats' cheeses. Chevre has been one of my favorite things as far back as I can remember. I am unbelievably excited to be working at Prodigal Farm and exploring what to me is an entirely new craft. I am also looking forward to sharing my food philosophy and flavors with all of you as we start to host on-farm dinners this year. I believe in eating as locally and cleanly as possible. I think that meals should evoke a warm, fuzzy feeling (especially when accompanied by a local beer or sustainably made wine). Most importantly, I hope that when you join us, you will feel the love in what we have created for you and share it with others."
Katie's the tops, bringing an earthy and willing spirit to the sometimes nitty-grittiness of work on a farm, while being absolutely rigorous and refined in the kitchen.
Katie with Fidget, her favorite lil' fella, out in the middle of the north pasture
Best Meal Ever
We'll be participating again in the the annual
Farm to Fork Picnic, a benefit to support the Center for Environmental Farming Systems and the W.C. Breeze Family Farm, which provide research for sustainable farming practices and training for new farmers, respectively.
Folks, according to Bon Appetit magazine, this is the "country's best all-you-can-eat feast." The event pairs dozens of the area's best chefs with local farms, to produce exquisite tastings through which you meander at your own pace. We're very excited to be paired with Herons Restaurant of the Umstead Hotel in Cary. It's one of the rare five star/five diamond restaurants in the state—we can't wait to taste what they do with our goodies. Tickets sell out very fast, so grab 'em quick!
Coming Soon: Farm to Fork in the Field
Katie will be showing off her talents at our soon-to-launch monthly dinners on the farm. These will showcase not only our own Prodigal Farm cheeses, meats and more, but also produce and meats from other area farms. These promise to be memorable for both the palate and the eyes. Stay tuned for more details as we announce the first of those dinners, and a series of in-depth educational and fun tasting events.
New South Durham Farmers' Market!
So, you may have noticed that your Prodigal Farm correspondent has been suspiciously quiet over the past few months. That's because Kathryn has been spearheading the launch of a
brand new farmers' market in South Durham, at Greenwood Commons on Highway 55 at the intersection of Sedwick. The market (which had a stupendous opening day last weekend) is open every Saturday morning from 8 am to noon, with a wide array of experienced and new vendors selling a huge range of products—meats, berries, vegetables, bread, plants, dog treats, and of course CHEESE! If you've ever been to Papa Mojo's Roadhouse—that's the place.
The mission of this market is special: its first priority is to provide a market outlet for Durham farmers, and its second priority is to offer a chance for new producers to have a market outlet, something that is vital if we're going to grow new farmers to replace our aging farming population.
We've also done another special thing with this market: community folks can join the market as a voting member, and can be elected to the market's board of directors, with full voting rights. In fact, our first community board members have been so fabulous, I don't think we could have done it without them. We also owe special thanks to the Rural Advancement Foundation International, which awarded the market an $8500 grant to help launch the market.
Experience Farm Life
Interested in experiencing a taste of farm life? We can frequently use a hand on special projects around the farm: baby vaccinations, other herd health projects, garden work, building something, and there's our regular tasks too. Weekdays are best, but there's also always Sundays.
Working out here usually involves getting dirty, though sometimes we can use a hand in the cheese room, ladling cheese, packing cheese, doing dishes (which are endless). We try to make sure that folks get a sample of real farm life, from glory to grit and grunt. This isn't for the faint of heart or physique, even in the cheese kitchen—just hanging a batch of chevre to drain can mean hanging 1200 pounds of curd over the course of an hour or two. Now that's a workout!
Email kat@prodigalfarm.com if you'd like to plan a volunteer day.
