This week I was lucky to make it to my friend’s Lauren’s farm to take pictures for the website that I am currently designing. We spent an afternoon harvesting greens, talking, laughing and afterwards, we had a feast around the table. I grew up in a big city where dinners like this weren’t possible, but I think that everybody should get a little taste of what it feels like to eat outside in the field, breathing fresh air, in a peaceful, noise-less night. And below is why!

It’s funny because when I look at magazines and other blogs with really fancy styling to make a photoshoot look p-e-r-f-e-c-t, I think a lot of the authenticity of what’s being photographed gets lost in the middle of so much pizazz. I am the opposite, I like to connect the viewer with the real, simple beauty of every-day things that are often over-looked. What do you think?

Remember that moodboard I shared earlier of this project? Well, I am just finishing their website that will be up and running soon! Lauren is starting a new farm with her husband Kyle – this past saturday was their first Farmer’s Market! Their farm, Raleigh’s Hillside Farm, sits on top of a hill, where it has sat for the past 70 years, in Brodhead, Wisconsin. Besides selling at the local market, they will also start a CSA share program where you can sign up to receive weekly fresh produce boxes from the farm. Joining a CSA program is the perfect chance to try new veggies and recipes.

It’s so easy to come up with something to make when most of your ingredients are lying there in the garden and if you run out, you can always harvest more! Lauren chose to make a roasted radish salad with quiche and of course lots of artisanal beer – it’s Wisconsin, after all.

Kyle and Lauren, soon-to-be husband and wife, want to create more of a community farm, where people can drop by, help harvest, prepare meals, sit together around the wooden table and share stories and in return, learn more about their food. They want to connect people with what’s in their fridge, more than the usual shop-and-go grocery visits that has become so impersonal that barely any of us can name the place where any of our food comes from.

Lauren also made rhubarb mini pies. I must confess, while they were working in the field and I was taking pictures back in the house, a couple of these disappeared during the shooting process…yes yes, blame the photographer!

We stayed until late night eating, chatting, drinking and laughing. This is what I call a perfect end for my day. Have you had a similar experience lately? - Pati

photos by Pati Mo

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