Recently I was invited by CommonGround Minnesota to this year’s annual “Field to Fork” dinner with other food influencers at Wolfcreek Dairy Farm in Dundas, MN.
CommonGround Minnesota is a group of farm women who volunteer their time to share information about farming and food. Together, they raise a variety of conventional and organic crops, livestock and produce.
The CommonGround Minnesota farm women bring people together to learn about food and farming, and help others sort through the myths and misinformation surrounding food and farming. “Field to Fork” is one way they connect people with farmers in their own communities.
I missed last year’s event and was so happy to be able to attend this year’s! My friend Melinda joined me for a wonderful evening. The setting was beautiful!
There were about 80 guests. As part of the dinner event, we were invited to tour the dairy farm with the owners, Paul and Barb Liebenstein. We were introduced to some calves that were recently born, and then got to see the cowsheds where the 400 or so milking cows are kept.
We then toured the milking parlor where the milking process is so efficient! The cows go into individual stalls and the milkers are attached to the cows. It milks the cows automatically and then releases off of the cow when it’s finished. The milk flows through sanitized pipes and then is cooled in the parlor.
After the tour we went to the dinner. The tables were set out so beautifully and the views were breathtaking.
We were invited to get drinks – there was an open bar as well as cool drinks like lemonade and iced tea. Then we sat down at our tables. The table settings were so nice! There was even real lavender tucked into the cloth napkins.
We were introduced to the volunteers from CommonGround Minnesota and learned more about this great organization. There are about 30 women total from farms all over Minnesota, all with goals to connect with and teach others about farming and food.
Then…dinnertime! My friend Melinda and I had a wonderful 3-course dinner while getting to know other guests and CommonGround volunteers.
Here were the three courses:
First course
Minnesota feta paired with fresh watermelon, red onion and baby arugula, finished with mint vinaigrette, artisan breads and butter
Main course
Chicken breast topped with basil provolone, and prosciutto served in a pesto cream sauce; garlic mashed potatoes; lemon thyme carrots
Dessert
Old-fashioned bakery bars – seven layer, brownies, coconut pecan blondies, salted caramel, and lemon
All were DELICIOUS.
After the dinner we were invited to stay and chat (and enjoy the views) if we wished.
It was a lovely meal with enjoyable live music!
It was a wonderful evening…and as we left we saw where the cute kitties liked to hang out!
Thank you to CommonGround Minnesota for a wonderful Field to Fork dinner!
Also watch this video from Linder Farm Network with some scenes from our experience:
For more information about CommonGround and their events, visit their website!