SPRING PIG EVENT!!!

Spring Pig 2011!

We're going to bury a pig in a hot hole till it falls off the bone!

Kick off this year’s barbecue season, Sunday, May 22, with SPRING PIG 2011. Guest butcher Tray Satterfield (Eat Oregon First, PDX Meat Collective) will be carving, while 9 local chefs will be making seasonal side dishes to accompany. Enjoy local beer from Hopworks Brewery and music by River Twain and Tom Bowers.

Join the
crowd at Naomi’s Organic Farm Supply (2500 SE Tacoma St.). Event
starts at 3:00pm. Pig excavated at 4:00pm. Tickets are $50 and can be purchased at ticketsoregon.com. Tickets are all-you-can-eat, and include two drinks.

Support the Farmer’s Market Fresh Exchange Program with raffle tickets. Prizes include dinner from Vino Paradiso, tattoos from Optic Nerve, and food photography by Kelly Puleio.

Coordinated by The Side Yard Farm (contact: Stacey Givens, thesideyardpdx.com) and Eric B. Productions

Chefs:

Ben Meyer – Grain & Gristle

Kat Liebman – Cocotte

Brian Landry – Bamboo Sushi

Stacey Givens – The Side Yard Farm

Abby Fammartino – Abby’s Table

Bree Rostan – Custom Cuisine

Gabe Kapustka

Ben Schade

Additional Food Vendors:

Fifty Licks

Grand Central Bakery

Ristretto Roasters

Miss Zumstein’s Cakes and Desserts

The Side Yard Expansion!

I recently acquired a second property for the farm. Its very close to the current farm with way more space. Besides growing organic veggies and having sunday brunches i plan on getting a couple goats, more chickens, rabbits, bees and turkeys for Thanksgiving! The Side Yard Farm family is very excited about the 2011 season, its going to be the best one yet! i'll keep you all posted on upcoming events!

ClOsE cALL...

It is 12:22 am in Erfurt, Germany... I am still awake, laying on my friends couch with 5 blankets, 2 pillows and a billion thoughts anxiously going through my mind. I needed a break from life and i thought November in Germany will do the trick. The weather is basically like Portland, rainy, gray, and fucken cold. Did you know that when you wear converse and walk through puddle filled streets, it goes straight to your socks, crazy...

Anyways, back to why i'm taking a breather...First off, a farmer deserves a break when the season ends. Second, i was delivered some unsettling news recently that the farm land i lease was going to be sold and i had one more season! One more season?!! But what about all my blood, sweat and tears i put into this place? what about my chickens? will they become homeless chickens wondering the streets of NE Portland for scraps of veggies? I thought about my bad ass friends that have devoted themselves to the farm every summer and how they have become pros at urban farming...and the brunches! oh, those Sunday morning brunches at the farm, filled with people from all walks of life..They need me, I must feed them, they can possibly starve to death from lack of phenomenal food! As you can see, i'm a little stressed, i needed to fix this problem, fast.

As I pack my mid-size backpack, fighting a crazy ear fungus, (basically deaf in the right ear the past 2 weeks) trying to hold my head up high, i receive a phone call from the farm's landlord..."I have good news for you Stacey!" "You can stay, the land is not getting sold after all!" You got to be kidding me? A month of agony has passed me by and all it took was a freakin 2 minute phone call and i'm cured?! I laid on my pile of clothes to be packed, cosmetics, and boots, a sense of relief went through my body. The 2011, 2012, 2020 farm season lives and so do i.

I got on that plane thinking about bees, of course, thats it, lets do honey next season...Kids education, build an outdoor kitchen...i can't stop...

Fall is here!

Okay, summer is gone before it even came. This summer wasn't the best growing season in Oregon, but there's always next year. The farm is thriving with brussels, cabbages, kales, garlic, favas, leeks, herbs and cover crop. What's next?? Hoop House Dinners! Yup, this winter I will be hosting 6 course, wine pairing dinners in the comfort of a warm 12 by 20ft hoop house at The Side Yard. All produce will be from my farm, along with other local farms, and meat from only local ranchers. House-made, well, everything i guess...thats how i roll.....from cured meats, cheeses, jams, pickles, crackers, and then some....Contact me if you're interested!

Neighborhood Notes!

Check out The Side Yard Farm's first write up on neighborhood notes!!!

http://www.neighborhoodnotes.com/news/2010/08/the_side_yard_micro_crops_growing_in_popularity/

Mr. Bacon & The Side Yard

This Tuesday The Original Restaurant is hosting a 6 course wine and pig meal using all produce from The Side Yard Farm. There are still some spots open so go eat!!! The pig was purchased at the county fair and was brought over to The Original last week where we butchered Mr. Bacon (thats what we named him) . Not only do i provide produce to The Original, but I've been apart of the kitchen crew for over a year now and I know first hand that this dinner is going to be phenomenal! Check out the menu and article....

Farm Brunches...

Summer decided to say hey. August is well on its way and I feel like i've been cheated a summer. Before you know it, it will be time for cover crop and garlic to go in, hoody weather and shorter days. It might sound like i'm complaining, but I'm not. I'm just so pleased with how vibrant the farm looks right now that I don't want it to end! My tomatoes in my hoop house are out of control, some are over 6ft tall! Eggplant, squash, cucumbers, lettuce, flowers, and beans are gorgeous. Hanging out with my friends while i'm working on a hot summer day is priceless, best job ever! I love u guys, thank u, thank u, thank u!

Since I started The Side Yard Farm, I've had a personal dilemma that has been following me around and over a year later i have found a cure. I've been a professional cook now for about 10 years. I'm 28 years old and always thought that by now I would of had my own restaurant, but instead I unexpectedly decide to start an urban farm, hmmm. It has been physically demanding and has taken me out of the kitchen more and more every season. I love them both, its tough love...I have kinda become Portland restaurants "call girl" if you will since my farm schedule is crazy. You need a cook to cover a night of service, call me =) Anyways, I began doing Sunday farm brunches to ease the pain and its been the best thing i've done yet! I do two seatings with a good mix of people, from chefs to farmers, friends, neighbors, and foodies. I utilize all produce from the farm and eggs from the chickens. There are three menu options that change every week. Everything I use is local and made from scratch, from the fifty pounds of pork I butchered in my freezer, to making pickles, cheeses, farm-made sausages, EVERYTHING! You can't go wrong with Braised Belly Benedict, farm mustards, pickled cherries and pork crackles. Let me feed you! If your interested in having farm brunch at The Side Yard and want more info, contact me at thesideyardpdx.com.

Cheers,
Stacey