Snack Break: Rockin' Out to the Harvest Moon at Namu Farm Chuseok

If any of you are lucky enough to have a friend who is a farmer in Northern California, you know what I mean when I say that they are the rockstars around these parts -- the Beyoncé's of the food game. Meet my friend Kristyn as she holds a Mexican gherkin, a tiny cucumber berry (if that makes any sense). This is an example of the esoteric herbs and things that Kristyn grows on Namu Farm. Her one acre works in tandem with the San Francisco restaurant, Namu Gaji.



In the spirit of keeping things old school, Kristyn hosts an annual harvest party called Chuseok, a traditional Korean celebration held at the end of every season, close to the Autumn Equinox in September, to thank the land for a fruitful harvest and prepare it for next year. Pulling up to the Namu Farm is how I want to roll up to heavens gates: being drenched by golden rays of sunlight and having an epic potluck waiting for me in the distance with Mariah Carey as my soundtrack. But first, we must work!



In true city fashion, my posse and I arrived fashionably on-time. Everyone was already standing on either side of the plot ready to sow the bucket of rye being handed off down the line. We scurried to our place.


Can you spot Kayo-san??



And then we danced.



We worked to the beat of the Pungmul drummers. Pungmul is a folk music tradition attributed to the Korean farm philosophy, dure. As the leader of the group informed us, we dance and drum to return energy back into the earth.



Whew, I must say, after the dance routine Kayoko and I did, we were ready to eat. It was like Korean Thanksgiving, y'all.



Acorn jelly with chili paste, edamame salad with black and green beans, noodle salads, mochi, pies, cookies! Can you feel my excitement? Yes, that is also the reason there are so few photos of the food, I have priorities, people.

Kristyn sealed the deal of being the most gracious, bodacious host ever, and gave us the ultimate gift of love: PORK BELLY. Soy marinated pork belly to be exact. At that moment I thought, Kristyn is god.







Korean rice wine filled our jars and a humble farm party ensued.



Nos vemos pronto, Kristyn!!!



Here's to Chuseok 2013!

*If she’s not zipping around the city on her beat up Nishiki, you can most likely find MellyG cruising the aisles of a mercado. Listening to the radio and searching for the perfect snack are the daily duties of this San Francisco native.