By Justin Fedich
The Selma Times-Journal

Just from the pungent smells of locally grown food that permeated through Spencer Farm Saturday evening, it was clear it was going to be a good night.

The Blackbelt Benefit Group and Grow Selma gave people the opportunity to eat locally grown food at Spencer Farm Saturday at the second annual Farm to Feast. The feast featured three courses of food that tasted like fine dining, but all came from a local farm.

“For this event, it’s a time for us to get together as a community and just unite in the wonderful taste of food for an awesome cause,” said Grow Selma board member Jerria Martin.

Martin described the event as a giant Thanksgiving feast, except the local farm food didn’t consist of the usual Thanksgiving foods.

From rabbit and grits to green curry wagyu meatballs to dark chocolate beet cake, the local treats were out of the ordinary, but they were all enjoyed immensely from the people who attended the event.

Farm owner Chip Spencer said he hoped those who came to the Farm to Feast event gained more than just satisfied palates.

“We want to educate, share our knowledge, bring that local food up and it will do dramatic improvement for our local economy,” Spencer said.

Spencer believes that a commitment towards growing and eating locally can drastically change Alabama’s economy in a positive way. He said 95 percent of the food people in Alabama eat are produced outside the state.

“If we can build a local food economy here and produce our own food in the Black Belt, not only will we reduce our unemployment rate, we will make use of the land around here,” Spencer said.

“We’ve got the cheapest land east of the Mississippi here in the Black Belt.”

The evening feast wasn’t the only event Saturday at Spencer’s Farm.

The night was capped off by an orchestra concert by kids from the Alabama School of Fine Arts. In the afternoon, local farm owners were invited for a cob oven workshop, fruit grafting classes and a farm tour.

Clay Carmichael of the Blackbelt Benefit Group said the classes were helpful in allowing local farm owners to network with each other and learn from one another.

“We want to make connections and let people help each other,” Carmichael said.

Martin said she hopes those who enjoyed the evening feast who don’t live on a farm were able to learn a valuable lesson from their time at Spencer Farm.

“They can also grow produce in their own backyard,” Martin said. “We’re in the Black Belt, and it was originally called the Black Belt for the richness of the soil, and so they can actually grow this produce in their own backyard. “