When hurricanes Ian and Nicole blew through Volusia County late last year, Carol Peters of Slow Turtle Farm LLC, a dairy and goat farm in Eustis, was hit particularly hard.
Her goats were too stressed to produce the milk that is the foundation of the items she sells at local farmers markets and to restaurants. For the past few months, Peters has struggled to keep her herd fed until the new kid births — just weeks away — get the milk flowing again.
In the meantime, she was forced to sell off many prize goats for meat, a loss for them as breeders.
To help Peters and other local women farmers, Kathryn Aymar, the owner of Genuine Bistro in DeBary, hosted a wine pairing dinner to spotlight the quality of locally grown food.
Developing the menu for the dinner with a focus on women farmers brought together BigDaddy’s Organic Farm in Oviedo, HertaBerkSchwein Farm in Groveland, the Barefoot Farmer of Tomazin Farms in New Smyrna Beach, Frog Song Organics in Hawthorne, HM Cattle Co. in Webster, and The Reid Farm in DeLand.
To go along with the food, Swirl Wine Consulting provided the expertise in selecting wines crafted by female winemakers from the USA, France, Italy and Portugal to pair with the innovations of Executive Chef Stopher Condry.
Along with the event, Aymar, a young clam farmer and the owner of Physis Farms in Cedar Key, is working to rebrand her DeBary restaurant as The Salted Goat. Her passion for supporting local farmers will be apparent through the restaurant’s updated menu, which will focus on high-quality ingredients grown locally.
In the meantime, Genuine Bistro’s menu will continue to support the local farms listed on the menu. The restaurant also features a Sunday brunch, a raw bar, and upgraded wine and drink selections.
— López-Bethel is a certified wine consultant and sommelier with Swirl Wine Consulting. She lives in DeLand.
Take a look at the menu for the Women in Farming and Wine Dinner:
Amuse-Bouche
Roasted eggplant three-bean hummus on HM Cattle Co. smoked beef tallow crostini with pickled strawberry from BigDaddy’s Organic Farm and The Reid Farm bok choy flowers
Wine: Lini 910 Labrusca Rosato- Emilia Romagna, Italy 50% Salamino, 50% Sorbara- Sustainable
Woman-owned winery: Alicia Lini
The Happy Harbor Seafood sous vide with wild harvested oysters, candied pears and prosecco horseradish jelly. Also included is purple daikon and watermelon radish from Frog Song Organics in Alachua County.
First course
Happy Harbor Seafood – sous vide wild harvested oyster w/candied pear and prosecco horseradish gelee, Frog Song Farm purple daikon and watermelon radish
Wine: 2020 Hedges Descendants Liegeois Dupont — Le Blanc — Washington State, USA, 55-percent Marsanne, 45-percent Viogner — Certified Biodynamic and Organic
Winemaker: Sarah Hedges Goedhart
Second course
Physis Farms – Cedar Key clams in Japanese dashi crème with dill, The Reid Farm sorrel, BigDaddy’s Organic Farm shaved purple kohlrabi and toasted brioche swords
Wine: Honeymoon 2021 — Martha Stoumen Wines — California, USA 65-percent, Colombard 35-percent Chardonnay — Organic/Dry farmed
Winemaker: Martha Stoumen
The Cedar Key clams from Physis Farms in Japanese dashi crème with dill, The Reid Farm sorrel, and BigDaddy’s Organic Farm shaved purple kohlrabi and toasted brioche swords.
Third course
Fettuccine Finochietto – BigDaddy’s Organic Farm roasted fennel and Tomazin Farms lacinato kale pesto with pickled katuk from The Reid Farm, toasted pine nuts and shaved Parmesan
Wine: 2020 Joseph Drouhin Saint-Veran — Maconnais, France 100% Chardonnay-Biodynamic
Winemaker: Veronique Drouhin
Fourth course
Braised and crisped pork belly from HertaBerkSchwein Farms with gochujang and Chinese 5-spice glaze on Frog Song Organics bonito white yam puree, Tomazin Farms mizuna, dandelion, broccoli and mustard greens
Wine: 2020 Rose Hybiscus — Free Range Flower Winery Rose and Hibiscus Flowers — Organic
Winemaker: Aaliyah Nitoto
The goat ragout from Slow Turtle Farm on chèvre polenta with caramelized wild mushrooms.
Fifth course
Goat ragout from Slow Turtle Farm on chèvre polenta with caramelized wild mushrooms
Wine: 2019 Quinta de Chocopaha CH – Lisbon, Portugal 100 percent, Touriga Nacional — Sustainable/Organic noncertified
Winemaker: Sandra Tavares
Dessert
Slow Turtle Farm – goat’s milk ice cream on cardamom scented shortbread crumble with goat’s milk
Salted caramel, hazelnut liqueur Chantilly and BigDaddy’s Organic
Farm strawberries
— Presented by Carol López-Bethel of Swirl Wine Consulting and Executive Chef Stopher Condry of The Salted Goat
