Farm-to-Table Dinners and Farmers' Markets!
Get ready for a tasty Spring!
Is it summer yet?
For those of us living in the frozen tundra otherwise known as the Midwest I’m happy to report that today we hit 60 degrees. While it unfortunately coincides with dangerously high winds in Iowa, and is undoubtedly the result of an ever warming planet, we will count our blessings and be grateful that the birds are chirping and on our many partner farms nature is starting to come to life!
What does Spring at 99 Counties look like?
In a word, “Community”. I often struggle to describe our mission and our impact to folks because there are so many different ways in which we are making a positive impact: whether that be through building soil health, providing a healthier meat option to Iowans and Chicagoans, restoring water quality and the environment, bringing birds, bees, and small critters back to the land, storing carbon in the soil, or reinvesting in small farm communities, I could go on all day… but I digress. At the end of the day it’s all about community. We are here to reconnect people to where their food comes from. That means rebuilding the connection at the human level between eater and farmer and at the biological level between the micro-organisms that make it possible for plants and animals to grow and thrive, and ultimately to nourish us.
How are we building more community in 2023?
It starts with bringing people together around great food. This year we are hosting a number of intimate Farm-to-Table dinners where we will bring together our farmers, local chefs and customers to eat delicious food and learn more about regenerative agriculture. We are also going to have a large presence at Farmers’ Markets, Music Festivals, Apple Festivals, Art Festivals and yes the RAGBRAI.
Upcoming Farm-to-Table dinners
Chicago: Join us Sunday, April 16th at Guild Row in Avondale for a four course tasting menu curated by chefs Brad Newman and Jesse Lee of Brasserie by C&C!
Buy your tickets here (as always members save 20%)
Iowa: Join us Friday, April 28th at Curate DSM for a wood-fired meat carving station, sauce-tossed wings, old fashioned french fries and a sourdough dessert!
Buy your tickets here (as always members save 20%)
Stay tuned for more events this spring and summer in the greater Iowa City, Cedar Rapids, Dubuque and Chicagoland areas
Chicago Area Farmers’ Markets
I am very excited to announce that we are partnering with our very own Hayden Holbert of Avrom Farm on his incredible Chicken & Waffles pop up.
This mouth-watering sensation features ingredients from local farms in Wisconsin, Illinois, Iowa and Michigan: farms like Avrom Farm, Meadowlark Organics, Finn’s Ranch, not to mention many of the other vendors at the farmer’s markets. In fact, Hayden typically sources our fresh strawberries and chives from other farmers markets vendors in exchange for chicken + waffles - does it get any more authentic than that!? This spring and summer you can come get your Chicken & Waffles at:
Green City Market Lincoln Park (starting tomorrow at 7am! Come say hi and your first waffle is one me!)
Avondale (Green City Market)
And a few other locations yet to be announced
Upcoming events, including RAGBRAI
RAGBRAI: We are really excited to lean into local community events like RAGBRAI. What in the heck is a ragbrai you ask? Well obviously it’s the Register’s Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa. For those of you not familiar with RAGBRAI, it is so much more than just a bike ride, it is an epic eight-day rolling festival of bicycles, music, food, camaraderie, and community. It is the oldest, largest, and longest multi-day bicycle touring event in the world. And we at 99 Counties will be right there supporting the riders (yours truly included) from the start, with our back wheels in the Missouri river, to the finish with our front wheels in the Mississippi River. In fact Friday’s route passes through Belle Plaine, a tiny town just 3 miles from Nick’s farm; you better believe those riders will be well fed with 99 Counties’ meat!
Other events: We look forward to building our community at the Pitchfork Music Festival, Apple Fest, Bucktown Arts Fest, the Avrom Farm Party and others soon to be announced!
How can I continue to support you and 99 Counties if I live outside of Iowa/Chicago?
Share our story with your friends and family in Iowa and Chicago
Buy some swag (trucker’s hats, hoodies, t-shirts, and beanies are available no matter where you live!)