Again in August I had a extremely cool expertise: I went to a Registered Dietitian (RD) “farm camp” up in Maryland!
Farm camp was billed as a practical vitamin and culinary retreat for vitamin professionals. It sounded attention-grabbing and like simply the factor I’ve been lacking in the course of the previous couple years of not a number of in-person occasions.
Once I noticed that we’d obtain 25 persevering with schooling credit for attending, that sealed the deal for me and I instantly signed up.
(My Registered Dietitian credential is up for renewal subsequent spring and I would like much more persevering with schooling credit between every now and then as I normally rack up a number of credit attending and talking at conferences/workshops, however I haven’t been doing a lot of that just lately!)
Farm camp was held at Catoctin Mountain Farm up in Maryland – a simple hour and 15 minute drive from the DC space. Excellent!
It was so lovely up there and about 10 levels cooler than DC as nicely, which made an enormous distinction in August!
I first found farm camp as I do know the host, Alison Sacks (pictured with me beneath), from the DC vitamin group again within the day.
She’s a fellow dietitian who lived in DC for a few years earlier than assembly her now husband, Nick, who owns the Catoctin Mountain Farm. And the remainder is historical past!
Farm camp came about between two places: Catoctin Mountain Farm and Zigbone Farm Retreat (pictured beneath), which is barely a brief drive from the farm and is the place all of us stayed and did our meals and culinary experimentation.
It was a extremely cute spot – they host weddings and different occasions there 12 months spherical!
I’ve been procrastinating penning this put up a bit as a result of we did SO a lot it felt overwhelming to attempt to cram all of it into one weblog put up.
However, I’m going to do my finest, and can simply hold issues excessive stage and never too detailed within the curiosity of this put up not being 234908203498230948 pages lengthy. When you have any questions or need me to elaborate on something, be at liberty to ask within the feedback!
Additionally, I wished to offer a shout out to Kasey Kreit of Olivine Fox Photography – Alison employed her to affix us at Zigbone on “all issues sourdough” day to get some motion photographs, so any of the upper high quality/non-iPhone photographs on this put up (like those above and beneath) are taken by her!
And yet another shout out – in case you’re a vitamin skilled that’s enthusiastic about attending farm camp your self, there’s one other one taking place in October that also has a couple of spots left! Particulars here.
Dietitians flew in from everywhere in the nation for it – it was undoubtedly not only for locals!
RD Farm Camp Recap
With out additional ado, listed below are the highlights from farm camp!
1. Interacting with different dietitians
Probably the greatest issues about farm camp for me, apart from all of the enjoyable culinary play and farm adventures (extra on these in a minute), was merely chatting with the opposite dietitians in attendance!
We had a fantastic group – there have been nearly 20 of us, which felt like the right measurement, and I actually loved studying what everybody did within the vitamin realm (I used to be one of many solely blogger/media RDs within the group) and customarily simply getting re-excited about vitamin once more.
(These are Alison’s children within the image, in case you might be questioning – they joined us for dinner the final evening and have been tremendous cute!)
One in all my finest mother life associates, Jen, who can be a dietitian, was on the journey as nicely and was my roommate. So enjoyable to have a lot time to hang around together with her!
She can be a yoga instructor and led anybody within the group who was enthusiastic about a yoga class every morning of the journey.
It was essentially the most beautiful solution to begin the day, particularly as a result of days 2 and three we took our mats outdoors and loved the cool morning shade!
The final morning of the journey Jen and I did a brief pre-yoga jog as nicely – the solar was simply rising, it was cool and misty out, and it was simply usually tremendous attractive.
Whats up, neighbor farm cows!
That mist – beautiful!
I additionally particularly loved assembly Brandy, a fellow intuitive consuming dietitian who works primarily in non-public observe. After we met she let me know that she was a weblog reader who has been studying for a few years, which was enjoyable – and she recently started her own non-diet themed blog, too. It’s nice – test it out!
(Rocking our identify tags from the primary day!)
There’s nothing fairly like attending to work together with others in individual who’re keen about the identical issues you might be! It was tremendous good to attach.
2. Assembly a lot of lovable livestock
Dwelling near town, I don’t precisely get to hang around with a number of livestock on a day after day foundation, so I used to be excited to get to tour Catoctin Mountain Farm, meet their animals, and be taught extra about their (very accountable and compassionate – “past natural”, as they name it) farming practices.
We bought to fulfill a number of pigs!
