What do you get when you combine history, live music, and amazing fresh food from Maine’s farms? You get Graze at Pineland Farms.
If you’re lucky enough to attend one of these bi-weekly summer events, held in a beautiful wedding tent on the Pineland Farms campus, then you’ll learn a little bit of history about the way that Maine used to be.
Maybe you’ll learn about North Star Sheep Farm, a farm that’s dedicated to sheep farming in a sustainable fashion. Run by Lisa Webster and her husband, North Star produces lamb that’s incredibly tender and flavorful, and can be found all over Maine, including at Whole Foods, and at our Graze dinner. You might say, it was a highlight!
First Course: Chicken Caprese Salad, Vichysoisse soup
The vichysoisse was a first for me. I mean…you have to be a little bit skeptical about cold potato soup, right? Made with all Maine potatoes and Cold River vodka (made and produced in Maine) this was heavenly soup. Small quantity does not equal lack of taste. In fact, that couldn’t be further from the truth. Having such a small amount made it that much better.
Second Course: Family Style
There was so much food on the table, and it just coming out. It was like a foodie dream come true, I swear. So what did we eat? Everything was from nearby Maine farms, meaning this was the epitome of fresh! This is the definition of Farm To Table. We had pasta, pork, mussels, potato salad, lamb, salad…the list just goes on and on. But there was more: dessert.
Dessert: The Final Movement
What’s better than cookies? How about cookies that come with their own chocolate dipping sauce. Here that sound? That was the sound of your diet going out the window. Decadent, and amazing…these are all the things that dessert should be. Oh but wait. There’s more.
It’s a twist on one of my favorites, but it was perfectly refreshing, and just a little bit tart. I can’t think of a better way to end an evening of learning, eating, and enjoying the lay of the land. A little sweet, a little tart, and a whole lot of wonderful.
That could sum up my whole Graze experience, really. It’s one thing to be in favor of the Farm to Table movement when you eat out. But it’s a whole other thing to see it behind the scenes, and taste the fruits of labor in such a decadent setting. Want to go to a Graze dinner? Tickets go fast, but are worth it. Visit Pineland Farm’s website for more info…the next one is July 30th and looks to be pretty amazing!
