It's hard to believe that it's been two months since we hosted two wonderful couples who bid on (and won) a lovely lavender dinner at the farm. The weather was still warm and humid out but that definitely did not dampen our enthusiasm to cook and serve to our guests. My best friend Mary Jo flew in to assist me with the entire event...I am so grateful as I couldn't have done it without her!
Our guests Chuck and Jo garden as a hobby while Ben and Judy are Master Gardeners. So, we decided to begin our evening with a glass (or two) of wine and an early evening stroll through our gardens. We chatted about the history of our farm and shared, in words, our mutual love of lavender!
We then moved our guests to the cozy front porch. Here, Mary Jo and I offered them fresh tomatoes, mozzarella, basil and olives served skewered on fresh lavender stems. So light and yet so delicious!
Next we moved our guests into the dining room of our farm house. The table was decorated with antique vases filled with fresh lavender....which is not only a treat to the nose but a feast for the eyes. . Our lovely couples began their dinner with a garden salad (picked directly out of our own garden) and a sunshine lavender farm Herbs de Provence dressing. For the main course, we served surf and turf- fresh salmon and filet mignon. This was accompanied with red potatoes roasted with Rosemary and olive oil and roasted green beans with fresh garlic.
Desert consisted of A trio of chocolate mouse cups with blackberries, blueberries (freshly picked that morning) and raspberries with Maple View Farms whipping cream on the side. And, of course Fresh lavender as a garnish.
The dinner that Mary Jo and I prepared from start to finish was simple, yet elegant. And, everything we offered was either locally grown/produced or directly out of our garden. And, as a final "thank you" from the farm, both couples left with large preserved lavender bouquets.
Our visitors were the most gracious of guests, as you can see by the wonderful thank you letter we received below.
We look forward to hosting other lovely-lavender food events on the farm again in the future...well, as long as Mary-Jo agrees to fly in again and help me!
.JPG)
