A Midsummer Night’s Tasting

I don’t blog about much these days, but Hurd Orchards deserves a post.  Especially because they fed me dinner the other night, and that dinner consisted of 22 courses.  Yes, I said 22.  It was insane.  Insanely good.

Mr. Bunches and I can take absolutely ZERO credit for discovering this place.  All the credit goes to our good friends B&A; they first introduced us to Hurd Orchards last November when we attended our first farm tasting meal.  That meal was titled “Abundance” and let’s just say that it was an appropriate name.  This summer’s tasting was titled “Delightful Surprises” and it also didn’t disappoint.

So here’s the deal: Hurd Orchards is a family-run fruit farm, and the Hurds have been hosting these bi-annual tasting dinners since 1985.  And they are amazing!  You can get more details here.  Basically, you make reservations in advance, bring your own wine and an empty stomach, and then you get to taste 20+ courses of farm fresh delicacies, all while soaking in the ambience of a centuries-old barn.  It’s basically magical.

Armed with a tin plate, you make your way to each station, which contains a full mini meal (from appetizer to entree to dessert).  Some are inside, some are outside.

You dine in a beautiful old barn, with live music to help you savor each bite (this meal included the most amazing harpist).

In addition to growing many different varieties of fruit, Hurd Orchards also has 20+ acres of flowers, so the arrangements on each of the tables were just breathtaking.

At the end of the meal, the owners (a mother and daughter) come around with a recipe book for everything we tasted that night.  My three favorite items of the night were the soups: 1) South American Coconut, Corn and Summer Squash Soup; 2) Cold Cucumber Soup; and 3) Peach and Raspberry Gazpacho.  They were so divine; my mouth is watering now just thinking about them.

Needless to say, Hurd Orchards’ Tasting meals have officially become a tradition of ours, and we can’t wait to visit the farm again this fall for the Thanksgiving tasting.  Yum.  Thanks again to B&A for introducing us to this place!