Last weekend we attended a fundraiser for Farm to Table NM as an extension of our Local Bite Challenge as well as in an attempt to get out of the house on a Saturday evening, make some new contacts and maybe even have a little fun!
The fundraiser was held at Comida de Campos, a family farm north of Santa Fe in a tiny town called Embudo. The Campos family has been farming on their beautiful property for generations and it shows in their ease and comfort in the space. Their hospitality of what I would guess to be ~60 guests spoke to the large gatherings that are hosted there regularly as part of the farm tours, events and classes that are held there.
See, Margaret Campos not only sits on the board of Farm to Table (hence the fundraiser) and helps to run the family farm, but she also holds regular classes on the farm throughout the warm seasons that teach visitors how to cook traditional northern New Mexican recipes. Foods such as pollo asado, tamales, poblanos rellenos, carne adobada, and calabacitas are made with groups of visitors who then get to enjoy the fruits of their labor sitting in the quiet beauty of the farm.
Oh, and let’s not forget that Margaret also has a big feature coming up! She is being featured on July 15th on the show Man Fire Food on the Cooking Channel showcasing her Horno cooking!
Needless to say, the food at Comida de Campos was delicious (red chile enchiladas, beans, pink rice, and salad along with local beer, wine, and dessert), the farm was gorgeous and the people were wonderful!
The whole thing was a great experience and it was so very nice to just get out of town for a few hours and enjoy some different company than we are used to and all for a great cause 🙂
Beyond all that, though, the experience reinforced our longing to move away from the city
…to be surrounded by nature instead of sirens
…to work with our hands in the soil day in and day out
…to harvest and teach and eat well
…to allow Sprout to run around with puppies and goats and chickens
…to be part of a community of like-minded people
…to actually live to dreams we’ve been dreaming for so long.
And so the search begins for our Eventual Farm. Maybe not intensively quite yet, but the ball is beginning to roll and I do trust we will find our perfect spot.
Until then, I will hold people like Margaret, her mom Emerita, and Comida de Campos, as a whole, as inspiration.
xoxo,
M
