KISS THE GROUND: Harvest Feast & Documentary!

On Wednesday, October 12th, our Food System Film Series continues with a pop-up dinner presented in partnership with local organic microgreen farm Grateful Greens. This installment features a four-course feast of regional, sustainably produced ingredients by Forage & Flourish, followed by a showing of the 2020 documentary Kiss the Ground.

“My vision for this series is to bring awareness to what is going on in our food systems and to stimulate discussion, connection and action towards a more prosperous and healthy future for all,” says co-curator James Mayer of Grateful Greens. He chose to feature Kiss the Ground, which explores how regenerative farming practices that enrich the soil can reduce the carbon in our atmosphere, because “our soil is losing its vitality, health, and nutrients at an astonishingly fast rate. I hope that this film will help people realize the important role of soil, and inspire us to help save it in ways that are realistic for each of us to achieve.”

The Harvest Feast for Kiss the Ground will feature as close to 100% local ingredients as possible, supporting 5+ local producers in various sectors of sustainable agriculture: Regenerative meat and fruit farmers, urban indoor farmers, organic farmers with a focus on regionally appropriate crop varieties, etc.

The menu may change slightly depending on what is most abundant on the farms on the week of the event.

The meal will be four courses and will likely include:

-An amuse-bouche surprise!

-A seasonal salad with green goddess dressing and cured duck egg yolks

-Roasted Chicken legs with rainbow mashed potatoes and seasonal veggies

-Pumpkin pie with bone marrow and apple tarts

*All dough items will be sourdough, made with local, organic spelt flour; all meat and dairy products will be from pastured animals on small farms, all veggies will be seasonal, organic, and local.

Kiss The Ground (2020) narrated by Woody Harrelson, is a documentary shedding light on a “new, old approach” to farming called regenerative agriculture, a practice with the extraordinary ability to balance our climate and feed the world. The New York Times describes the film as “a persuasive and optimistic plan to counter the climate crisis” that is “elevated by stirring imagery” and “inspires a rare feeling of hope.” Odell Bouchard, owner of Forage & Flourish, says that Kiss the Ground “lays out the science behind the importance of restoring the Earth's soil in a way that is highly accessible and engaging.The film has the power to educate, inspire, and entertain an audience from a wide range of viewpoints.”

The four-course menu for the pop-up dinner will feature ingredients from local producers in various sectors of sustainable agriculture including regenerative meat and fruit, urban indoor farms, and organic farms with a focus on regionally appropriate crop varieties. Some of the farmers will also be in attendance at the event.

“I love exploring how food can be more delicious, nutritious, and satisfying by incorporating traditional cooking methods like sourdough and lacto fermentation and ingredients that honor and make use of the whole animal or plant, such as bone marrow and wild edible plants,” says Bouchard. She adds that she enjoys “using locally seasonal ingredients to highlight the energy and freshness that each season brings.”

Tickets for the dinner are extremely limited and priced at $65 each, which includes one drink per person. Reduced-price tickets for those experiencing financial hardship are available for $30. Dinner tickets include admission to the film; tickets for the film only are priced on a sliding scale of $5-$12.