Modern Pioneering with Georgia Pellegrini

>> "Modern Pioneering" is made possible by... >> Welcome to Total Wine.

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A full list is available at GeorgiaPellegrini.com.

>> At the start, we asked ourselves, what is it that we actually want to do?

And I don't think many people really stop to truly ponder that question and sit with it.

In the words of Mary Oliver, "What is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?"

And so we still look at each other and ask ourselves from time to time, like, is this it?

Is this what we want?

And our answer is always yes.

There are some of us who fantasize about building a house in the woods, where we can slow down, a place free from the incessant ping of cell phones, where we wake to the sound of nature, have a root cellar that sustains us, where there's time to cook what we grow and share it with our neighbors.

There are some of us who wonder what could be if we simplified, and then there are some of us who do it.

Elizabeth Starks and Jake Sackett had a dream for the life they wanted -- a curated life full of the good, wholesome, deeply satisfying things.

They saw a piece of land for sale, climbed to the top of a hill, and looked out and realized this land had the perfect perch for a house.

They didn't know how to build a house, so they decided to learn.

This is the story of what happens when you decide to make that dream come true.

This is the story of what happens when you create nourishment with your one wild and precious life.

Tonight is one of the storied community dinners Elizabeth and Jake are hosting at their home, and so Jake is hunting on the state land that abuts their property.

Jake has been harvesting meat throughout the season and has already stocked his freezer.

Since I began hunting as a young chef, I have spent many dark mornings in the woods talking about food, envisioning the plump wild boar sausages and frenched racks of venison smothered in spices that were destined for my table.

It is my omnivore's dilemma that I've wrestled with as I've sought ways to eat more honestly, to pay the full karmic price of the meal.

Jake seems to have drawn those same conclusions craving his time in the woods, harvesting the food that nature has provided to mankind for millennia.

>> Elizabeth and I will get a deer each fall.

I'll cut it up myself.

I know exactly how we like to eat it, and then we don't -- we don't really buy beef the rest of the year, because that red meat is enough to get us basically through the next deer season.

And it feels like, I mean, what possibly could be more sustainable than just wild animals that are living in your backyard?

>> Especially deer in this part of the country.

It's just, they're overrun and there's no natural predators really anymore other than cars.

And so it's actually the really most sustainable thing you could do, is hunt deer, versus buying feedlot cattle.

>> Yeah.

>> Having access to public land is so rare now and important.

>> Yeah.

It's such a gift for us, since we border it.

And even in the off season, we just hike it, you know?

It's a huge piece of land.

It'll forever be accessible.

You just drive around any back road around here and you'll see the New York City public land signs.

They're just everywhere, because of the watershed.

So for us, it's an excellent resource.

>> Sure is pretty.

>> Yeah.

Yeah.

I also feel like you just experience things you, like, even if you're hiking and taking it slow, you just wouldn't experience.

I've had a bobcat with a couple of cubs come right under my stand and stuff like that.

Like, you just don't see them otherwise.

>> Your senses are heightened when you're out in nature in a way that they're not in the city or in your everyday life.

You see differently.

You smell differently.

You feel differently.

Your cells tingle, sort of.

They tap into that primal human nature that we all have.

[ Birds call ] I say that it's hunt itself that matters, not the game that you take.

>> Yeah, exactly.

>> That's what a freezer is for.

>> Yeah, my dad would always say, "That's why they call it hunting and not killing."

>> Yeah.

It's part of your interaction with nature and the cycle of life.

>> It's the best meditation.

>> It's so refreshing and necessary.

Now more than ever, it's like an antidote to our lives.

>> Will you meet me there tomorrow?

Where the sunlight never sets 'Cause I'll love you till the end The corners of the Earth Where it starts to bend >> Being out in the woods in the fresh snow was enough this morning, and fortunately, Jake has already harvested a deer the day before.

To me, the experience of butchering and cooking what you've worked hard for and serving it to the people you care for is the most rewarding.

The food that Jake and Elizabeth cook is the kind of food you find comfort in just by looking at it.

It's how your grandmother cooked.

It enlivens all of the senses and gives you that deep sense of nourishment.

Tonight's menu consists of venison chops bathed in herbs, mustard and garlic, warm broth, radicchio salad, and roasted vegetables.

>> We'll never be the same >> So every Saturday, we gather 38 people.

It's open to the public.

It's a ticketed event, so people reserve ahead of time.

And we still take reservations through good old-fashioned email.

And I always get some sort of back story.

"It's my wife and I are coming for the first time.

We've been wanting to come for a year.

We're so excited.

It's our anniversary."

Or like, "Me and my best friend visited last year and we're coming again this year."

