THE FEAST!!!

Last Wednesday was the biggest party of the year at big table farm and it was truly magical!

It was the feast to thank our founders! It was yet another lesson in gratitude for me I was truly humbled by the group of amazing people that traveled to the farm to celebrate with us and by the amazing farmers and staff that made it happen - the planning that goes into a true farm to table feast of this size takes 1/2 a year or more. From the first bean seedlings to placing the rental order back in January every last detail was mapped out and dished up. We had some  scrambling getting the barn ready as the last thing we expected was the rain we got Tuesday and Wednesday morning. But HUGE thanks to Kim and Scott! Our very dear friends from napa - once again they step in at the last minute and save the day (It was some serious Déjà vu from our wedding when I seem to remember them doing the same thing... humm and the move to oregon ... kim and scott you always seem to just be there for us... thank you!!) also thanks to mike and connie for showing and schlepping for a couple hours when really you should have been in the spa...

 

The biggest thanks goes to Elaine and Jeremy for organizing every last detail - including these incredible photos!!! with out them it would not have happened... Thank you both we love you, you both are part of the fabric of big table farm!

Thanks also to our farmers Chris and Amy of Square Peg Farm and Charlotte of Champoeg Creamery

and Chefs David Padberg and Tim Wastell of Old Salt assisted by an amazing staff!!

Thanks to our founders!!  with out you we wold not have gotten this ship outta the dock - the winery is rolling and it's gonna be a busy august but we are planning on watching trucks roll up the driveway in September with grapes!!!

 

Charlie inspecting the table ...

 

He'd like a glass of chard! 

 

Chicken liver mouse from our chickens slaughtered two days before for the feast : ) 

 

the smoker hard at work...

 Big Table Farm home grown and cured Prosciutto from last years pigs : )

 

this is us looking goofy but we are looking at the rainbow! : ) 

 

mike and connie

 

our founders!

 

more of the ridiculously beautiful food! 

 

One of my favorite shots!!

 This is Scott of the infamous smoker! who helped us with his wife kim pull it out the day before the feast -- I love these guys!!

 

Our Friend Chris of Square Peg farm that grew all the veg for the feast! 

 

Chef Tim Wastell making art as usual!

 

Our Friend Amy of Square Peg farm that grew all the veg for the feast!

 

the sausages david and tim made ahead from big table beef and pork!

  

and the smoked chicken - a padberg/big table specialty!

our dear friend and chef David Padberg - thank you it was perfect !

 

the feast was complete with rainbow during dinner...

the beautiful photos above thanks to 

http://www.jeremyfenske.com/

While all that was going on construction has contunied!! and the winery has a roof and walls!!!

 

goatio working on her punch list...

...and I got a tiny bit of hammock time - before I got back after it!!! 

no words... my heart is spilling over with gratitude!!

Goatio had a BIG week!!! she was very busy!!

Thank you New Energy Works for the beautiful timber frame - 

 

 

  

  

This friday is the big day!!!

The timbers arrived today!! and We are raising the timbers on the winery this friday!! -- It's really happening... I've been a little behind in posting the progress - goatio just nagged me this evening so get all those shots of her stellar project management up ...  

 

We are doing an open farm day on timber raising day if you want to come out and see the timbers go up and then the evening will be a potluck BBQ - brian will cook up some ribs or something fun and we'll have plenty of libation... we'll start that around 6pm... 

 

goatio doing the final steel and plumbing inspections... 

and the foundation finally got poured last wednsday !! 

 

she was pleased with the finish ...

 

she did notice this morning that someone forgot to put on the sill plate... so in my words we had a bit of a 'goat rodeo' today to get the right materials out to the site to get that put in to keep things on track for this friday... brian and I had to take a break from the office and rip some lumber... kind of nice to get out side but maybe not the best use of our time ... ahh well all in the name of gettin' er done... 

  

some other things other than construction going on around the farm ... 

 

thanks to some amazing friends we got 32 ton of hay in the loft of the new barn!!

 

I snuck in an evening ride with my friend Susan on a grain run to her farm!!

 

 

Brian and I went out to check on Wirtz and the fruit set looks great and so do the vines - the winemaker was happy - it was a good end to a wacky day!!!

 

and last but not least this is Larry our third baby cow of the season : )

things are rolling!

Today we poured the stem walls!!! Larry's crew will pull forms tomorrow and start laying out all the lines for the slab looking to pour that by early next week and then the timbers... we were hoping for a raising on the 4th but looks like at this point the july 10 - 11th... there will be a big announcement - I promise !!  things are going really well !! Every one is working hard and getting creative to build something beautiful on a tight budget... I hooked up the horses to make the work area for the timber framers as smooth as we could and Larry decided to try his hand at workin' the team.. turns out this guy really can do anything : )   of course goatio continues to supervise the entire project and is doing an excellent job as job foreman !

also in farm news a shot out to my friend sarah who helped me to gather up the bull again this year -- this is the third year in a row she has helped me pen up the bull (and castrate calves) ... in the words of a certain cowboy we rounded him up with a butterfly net : ) thanks sarah you ARE the ultimate cowgirl!!!  now charlie is safely in the barn he'll have to have a little time out from the ladies till august when he can go back to his job of gettin' his game on... : )

it's not all cows... : )

We are actually building a winery ... we've passed two foundation inspections now  - Footings are poured and now the stem wall is getting poured this tuesday!!  The big timbers should be coming from storage where they have been carefully stored over to the site in the next week!! and the sips will start to get cut to size!! As soon as I have a sense of when the timber raising will happen - I'll post all the big news here!! -- we are shooting for the first week in july!! but more info as this next week unfolds!!  Goatio is doing a great job keeping everyone in line and is pleased with the progress 

 

 

 

 

Amid the project I took a sales trip to seattle as well as have been finding time with my girlfriends for some rides : )  very necessary these days!

 

  the babies are doing well and we are still waiting on the last three!! : ) 

dreamy afternoon

I've been a little under the weather but not too much to snap some shots of the cows on summer pasture...

Josephine had her baby friday night : )

So happy to have another girl from Josephine... this is Coco Chanel ...  : ) 

so far we have Martha Grahm (she is from the dancing cow line: ) and coco chanel... some pretty amazing and beautiful women

 

First baby of 2014 came today !

 

born at 8:45 am  - nice work Lady! - it's a heifer ... name coming soon... 

and the forms are in!! ready for concrete (well almost steel is next)

starting to feel like summer!!

 

Things on the farm are pretty nice right now - Picked a boatload of strawberries with my sweetie last night at a friends farm!! it was VERY nice evening  - the cows are imminently pregnant - and we are busy as ever with visitors but selling lots of wine - which is GREAT!! 

and I'm MAKING time to paint!! 

I also flew to Pasadena for a winemaker dinner which was VERY nice got to see some family too! : ) 

... truth be told the best part was come home and ride my horses !! 

 

 

6"x 6"

 

12" x 12"

 

 note machete on my saddle for brush clearing... : )