Dinner with The Farm Kings
Dear Farm Kings:
Can we be your farm queens?
XOXO
Laura and Mandy
The hard working, friendly guys with their sister and mom!
That, dear friends, is the letter Mandy and I wrote with our hearts after a delicious and, lets be real, sexy dinner with the boys from Butler, The Farm Kings. These hard working lads operate Freedom Farms in Butler county and have their very own reality show on Great American Country. We were invited to take part in a meal filmed for the series at their farm fresh market in New Kensington. Joe, Pete, and Dan served as the hosts for the dinner. These boys are charming and IN SHAPE. Being a farmer = muscle gold. The evening left us full of seriously fresh food and seriously fresh thoughts.
But lets talk food (not sweet sweet farm bodies), since this is indeed a food blog. Sigh!
The Market @ New Ken is about 25 minutes from the city, a fairly easy trip on Route 28. Freedom Farms supplies the market with fresh produce, free range chicken, and pastries. (These fellows also sell their produce at farmers markets around the city, including the North Side market and Aspinwall). Over the course of our meal, we were able to sample a variety of what is on offer, and cooked up by the boys’ mom, Lisa, and sister.
We started off with a tomato and basil tart, served with nectarines and walnuts, drizzled with a light dressing. If the meal ended here, we would have left happy — this was one heck of a starter! The tomato and basil tarts are sold frozen at the Market, which is really and truly reason enough to make the trip.
WHAT?!! STOP BEING SO DELICIOUS!!!!!
Our main course featured the Farm’s free range chicken, raised by Pete, with ratatouille complete with all of the veggies we could handle, and a helping of mashed potaters. I want this chicken always and forever. Chicken that runs free tastes better, y’all. I’m just throwing facts all up in your business!
Taste explosion — thanks to chicken that is able to stretch its legs.
Our meal finale included a pie loaded with apples. Not being a pie person myself, I still ate the crap out of that confection. Mandy loved it too — the crust was inspired and so. many. apples.
She’s a beaut!
We were sent off into the evening with a renewed sense of urgency to buy local produce — because it tastes amazing — and a need to visit local farms for the, uh, scenery, and the, uh… well, the hot farmers. Do yourself a favor and Google The Farm Kings promo trailer. You are welcome.
