Outstanding in the Field Farm Dinner

By Vicki Boster –

You may or may not have heard of “field farm dinners”, but they are growing in popularity. Read the information from Outstanding in the Field website and then join the gardener and I on our recent adventure.

From the 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.”

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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.”

Now that you have a general idea, I invite you to come along to dinner on the grounds of the beautiful and historic Woodland Farm in Goshen, KY., on the banks of the Ohio River. When I saw that their was a dinner only a 3 hour drive from us, I jumped at the chance to attend. I will mention here that when tickets go on sale – you have to buy them quickly. They sell out in a matter of hours sometimes!

Woodland Farm, which is 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. 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.”

The reception starts promptly at 3 pm – so casual dress is fine. (I wore jeans)

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!)

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 a green tent at the end of the cornfield.

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 was from a local vineyard – the Horseshoe Bend Vineyard and Winery in Willisburg, Ky. They offered several different wines over the course of the evening, and like all else were superb.

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.

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, they were the nicest folks ever.

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.)

The evening view from our seat at the table was nothing short of magnificent. The final course, dessert, was apple toffee bread pudding with bourbon caramel whipped cream~ (there are no words- it was unbelievable)

I hope you have enjoyed your trip here. Do I not take you to the best places? I hope you can take advantage of a dinner like this in your area soon. You will not be disappointed.

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Outstanding in the Field Farm Dinner
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