Dinner in the Garden

The ambiance of enjoying a wonderful dinner outside, in the garden-- surrounded by all things relating to farm life -- at what is probably the worlds most beautiful and longest table -- is truly hard to describe~

Last fall, the Gardener and I attended our third 

"Outstanding in the Field"

farm dinner~

 

to spend the evening on a beautiful farm,

eat a fabulous dinner at this amazing table -- 

in the middle of the field,

~

the food, the wine, the scenery, the table~

the whole experience is truly

a memorable feast for your

 senses 

~

once you have attended one of these

incredible dinners -- you get it!

You totally understand why the tickets to these events

often sell out in a matter of minutes!!

~

admittedly-

I am an "Outstanding in the Field"

groupie~

 the dinner we attended last fall, was hosted by

Carriage House Farms

in North Bend, Ohio

~

this beautiful farm was once the home

to our 9th President,

William Henry Harrison

 before we take off across the field

to this beautiful table--

let's take a little tour of this lovely

historical farm~

 the farmhouse

I'm loving those ancient concrete columns

by the gate~

(and yes, I love that handsome guy too!)

 the folks here opened up their farm to us 

and we walked all around the beautiful property.

I took so many photos, it was hard to choose

just a few~

 

 there's just something about an old gate

that makes you want to take

 a picture~

(actually a lot of pictures!)

the BUS!!

~

Part of the excitement

 of attending these dinners 

is the opportunity

to be able to see their vintage

 1953 Flxible tour bus. 

(I climbed the hill behind the farm to get this photo) 

 (they even let us take a peek inside!)

How would you like to spend an entire year

living on this bus, traveling all over

the United States  -- 

from one farm dinner to the next~

(the wonderful folks who sponsor these events

call this bus their home!)

fall was is in the air~

a beautiful setting for the table,

right next to the grape vines~

(nope -- we aren't going there yet --

going to walk around a bit more~)

that's my chair :)

If only this tree could talk --

I'm betting it has seen a lot of history~

are you thirsty?

they're serving drinks and refreshments

on the front lawn~

honey anyone?

~

each farm dinner's focus is on

produce and meats that are produced

by local area farms and gardens.

Local chefs prepare the meals

on site.

(we will go visit them in a minute!)

 across the road from the farm house

is the beautiful stable 

and grounds~

I made a new friend outside the stable

loving this old barn house

~ and the stable house

 bring your own plate

and drop it off

 here~ 

such a pretty mix of vintage colors

and designs

forgot to bring a plate??

no worries--

you can borrow one from here! 

Let's go see what's cooking for dinner!

(are you hungry yet?)

the aromas were incredible~

seriously --

 just looking at these 

photos again is making me hungry!

there's the table --

let's go have a closer look~

there is no assigned seating-

all the food is served family style,

so you can sit wherever 

you want~ 

it was the most perfect autumn day

for this outdoor farm dinner~

love, LOVE this beautiful table~

the sun is just starting to set-

so that means

it's almost dinner time! 

(let's go find a seat at the table~)

the menu

the Gardener smiles after a wonderful dinner:)

~

 that's OITF founder Jim Denevan  (in the cowboy hat)

talking to guests

after dinner,

the whole crew pose for photos in front of the bus

~

these have to be some of the nicest, 

most hard working people

ever.

with dinner now a memory~

we all walk around a bit more

trying to take in every last beautiful moment

of this amazing experience.

isn't this what "groupie's" do?

He's a super nice guy~

 as the darkness overtakes us all-

it's time to go home~

~

(I really had intended to post these photos last fall

but somehow time just got away from me.

I'm pretty sure it had something to do

with all those beautiful pink scarves! )

xoxo

 

Seedling Farm

South Haven, Michigan

(photo borrowed from OITF website)

in just a few weeks, 

my friend Marsha and I

 are taking a little "Girl Trip" to here.

~

We will travel almost 500 miles

to beautiful coastal Michigan

just to sit at this 

extraordinary

table.

~

You can look forward to photos from

our incredible trip and the farm dinner

later this fall~

(I think we might win the prize for most distance traveled! LOL!) 

xoxo

Vicki

ps -- I've been working all summer on some incredible new designs -- one of those is coming up next!

Outstanding in the Field Farm Dinner

Outstanding in the Field is a roving culinary adventure~~

From their website-

"Our mission is to re-connect diners to the land and the origins of their food, and to honor the local farmers and food artisans who cultivate it.

Outstanding in the Field is a roving culinary adventure – literally a restaurant without walls. Since 1999 we have set the long table at farms or gardens, on mountain tops or in sea caves, on islands or at ranches. Occasionally the table is set indoors: a beautiful refurbished barn, a cool greenhouse or a stately museum. Wherever the location, the consistent theme of each dinner is to honor the people whose good work brings nourishment to the table.

Ingredients for the meal are almost all local (sometimes sourced within inches of your seat at the table!) and generally prepared by a celebrated chef of the region. After a tour of the site, we all settle in: farmers, producers, culinary artisans, and diners sharing the long table."

The Gardener and I recently attended our first "Outstanding in the Field" farm dinner.  The dinner was held on the grounds of the beautiful, historic Woodland Farm in Goshen, KY (about a 3 hour drive for us).  I've been "stalking" this group for a couple of years - trying to decide if I wanted to make a 5 (or more) hour drive to attend one of these dinners.  When this years dates and locations presented with a rare visit to Kentucky - I jumped at the chance to purchase tickets and make plans to attend.  (When the tickets go on sale - you have to buy them quickly!  They can sell out in a matter of days - sometimes hours!)  I had been eagerly waiting for months for this day to arrive~~

From their website-

"Woodland Farm, owned by Laura Lee Brown and Steve Wilson, is a working farm in Goshen, Kentucky with historical roots and a sustainable vision. The 1000-acre farm is home to many heritage breeds of livestock, including American Buffalo, and has several large gardens that use sustainable best practices."

