A couple
of months ago, our family was approached at the farmer’s market to participate in
the first farm to table dinner in Warren County. We are delighted to be a part
of this dinner and I’m really excited for the permission to blog about the
dinner, as well as for my love of gardening and writing!
The
farm to table movement is one of the biggest movements across the United States
right now. People want to know where their food comes from, how it’s grown, and
who grows it. One only needs to pick up popular magazines such as Family Circle
and Martha Stewart’s Living to find farm to table articles and recipes. Last
month Rachael Ray regrammed farmer’s market pictures, and several Food Network
and PBS shows feature farm to table stories.
Not only is it trendy, but it’s a
movement based on health concerns. My husband and I jumped on the bandwagon six
years ago when I was diagnosed with a carcinoid tumor the size of a golf ball,
with tentacles that wrapped themselves around the lower and middle lobes of my
right lung. While the doctors couldn’t give an exact cause, we had several
conversations about the pesticides and herbicides used on the orchards
surrounding my childhood home; the ones I breathed in and out every day as I
played outside and trained for cross-country.
As a kid, my family gardened as a
hobby and as a way to feed our family of eight, but as an adult with carcinoid
cancer, knowing where my food came from and how it was grown became something
much more than a hobby and food trend. It became a way of life to provide healthy,
chemical-free meals for my family.
As a writer I have to find ways to
connect my stories to myself and to the lives of others. In the research for my
historical fiction novel about Mudlavia, I found this connection through
Mudlavia’s garden and food. When the hotel was running from 1889-1920, farm to
table wasn’t a movement, it was a way of life. There was no Wal-Mart or online
ordering services. The 250-room hotel had guests from all over the world to
feed, as well as its many employees.
According to sources, Mudlavia had a
400-acre farm to grow the food they needed to feed the plethora of guests and
employees. Not only did they provide vegetables and fruit, but they also had a
poultry farm and cattle. A creamery on the hotel grounds produced the dairy
products they needed from their dairy cows.
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| A big thanks to Denny Myers for permission to use this picture! |
Old menus from the Mudlavia hotel
feature their locally produced food; fancy cuts of beef, poultry dishes,
pickles, asparagus, potatoes, beets, corn on the cob, fried cabbage, sliced
tomatoes, and fruit pies.
Mudlavia never did anything “blah”,
but everything was done with grandeur and elegance. One ad states, “Mudlavia!
Where even a potato is made fancy!”
At Mudlavia, a potato wasn’t just a potato,
it was an ingredient they grew and appreciated, and an ingredient they would
make into something beautiful and delightful for their guests.
This summer we visited the garden at
Monticello and Washington’s garden at Mount Vernon. These gardens, still
preserved today, were absolutely stunning. While many people often wonder what
Warren County would be like if Mudlavia was still here, I often wonder if they
would still have that huge garden. Would people get to tour it and learn the
history of it? Would their menu would still feature their gorgeous, locally
grown food?
It is such a cool piece of Warren
County history that for a span of thirty years, the booming Mudlavia Hotel turned
the produce from their 400-acre farm into an extravagant dining experience for
guests from all over the world.
This weekend the Illiana Antique
Power Association is bringing a piece of that farm to table history back to
Warren County. The Illiana Antique Power Association showgrounds provides a
unique look at history through their steam show every summer, which features
the history of farming in Indiana, and the fourth grade history day, where the
fourth graders walk through the historic village and participate in fun activities.
This year they are having a farm to
table dinner for their fall fundraiser. They had to tear down their old
clubhouse, and proceeds from the farm to table dinner will go to building a new
assembly hall to use for meetings and events at the showgrounds.
I love that they have sourced shrimp
from Oxford, beef from local sources, and vegetables from local growers.
Everything served at this meal comes from within 60 miles! I also love that
they are honoring the ingredients. Local chef and Seeger Culinary Arts
director, Brian Greene, has created a fancy five-course meal to celebrate the
local food, from bite size appetizers featuring local tomatoes, herbs, and
shrimp, to a fancy tart with a twist for dessert!
The farm to table dinner will be
held at the Illiana Antique Power Association Showgrounds at 6:00PM, Saturday,
September 9th. Tickets, which include a five-course meal, entertainment,
and a gift, are $50 per person. Come celebrate our local farmers, the
historical village on the grounds, and the coming together as a community to
fundraise for a place that celebrates our history.
*For more
info you can call or text 765-585-9555, or find them on Facebook
at https://www.facebook.com/illianaantiquepower/
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