Field to Family celebrates, builds connections to local harvest

Do you know where your food comes from?

Helping local consumers figure out just that is one goal of this year's Field to Family Festival, an annual celebration of local food in Iowa City.

Now in its 14th year, the upcoming festival offers the opportunity to taste local gourmet dishes from downtown Iowa City restaurants, meet local farmers, tour sustainable farms and gardens by bike, feast on this year's harvest at a celebratory meal and support school gardens at the Iowa City Farmer's Market Kid's Day School Garden Booth.

The festival supports the work of Field to Family's programs, Farm to School and Local Food Finder. Farm to School teaches students about food, agriculture and nutrition and connects schools with local farmers. Local Food Finder is an online guide to connect consumers with local farmers and their products.

The event starts Sept. 18 with a Culinary Walk including One Twenty Six, Atlas, Basta, Bluebird, Devotay, Motley Cow & Share Restaurant.

On Sept. 20, Kids Day at the Iowa City Farmers Market includes the chance to purchase produce from 18 school gardens and participate in hands-on activities.

The Sept. 21 harvest dinner at Share Restaurant in the downtown Iowa City Sheraton Hotel features small plates from five local chefs with ingredients procured from local farmers. The menu includes local elderberries, plum and basil in cocktails created by Share Restaurant's mixologist and dishes with products sourced from Adelyn's Garden, Friendly Farm, Echollective Farm, Grimm Family Farm, Muddy Miss Farm, Organic Greens, Pavelka's Point Meats and Wind Shadow Farm.

An affiliated event, the Culinary Ride, a bicycle tour of local farms and food of Cedar and Johnson counties, also will be Sept. 21. The Iowa City ride will benefit Youth Off-Road Riders and the Iowa City Farm to School chapter. Cyclists will be able to chose between a 25 mile route and a 65 mile route, with stops at Yellow Velo, Wilson's Orchard, VersaLand, Beuter Farms, Salt Fork Kitchen, Big Grove Brewery and University of Iowa student gardens.

New to this year's festival is a chance for festivalgoers to talk directly to the farmers supplying produce featured on the Culinary Walk. Each stop will host one or two farmers whose products made it into each restaurant's menu.

James Nisly, owner of Organic Greens in Kalona, will be at One Twenty Six, where his greens will be featured in a niçoise salad. He'll answer questions about his farm and his production practices, which include organic certification.

'It puts a face on the food,” he says. 'It builds a connection so people can start to recognize that food doesn't come from the grocery store. Someone actually plants seeds and takes care of them and harvests them.”

David Burt, president of the Field to Family board, says meeting farmers goes right to the heart of the festival's mission.

'I think when people connect with their farmers they really start to understand the benefits to both the consumer and the farmer,” he says.

In his own business, home meal service Four Square Meals, he tries to follow the, 'buy fresh, buy local,” philosophy. Devising new recipes means thinking about what's in season and which farmers he can source it from, he says.

Those elements helped inspire this recipe for Gujarati-inspired cabbage and mushrooms. Gujarat is an region in India known for its use of whole brown mustard seeds. It works well with many vegetables. Carrots, kale and zucchini also could go well in this fall-inspired dish.

Green cabbage, kale and zucchini can be found at Friendly Farm, Muddy Miss Farm, Echollective and Organic Greens. Carrots can be found at Grinnell Heritage Farms. All of these vegetables also can be found at local farmers markets.

Locally, black beans can be sourced from Grimm Family Farms at the New Pioneer Co-op.

Gujarati-inspired cabbage and mushrooms

1 tablespoon canola or sunflower oil

1/2 teaspoon whole brown mustard seed

6 ounces cremini (or other) mushrooms, sliced

1/4 of a head of green cabbage, very thinly sliced

1/2 cup cooked black beans

Juice of 1/2 a lime (about 1 to 2 teaspoons)

1/2 teaspoons salt, or to taste

1 tablespoon chopped almond

Heat the oil over medium heat in a large saute pan. When hot, add the whole brown mustard seeds. They should sizzle and sputter a bit. This is essential for them to impart their flavor. Add the mushrooms and toss to coat with oil, then add the cabbage. Continue stirring as the cabbage is coated in oil and begins to wilt. Add salt, cover and turn heat to medium low and cook for about 5 minutes. Add the black beans and stir to mix. Re-cover and cook for a minute more, to heat the beans. Take off the heat and stir in lime juice. Top with chopped almonds and serve immediately.

FYI: IF YOU GO

Tickets to Culinary Walk and Harvest Dinner available at fieldtofamily.org, New Pioneer Co-op locations, 22 S. Van Buren St., Iowa City and 1101 Second St., Coralville and John's Grocery, 401 E Market St, Iowa City.

' What: Culinary Walk

' When: 5 to 8:30 p.m. Sept. 18

' Where: Downtown Iowa City restaurants One Twenty Six, Atlas, Basta, Bluebird, Devotay, Motley Cow and Share Restaurant.

' Cost: $15-$30.

' What: Share the Harvest Dinner

' When: 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Sept. 21

' Where: Share Restaurant, Sheraton Hotel, 210 S. Dubuque St, Iowa City

' Cost: $50

' What: Kids Day at the Market with Farm to School

' When: 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. Sept. 20

' Where: Iowa City Farmer's Market, Chauncey Swan Park, 405 E. Washington St., Iowa City

' Cost: Free

' What: Iowa City Culinary Ride

' When: 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sept. 21

' Where: Ride starts from Iowa City Upper City Park, 200 E. Park Road

' Cost: $55