"From raising bison on grass pastures to using best practices in the garden, sustainability is practiced farm-wide. The farm’s lumber is harvested from its own forests, and sustainable biofuel is used for farm implements. Gardeners at the farm use sustainable practices such as no-till growing methods and picking insects from plants by hand. As horticulturalist Stephanie Tittle says, “We don’t use any -ides. No pesticides, insecticides, or herbicides.” It’s slow, hard work, but once you taste a fresh-picked fruit or vegetable from Woodland, you’ll understand what the fuss is about." 

Come along with the Gardener and me to this beautiful historic farm situated on the banks of the Ohio River.  The reception starts promptly at 3 pm - so dress casually (I'm wearing jeans), and lets go see what all the buzz is about with these "Outstanding in the Field " dinners~~

The Reception

The View from the Front Yard

The amazing appetizers were prepared on the side porch of this civil war era house. 

My favorite appetizer - the fried okra with malt vinegar mayo

 The reception lasted for about 2 hours during which we were welcome to leisurely walk around and take photos.  After the reception there was an informal tour of the farm - guests were  invited to speak to some of the people who worked on the farm and learn more about the farms sustainable practices.  

Come along with us on a leisurely farm tour~

 

 

My primary focus in attending this dinner was for one reason ~~ I wanted to see that famous TABLE!!  Outstanding in the Field is famous for their L O N G tables that are set in unique places - like orchards, and riverbanks, and beaches - and cornfields.    Are you hungry yet?  Look closely - the table is at the top of this hill - right against the cornfield - come on lets go!  (I want to take pictures before the crowd gets there!)

Here we are - and we beat the crowd- yea!!  Lets go take some photos~

The tradition of the plates~~ one of the fun and interesting features of this farm dinner is that guests are ask to bring their own plates.  The appearance of this long farm table set with different and colorful plates lends added character to this most unique dinner. 

 

 The Gardener had no idea what to expect when we set out to attend this dinner.  He had never heard of this organization and knew nothing about what this experience would be like.   He was so excited to see this amazing table!

Chef Michael Paley from the famed Louisville restaurant Proof on Main was the guest chef for the farm dinner.  All ingredients were from local farms and the final portion of the meals were prepared on site~
(in this green tent at the end of the cornfield!)

From the Outstanding in the Field website-
"Ingredients for the meal are almost all local (sometimes sourced within inches of your seat at the table!) and generally prepared by a celebrated chef of the region. After a tour of the site, we all settle in: farmers, producers, culinary artisans, and diners sharing the long table."

 

 
They just rang the dinner bell - we need to go get our own plates and take our seats at the table - it's almost time for dinner! 

The wine (fabulous!!!) is from a local vineyard - the Horseshoe Bend Vineyard and Winery in Willisburg, Ky.  They offered several different wines over the course of the evening, but I stayed with this one because it was so good - (Riesling 2010).

  Our plates are from one of my vintage collections. 

The Menu

 The first course - "Last Summer Bean Salad".   If they had served nothing else I would have been totally satisfied - it was the best salad ever!   All the food is served family style - and the servings are plentiful~

 Emily - our server for the evening.  She took really good care of us! 

 

 Soon after our dinner started, the evening sun began to cast those wonderful golden glows.  Can you see this beautiful reflection in my wine glass? 

 The second course - Milk Braised Duncan Farms Rabbit with Roman gnocchi, celery, nutmeg, and lemon.  Absolutely to die for!  The rabbit was supplied by the Sarah Duncan farm in Boston, Ky.  I actually sat next to Sarah and her husband - nicest folks ever!  

Can you see the beautiful glow on the river behind us?  Is this just not a magnificent place for a farm dinner?  (That's Sarah sitting next to me - she owns the rabbit farm.)

The last dinner course - Grilled beef short ribs, sweet potato ravioli with sage, mushrooms, and brown butter.   The beef was raised on Woodland Farms. (I am going to be honest here and say that I could not get past the fabulous Sweet Potato ravioli - so I did not actually eat the beef.  The Gardener however, thought it was wonderful!)

Sunset over the bend in the Ohio River.  The evening view from our seat at the table was nothing short of magnificent~

 Evening glow at the table  just as the moon is starting to show~

 Playing with our cameras - we captured the moon's reflection through the wine glass.

 

Dessert - apple toffee bread pudding with bourbon caramel whipped cream~~ (there are no words- it was unbelievable!)

 The evening is soon drawing to a close~

 Our last few minutes at the table of this totally amazing farm dinner.  Have you enjoyed your trip here?  Do I not take you to the best places?  

If you are interested in attending your own Outstanding in the Field farm dinner - a word to the wise~~ Buy your tickets early - preferably the very day they go on sale - most venues  sell out incredibly fast- sometimes within hours!

~~  
Coming up next - a little yarn preview of the newest designer nest. You don't want to miss this!   (It is going to be a few weeks before we get back to the National Parks tour - there is lots going on here in the Sacred Yarn Room right now- hint, hint!)   

xoxo,
Vicki
ps - (sorry for the long post~)