As the cost of land increases in the Carolinas, most people focus on development built above the ground rather than what grows from the ground.
During the last century, our once-agrarian culture moved further away from its roots. In 1939, when Gerald O'Hara advised his daughter Scarlett in Gone with the Wind, "Why, land is the only thing in the world worth workin' for, worth fightin' for, worth dyin' for, because it's the only thing that lasts," the film's audience was in transition -- less than 20 years away from the "Golden Age" of agriculture in the US. Yet even throughout the 1930s and the Great Depression, Americans remained connected to the land. Farm communities were common and even those farmers who had moved to the cities maintained their roots by cultivating backyard gardens. One hundred years ago, about one in three Americans was a farmer; today, fewer than 2 percent of Americans farm for a living.
But an increasing number of people are concerned about the distance we have created between our food sources and our stomachs. As dependence on foreign energy sources is spotlighted, shouldn't we be just as concerned about our dependence on other food sources as well?
One organization of concerned Carolinians believes fervently that this region should strive for agricultural sustainability. The nonprofit Carolina Farm Stewardship Association (CFSA) is committed to "sustainable agriculture and the development of locally based, organic food systems" that are "environmentally responsible, economically sound and socially just." CFSA is a membership-based organization of more than 850 farmers, processors, gardeners, businesses and individuals in North and South Carolina. This organization, established in 1979, fosters the growth and distribution of locally grown and organic food in the Carolinas.
During his welcoming speech at the first Charlotte Regional On-Farm Dinner in June, Tony Kleese, executive director of CFSA, noted that the Carolinas could develop a sustainable agriculture. The 2006 dinner was held at Sammy and Melinda Koenigsberg's organic New Town Farms in Waxhaw, where housing developments have sprung up around Koenigsberg and his father's 38 acres of Union County farmland. Still, once you arrive on the property, with its tranquil lake and grounds landscaped with towering hemlocks, the suburban world melts into a bucolic stillness.
The stars had aligned perfectly for this dinner -- and you actually could see them. The only interfering light came from the festively lit tent. The temperature was a perfect 67 degrees. Dulcet harp tones waved on the slight breeze.
In a white barn, white suited chefs collaborated to produce the main event. The chefs who volunteered for the event -- including Joseph Bonaparte of the Art Instutite of Charlotte, Paul Malcolm of Johnson & Wales University and Jim Noble of Noble's Restaurant -- are also the ones who have contributed greatly to the success of local farms by consistently buying from them. These and other notable chefs produced a spectacular dinner for the event using locally grown vegetables, fruits, herbs and meats.
On the menu were Bordeaux spinach, which has red veins similar to those in Swiss chard running through the leaves, and a densely flavored pork tenderloin provided by Grateful Growers Farm pigs in Denver, NC. The pigs are descendents of those brought to the New World by the Spanish conquistadors. Also on the menu were a beggar's purse of New Town Farms chicken, roasted North Carolina grouper, wood-grilled poulet rouge fermier with thigh confit, wild mushroom fricassee, and a dessert of goat cheese and honey panna cotta with locally made chocolate by Sula's Truffles & Specialty Chocolate.
Tickets to the event were $200 for dinner and a champagne tour of the farm, and $150 for just the dinner. The proceeds will help fund CFSA projects such as developing an organic seed bank of heritage seeds, supporting the production and distribution of organic milk and livestock products, and protecting farmers and consumers from the contamination of genetically engineered crops. Next year's On-Farm Dinner will be held on New Town Road at Marianne Battistone and Philip Norwood's Popular Farms.
Of establishing regional sustainability Kleese noted, "One of the easiest ways to support our local farmers is to support the restaurants which support them."
You can find New Town Farms' produce at the Matthews Community Farmers Market on Saturdays. A family member will be present to answer questions. Contact Carolina Farm Stewardship Association, NC Office, PO Box 448, Pittsboro, NC 27312; the phone number is 919-542-2402. Or go to www.carolinafarmstewards.org.
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