A Delightful Autumn Harvest Dinner at Seminary Hill Farm – Delaware, OH

I was recently invited to dinner.

On a farm.

Located on the campus of the Methodist Theological School in Delaware, OH.

The invitation read “Autumn Solstice Harvest Farm-to-Table Dinner,” and I was instantly intrigued. Truth be told, I’d never attended a farm-to-table dinner, but I was pretty familiar with the concept. Growing up, my mother had turned the backyard of our very suburban home into a giant garden. Other kids had lawns to run around in, but at my house? Most of the lawn was converted into garden beds, and large pots of tomatoes, chili peppers, eggplant, and all sorts of squash lined our deck.

We grew more than we could eat and give away each summer, and froze produce to be used during the winter.

To this day, there’s nothing quite like the crunch of a cucumber that you picked fresh from the garden. A homegrown tomato just tastes a bit sweeter.

So when the invitation to dinner came, I jumped at the chance. Are you familiar with Seminary Hill Farm? They are a certified organic farm sitting on about 5 acres of land on the grounds of the Methodist Theological School. The farm uses sustainable farming practices that build up both the soil and the plants.

The organic produce is used in the preparation of the student meals, and made available to the community through their CSA. What I love about their CSA program is that they assign a value to each item, and give you a certain number of credits to use so you can select exactly what you’d like to purchase!

Autumn Harvest Dinner at Seminary Hill Farm

When we arrived, the table was beautifully set outside.

They had a fire in the pit, soft music playing, and I even spotted my favorite olive oil (Tuscan Herb) from Olivina Taproom in downtown Delaware!

We started off our meal with some amazing bread and a generous pour of that Tuscan Herb olive oil. Normally I like to add in some herbs, red pepper, or parmesan to my dipping oil, but the robust flavor of the infused olive oil was absolutely perfect on its own.

Each course was paired with a mocktail. The first drink we tried was a “Charred Rosemary Lemoncello”. It was light and refreshing and I loved the scent of the charred rosemary.

The first course was a savory pesto crepe stuffed with ricotta cheese, an heirloom tomato slice, fresh basil, and a balsamic reduction. It was heavenly and so creative!

The next mocktail was the Amarena Cherry “Margarita”. Amarena cherries are small, dark, and tart and pair perfectly with lime!

Our second course was a lunchbox pepper (grown right here on the farm), stuffed with a chorizo spiced lamb (from Covey Rise Farms), and served with a rich mole sauce and goat cheese. When I showed the menu to my five year old, she read “mole” and thought it was made from a mole, as in the animal. I let her ponder what a sauce made from moles might taste like before I told her it was pronounced “moe-lay” and was actually a savory sauce with hints of chocolate.

Next, we got to sip Ginger Fermented Sun Tea. I loved the edible flower garnish!

The third course was my personal favorite. A cured and smoked pork belly from Anderson Farms, served with sticky rice, kimchi, scallions, and a gochujang chili sauce. I couldn’t get enough. I’m still dreaming about it. I also loved the presentation and the cute plate!

After the pork belly, it was time for a palate cleanser. Executive Chef James Akers explained that we were going to be given something called a “buzz button”. We weren’t quite sure what to expect. They came out on a little dish and looked like small flower buds. We looked them over for a moment, cautious and intrigued and took small bites.

The responses were hilarious! One of us said “Omg, my mouth just got electrocuted!” Another exclaimed “What’s going on in my mouth right now?!” Still another responded with “OMG I think I’m having an allergic reaction in my mouth”, and then my personal favorite “Guys, am I drooling right now? I can’t control the drooling!”

These tiny little buttons “shock” and then numb your mouth. It results in a tingling, followed by excessive salivation and does, in fact, an outstanding job of cleansing your palate. At this point, we were ready for whatever came next, which was a glass of mulled apple cider.

Our fourth course was a bone-in beef short rib with a tomato demi, corn and jalapeño spoon bread, roasted purple dragon carrots, and garnished with a tiny root vegetable. Each of got a different teeny tiny veggie garnish which totally made my night. I mean, is it even a farm-to-table dinner if you don’t nibble on a dollhouse sized radish? 

To finish off our meal, we enjoyed a cranberry mint “julep” with our dessert course. Backlit by the gentle fire, it was breathtakingly gorgeous.

And for dessert, we enjoyed a brûléed caramel apple bread pudding with a dollop of cream anglais and an OYO whiskey sauce. It was made with everyone’s favorite Lynd’s honeycrisp apples! The perfect ending.

I can’t wait for the next dinner at the farm. I hope you’ll join me!

 

 

Pin me!