Thank you for joining us for Dinner on the Farm!
At the latest Our River event, attendees enjoyed a lovely summer evening at Gibbs Farm, filled with good company and local food made from clean-water crops.
Dinner on the Farm highlighted the work of Friends of the Mississippi River’s Water program. Before the meal, the Forever Green Initiative treated guests to tours of Kernza, perennial sunflowers and silphium in research plots across the street.
This event was the second in a new four-part series to raise funds for the Our River Campaign. At the heart of this campaign is the vision of a healthy Mississippi River. The impact will be transformational and enduring in Minnesota and all downstream communities along the 2,350-mile river. Find more information, watch the campaign video and donate here.
Program highlights
The evening started with Mitch Hunter, Nick Jordan and Ann Kirby from the Forever Green Initiative at the University of Minnesota providing tours of their research plots. FMR’s Water team works closely with Forever Green to fund research necessary for the success of clean-water crops with the goal of greening up the big brown spot.
Chowgirls Catering wowed guests with delicious uses of perennial crops throughout the meal. Kernza grain mixed with rice created the base for a curry dish baked into bread. Hazelnuts appeared throughout the menu: spiced and roasted for the salad, crumbled over Tree Range chicken, and milled for delicate macarons. Chefs crafted an oilseed couscous featuring sunflower seeds and more hazelnuts. Local elderberries from Tic Tac Toe Farm turned into syrups for an appetizer, in macarons and a special Elderberry Kir Royale cocktail.
James Beard Award-winning food writer Beth Dooley shared the practical implications of using these perennial crops in everyday cooking and the health benefits for people and the environment. This list of businesses will help you add clean-water and perennial crops to your cooking and baking.
FMR’s Water team — Trevor Russel, Peter LaFontaine and Meghan Anderson — brought the evening together, clearly outlining FMR’s critical work in agricultural policy and sustainable aviation fuel. As they noted, now is the time to act. Each year without new, sustainability-focused action on the political and corporate side, we progress further into the climate crisis. All of FMR’s strategies are interconnected, working together to reverse decades of pollution and to create new economic opportunities. Join us in our work to effect change through policy, advocacy and stewardship.
Thanks to all who participated
Friends of the Mississippi River is grateful for the support in making this event an incredible success! It wouldn't have been possible without everyone who joined us to celebrate the river and clean-water crops. A very special thanks to the evening's featured sponsor, Chowgirls Catering, and the Forever Green Initiative for making this celebration memorable.
Thank you to our generous sponsors
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