Oh what a night… The 4th annual Harvest Dinner night was a smashing success this year. Through the joint efforts of many amazing volunteers, chefs and board members the dinner came together beautifully. The market site was absolutely transformed and 120 guests were treated to a six course feast.
The night started with colorful appetizers of albacore crostini, caprese skewers, prosciutto wrapped melon and raw beet dumplings, all paired with a glass of dry Prosecco. The fish course was a seared monkfish fillet with warm vegetables and a lemon caper vinaigrette. The main omnivorous dish was a mouth-watering brown sugar brined and smoked pork loin. Conversely, the vegan dishes included a grilled seitan-polenta with basil-white bean pesto and veggies followed by stuffed delicate squash with pear chutney. This was all followed by a decadent flight of specially cheeses (we even had a vegan cheese course!) To top it all off, was a mouth watering peach and plum napoleon or a raw chocolate chai cheesecake. Each course came with a specialty wine pairing that complimented the unique flavors of each dish.
As for the décor, we went in a different route than in years past. We opted for long farm-style tables and family style plating. The look was ‘rustic elegance’ with mason jars, burlap runners, twine accents, candles, re-purposed wine bottles, and lots and lots of dahlias. The music by Halcyon Strings was stunning and set the mood for the entire evening. The event felt warm, cozy, and bright despite the gray and rainy evening.
Beth Kluvers and her husband Paul
Pulling off an event like this is no small feat, and we’d like to recognize all the amazing people who worked on the Harvest dinner. First and foremost, this dinner would not be possible without a wonderful lady named Beth Kluvers. Beth is one of the founding members of our market and sits on the board as the official treasurer. She worked tirelessly to pull together all the fine details of this dinner and we couldn’t do it without all her love and attention. If you see Beth around, tell her how much you appreciate her. We also owe a big thanks to all our volunteers that helped with planning, decorating, staffing and overall just being so amazing and willing to help. Further, we can’t forget our dinner sponsors and those who donated to the silent auction. Last, but certainly not least, we are so grateful to our local chefs for their love of food and their commitment of time and talent.
All that being said, we hope that you all enjoyed the Harvest Dinner as much as we did. It was a gorgeous celebration of local food and community, and more importantly the dinner raised funds to increase food accessibility through the Everybody Eats program.
Feel free to check out all the pictures from the evening, which were provided by Russell Young of Studio 3024.
If you have any questions, comments, or feedback on the 4th Annual Harvest dinner, we’d love to hear from you. Leave us your comments below.
Every gardener knows that harvest season is a magical time of year. Late summer crops are coming in by the bucketfuls, early fall vegetables like broccoli and cauliflower and potatoes are just coming on, and the summer heat has died down enough for cool-season greens. Yet this is also the time of year to start thinking about and planning next year’s garden.
Thanks to our mild and wet winters, there are many crops that do just fine overwintering. Alliums (garlic, onions), brassicas (broccoli, kale, cabbage), leafy greens, and some root vegetables can tolerate winter weather to get a jumpstart on spring.
The idea behind overwintering vegetable crops is to allow the plant to establish itself just enough to survive the winter. Vegetable transplants will use what’s left of the warm weather to grow sturdy. Once the wearer grows colder, the plants will stop growing, waiting out winter by relying on energy stores in their roots. With the coming of spring, you will be amazed at how much earlier your overwintered crops will start producing. Already hardened off, overwintered vegetables will be able to take full advantage of the spring rains and warmth when more delicate transplants can be stunted or even killed by the cool spring nights. Overwintering varieties of the following vegetables can be planted now
From transplants:
- Broccoli
- Cauliflower
- Cabbage
- Collard Greens
- Kale
- Swiss Chard
From seed:
- Salad greens
- Spinach
- Carrots (overwintering varieties)
- Beets
- Garlic
- Onions
Some crops, such as garlic, onions, beets, and swiss chard, prefer being “tucked in” with either straw or row cover. Additionally, cloche structures can help keep plants from getting too much water in the rainy season and can keep off heavy snow.
September is also the perfect time to plant perennials such as herbs, flowers, and shrubs. If you have beds in your garden that you intend to leave un-planted, consider planting an overwintering cover crop to prevent soil erosion and nutrient leeching. You can till in cover crops in early spring to add more organic matter to your soil composition, and certain cover crops will even fix nitrogen – a much needed nutrient.
So while you’re busy harvesting this season’s bounty and canning tomatoes, don’t forget about next year’s garden! You’ll be amazed at how a little work now can save you a lot of time later.