Welcome to our agriculture school - I love it here so much - I’ve been outside all day in the field and I’m so energized! Above is Mark and our three primary students - this year’s farmhand apprentices - William, Cyd, and Laurice. The three of them are all so different, and all so wonderful. They are committed to living with us for 6 months to help us run this place and learn everything that we do here from farming to soap making to floral design and more. All season long we learn from each other and experiment with different ways of living together and practicing hospitality…
We’ve started using the term ‘alt-hospitality’ which is a riff from Zoe’s experimentation with ‘alternative-plumbing’ a few years ago when we were building this place and frustrated with all the swash-buckling contractors giving us hell over septic tanks and leech fields. Simultaneously theoretical and practical, “alt-plumbing” exists in the many outhouses, outdoor showers, washing machine salad spinners, etc that make up campus.
Alt-hospitality is similar in that it takes the bucket of traditional hospitality, dumps its contents, and then picks and chooses parts to create something new. Delicious food, candlelight, beautifully made beds? Yes. Front of house back of house paradigms? No. Serving one another? Yes. Thinking empathetically about what the person next to you might want or need? YES! Bringing to a place, person, or thing the same amount of energy you take away? YES. Money? Meh.
Money separates so many people in the world of hospitality. Where can you afford to eat? Who is in the kitchen? Where can they afford to eat? Wholly imperfect, our experiments with coyote cafe aim to create a new weird little farm-based ‘restaurant’ where we practice hospitality in new ways and play with the performance of showing off our gardens and food.
Come play with us! Every Sunday now through October 22nd we’ll be serving whatever we’re growing in the big barn from 12-4pm. You can enjoy this place and what we have to offer and give back to us if you like by dropping money in the donation box (or venmo) or offering your time, skills, or ideas in exchange. What matters the most to me is that you get here.
The menu this sunday is a moving target! William and I are cheffing and planning a giant lightly-dressed-to-impress arugula salad, probably polenta, definitely home made butter with Kelsey’s cow’s milk (!) radishes, and a 99%-sure rhubarb galette for dessert.
TICKETS ON SALE NOW FOR OUR ANNUAL FARM FUNDRAISER!
I can’t wait to celebrate this farm, our relationships, (and my birthday!) with all of you. This is the 4th annual SUPERNATURE and it’s the best night of the year…
No comments:
Post a Comment