Last week, I attended an Outstanding in the Field dinner along with photographer Lindsay Borden.

We drove out to Full Circle Farm, in Carnation, around 3pm in the afternoon. Since the guests weren’t due for another hour, we had a chance to walk around with Andrew Stout, who owns the farm with his wife Wendy.

As I snacked on snap peas picked from the vine and listened to Stout talk about local eating and land stewardship, it occurred to me that something was missing at this farm. The barns were there, and the cute little hand-painted wooden signs. A wet dog trotted around with that loopy what-a-lucky-guy-I-am-to-be-a-farm-dog grin. Here and there a bale of hay sat, all farmlike, beside a rusty tractor. What could possibly be missing? Then, it dawned on me. Full Circle Farm didn’t smell bad! As it turns out, there are no cows or piglets on the premises to stink things up. Once in a while you get a little whiff of manure but otherwise, fresh air all around. Frankly, it took some getting used to. Then again, if you’re going to eat dinner at a farm, a nonsmelly farm seems sort of optimal.

Anyway, we’ve got a beautiful photo tour documenting Outstanding in the Field.