Quillisascut Farm's Creative Pivot

Slow Food Seattle Advisory Council member Chef Kären Jurgensen spends her summers teaching farm-to-table cooking to culinary professionals, students and food lovers. The venue: Quillisascut Farm and School of the Domestic Arts nestled in rural, northeastern Washington near the Columbia River. Every summer, the farm’s owners Rick and Lora Lea Misterly welcome 60-120 students for week-long sessions to immerse themselves in the full cycles of farm life that bring food to the table.

This year, things were different. To protect our communities during the Covid-19 pandemic, all workshops were cancelled, which was unfortunate because like most farm operations, summer activities bring income for the entire year. Investments had already been made in the livestock and garden plantings that would have fed those students. The challenge became how to preserve the bounty of nutrients and flavor from the farm, continue engaging with the community and provide income to the farm in a new way. Chef Kären, Rick and Lora Lea’s plan involved two paths.

First: For the local community, they implemented a weekly “pop-up, drive-by” dinner event featuring two pizza nights; a turkey mole and tamale dinner; a soup with wood-fired hearth bread; and a chicken swarma, saag paneer and naan dinner.

Second: For supporters and farm enthusiasts in Spokane and Seattle, they created “Taste of the Farm” culinary club boxes and meal kits distributed to both cities.

Chef Wil Yee of Duo’s Deli and Pete’s Supermarket in Seattle and Chef David Blaine of Central Food in Spokane generously lent their spaces for pick-up. The boxes contained cheeses, fermented and pickled items, jars of cajeta, fresh fruit, jam, apple “balsamic” and other treats. The meal kits for Cassoulet and Pizza featuring 100+-year-old sourdough starter were also a big hit.

The farm did not invest in larger equipment for this pivot, but worked creatively and efficiently with what they had. Consequently, Chef Kären is proud of her “cajeta gun” — muscles built up from stirring and cooking down over 70 gallons of goat milk for cajeta.

Canning jar shortages, power outages, fires and other disasters created challenges for the team, but they were supported by the community and local merchants and were able to persevere safely and successfully.

Although this pivot did not replace the farm’s income, it provided some stability, satisfied bellies, reduced waste, strengthened community connections and gave the farm team a sense of purpose.

A Taste of Quillisascut Farm Box

If you missed the local take-out dinners or Farm Club meal kits this summer, Quillisascut Farm is offering unique Gift Boxes shipped out via priority mail.

  • Quillisascut Cheese Sampler: a selection of creamy, aged goat cheeses.

  • Dried Apricot-Quince-Walnut-Spice Log to pair with the cheese.

  • Lavosh Cracker Kit - includes everything you need to make lavosh except the water.

  • Quillisascut Blend Coffee from Crandall Coffee Roaster.

  • Chefs on the Farm Cookbook

Order yours at www.quillisascut.com

Other Ways to Learn About and Support Quillisascut Farm

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