When people ask me “What exactly IS Slow Food?” I struggle to find a short tells-it-all reply. My answer often depends on who asked, how off guard I was, and what issues I find most pressing at the moment. Slow Food encompasses many things including sustainable agriculture, gastronomy, family traditions, school garden and lunch programs, fair trade, and reviving diversity and heritage foods. If I could, I would give everyone a snapshot of last week’s Harvest Garden Party. It was a joyful, cooperative, delicious, celebration of food grown and served by children attending summer camp at the Teton Valley Community School. It was what the Slow Food movement is all about.

I’d show them a picture of Erika Escholtz, founder of Teton Farm and Garden’s “seed to plate” community education program, her long blonde braids flowing out from under a woven sun hat, surrounded by sunflowers and young children pulling up carrots in the garden they tended all summer. I’d show them Samantha, a sprightly 5-year old with purple streaks in her hair catching a 6-month old chicken. I’d show them 12 small bikes teetering down a country road toward Cosmic Apple Farm each Wednesday where the children tended a second garden of their own and devoured steamed collard greens rolled around garlic, cheese curds, and turnips.

Preparing for the party, my favorite moments include a warm sunny morning spent in the Wilson’s raspberry patch picking 10 pounds of berries with 4-8 year olds. Their faces smeared with scarlet juice, they would drop a few berries into the buckets tied to their waist then gorge themselves on the rest. Later we gathered an eclectic assortment of ice-cream makers and made homemade raspberry ice cream from fresh Cosmic Apple cream. 5 year-old Mariela oversaw the hand-cranked mini-machine with 3-year-olds Cameron and Mitchell. They could see the progress of their work through a small window and were the first to squeal with amazement when the ice cream turned pink upon addition of the berries. Older boys, Cormac and Harland, got really into the more scientific, old-fashioned machine that required rock salt and ice and more mechanical manipulation. They were rewarded with more of a surprise each time it was turned off to peak inside.

The entire week before the party was spent in preparation. The children harvested vegetables, made pizza dough, homemade mozzarella cheese, and cleaned up the school. Flags bearing their 4 favorites words of the summer- Soil, Sun, Water, Love- were created to fly in the garden. They rehearsed their African Drumming performance, and in quiet times drew posters to thank all the generous people who donated to the event.

Kids arrived the night of the event dressed in party attire that best fit their personalities. August, pre-school teacher and caterer extraordinaire, gave each child a private lesson in holding a tray with fairy napkins under their fingers (a crucial skill for surviving in a resort town). As guests arrived and lingered around kegs of local Grand Teton Brewing organic beer and tables packed with Idaho wines, they were greeted by 6-year olds passing trays at their knees filled with bruschetta brushed with fresh cream cheese, heirloom tomatoes, and mint leaves, Cosmic sausage kabobs, and phyllo pockets stuffed with sautéed organic mushrooms, sage, and goat cheese. Other kids took turns in an assembly line preparing and tending the mini fresh pesto pizzas with tomatoes and the homemade mozzarella. Sofie, with her baseball cap cocked to the side and working as a team with her good friend Chloe, served me a “turkey-beef-oh I forget what it is-taco (Chloe pipes in ham) with local tortillas and fresh salsa.”

As the clouds darkened the crowd moved inside for fresh mint lemonade ladled into mason jars from a punch bowl. The Great Room of the school was quickly cleared to make room for the West African Drumming and Dance performance with Djembe Fo, a professional dance troupe. Watching my 5-year old daughter singing what words she could remember and stomping her feet was a certainly a highlight, but nothing compared to watching Forest Edwards, a red-headed, freckled, reserved 10 year-old confident in his individuality, get up and groove with one of the dancers in front of his whole community.

From the beginning Forest had taken the most ownership in the party- he was the one who showed up everyday to camp asking what needed to be done to get ready, and followed through with all his assignments. In the end he was the image of joy- completely uninhibited in celebration.

Harvest Garden Party Menu: Click on links for recipes.

Sausage/zucchini/mushroom Kabobs
A variety of uncured organic sausage from Cosmic Apple pigs
Zucchini from Community School Garden and Cosmic Apple
Mushrooms from Mountain Valley Mushrooms

Green roll-ups
Collards, kale, turnips from Cosmic Apple
Garlic from Erika’s home garden
Cheese curds provided by Lifeline Farm, Victor Montana

Mini Pizzas
Mozzarella cheese made fresh by kids from Cosmic Apple milk
Tomatoes from Cosmic greenhouse
Basil from Cosmic & Community School Greenhouse
Dough made fresh by summer camp children

Cool Mint Bruschetta
Fresh baguettes from Idaila Organic Bakery
Yellow Heirloom tomatoes from Cosmic and Green Zebras from Community School greenhouse
Cream cheese made fresh from Cosmic Milk
Mint from Erika’s home garden

Mushroom Sage Pastries
Fresh sage from Erika’s home garden
Shitake mushrooms harvested from Mountain Valley Mushrooms
Goat cheese from Amaltheia Dairy, Montana
Savory phyllo pastries cups prepared by Dining In Catering

Crudités with Olive Oil and Spiced Salts
Fresh veggies from local gardens
Organic olive oil, Redmond sea salt from Utah, and cumin, paprika, sesame seeds, and curry

Mini Tacos
HD Dunn and Sons Angus Beef, Tetonia Ranch
Salsa made fresh from local cilantro, tomatoes, peppers, and garlic
Corn tortillas from El Rosal in Victor

Desserts

Chocolate Zucchini Brownies
Zucchini harvested this week from local gardens

Homemade Raspberry Ice Cream
Raspberries picked from the Wilson Raspberry Farm in Alta
Cream from Cosmic Apple Farm

Grand Teton Brewing Beers
Idaho and Artisan Wines
Mint tea mixed with Organic Lemonade