The dinners start at 7: 00 p.m.

It's four courses paired with four of our beers, and it's purely local ingredients.

We go get all of the ingredients from our local farmers market, or we grow it in the garden, and it's a communal meal.

We have long dining room tables.

People are seated with strangers.

I mean, parties are kept together, but then there's others at their table.

And by the end of the night, we've gotten a lot of people, like, exchanging phone numbers.

And the room gets really loud throughout the meal, because people are, like, literally making new friends, and that's kind of the whole point.

It's kind of a unique setup, because we're not a restaurant, so we're not trying to get people in and out the door There's nobody coming in for a seating after them.

It's just this one group of people coming together at 7:00 p.m. for dinner.

So it's really meant to be like, a traditional form of gathering, and one of the oldest forms of gathering was just over a shared meal.

And there's like, no pressure to hurry up and get out of there and get on to the next thing.

And I think people drive up from the city or their busy lives elsewhere on a February night, and they obviously have nowhere else to be.

So sometimes the dinners do really linger at the end, which is the best feeling.

>> Elizabeth and Jake stock their root cellar with vegetables and beer that they ferment themselves, which gets them through the winter.

And so, while Jake finishes processing his deer, Elizabeth and I venture down to pull ingredients for tonight's dinner.

We're pulling pears, onions, potatoes, and one of their favorite homemade beers.

>> Wow, look at this.

[ Donkeys bray quietly ] >> Look at the donkeys.

I can hear them.

>> Alright, so this is the root cellar we built while we were still building the house.

>> Wow.

>> I mean, living in a mountain gives you a lot of opportunities and hillsides.

And so we thought, let's make something of one of them.

So we built the structure out of wood, so it's great for storing root vegetables.

Obviously, you can do some fruits and apples.

Technically should be keeping them separate as much as you can, because they offgas a little more.

So we're always just kind of conscious of that.

>> So what can we get for dinner tonight?

>> So we can definitely grab some bottles of beer.

>> Great.

>> We'll need some onions, potatoes, and we'll make these nice pears.

>> All the pears.

I can't wait for those roasted pears.

All of these potatoes.

You want to grab a bottle?

>> I'd love to.

>> Perfect.

>> That's beautiful.

"Libby's beer."

It smells good.

>> Like the earth.

>> Toasty and earthy in here.

[ Both chuckle ] Their Shaker-style kitchen is beautiful in its simplicity and aesthetic, the kind of kitchen you want to stay in for a while.

>> Yeah, I think the dedication to the local ingredients, it's become kind of a thing, and we'll drive an hour away just to get a certain protein, because we don't have any accounts with deliveries or anything like that.

We go out there, meet the farmers, get the stuff, and we have really good working relationships with the farms that we have.

And, you know, they take care of us.

Tonight, we will have a roasted rack of venison.

We're going to rub it down in a Dijon, salt and pepper and some herbs.

>> Okay.

>> Roasted for a little while until medium rare.

We'll pull it, let it rest, slice it and serve.

>> Great, well, I'm gonna get my hands dirty here.

How many days do you age your deer for?

>> I would say I would like to hang a deer probably, like, seven days before you really get into and butcher it.

>> Uh-huh.

So I have probably about three tablespoons of Dijon on here.

How does that look to you?

>> Yeah, that looks good.

I would maybe, you know, do a layer of salt and pepper, and then we'll flip it over and do the other side as well.

In my house growing up, we definitely liked to eat.

It was a big part of our life, was having a family dinner pretty much every night.

My dad was really into cooking.

I mean, even breakfast on the weekends, he would go all out.

He was always in the kitchen.

Some of my memories of growing up was just family meals, like all the time.

So that was a really big thing for us.

And we don't have a professionally trained chef here.

I didn't have any experience cooking before we started doing this, but we just keep it simple, cook things that we like to eat and use good stuff.

>> And that's kind of the whole point is like, you're just coming over for dinner.

You're literally coming to our house for dinner.

It's Jake in the kitchen and cooking food that we like to eat.

>> So if you want to add some garlic to that side and then we'll flip it over.

>> Okay.

Should I do all of this or kind of half?

>> Yeah.

Maybe half and half.

>> Okay.

>> Just kind of add it in.

>> Nice.

And then give it a flip?

>> Yeah, then we'll flip it over and do the other side as well.

Kind of same process.

I like to really coat it again.

Chop up some fennel.

I think the best part about Bovina and the upstate community is it's still a very agricultural society.

There's still family farms around, which is becoming more rare in the US.

So people are really proud of their farm and how it's evolved.

There's a lot of artisans around, like, we're so lucky that if we want to have a glass of wine, it can be made by our friends over in Walton.

