The Lentil Underground and the Wonders of Legumes!

A three course dinner served with wine.

Join the author of Lentil Underground, the owner of Montana's legendary organic lentil company Timeless Food, the owner of Oakland's tofu empire Hodo Soy Beanery, and Chef Linda Esposito for a three course dinner showcasing the wonders of legumes.

Lentils are often taken for granted – a simple staple lacking the cult status of coffee, wine, or artisan chocolate. But there is much to learn from these tiny legumes, insists Liz Carlisle, a former country music singer who received her doctorate geography at UC Berkeley. Along the way, she became something of a lentil evangelist, and published Lentil Underground: Renegade Farmers and the Future of Food in America. The book tells the story of a small farmer on a 280-acre patch of land in the Northern Great Plains, who dared to take a stand against agribusiness by planting what others considered weeds. Lentil Underground follows the work of radical farmer and seed expert David Oien who grew and led a small underground network of farmers in his conservative Montana county that investigated the wonders of lentils, demonstrating to skeptics that they enrich the soil, create their own fertilizer, and thrive with little moisture. Years of work resulted in Timeless Seeds, now a million dollar enterprise that sells lentils and heritage grains not only locally, but also to foodies across the country. Liz and Dave will be joined by a fellow legume fan, Minh Tsai, whose passion for soybeans led him to start Hodo Soy Beanery in Oakland.

This farm-to-table dinner event will feature organic artisanal tofu and heirloom lentils, along with the heritage grains that farmers rotate with these legumes, and the folks behind the feast will discuss the role of legumes in a sustainable food system. Learn the secret of how these plants make their own fertilizer – and why this may be the single most effective way to lower the carbon footprint of the average American diet. 

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