Cynthia Peters
A Real County Feast
By Cynthia Peters
Monday night was no ordinary night in downtown Picton in Prince Edward County. The main street was blocked off and tables stretched out from end to end to accommodate more than 1300 people for the 4th annual Harvestin the County Supper. Locals and visitors came together to celebrate and enjoy the bounty of the region, all sourced from local farmers and cooked by a local catering company, Currah’s.
I caught up with their head chef, David Lewis, to learn about what it takes to feed 1325 people, outside, in two hours.
They had 23 staff and 50 volunteers prepping and serving the meal. All the ingredients were sourced from more than a dozen farmers and the local wineries, cider and breweries participated as well.
The Menu
Beef – 506 pounds from Sunset Farms (Brisket, Leg and Hip Roasts)
Corn – – 1400 cobs (that’s a lot of shucking!) Laundry Farms and Hagerman Farms
Butter- Reid’s Dairy – 25 pounds (they used pitchers for the melted butter and dunked in the corn – good idea for the volume to serve!)
Potatoes – 600 pounds - Vader, Honey Wagon and Cherryvale Farms
Salad Greens – 17 bushels – same farmers as above
Tomato Salad – 300 pounds – all Heirloom and so good! from Vicki’s Veggies
Dinner Rolls – 1300 – Pastry House
Apple Crisp – 1000 “ Early Golden” apples from Lakeside Orchard
Local establishments stayed open for business and a number of us participated in the Farmers Market - a collection of local food related organizations and businesses.
I particularly enjoyed holding the baby Muscovy ducks and patting the 4-month-old goats. Picked up some local French shallots and leeks from the Accidental Farmer and apples from Campbell’s Orchard. My husband made a “bee line” to Honey Pie Hives and Herbals for their honeycomb. Even the 4H group was there and the Cattleman’s Association, selling local summer sausage as a fundraiser. The local Slow Food Convivium was also on hand providing info and selling their branded hats and aprons. All in all a great community feeling and celebration of all things local.
Harvestin The County is a local initiative in Prince Edward County designed to support and show appreciation of their farmers and agricultural community. They encourage through their various marketing initiatives, residents and visitors to purchase locally grown produce. The annual dinner is their main event of the year.
To learn more about the dinner or where to buy local food when you are in Prince Edward County, go to www.harvestin.ca
Comments