>> We just have such an abundance.

And we really saw this during Covid.

Living somewhere that has all these farms, we were able to just go out and get meat and vegetables and from a farm stand.

And that really was highlighted during that time when it was not as easy to go to the grocery store, sourcing things just from your neighbors.

>> Yeah, it feels like we're really rich.

>> Beautiful.

>> Yeah, I would probably cook this 375, maybe even 400.

>> What are these pears for?

>> So we like to serve the pears alongside, which also look really nice.

We just like to slice them, throw them in the cast iron, into the oven with some butter and just let them go until they're really nice and soft.

>> That sounds dreamy.

>> Put these here and then we'll get our butter out.

And I really use kind of a lot of butter for this.

>> Wow.

Is that homemade butter?

>> It is.

Yes.

>> Goodness gracious.

I love this butter keeper, too.

>> Yeah, I'm a big fan of softened butter, so... >> And you set it in this water, I guess, to keep the oxygen out?

>> Yeah, yeah.

We find that it'll keep the butter, like, fresh and usable for a solid two weeks.

So definitely use quite a bit of butter here, a few tablespoons.

Let it melt.

>> You can never use too much butter.

>> Yeah, exactly.

>> That's my life motto.

>> Yeah.

Let it melt down there.

>> Do you add salt or...?

>> No.

Just like this.

Just the pears as is.

Yeah.

>> Let those pears carmelize.

>> Exactly.

>> How long and at what temperature do you roast them?

>> Well, I'll put them in at 375 right into the oven.

And just, it's basically until I take a fork and it really pierces the skin very easily.

And that's the best.

>> Natural sugars of the pear mixed with that butter.

>> Yeah, and it pairs really nicely with the really robust meat.

>> Heaven.

>> Yeah.

>> Can't wait.

Let's pop them in the oven.

In college, Jake and Elizabeth took a trip to the Czech Republic, where they came across a husband and wife that lived along a river and would cook a meal for you if you stopped in and said you'd like to come for dinner.

These dinners here are inspired by that meal.

It is not just a home.

It is not just a restaurant, a farm or a brewery.

It is hard to put a label on it, and that is the point.

It's a place where people gather.

As part of their dinners, Jake and Elizabeth serve beer pairings that they ferment in oak barrels in the barn.

They began fermenting beer in their college dorm room, and it soon evolved into something more complex, adding cherries, honey, lemon zest, and high-quality grains from the Hudson Valley.

>> Yeah, it's like, a two-barrel system, so every time we brew, we get four kegs.

So, you know, it's good for us, because we just serve it here on site, but it's really small batches, but it allows us to do a wide variety of styles.

We typically like to have like 4 or 5 beers available for each of the courses on the menu.

>> Yeah, we're really making the beer with food in mind, and what it would pair with.

>> Alright, that should be enough for a little taste.

>> Taste the swirls -- >> Yeah, absolutely.

>> Same thing.

>> Swirling helps to open it up.

Start with the smell.

>> What do we got on the nose here?

>> What do we got, Georgia?

What do you smell?

>> Apple.

>> Mm.

>> A little bit of honey, maybe?

>> Mm-hmm.

>> Do you get any vanilla oakiness?

>> I definitely taste oak.

Mm-hmm.

>> Oh, that's so interesting.

>> Mm.

>> That's delicious.

>> Yeah.

So it's a pretty strong, oaky finish.

So when we blend in a fresh beer with it, it'll reduce the oak a little bit.

>> Vanilla at the end just now.

>> Yeah.

And that's all that oak.

That's great.

>> Let me give it a try.

>> It's really smooth.

The first sip is almost like a wine.

You get a little bit of that bite initially and then it's really smooth.

>> Yeah.

>> Almost nutty.

>> I get a graininess, yeah.

>> Yeah.

>> Well, cheers.

I'm ready to drink more of this.

>> Cheers.

>> And now it's time to set the table.

There is something really special about how Elizabeth creates atmosphere.

>> That is pretty, right?

>> The way she thinks about gathering, imagining details, and looking for ways for people to experience a renewed sense of wonder and happiness.

>> The goal is for people to just completely relax and feel joy and feel present.

My mom and dad hosted a lot when I was a kid.

They would always have large parties or small gatherings.

They would call them get togethers, because it's just about the togetherness, whether it's two friends or, for us, a group of 40 strangers that are coming over.

It just kind of is this shared experience of the whole night that becomes a cherished memory.

>> She pulls from nature, from the seasons, doing it all by hand, from reading the menus to washing the dishes.

