Dinner Out--This is no Cracker Barrell!

Heather took me out to a surprise dinner last night. She didn't even tell me where we were going, just that it was 40 minutes away. We drove to Auburn, a smaller, much more country town then Syracuse, and as we neared the restaurant I correctly guessed that we'd be eating at a farm--what else would prompt us to drive 40 minutes to dinner?

We pulled up to Elderberry Farm Fine Dining and Country Food Store, a beautiful restaurant built on a patch of land in the midst of the 100 acre working farm. The restaurant is an integral part of the farm's business, and was created to showcase the farm's fresh organically grown, seasonal produce. They grow their own veggies, flowers, and herbs, raise their own pigs, and support area NY farms by purchasing their beef and fish. All of their animal products are grass-fed.

"We are proud to promote farms like ours that produce high quality meats by raising their livestock humanely, replacing growth hormones and antibiotics with healthy diets, free access to pasture, and respect for their comfort and well being."

Not only was the idea of eating at an organic, sustainable farm perfect for our new lifestyle, but the food was amazing. Heather had steak, potatoes, and asparagus. The asparagus was some of the best I'd ever tasted--it tasted FRESH, like you could taste the sunshine and good earth in it, and the beef was delicious. It was probably only the second steak I've ever tasted that didn't need any sort of sauce. The meat was so flavorful! I'm sure part of it comes from the talent of the chefs, but you have to attribute it a big portion of it to cows that have been raised with room to grow and natural grass to eat.

I had lobster newberg, a lobster bisque with Maine lobster. Probably the most expensive bowl of soup I've ever eaten, but I'm pretty sure I got to eat the entire lobster in that bowl. Delicious!

To finish off the meal, we split a strawberry rhubarb almond tart--oh so good.

We're excited to have found this hidden gem and you bet we will be coming back. In about a month they will be opening their Country Foods store which will offer an assortment of fresh products from the farm. We can't wait to come back for lunch at the restaurant and a trip to the store! The farmer's market is great, but it will be even more awesome to buy stuff straight from the farm.

In fact, we've heard of a couple of local farms where you can buy their products straight from the owners. We're going to check them out in the near future to see if we can get some great deals on free range, grass fed meat. Since the meat is the most expensive part of our transition, being able to cut out the 'middle man' like the co-op or Wegman's will hopefully make this slightly more affordable.

One last note--I'm roasting a free-range chicken for dinner tonight and steaming some fresh green beans--YUM!

Food Inc.

Part of the motivation for our new 'lifestyle' came about on a dreary afternoon at home. It was a typical Saturday afternoon, cuddled up on the couch with Netflix, and we stumbled upon Food Inc on instant play. I had been wanting to watch it since seeing the director of the documentary on the Today Show. We were both shocked and sickened by the food industry in this country--ashamed that with our purchases we've been supporting the continuance of such a system. I've never watched something that got me so motivated to make a change, but we knew that was exactly what we had to do.

We decided right away that we were going to work harder to shop locally and eat foods that consisted of wholesome, natural, organic ingredients. There was a stint in D.C. when we went all natural--but quickly realized it was going to be tough on our tight budget. We've realized now though that our health and what we put into our bodies is worth the extra cash--it also helps that our new city is a lot more affordable than D.C.!

We've created a system when it comes to buying our groceries; a trial and error process that we're still perfecting. Our immediate reaction in an effort to buy locally and organically was to rush on over to our local co-op. However, after dropping $86 on only a few days worth of food we realized this might not be a realistic option for us. The next grocery day we decided to check out the 'Nature's Market' at our local Wegman's. Many of the same products as the co-op, but in a big box store. I struggled with this one a bit, knowing that shopping at Wegman's we're not supporting 'the little guy', but on a tight budget it's what works for us right now.

Also this past Saturday we went with a couple of friends to check out the local farmer's market. It's not in full swing, given it's the off season, but there were still a lot of local vendors offering just what we were looking for. I became a bit of a skeptic, however, walking around the market. I couldn't help but question how organically (as in not using pesticides and other harmful chemicals) all of the produce was. A lot of the 'farmers' seemed to be taking imported vegetables and fruits and putting them into barrels to make it appear that they had grown it themselves--this practice was a bit disturbing to me. However, we managed to find a few true farmers who were selling a crop that was obviously from their own fields. I'm not exactly sure how organically grown everything was, but at least we know it was grown locally. The meat that we were able to find at the market was excellent and from a farm not too far from home--it was nice to be able to find a good variety of free range, grass-fed, organic meat.

So our current buying system consists of a trip to Wegman's Nature Market for the majority of our dry or frozen goods, a weekly trip to the farmer's market for fresh produce, meat, and eggs and a stop by the co-op for our milk and maybe a cup of soup :) A bit more driving than we'd like to do, but until we live in a community where we can walk to a fresh air market and get everything in one stop this is what we can do to ensure we're not supporting the horrific food industry in this country.
-Heather

The Start of Something

We are Jennie and Heather, newlyweds, fresh out of graduate school, and trying to navigate life in the ‘real world’.

We currently live in the snowiest city in the country (and sometimes it seems like the rainiest and cloudiest too), which has led us to feel like we’re just ‘biding our time’ until we can move on to something better. Sounds depressing, right??

So we are embracing a new mindset—a new way of thinking and doing—that brings us back to our roots at Randolph-Macon Woman’s College. While we both believe in our school’s motto, Vita Abundantior, or Life More Abundant, we have struggled to make this a reality. One of us (Jennie) has struggled more than the other. As a constant planner and dreamer, Jennie thrives living in the ‘future’, but as you can imagine, this can lead to missing out on the present, even a snowy and dreary one.

With this in mind, we are changing things up a bit. We’re changing the way we eat, the way we shop, the way we work, and the way we play. We’re opening up our minds, trying new things, and making a conscious effort to enjoy our time and each other.

We’ll be using this blog to share some of our projects, our discoveries, and any other adventures along the way that lead us to the ultimate goal of a Life More Abundant.

Enjoy!