R
eady for a special night out? Skip the fancy restaurant and head to the country. In New England, the “farm dinner” concept is taking root. Farmers string up fairy lights, arrange fresh flowers and present multi-course feasts that celebrate summer’s bounty. The colorful, Instagramworthy food comes from the hosting farm or nearby growers. “Farm dinners are an important part of our buy-local movement,” says John Lebeaux, commissioner of the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources. “Often set in a farm field, these unique dinners allow guests to engage with one another and learn where their food comes from, directly from the hands that produce it.” Food doesn’t get more fresh or more local than this — and you can taste the difference. “We prepare it simply and let the food speak for itself,” says Scott Willard, a farm dinner chef at White Gates Farm in Tamworth, N.H. Here’s a taste of what’s for dinner:
JUST RIGHT FARM, Plympton, Mass. A 300-year-old farm is the setting for this fresh-from-the-field, five-course feast. You’re welcome to roam the grounds and examine the garden before you settle in for a communal BYO-wine meal. Expect such fare as lobster in prosecco beurrè blanc, pork rib chops with peach and onion jam, chilled beet and watermelon soup, blueberry tart and sweet corn ice cream. $140 per person; 781-936-5330; justrightfarm.com
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