Monday, June 30, 2014

{Farm-to-Fork: Personal Post}

About a week or so ago, I read a really neat article about Greer Farms. The farm is located in Daingerfield, Texas and is owned by Sid and Eva Greer. The Greers teamed up with the town's Chamber of Commerce to give locals the opportunity to take a tour of the farm and enjoy dinner on the grounds- everything made fresh from local farms, including Greer Farm. 

 All week long, Hunter and I were excitedly anticipating our  trip to Daingerfield. We left a little early so we could make a stop in Jefferson, Texas. Jefferson is known for it's antiques and old General Store. With it being a Sunday, we thought a lot of places would be closed- thankfully we were wrong!  We enjoyed looking around in the General Store and a few of the antique shops. We really enjoyed our quick stop in Jefferson and we are definitely going to plan a trip back there soon.



We arrived at Greer Farm just before 6 o'clock. A majority of the group was there, but while we waited for the rest, we were able to watch the chickens....pretty entertaining!


Once everyone checked in, we took a short walk to the berry patch. We discovered that they grow blueberries and black berries for picking and they just planted strawberries this year. Sid is hoping they will produce a lot so people can start picking those next year. We were able to pick and eat berries...and they were all so sweet and yummy!



From the berry patch, we made another stop by the chicken coop for feeding time. They use a high quality, non-GMO (yay!) feed. Sid referred to the food as being the chicken's "Bluebell Ice Cream". And when they all swarmed around the bucket, you could tell that these Texas chickens loved their food!




After our stop at the chicken coop, we made a trip to the pig pen.  Their smelliness was immediately suppressed we saw their super cute personalities. All of the pigs ran waddled over to us like they wanted to say hello.

 

 After visiting with the pigs, we made our rounds to the cows, horses, zebra, barn cats, and a cute little pig who wasn't quite big enough to be with the others...but I don't think he cared!








The tour of the farm ended with another chicken feeding and the nightly gathering of fresh eggs from the chicken coop.
 



After the farm tour, we sat outside and enjoyed a beautiful dinner.  Didn't they do an amazing job with the ensemble? 

The concept was very neat- they had four local chefs prepare each of the courses and a a local winery supply the dinner wine. The appetizers were so tasty- mini tomatoes stuffed with freshly made mozzarella cheese and a drizzle of balsamic vinegar. Following the appetizers was the main course made by Sid's wife, Eva. She prepared a vegetarian lasagna and a chicken lasagna. To accompany the main course, they served 3 types of salads: Texas cavier, a tomato/watermelon salad, and a salad with red and yellow heirloom tomatoes, red onion, and balsamic.  After the main course was dessert: fresh berries with a vanilla custard. The food was so fresh and light...perfect for a hot, summer night!











Hunter and I thoroughly enjoyed the Farm-to-Fork event. Not only did we have a fun farm tour and a delicious dinner, but we met a lot of very friendly people and had some great conversations. We can't wait until our next trip there!



Wednesday, June 18, 2014

{The Wilson Family}

Last week I had the pleasure of flying home to visit (and surprise!) my family for our annual beach house vacation. While I was there, I was able to get some pictures of my sweet cousin Rebecca and her husband Jonathan.  Rebecca and Jonathan are expecting their first baby in August. You can  tell that Parker is  already loved so much!

I hope you enjoy seeing a sneak peak of their Sunshine State maternity session!





 



 








Friday, June 6, 2014

{The Bell Family}

I know it's only June, but it felt like Christmas morning to me. I woke up super early and jumped out of bed with excited anticipation of editing the photos from last night's session. Can any of my photography friends relate?

Sam and Kris were referred to be my Megan, you may remember their family session from last year. Sam and Kris are parents to Eden (happy birthday, sweet girl!) and Jude. Eden turned 3 the day of the session and Jude turned 1 the day prior. It was safe to say that they all earned an after session ice cream for sure! 

I hope these pictures display the love that Kris and Sam have not only for each other, but for their two precious blessings. They are an amazing family that I had the absolute JOY of meeting and get to know. Hope you enjoy some of my favorite photos from their session...