A Decade of Farm to Form Dinners
Husband and wife duo Clay and Josie Erskine do what farmers do—they sow seeds, harvest crops and sell their organic produce. But, a decade ago, among the 200 varieties of vegetables, flowers and berries on their 60 acre farm, Josie planted a different kind of crop. Call it a “social” seed that has blossomed into one of the community’s favorite annual summer events.
“It’s a brief, intimate moment in time with a total stranger,” Josie describes of the multi-course communal dining experience, created in one of the farm’s fields. It’s a culinary collaboration between Erskine and her friend (and Edible Idaho South contributor) Chef Abby Carlson. “This is personal!” explains Erskine. “This is Abby and I reaching for our ultimate meal. I haven’t found this experience anywhere else in the world.”
“I definitely agree with that,” echoes Carlson. “This is a dream job for a chef to be able to roam the fields and figure out what they want to cook in the coming weeks. I feel honored to be able to do this.”
Erskine and Carlson say the secret to their success (and longevity) is their “divide and conquer” approach.
“I go to Abby and say ‘this vegetable is at its peak.’ Or, ‘I have a concept…what do you think we can do with this?’” In essence, Erskine brings the veggies to the kitchen; Carlson brings the vegetables to the table.
All of the organic vegetables for dinner come from Peaceful Belly Farm, tucked in the foothills near Hidden Springs. The meat and dairy products are sourced from like-minded local ranchers. Flour, nuts and oils come from as nearby as possible—usually no further than California. All told, Josie estimates 97% of the ingredients are local or regional.
“We want this to be the highest level of culinary farm experience possible,” she says. “Keeping it at that level of quality is very labor intensive.”
There are four full-time farm hands dedicated to staging the dinners. Plus, a handful of “helpers” that choose to experience the farm dinner in a more interactive way. Everyone reports to the barn before the dinner guests arrive and get to watch Erskine and Carlson in action. The outdoor kitchen is bubbling and bursting with activity. Carlson (in her signature vintage apron) is concentrated and organized. Erskine is singing and smiling.
Just before dinner, Carlson gathers her crew around the kitchen chalkboard and explains what she’s created for the evening and what needs to be relayed to the guests. Carlson’s menus are original, thoughtful, and driven by what the fields have to offer: beet falafel with pumpkin tahini crema, zucchini and roasted garlic soup, porchetta with heirloom tomatoes and smoked parsley.
“I don’t do this for the money,” laughs Carlson. “I do it because it’s fun to have this connection with people. I get to go out and explain each course [to guests] and you don’t get to do that in a regular restaurant.”
This year, there will be eight dinners consisting of five to six courses — each with a local wine pairing presented by the featured winemaker of the evening.
The price of admission is $125 per person — quite a departure from those first hesitant years.
“The first couple of years, we did two farm dinners and we didn’t charge anyone,” admits Erskine. “We wanted to work out the kinks.” But, from the start, she saw the potential.
“The first dinner we had, nobody wanted to go home,” she marvels, the excitement still in her voice. “Time stood still for people.” “When we first started it was only ‘foodies’ who attended — people with total knowledge of food. Now, people come that have never eaten a beet. They’ve never eaten an eggplant. Sometimes we have to talk them through it, just get them to try it.”
While this al fresco dining is a huge draw for guests, it has some inherent drawbacks for the hosts. Nature is unpredictable, uncontrollable and sometimes downright nasty. There was the wind storm that blew the neighbor’s roof off during dinner. There were the occasional 110-degree days, the black fly infestation, the power outage.
“Every year I think…I’m not going to do this again!” Erskine admits. “But, then spring comes and I’ve spent all winter reading cookbooks and I want to try new ideas.”
This year Peaceful Belly is celebrating the tenth anniversary of their farm dinners. Are they up for another ten?
“I think we have twenty years left!” she says. “Our table locations change and the menus change, but our concept doesn’t change from year to year. We’re doing something right.”
Clay and Josie Erskine
Edible Idaho South | @edibleidaho
Chef Abby Carlson
Peaceful Belly Farm
