First Farm to Table Dinner

Farm to Table Dinner Party

At the end of August, Andy and I had the pleasure of hosting our very first Farm to Table dinner party. My dear friends Janet and Beth and their husbands Al and Ben visited us in Palisade. Prior to dinner, we took them to Bookcliff Vineyards to do a wine tasting and pick out wines for the dinner that evening.

Bookcliff has a tasting room in Palisade and the vineyard from which they get their grapes is also located here. However, their winery where they make their wine is in Boulder. My friends reside in Denver so if they like Bookcliff’s wines (which they did), the drive to Boulder is much shorter than to Palisade! I’m all about promoting or Colorado wines!

Once the wine was selected, we headed back to the farm, they did a quick stop at the Airbnb they were sharing and then continued onto our place. When they were in route, I prepared a nibble board of brie and Borsin cheese, Palisade peaches and pears, fig jam and crackers. I also served green olives drizzled in olive oil and honey with toasted, chopped almonds and minced rosemary. The olives were a real crowd pleaser!

While the men nibbled, Janet, Beth and I headed to the garden to pick our produce for the dinner. Beth harvested the lettuce, Janet the herbs and edible flowers and I picked the Swiss Chards and Lemon Cucumbers. With the veggies in hand, I set to work making the dinner. Janet Al, Beth, and Ben played a game of Bocce ball and then caught the start of the sunset. Afterwards, Janet and Beth joined me in the kitchen, and we finished making dinner.

The menu included: 

·      A fresh garden salad with lettuce, cucumbers, snap peas and edible flowers, dressed with rice wine vinegar, olive oil and diced shallots

·      Lemon Cucumber and red onion salad

·      Swiss Chards pasta

·      Homemade baguette

The recipes, including the green olives appetizers, can be found in previous posts on my blog. Janet brought desert made from Peaches grown in her daughter’s garden back in Denver! Overall, the dinner was a great success as we ate Alfresco under the evening stars and were serenaded by the sounds of the countryside. After desert, we strolled to the center of the Market Garden and looked at the stars which were shining bright and clearly visible in our night sky! There is something to be said about living in the country with no light pollution!

That was the first of what I hope to be many more Farm to Table dinners we host here on the farm! As we continue to build out the Market Garden, the plan is to have in the center a large outdoor dining area, complete with a full outdoor kitchen. It will take time but it will be spectacular!