>> When you first told me your name I didn't hear a word you said But it was written all over my face Should have known it was you I would love until the end >> I think when we were curating the house and building the house and designing it, we really went for natural materials.

All of our lumber was sourced from our local mill, and we wanted everything to be hand-built by the two of us, whether that meant it was going to come out great or like, really wonky.

We just preferred that, because it was a touch of character that I think is lacking in a lot of modern day building.

We were really inspired by old homes and old taverns, referenced Shaker design because it was simple and functional, and I think it was just a lot about making it a hard-working household that could stand the test of time, but is also meant to be weathered and worn.

>> If you look into my eyes When our time down here is spent >> I think decorating is similarly all about function, but I do have a lot of miscellaneous stuff, and I think that having special antiques around just makes the house feel warm.

Even if they're not my family heirlooms, they were somebody's, and they've been so well-loved, and to me, makes the house feel like it has warmth and a spirit.

>> Yeah, also with a new build, it helps to give it more, yeah, character.

>> Yeah, we filled the house with old stuff as much as we could.

>> Get on your feet There are sights to see Rolling hills or city streets Ocean to ocean and all in between It's out there just waiting on you and me >> I think that the beauty of farmstead or homesteading is that, like, it's never finished.

It's your life's work, is building out the house and the barn and the land.

And we do have some bigger projects on the horizon, like a guest cottage that we want to build this winter.

Ultimately, the dream is to keep it small and to keep it our home.

I'm sure it will grow and evolve as we do and our family does, but I think its purpose is always first and foremost, it's a home to us and the animals, and then it's meant to be shared with people who want to partake.

>> Look alive, this life is waiting for you Paradise is on the other side We don't know [ Glass chimes ] >> Alright.

Welcome, everybody.

Thank you so much for joining us this evening.

I'm glad you guys found us up here.

How this works, it is a communal meal, so each course will come out to the room as a whole, and then we'll all watch the slowest eater finish, and then we'll move on to the next course together.

So on and so forth.

And then we'll send you off into the night down the mountain.

And hopefully that does the trick, and you all sleep well with full bellies and come back and visit us again soon.

Thank you all so much for coming tonight, and cheers.

>> Cheers.

>> Look alive, good times are waiting for you Paradise is on the other side >> [ Laughs ] >> You and I were born to roam [ Indistinct conversation ] >> We didn't anticipate when we were doing, like, building it or to do these dinners like we do now.

>> Yeah, when we built that tiny kitchen, we didn't think we would do them every Saturday, a four-course meal.

>> Suddenly, you know, two years later, we did it every Saturday for two years.

So I think it just -- things just naturally evolve, and we'll just ride with it.

>> This is gorgeous, babe.

>> I'll put my life in a bottle >> Ooh.

Hey.

>> Oh, my God.

>> Even if you're too scared to follow There's a light in each new day >> I think the women in my life have influenced me, the women up the family tree, some of them whom I never met, building a home and baking and cooking and brewing and weaving.

And there's so much joy to be found in all of these different little things that we do.

And to think that they were one day probably doing those same things is, adds to the whole peace of it.

>> Having had relatives in this area for so many generations, I just think about the challenges that they must have had living here, when, you know, we can get in the car and drive to the grocery store if we have to, and they were doing similar things, but just on a completely different level of difficulty.

So I just kind of channeled them.

>> Every day is a grind, but it's pleasant.

[ Chuckles ] >> Yeah.

I think it does take a specific kind of person to really move out here and kind of tackle these projects.

So I think there's a nice community.

We were surprised to find a real community of friends that are very similar in what they like to do.

>> So you know when you finish a project, and you step back to say, "It's not perfect, but I still love it so much"?

I think that's all that's ever said around here.

It's millions of invisible fingerprints of ours, clinging to every square inch and corner of the house.

Some of it is great, some of it's good, some of it is riddled with mistakes, imperfect, but perfectly us.

I love it all.

>> As we wait on the timing Together, we'll find it There's more than one way to go home Yeah, there's more than one way to go home >> To learn more about the topics featured on this episode, log on to GeorgiaPellegrini.com, or follow along on Georgia's Facebook and Instagram pages for weekly "Modern Pioneering" adventures, tips and recipes.

"Modern Pioneering" is made possible by... >> Welcome to Total Wine.

Doing okay?

>> My buddy says "ros all day"?

>> My personal fave is this new French ros.

>> Find wine, beer and spirits from around the world at Total Wine & more.

>> At Muir Glen, we believe that organic farming benefits consumers, farmers, and ecosystems.

>> And made possible by... Michael and Susan McGwire, Zina Bash, and many other generous donors.

A full list is available at GeorgiaPellegrini.com.