It happened again – minus the need to raise funds for the devastation of last year’s tornado that ripped through Balch Springs. Eden’s Garden, Artysby J Photography and Edible Dallas & Fort Worth co-sponsored this year’s event which was expanded to include a paid formal dinner, special guest speaker, free movie screening and auction in addition to the traditional free live concert.
After being wooed by the sultry voice of Lorynn the Red Head, and welcomed to the farm by owner Marie Tedei, Barn Aid guests were introduced to two very worth causes that are working hard to help people less fortunate by providing basic necessities including food. The Gleaning Network of Texas based in north Texas, works with area farms to reduce wasted food by harvesting the misshapen, damaged or overages that normally end up in the compost heap, plowed under or trashed. This food is perfectly good to eat, just maybe not as perfectly shaped as what we have come to expect at the store or in market baskets. Food is donated to small, often overlooked, food pantries. Canteyuke, Inc., also locally based, helps the Lakota people of the Rosebud Reserve in South Dakota, by providing assistance with food, clothing, blankets and other necessities. These people live in 3rd world country conditions right here in our own country and without many resources, changing their lifestyle for the better is difficult at best.
Local food took the center stage as the theme this year as Edible Dallas & Fort Worth sponsored author Pamela Walker, “Growing Good Things to Eat in Texas” and guests enjoyed an all locally grown organic meal prepared by local chef and friend of the farm, David Gilbert and his assistant, Steve Smith, a culinary graduate and a local dietetic intern at Presbyterian Hospital Dallas. Internationally known for his creativity, Chef David Gilbert was presented with the raw ingredients harvested from several area farms, including Eden’s Garden, Aunt Cindi’s, and Lucky Layla Dairy, about 24 hours before the event and whipped up a delicious and nutritious vegetarian dinner including a fun to eat “shooter” for the cheese course, made with a Bosque Blue cheese of Dublin Texas’ own Veldhuizen Cheese, the best blue cheese Chef says he has found.
Pamela Walker spoke of the plight and successes of the Texas small family farm and what many are doing to help support our local food systems. In an age of fresh food recalls, new strains of e-coli and impending government interference in the small family farm’s day to day existence, Walker’s book offers an insight to 11 Texas farms’ some right here in the north Texas area.
The farm tour had to be postponed due to darkness and the thick mud that the recent 14 inches of rain brought. But farmer Marie Tedei offered guests a rain check after any of the twice monthly market days. The Certified Naturally Grown farm features market style variety, growing as many as 15 different items at a time to provide fresh, organically grown produce and herbs for the farm’s CSA supporters. (CSA=Community Supported Agriculture)
There was a live auction as DMN journalist/photographer Jenice Johnson, also a CSA supporter of Eden’s Garden, donned her hat as auctioneer and raised additional funds for the 2 beneficiaries with items including a hand made quilt and professional photography sessions. Organic popcorn, sandwiches of gourmet Italian Sausage from Dominion Farms, delicious drinkable flavored yogurt donated by Lucky Layla Farms and all natural sodas from Herb Mart, topped off the movie munchies as about 90 folks from all over the metroplex gathered behind the barns and shop to watch the DFW area’s premier screening of FRESH!. The movie was aimed at educating and inspiring people to see practical healthier and sustainable alternatives to the current food system which is confronted with food contamination, environmental contamination, obesity and diseases of our citizens and sky rocketing health issues including out of control diabetes and heart disease cases, even among our youth. Joel Salatin, of Polyface Farms, a favorite farm advocate of small farmers across America, can be seen calling for us to let chickens be chickens and pigs be pigs and tomatoes be tomatoes, rather than the forced growth and production that is driven by American’s ever demanding need for convenience. “We’re trying to heal the farm, heal our customers”. Taking better care of what we put in our bodies, is a great stride towards healing our broken health care system because it will reduce our need to go to the doctor in the first place. Many, if not most, of our diseases are dietary and lifestyle induced.
The evening’s venue ended as it did last year with a free concert complete with boot scootin in the dirt. This year’s performers were local band The Lucky Pierres. Other sponsors included James Edward Photography, (pictures are courtesy of James) Saint Arnold's, Balch Springs Friends of the Library and Dal-Tex Rentals of Mesquite. Find out more about local farms and see more pictures of the event at http://edensfarm.blogspot.com/ and http://www.jamesedwardphotography.com/EVENTS-AND-PARTIES/0919-B/9626299_AdmZY#656481833_FBVK5 .
