Northshore Magazine

Fireside. "One distinct advantage we have at Fireside is being able to use excess produce, if there happens to be an abundant harvest anytime throughout the season. We are able to preserve these foods by canning our own jams, handcrafting special sauces, and creating desserts and pies." Those local jams and sauces are used throughout the year, adding a fresh touch of local goodness, even to the dark days of winter. Homemade pies, including seasonal strawberry rhubarb, took the place of a wedding cake at Sarah Wolfskehl and Conor Miller's spring 2013 wedding. While many of the couple's choices were kind to the environment, that wasn't necessarily the ultimate goal. "I wasn't trying to do sustainable," says Wolfskehl. "[It was] incorporated because that's who I am and that's what I care about." Wolfskehl skipped the wedding favors ("they are wasteful," she says), and strung sticks she cut from invasive plants with party lights to decorate The Crane Estate barn where their ceremony and reception were held. Rather than table numbers, the couple designated tables by names of mountains that had significance in their lives—local people were seated at Gloucester's Mount Ann, while college friends were seated at Pike's Peak, which is located in Colorado, near where the couple went to school. But the biggest environmentally conscious choice the couple made was in waste disposal—and it made a lasting impression on The Crane Estate staff and influenced subsequent events held there. "I insisted that the food waste be composted," Wolfskehl says—perhaps because her now-husband runs his own composting business, Black Earth Compost. Crane staff employed the company to dispose of all the food waste. It worked out so well that the Trustees have since contracted Black Earth Compost for all events at the estate, as well as its on-site café. Indeed, many of the choices that the Trustees and other land trust organizations make on a daily basis are appealing for couples in a way that will never be matched in a function hall or hotel, notes Kate Hecht. "We ended up choosing the estate because it was on conservation land and we knew we would never lose that special space—that we would always be able to come back to visit year after year, with our children and our grandchildren, and that time and circumstances would not easily snuff out a physical place that now holds so much significance to us." Newlyweds: Kate and Alida Hecht; Above, Laura Daley of the Crane and Bradley estates Planning SuStainability North Shore couples looking for ways to make their big day earthfriendly will get some great ideas at the Seaside Wedding Show, held at The Crane Estate's Castle Hill on Sunday, April 6, 2014. Now in its fifth year, the show has a special focus on wedding vendors who work to reduce their environmental footprint, says Laura Daley, private event department manager for both the Crane and Bradley estates. "All our vendors are handpicked and unique," Daley says, adding that exhibitors are encouraged to bring fewer printed materials and showcase locally available wares. One supplier even printed contact details on seed packets. Attendees will be able to sample food from caterers using local farm produce, learn about ways to conserve resources from florists who use biodegradable materials and locally grown flowers, select design companies offering invitations printed on recycled paper, and view locally manufactured couture gowns. craneestate.org FriendS oF the earth Black Earth Compost blackearthcompost.com 978-290-4610 Fireside Catering firesidecatering.com 211 Middlesex Tpke. Burlington, MA, 781-221-3003 136 134,135,136,137_REVFeb14 FE_Crane.indd 136 photograph by jared charney (Daley); by allegro photography (Hecht wedding); by melissa nicastro (Miller wedding) 11/22/13 4:39 PM

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