It feels like I was just writing about our farm appreciation dinner from last year, but somehow, here we are again! Another summer coming to a close. Another deep breath before the fall harvest. Another farm appreciation dinner to say thank you to the folks who help make this dream a reality.

Back before Joe and I officially started Section 32 Farms and our grass-fed, regenerative farming operation, when farming was still mostly a hobby, we started throwing an annual appreciation dinner in the summer.

We are so lucky to have family and friends who come to our aid throughout the year - in countless hours of help, letting us borrow equipment, working with us to rent their ground, and not to mention a good ole dose of encouragement. Making them a meal once a year and stopping to say thank you hardly seem like a fair trade. Now don’t get me wrong, we definitely try to show our appreciation throughout the year. But we wanted to on purpose stop amidst the busy farm schedule and focus on thanking these people.

Farming is not for the faint of heart. If you don’t like hard work, farming is not for you. If you don’t like gambling with the weather on a frequent basis, or getting up close and personal to animals, or being so dirty or so hot you hardly recognize the person under the layer of dust - farming is not for you.

But even though we’ve signed up for this journey and love it a fair amount of the time, it sure helps when someone shows up unexpectedly to help with chores or refers a friend to buy our products or lets us try something new on the ground we rent from them, all based in faith in us. They might think we’re crazy some or most of the time. They might not agree with everything we do. But they’re still here supporting us. And that means more than we could ever say.

Over the years, we’ve thrown some pretty elaborate farm appreciation dinners. Every year we say w'e’re going to scale back and do something more simple, but when it comes to showing our thanks, cutting back is not the name of the game.

Although this year was definitely less detailed than year’s past, it wasn’t any less magical. I always get a vision in my head of what I want it to be, and I can be pretty stubborn when it comes to these things. Joe finds a way to make that vision come to life every year.

This year we hosted our party on the porch of our old farmhouse. It’s one of our favorite spots. We spend a lot of time at the end of the day, sitting here talking or not talking, enjoying the calm after the craziness. It’s an old wraparound porch with lots of space, so it seemed a natural and safe fit to deal with Michigan’s unpredictable weather. And boy am I glad we did!

The weather ended up being all over the place, starting out sweltering hot and then a major storm kicking up (luckily after dessert).

Between having a kid and our business ramping up, we have FINALLY learned to pace ourselves. We started working on the party weeks in advance, so that when the guests started arriving at the door, we could stop and be present. And while our families are more than happy to lend a hand, asking for a bunch of help to put together a thank you dinner doesn’t feel quite right.

This year was the first time we could feature some of our farm raised, grass-fed products. We specifically set aside some of our pasture-raised chickens for this party. And it didn’t stop there! We featured a whole farm-to-table and seasonal line-up for this meal:

• Pasture-raised chicken from Section 32 Farms, seasoned with herbs grown in our garden

• Cheesy potatoes made with fresh potatoes from Shepherd Organics in Hemlock

• Corn on the cob/elote from Shepherd Organics

• Fresh spring mix salad from Shepherd Organics

• Peach cobbler made with peaches from my mom’s pastor in Chesaning

• Cheesecake with fresh blueberry sauce

It was important to us to feature a menu that supported both what is seasonal at the time of our party and support local farms/businesses in our area.

So while the storm ended the party a little earlier than we’d hoped, it was still a fun night. There’s nothing I love more than being in my home surrounded by family and friends and good food. I like to sit back for a minute during all of this and listen and take it all in.

For Joe and I, it’s a good reminder of why we do what we do, especially as we head into the busy fall harvest season. It’s important to slow down or stop for a few minutes so we don’t lose perspective.