Chris and Sherry Hardie

B&B homesteaders

Opening up a bed and breakfast was the realization of a dream for us. Our long-term goal is to be self-sufficient (we're well on our way) and to be able to share the earth's bounties with our guests.

Tuesday, June 22, 2010

Harvest Dinners at Brambleberry




We’ve known about Jim Denevan and his organization “Outstanding in the Field” for a few years now. We applaud their efforts of bringing people together to really connect with their food source.
For about $200 a person, you can ride their bus to one of their gourmet dinners which are held at various farms or gardens across the country. The Outstanding in the Field crew works together to help prepare the sites for banquets which feature a combination of locally sourced foods as well as organic produce grown at the site.
Sometimes the banquet table is set up literally feet from the origin of the feast. Local chefs are brought in to create gastronomic delights with the seasonal, local foods. Sometimes local wines are offered to pair with the entrees.
We do something similar at Brambleberry B&B. Every Saturday evening July through November we offer special Harvest Dinners for our guests. The majority and very often all of the meat, organic vegetables, eggs, herbs and fruits are grown right here on our farm. And it’s a lot less than $200 a person!
Our dinners are only $30 to $40 – a huge bargain for fresh, healthy organic meals with zero miles (or almost zero) on it.

These four-course dinners are served in our dining room – not our garden though, because we only have a crew of two to harvest, set up, cook and serve (and farms do have insects outdoors!) But we’re always happy to offer farm and garden tours, so you can visit and touch your food source if you want to. You can also arrange to buy organic, gourmet grass fed lamb from us. In the future, we’re planning to sell our homegrown pork and maybe even beef to the public as well.
Our dinners this year are scheduled by what we think will be ripening in the gardens at that time. Next year we’ll have a better idea when things will be ready and expect to offer a bit more variety week-to-week.
Guests don’t have to partake of our harvest dinners to experience Brambleberry’s fresh, homegrown organic produce and other products. Everyday our delicious, generous breakfasts incorporate eggs, pork, jams, vegetables used in frittatas and fruit as starters. We serve maple syrup made right here on the farm for as long as our supply lasts. Each evening, anyone who wants to can sample our fruity homemade wines.
We’ve even got two beautiful nature walks for guests to enjoy – something not many B&Bs can offer.
Brambleberry is the first and only bed and breakfast in Wisconsin to offer homegrown harvest dinners on a regular basis. We’re leading the way, changing how Wisconsin eats. Buy local. Support local agriculture. It’s good for your health and our beautiful planet.
So if you’d like to experience one of our harvest dinners, you’ll have to stay here. Our licensed restaurant serves B&B guests only. We simply don’t have the time to serve the general public in addition to our guests. But one couple can have dinner, stay the night and have a wonderful breakfast for about $150 to $200 per couple, not per person, which is still far less than Outstanding in the Field charges for one person’s dinner!