Last week I met a very impressive young woman who is playing a key role in how we think about the food we eat. From the moment she came from India to America for her college education, she refused to settle for the mass produced, poor quality, chemical-ridden food products that every one around her was happy to consume - without asking any questions. Unable to find healthy, organic fruits and vegetables around her college campus, she started to grow her own in her backyard. Now a bonafide farmer and forager she owns her own farm in Wilton called Farah’s Farm. She is also the official farmer-lady for Barteca Restaurant Group.
True Story: When Ria, Barteca’s Marketing Manager, first told me about Farah Masani, I was intrigued and I wanted to know more. An appointment was set. I was to meet Farah at Barcelona Fairfield one day last week. So I took my iPad, my notepad, my voice recorder, my pen, my camera …and off I went. Well! we must have spent all of 3 minutes making initial introductions when Ria suggested we go outside to check Farah’s vegetable garden on the grounds of Barcelona Fairfield. Sure, why not! I figured, it will be a 5-10 minutes tour, 15 tops, and I should be able to get a few good shots while I am out there. And then I expected to have a relaxed conversation with Farah indoors.
Imagine my surprise when Farah hands me a shovel and tells me start loosening the dirt in one of the planting beds. Say what?!!!! Me in my non-farming attire, complete with heels! Is she serious? To my dismay, indeed she was. 
Now, I don’t have a “green-thumb” and so I usually try to stay away from any innocent plants before I cause them any undue harm. Needless to say, I was worried. Yet we spent the rest of the afternoon pulling weeds, digging, seeding, planting, watering - you name it. We planted kale, arugula and radish in four of the beds that afternoon. Farah declared that one of the arugula beds is now officially mine since I worked on it single-handedly (Hee! Hee!). The deal is that in 21 days, when that arugula has magically grown (with a helping hand from a certain Farmer Genie), I am to go back to Barcelona Fairfield to have Chef Helton prepare a special salad for me. Yup! I can totally live with that.
Funny picture of Farah and Ria toiling away as Helton looks on. :-) BTW: Can you tell that all three of them are camera shy?
As we worked away on the planting beds, Ria included, I learned so much from Farah. The right way to shovel, the art of planting, the gentle raking at the end to mix the seeds in with the dirt so that the birds don’t pick on them. We even discussed simple recipes to get the most flavor out of various seasonal vegetables like ramps and garlic scapes. Farah has tremendous passion for what she does. She wants to urge every one to grow their own fruits and vegetables if they can. She wants everyone to know that it is not hard to do so. It is the best way to take control and prevent any pesticides from going into our bodies. Yes, she is truly inspiring.
After toiling on the planting beds all afternoon, Farah picked some chives from the garden and took them to Chef Helton who planned to showcase it in many recipes over the next few days. I love how all the Barcelona chefs embrace Farah’s efforts and feature her locally grown produce on their menus. This is clearly not just for kicks - they truly believe in locally farmed and foraged food. It was funny to catch Farah threatening the bartender at Barcelona, not to order any mint for Mojitos because there is plenty of fresh mint right outside in the garden. As a frequent diner at Barcelona, witnessing these exchanges have made a lasting impression on me.
I am a total novice when it comes to concepts like organic farming. But I am getting exposed to a lot of conversations on the internet lately. Just this week I came across an article that made me shudder as well as feel inspired. BTW: After reading this particular article, I may never be able to eat mass-produced potatoes again.
We here in Fairfield County are lucky to have great chefs like Michel Nischan, Bill Taibe, and Tim LaBlant along with folks like Analiese Paik and Farah - starting these conversations in our communities and promoting the idea of organic, sustainable farming to enable healthful eating. And it is so wonderful to know that an entire company like Barteca is promoting local farms and locally foraged foods in all their restaurants as well. Heck! They even have a farmer on their payroll!!!
As for me, I am going to continue to learn more and bring about a change in how my family and I eat. Thanks Farah, for planting the initial seed (idea) in my mind.
Farah’s Farm | https://www.facebook.com/farahsfarm