Enjoyable truth: we discovered that when a pig has infants, any of the opposite mothers who’re additionally lactating will all assist one another to feed the piglets. Additionally, if one piglet is at risk it doesn’t matter whose piglet it’s, ALL the mama pigs will cost!
I like this. I may use a pig village in my life, anybody else?
Right here’s the entire gang hanging out with the pigs!
We additionally bought to fulfill some candy Catoctin Mountain Farm goats:
And we took a hike round their property.
We ended with strawberry coconut milk popsicles and a tour of their veggie backyard. Good solution to spend a morning!
On the final morning of our journey we additionally bought to fulfill (and assist feed) some child goats from a neighboring farm. Sooo cute.
In case you’re questioning in regards to the bottle, they may typically bottle feed the runts of the litter as they don’t find yourself getting a lot probability to nurse as a result of the others push them out of the way in which.
They have been loopy sturdy – the bottle nearly bought pulled proper out of my hand!
3. A number of culinary play and studying about practical vitamin
We did ALL the issues.
We had a sourdough day the place we did all issues sourdough, like making sourdough bread:
They got here out so lovely:
We additionally made sourdough pizza dough, and to go along with it, home made mozzarella cheese (SO flavorful):
Plus home made sourdough pie crust, throughout which I found braiding a design onto the highest of the pie is tremendous enjoyable:
And, like, perhaps this ought to be my new full time profession? Making cool shapes on prime of pies? TBD. It was very calming and likewise enjoyable.
Happy with this!
Whats up, attractive.
We additionally made some topical facial infusions. I went for the “calming” one, which had calendula, lavender, arnica flower, and aloe leaf in witch hazel.
And we made home made cleaning soap!
Excited to make use of these at residence.
4. THE FOOD! It was so good.
We ate so nicely whereas at farm camp – most every part was domestically sourced, and whereas our group didn’t put together the meals (one among Alison’s associates carried out nearly all of the meals prep – she was superb), we made among the base elements for them (just like the sourdough, and so on.).
Listed here are the meals!
Breakfasts
Sourdough bagels, eggs, Canadian bacon, yogurt, contemporary fruit, and a drizzle of sprouted almond butter. The native peaches have been phenomenal – I ate them as snacks most days, too!
Baked metal minimize oatmeal, almond butter, berries, and yogurt.
Sourdough pancakes and waffles with peaches and almond butter, eggs, and breakfast sausage (from Catoctin Mountain Farm!).
Lunches
BLTs on home made sourdough bread with melon and mint salad, quinoa salad, and sauerkraut and pickled veggies.
Most likely my favourite meal of the entire journey was this subsequent lunch: lamb meatballs (superb), falafel, quinoa salad, olives, cucumber tomato salad, and pita/hummus.
Alison additionally had a home made lemony garlic sauce that we had with that lunch that was so PHENOMENAL that I ended up placing it on every part… it was so dang good.
To make it, she used 1 cup peeled garlic cloves, 3 cups avocado oil, 1/2 cup lemon juice, and a pair of teaspoons of salt. Simply course of the garlic cloves with the salt, then add in a little bit oil at a time as you proceed to course of, then end with the lemon juice till it’s all evenly integrated.
Dinners
Tacos with sluggish cooker pork carnitas, lentil salad (this was very yummy), slaw, and zucchini.
Corn, massaged kale salad, sausages with allllll the sauerkraut.
Plus some yellow watermelon – how enjoyable is that this?!
Do-it-yourself sourdough pizza evening (with home made mozzarella!):
Intense focus throughout:
Mine got here out tremendous yummy! Plus some unpictured salad.
The place the magic occurred:
We additionally bought to take pleasure in our home made sourdough peach pie that evening!
It was sooo good. I can take or depart chocolate (I do know, bizarre), however I LOVE pie.
We additionally had some actually good native wine every evening, which I loved!
Whew! What a enjoyable few days. We have been all unhappy to say goodbye!
I’m excited although as I’m going to a form of mini farm camp in a pair weeks – my buddy Sarah, who can be a dietitian and farmer, is internet hosting a one day “RD Day” at her farm, Gathering Springs, in Middleburg, VA.
It’s all about utilizing farm-fresh elements and culinary abilities to host meals demonstrations, and there are CEUs concerned as nicely! I’m enthusiastic about it. There are spots left if any of you have an interest. 🙂
I’m planning to (lastly) get on the Instagram Reels prepare, so I’m hoping it can give me some ideas and inspiration for doing video-based meals demos as nicely!
