When Amy sent out a message asking if anyone wanted to join her for dinner on the farm at the Garden Farme in Ramsey, MN, I knew I had to go. Last year I had the opportunity to attend a farm dinner at Common Harvest Farm in Osceola, WI and really enjoyed the experience. If you have never had dinner on a farm, take advantage of the opportunity. There really is no comparable experience. Understanding how your food is grown and joining the person who grew it for a meal and tour of their operation is truly the best way to establish a connection with and appreciation for food. The cost of admission was steep for someone on an AmeriCorps budget but the chance to tour the farm, learn a little about permaculture, and enjoy a great meal with new friends made the cost seem like a good investment.
If you missed part 1 of dinner on the farm make sure to check it out and read Amy’s great explanation of the farm experience. Hopefully, I can fill in a few details here and provide some additional impressions. One of the nicest parts of the experience was the proximity of the farm, as the drive up to Ramsey from my apartment in Saint Paul was a short 40 minutes. Living in the city, it is hard to ask for a farm much closer. As my girlfriend Anya and I arrived on the farm we had to stop in the driveway to watch a turkey slowly meander across the drive into the marsh adjacent to the farm. When we parked the car, one of the first things I noticed was the nice diversity of great local trees like butternuts, black walnuts, and oaks planted on the farm. I later discovered that Bruce Bacon, the farmer and owner of Garden Farme, planted many of these trees himself as a retired tree inspector for the city of Ramsey. As a Minnesota GreenCorps member with the forestry unit of Saint Paul, I certainly appreciated his efforts.
As soon as we walked onto the farm, I quickly felt welcome as we enjoyed a glass of cold lemonade and were greeted by the smell of roasting lamb. The food preparation team led by the Curry Diva was busy slicing Bruce’s kale into ultra thin strips, preparing a sweet quinoa salad with local mint, and roasting lavender flowers for topping the ice cream.
The Curry Diva roasting lavender for our dessert
I enjoyed exploring the farm with Amy and her husband Greg, swapping gardening and cooking stories, commenting on the choices of plants Bruce has planted this year, and taking lots of photos of the farm.
Garden Farme is not a big farm, but Bruce makes sure his plants are well cared for. I liked hearing about his sensible approach of welcoming volunteer edible plants that show up like weeds in places they were not invited. I am sure that everyone who tasted the sweet volunteer red woodsorrel could second the idea that sometimes its best to let nature take its course.
Red Woodsorrel
As Bruce showed us his patch of Asian greens with names like dragon tongue mustard, mizspoona salad mustard, and Japanese chrysanthemum, I could tell that like any good farmer, he likes to experiment with his plantings. I also appreciated Bruce’s dedication— before he could even begin farming, Bruce spent almost five years mending the soil with compost and smothering invasive grasses with mulch a foot deep.
20food blogger Amy Sippl joins Dinner on the Farm guests for the tour
Now Bruce works with volunteers to deliver to all the top local food restaurants in the cities including the Birchwood Cafe, Heartland, and Common Roots Cafe to name just a few.
By the time we finished the extended farm tour, dinner was well underway, Anya and Greg were ready to pass out from hunger, and we were all ready to eat! We filled our plates with cuts from the whole lamb, which had been roasting all day underneath a bed of charcoal, and lived a happy life on neighboring farm.
The Curry Diva completes Final Preparations of the Lamb
The next tray contained the delicious raw kale salad with sesame seeds, sesame oil, pumpkin seeds, and not so local but equally delicious sweet peppers.
Sesame Kale Confetti Salad
My personal favorite was the sweet quinoa salad with carrots, garlic chives, fresh spearmint, and rhubarb.
Sweet Quinoa Salad
A final tray held the yellow curry potato salad topped with red woodsorrel.
Curried Potato Salad with Woodsorrel
The sides of rhubarb chutney and a spicy coconut habanero mix were there to make sure all our senses were activated by the meal. I definitely enjoyed having something spicy, something sweet, something tart, and something savory all in one meal.
Even as we were enjoying the dinner, I could tell that everyone was eagerly anticipating dessert. Ice cream specially made and donated by Sebastien Joe’s topped with Bruce’s lavender and honey was fantastic. With iced chai to complement the ice cream, I think we all tasted a little piece of heaven. I don’t think my taste buds have ever been quite as exhilarated. As the mosquitos began to come out in force, I returned to the city with a revitalized appreciation for dedicated farmers, new ideas for my garden and kitchen, and hopefully, a couple of new friends!
