The ReFarmery Review--Calling fellow foodies
Do you know who grows your food?
Get to know your local farmer
A profound love of food is at the heart of The ReFarmery. Our founder and leader, Jon Kupkowski, is a foodie of the highest order and a damn fine cook to boot. He loves all things vegetable, but has returned to an omnivore diet since he began raising his own more ethical meat on the farm. A trained baker and pastry chef, Jon tends our live sourdough culture daily and bakes it into crusty loaves each week. He strives to be a fountain of food knowledge and has read nearly every cookbook he can find. He keeps an incredible collection of them in the kitchen–and it is starting to bleed over into the farm office as well. He has curated a body of recipes for our members over the years and they can be found in the Newsletter Library at our website. Wondering where the best tacos or Afghani place is? He definitely has a few thoughts and recommendations on that too–or will see if he can find them when he does not.
Or maybe your question is about how he chooses to farm; how we chose our chicken feed, our bread flour, or a particular variety of camellia? Just ask. Jon will have a carefully considered answer to those questions and is generous with that knowledge.
Got a great idea? He always wants to hear that, too.
As a farmer, Jon strives to always be responsive and caring with his customers and members. If you are ever unhappy with anything you have purchased from The ReFarmery, he wants to know so that he can make it right.
Disclosure: Jon is the BFF of the author of this column, and she may be just a little biased.
Winter Indulgences
In the quiet of the winter Jon finds more time for fun with his food. These photos are from a recent dinner party with friends. “I 3d printed the stencil and used matcha powder through it. Vanilla meringue, starfruit, candied lemon and lime wheels, rose champagne gelée, mini dark chocolate bowls with pastry cream, frozen vanilla custard, and lemon jelly.”
Farm Dinners
Highlights from farm dinners past, hosted by Jon and The ReFarmery staff.
Farm-baked Sourdough
Originally a gifted yeast culture from a friend, Jon has been tending our sourdough for over three years. It has grown beautifully light and sour over that time and he bakes crusty loaves every week for CSA members and special orders. In the hottest days of summer he can be found in the kitchen in the wee hours of the morning, muttering about “too hot the rest of the day…”
Jon’s signature bread is available for online order or as a CSA share.
Local and sustainable cut flowers
Jon is a second-generation floral designer who leads a team with decades of collective experience. He loves growing and delivering flowers for members and friends and is adding a significant expansion to the flower garden over the coming years. For information about fresh flowers from the farm for your event, please contact us.