A blink and you miss it type of summer
Plus upcoming events, pizza based garden planning and swallow poo - what more do you need in a newsletter?
Summertime moves at a strange pace around here. The light takes up the lion’s share of a day’s 24 hours, but rather than feeling longer as a result, the days themselves seem to fly by. We blinked and weeks seemed to skip ahead. Despite my insistence that it is “far too early” there are pumpkins and squash ready to be harvested in the field and tomorrow is September.
This summer has been nothing but a whirlwind. With Fodder + Farm launching at the end of June, we have been slinging pizza, baking bread, long table feasting, dreaming up cool events and eating like royalty all season long. What an incredible start to this particular season of life here at Gartur.
Our good friend was here a few weeks ago visiting. We’ve known each other for many years and has seen the many iterations of Gartur. “It’s what it was always meant to be!” she exclaimed as she walked back to the new fire kitchen and garden space.
I honestly couldn’t agree with her more. Having the space to bring people together and celebrate food on this level and scale has been what we have been working towards for years. When Kevin and I first walked into Gartur nearly 10 years ago, this was what we wanted and set out to create. To see it filled with people again after so nearly throwing in the towel last year has made the long days and hard work so so worth it.
And even as the days start to pull in, there is no sign of slowing down around here. Next weekend, 8th and 9th September, we have our next Long Table Feasts. We were on *such* a high after the first one a few weeks ago. I had a little happy cry in the garden at one point when I was harvesting kale for the salads. It was really what I always wanted, but couldn’t do on my own - cooking on a scale for people with things we grew. Adding Lucy (our chef and business partner) to the mix has made all of that possible.
The September feast is in celebration of Foraging Fortnight, so we will be focussing on wild food. Expect mushrooms, wild greens, a bit of game (but lots of options for vegetarians as well), some foraged cocktails and more!
We still are running pizza nights every Thursday and Saturday. They are so much fun! Did I mention before that the original inspiration for our garden was an article about Pizza Farms in America? I loved the idea of pizza as a vehicle for showcasing the best of seasonal produce and designed the original garden here specifically for pizza. It delights me no end that we are making it a reality twice a week!
We have been selling out most nights, so our advice is to book ahead. Our bases take about 36 hours to ferment, so once they are gone, they are gone. We have been running some bottomless salad bars on some evenings if we have excess from the garden, so even if you do arrive and pizza is gone, there is a good chance we will still have food!
I think that is the update from me this week. I am off to clean swallow droppings off from underneath their perches. Every time I do it, I wonder if it will be the last time as with the change in weather, they can’t be around too much longer? I will miss them when they go - the final sign summer is over. I will not miss cleaning up after them though!
Take care,
Kat
Absolutely love this story. Happy for you and your family from over here in the US. Your place looks welcoming and full of love, and I wish I was over there to visit and taste your amazing offerings, especially the pizza, lol. All the best!
It’s all looking amazing! I just wish I lived closer so I could come and try it all! 🥰