And it begins....

It is my first night with Featherstone Farm. As the cabin is yet to be set up, the farmer, Jack, warmly invited me to stay a night with his family in Winona, MN. I was greeted by two energetic boys, Oscar and Jasper, innocently running around the yard. Jasper immediately reminded me of my three little nephews back home who are the same age. As soon as I walked in the kitchen, supper was nearly served. The meat choice was perfect. As many of my friends can attest because of my forceful insistence that they try it – lamb is my favorite. Although this was no leg of lamb, eating the rack of ribs was quite a rustic experience. Mint jelly was the perfect accompaniment, as advised by Jack.

We had dinner out on the deck: lamb, quinoa, salad greens, bread, and asparagus – which was, of course, from the farm. As conversation rolled along, which terrificly ranged from pine cones to the Farm Bill, the crisp air eventually nudged us inside. After Jasper had his snack of a (direct quote from him) “honey, peanut butter, and butter sandwich”, and after Jenny read some books to the kids, Jack and I swapped portions of the New York Times, during what he considers his 15 minutes of reading the newspaper for the week. His wife set me up with my sleeping arrangements and we called it a night. My uneasiness about leaving my family and friends behind for the summer ahead soon subsided as I felt right at home with this welcoming experience; it was like having a normal Sunday evening dinner with my family. Featherstone is now, for the time being, excitingly my new family.