Blackberry Meadows Farm

Brooklyn Brewery’s «Dinner on the Farm» Mash Event at Blackberry Meadows Farm
I’m a lover of all things local, especially when it comes to our booming brewery scene. That said, I’ll abuse my liver with delicious craft beer from a variety of respectable breweries. A prime example of this is Brooklyn Brewery. Incredibly lucky for us, they chose Pittsburgh (just one of 12 cities selected in ‘Merica and Europe) as one of their Mash tour stops. What is The Mash you ask? The Brooklyn Brewery Mash is a weeklong event in which Brooklyn collaborates with local bars, chefs, comedians, musicians, and more. While we attended several stellar events, the highlight of The Mash and the focus of my latest ravings was Dinner on the Farm (a roaming dinner orchestrated by Monica Walch), which was hosted by Blackberry Meadows Farm.
There is something magical about driving out of the hustle ‘n bustle of the city to a farm like Blackberry Meadows for dinner. Even more so knowing that Brooklyn Brewery Chef Andrew Gerson and his city lovin’ friends Chef Justin Severino of Cure and Chef Mike Poiarkoff of Vinegar Hill House (Brooklyn, NY) were leaving their brick and mortar eateries behind and preparing an outdoor feast for you on an 85-​acre organic vegetable farm.
After parking in a field we unloaded plates, chairs, and a vase of flowers (self arranged, thank you). «Why are you bringing your own stuff?» you inquire. Well, unlike other farm dinners I’ve attended, the focus was less about «stuff» and more about the actual farm and the idea of eating a delicious communal meal paired with cold Brooklyn Brews. As a result, the cost of this event was quite affordable, allowing everyone from young professionals to families of six to attend (children were free). The trade was needing to bring necessary items/​utensils to allow for dining and lounging. With friends in tow, we chose to divide and conquer, each of us agreeing to bring various items, including a table and chairs. Others opted to bring blankets and go the picnic route.
With our table set, we filled our Mason jars with either the perennial fav’ Brooklyn Lager or the seasonally perfect Summer Ale. Since there were no IPAs on tap (no Brooklyn Blast) I went with the lager. I’m pleased to say, this brew with delightfully refreshing and still offered up some mild bitterness. It was a great beer to imbibe upon while scarfing down an obscene volume of «small plate» action. In addition to local delicacies like mushroom pâté provided by Wild Purveyors, Chef Serverino brought Cure’s infamous charcuterie spread to the farm. The amount of cured meats and rabbit terrine (terrine=fancy chilled meat loaf, often featuring game meat… thanks Frenchies) I stuffed in to my endless pit of a stomach was worth the price of admission alone, folks.
Thankfully, we were given a food timeout and as we toured the farm. We wandered from the green house to the barn and encountered a few chickens along the way. This was a wonderful way to meet the farmers of Blackberry Meadows and learn about their CSA program and farmers market locales. By the end of the tour, it was evident that Blackberry Meadows is the product of hardworking hands and hearts.
I was happy to have some additional downtime between the tour and dinner. It allowed us time to enjoy the sounds of a local band Union Rye, get our…
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GROWING ORGANIC DELICIOUSNESS JUST OUTSIDE OF THE BURG!
Ever since I became a momma — I’ve been obsessed with having my kiddo be the picture of health and that includes what I am feeding him! I would say my everyday eating habits are very healthy and veggie heavy. But once I had this little guy the thought of keeping him clean and pure and chemical free became and obsession — so I decided to go all organic for the whole household.
I do buy foods from grocery chains (see rant about Whole Foods) but I began to go to alot of farmers markets last year and realized there are alot of local farmers growing AMAZING food right here in the burg that I want to eat and support their businesses and our community.
So after some research I selected Blackberry Meadows as the farm I’d purchase a share with for the summer of 2011. Blackberry Meadows is the county’s only certified Organic CSA program — JUST WHAT I WAS LOOKING FOR!
I got a 20 week full share for $ 500. When you figure out the numbers for our family — this really is a good deal. And if you are a domestic goddess such as myself — you can really make the most of it by canning!
The farmers are really nice and love to chat about the varieties of veg they are growing as well as recipes for cooking their great produce.
This is a great local business run by great local folks working hard to provide clean, fresh, healthy foods for those of us really looking to go organic.
Check out their website and consider inquiring about a farm share — having a share is like a culinary adventure for the at home cook. You get new and different foods every week to try and cook with in new and different ways!
I would insert some catch phrase from IRON CHEF but I’m not gonna pander to that level ;)
GO EAT ORGANIC AND ENJOY!