Farmers Bring Their Food Straight To The Table In Wolfeboro

PHOTO: Wynn and Megan Young of Corvus Cairn Farm in New Durham were part of the farm to table dinner at Burnt Timber Brewing and Tavern in Wolfeboro. Carrie Blackwood Photo

by Rob Levey
Weirs Times Correspondent

Recently, Burnt Timber Brewing & Tavern in Wolfeboro held a farm to table dinner for approximately 20 guests that featured locally grown and sourced produce, protein and herbs.
The evening, however, was more than just a great time.
“The farmers were at the event and spoke directly to our guests about the ingredients that made up their dishes,” said Burnt Timber Tavern Owner Eddie Michno, who said 7 courses were featured. “We believe it is important to connect the public with their local farmers.”
Participating local farmers in attendance agreed.
“Farm dinners like this one are a great way for the community to learn about different farms in their local area and what they offer,” said Kathey Wotton of Wotton Farm in Ossipee. “It is also a great way for potential customers to try various products and find out how much better farm raised products taste.”
For Megan Young of Corvus Cairn Farm in New Durham, the event served to debut their duck meat.
“One of the most important things that Burnt Timber and Eddie have done for our farm is to showcase uncommon food,” she explained. “First, it was our duck eggs and now our duck meat.”
She said the opportunity to introduce customers to new and uncommon foods is critically important.
“I am asked at the market often if I have ‘regular eggs’ as opposed to duck eggs, because chicken eggs for Americans are the default,” she said. “Having a restaurant create context for these foods and allowing people to experience them in that context is enormously beneficial for our farm and has the potential to translate to new customers and increased business.”
According to Wotton, one recent factor that has proven instrumental for local farms has been the pandemic itself.

“We have had a large increase in the number of customers who want locally grown food,” she said. “It seems that people are much more aware of the fact that they need locally produced foods.”
Keeping up with the demand for product might be Wotton Farm’s current biggest challenge.
“It seems like we are always busy trying to keep product available for our customers,” explained Wotton, who said their suppliers have similarly faced unique business obstacles.
“When we wanted to order additional seed, many companies were sold out,” she added. “The same problem applied to our meat chickens.”
Citing local farmers’ markets as an important revenue, Wotton said diversification as another important component to their sustainability model. In addition to vegetables, Wotton Farm features everything from unpasteurized milk, cream and several different kinds of yogurt to cheese and livestock, including chickens and pigs.
“This is a lot of work for just 2 to 4 people — my husband Joel and our sons Joe and Nathan — but we love it,” she said.
Describing Corvus Cairn Farm as “a small mountainside farmstead,” Young said they raise and grow heritage and conservation breed ducks, antique fruit and a variety of vegetables. This season, they also have red and white currants, golden raspberries, purslane, ground cherries, garlic and wild blackberries.
As for the impact of the pandemic on their business, Young cited a similar experience to that of the Wottons.
“With the pandemic, folks do seem to be looking more to local,” she said.
For her explanation, she cited several factors.
“I imagine it starts out as an impulse for safety or, I hope, to support local farmers,” she said. “Quickly, though, folks discover that locally produced foods are usually much fresher, far tastier and also more nutrient rich than their grocery store counterparts.”
Michno agreed and said he hopes their dinner helped to prove this last point in particular.
“If you buy quality ingredients, which you get from a local farm, you don’t need a lot,” he said. “It will taste completely different…The care that these people put into their products is beyond anything you can find at a grocery story.”

As for the event itself, Burnt Timber Tavern Chefs Nikki Hanna and Oliver Harston said they enjoyed having the creative freedom to do whatever they wanted without restrictions.
“The ingredients were so incredible and interesting,” she said. “We had all these great proteins and interesting vegetables and produce. We even had some peppers I never even heard of before.”
According to Michno, the variety of dishes they were able to produce surprised even him.
“We put out 7 different dishes from only four farms,” he said. “People could see us cook, too, so it was very interactive.”
Wolfeboro resident Charles Sumner Hill III described the event as“very entertaining.”
“There was constant energy and entertainment from the chefs talking about the food and how they were making each course,” he said. “Each new dish that came out was delicious, and I couldn’t pick a favorite.”
A local sales representative at Favorite Foods who also helped at the event, Ken McPherson said the chefs “surprised and impressed” with unique food pairings.

“My wife is already asking about attending another one,” he laughed.
As for what was served at the event, it started with Sirloin Tartar and continued with Smoked Pepper Gazpacho followed by Smoked Ribeye Sliders as an appetizer.
Entrees included Duck, Herb Roasted Chicken and Lamb Curry with Wotton Farm Panna Cotta for dessert.
In addition to Wotton Farm and Corvus Cairn Farm, the event featured Top of the Hill Farm in Wolfeboro. Michno said he was even able to “coerce” local friend Kyle Clark, who supplied a variety of peppers and herbs.
“I think the takeaway is for all of us as a community to get to know our local farmers,” he said. “Local supporting local creates a sense of community, and people have some incredible resources right here in their own backyards.”