Heidi's Visit

My sister Heidi and her son Atticus arrived in St. Louis last Thursday where Alice and I picked them up kinda late. Curse you, Google Maps! We largely filled the week with mundane tasks and regular life:

but threw in a few twists as we could :)

The best twist, I feel, was the perfect evening when Heidi and I took off to Prairie Fruits Farm for one of their "Dinners on the Farm." It couldn't have been a more perfect evening, nor could I have imagined a better dining companion (sorry, Bobby, but you kinda have to be into the whole "small farm" thing to REALLY appreciate this experience)! Here's the menu. We arrived at 5 for appetizers only to learn that appetizers started at 4. Oh well. We enjoyed a few appetizers, selected our dinner seats, and caught up with everyone taking a tour of the barn. No biggie. Heidi and I had toured this exact farm a few years ago and we knew our way around.

The newest baby goat, only 2 weeks old, was eager to be loved so we got to hold him a bit.

He had just pressed his hairy, milky lips into my neck when Heidi took this picture.

I was surprised by how much joy I felt overlooking the green pasture and alfalfa fields. There's just something about self-sufficiency and hard work and green land that brings me joy. Doing it without packaged fertilizers and pesticides makes it all the more satisfying. Satisfying enough to do it myself? I don't know that yet.

When it was time for dinner, we took our seats. Turns out we were sitting next to the ranchers who raised the cow we were about to eat. I thought this dinner would be filled with hippies and yuppies, but I was wrong. Pleasantly wrong. One of our hosts, the goat cheese entrepreneur herself, sat across from us and I knew then that this was going to be an unforgetable night. I could barely keep seated!

We pestered that poor woman about everything. We asked her about cheese-making, raising chickens, and how she found her way into this profession. We marveled how she happened into this perfectly situated parcel of land and networked her way into selling her goat cheeses all over Illinois. We discussed the sad state of fruit trees this year, the seasonal qualities of honey, harvesting alfalfa, and leasing land from neighbors. I hung on every word. This was fascinating to both of us, of course, because Heidi and I have secretly had this shared dream of owning farm land and turning it into something not unlike this woman and her husband have. I remember a few boring speakers at church that got me to doodling the ideal farm for Heidi and me. I wish I still had those drawings. Heidi balked at the pool on her house's roof, but I think the rest of the plan was satisfactory. She would handle portions of the garden and the animals (goats, chickens, maybe alpacas) and I would handle the rest of the garden and any orchards, vineyards, and brambles I could manage to squeeze onto the land. Later versions of the plan included beehives, wildflowers, and children running barefoot in green pastures. We haven't yet figured out how our spouses' own careers and dreams factor into this ;)

Back to the reality. The veggies were phenomenal. The beef, the goat cheese, the fresh herbs and veggies. I loved it all. The good news was, each course was timed and presented in just such a way that we didn't get overfull, just gleefully satisfied.

Between the main course and the cheese plate, Heidi and I scouted out the veggie garden. Rows and rows of REAL food were just ready to be picked and dug. There were weeds, a few rotting veggies, bugs, and everything else that happens in a REAL garden. Awesome! The herb garden was pristine, though we could see where they had plucked and cut back the herbs that went into our meal that night.


May I never forget that "salsa verde" they served: cilantro, basil, flat leaf parsley, olive oil, fresh garlic, salt, and a splash of red wine vinegar. Finely chop/puree the ingredients and serve at room temperature. They served it with the beef, but I'm willing to try it on ANYTHING.

After our sweet corn gelato and blackberry cobbler, we all applauded the chef and our hosts. Heidi, who is far more brave and impulsive than I am, actually asked our hostess to take a picture with us. Woo hoo!

We drove home at dusk and the fireflies were out full force all the way home. I was glowing all evening. What a treat!