By Hannah Tangeman
Authentic Chicken Mole, Tres Salsas featuring Sierra Cascade Nursery strawberries with local honey and goat cheese, Chef’s guacamole and locally grown tomato salsa presented on handcut tortilla chips plus garden tacos of handcrafted jicama tortillas crowned with wood fired vegetables – are just the starting appetizers for the second annual Lassen Land and Trails Trust Farm to Table Dinner hosted by Sierra Cascade Nursery in Standish.
Amy Holmen and Tiffany Russell will be playing classic melodies on their violin and cello adding ambience. This is a benefit fundraiser that features local and regional food created by master chefs of the Mexican cuisine.
An endless table, centered in the nursery field will be the stage for entrees featuring Hole in One locally raised meats in the Lamb Birria simmered in a spicy tomato stock with Rustic Rancher organic micro-greens and Chile Verde Pork accompanied by a tangy tomatillo sauce with hints of garlic, chile and herbs from local gardens. A vegetarian offering of Chile Relleno – peppers stuffed with black bean, jack cheese, garlic and onion seasoning will tempt all.
These will be nestled in Lundberg Farms rice enlivened with poblano chiles, garlic, spinach, and cilantro. Butter and lemon braised Sierra Cascade Nursery endive dotted with chimichurri, drizzled with homemade Mexican Crema promises to be a delectable accompaniment.
Wine pairings for the discerning palate, from the Cooper Garrod Estate Vineyards of the Garrod Family of local Bird Flat Ranch will meld with the complex flavors accentuating the savory nature of the meal. As the waning crescent moon climbs the sky, the time honored dessert
course of Flan with Sierra Cascade Nursery berries garnished with mint and delicate handmade whipped cream will be offered.
Festive flavors add to the celebration of the 40th anniversary of Sierra Cascade Nursery which has been a transformative force in Lassen County and California farming. Randy Jertberg founded the operation in Honey Lake Valley in 1977, recognizing the ideal combination of elevation, latitude, dry climate and soils to source the rootstock for the strawberries his father Joe already grew in Southern California.
This foundation has fostered a family business that has grown to be the leading innovator, in the root stock industry, expanding from strawberries into endive, asparagus crowns, raspberries, blackberries, cilantro, mint, grains, and hay. The Jertberg’s vision embraces their core values of hard work and community involvement.
Randy and Laura Jertberg were founding members and long time supporters of Lassen Land and Trails Trust which is celebrating its 30th anniversary. SCN invests in local youth by its funding a local scholarship program in each community where its farms while contributing to the high school sports teams that teens enjoy. SCN is a charter patron of the Susanville Symphony Society, as well.
Before feasting, join a tour with the visionary Randy Jertberg, as he will narrate a bus journey through his verdant fields. You will see the plants thriving in perfect order awaiting the frosts that allow them to be dug and prepared in their trim shed before setting off to produce the earliest, most flavorful berries across the nation.
Labor intensive efforts are made possible by H2A workers who provide a talented, legal workforce who cultivate, then harvest millions of plants with specialized equipment that provides a safe work environment.
This twelfth season with H2A has benefited people who work year after year plus allowed the nursery to have a stable crew to perform capable tasks. SCN are both organic and conventional growers whose sustainable operation has adapted to the dynamic challenges of farming – thriving in their quest to produce the best product.
So dine with a farmers on their farm for an unrivaled experience of food and place August 19th at Sierra Cascade Nursery in Standish.
A limited number of tickets to this event can be purchased online or from Lassen Land and Trails Trust 530-257-3252.