2026 Harvest Dinner
This year's Harvest Dinner was even a step up from last year's. With almost double the amount of people, which included early bird members, staff, and those who purchased tickets, we felt the need to add a few more touches.
The night started with a cocktail hour in the cucumber house. This is where we held last year's dinner and the ambiance really can't be beat! Unfortunately, with the additional crops in the greenhouse we didn't have the space for the 60 guests that were invited. So, we decided to host a pre-dinner event with Argentinian cocktails, hand-selected wine and local beer. Appetizers were also included: Gazpacho with basil infused olive oil and homeade cheese on top of local sourdough bread. Cocktail hour actually ran over our scheduled time because it was so fun! Derek was our bartender during this hour and had a blast making cocktails. This was also a chance for our guests to walk around the farm and get a first hand look at how we grow their vegetables. If you caught me at the right time, I was also able to give further details about our hydroponic systems and how they operate.
After cocktail hour (or two....) guests headed over to our dear friend Matt's newly constructed barn for dinner. Luckily, it's just next door so it was a perfect transition. This space was perfect for our large event and we are so grateful to have this space available to the community. As guests neared, they smelled the meat and vegetables cooking over the fire pit just outside and the familiar sounds of our local musicians Sally and Cotton. Music was another addition to our event and it really added a special touch to the evening.
The menu for dinner was, to no one's surprise, so delicious. It started with an Argentinian stew with squash, hominy, potatoes, onions and garlic. This was followed by Ensalada Criolla with cucumbers, tomatoes, red onion, and bell pepper over a bed of arugula with red wine vinaigrette dressing. Then, onto the main course! Fire roasted pork with carrot top and parsley chimichurri. We also had a bonus protein, elk, thanks to the hunting skills of Brock, who was also our fire-pit master. This was paired next to fire roasted vegetables (squash, onions, peppers, carrots and potatoes) topped with a local goat cheese dressing. For an additional side, our chef did roasted beets on a bed of pureed beets and raspberries with a mint vinaigrette. Everything went so nicely together, it was easy to put any of the sauces on any of the sides or meat!
Another addition to the evening included some locally made Argentinian desserts, alfajores. Amy from Amy's Cakes out of Anaconda did an amazing job making these delicious cookies which consisted of a layer of dulce de leche sandwiched between two shortbread cookies and served with fresh strawberries. A perfect, light dessert after such a rich and flavor-packed meal!
It seemed that everyone had an unforgettable night, including us. All the work paid off, as it usually does, and we couldn't be happier with how everything came together.
We'd like to give thanks to some special people, who really helped put everything together: Chef Ashley and Brock Long, Shannon with Saj Floral, Amy with Amy's Cakes, Anaconda Homestead Bakery (bread), Bighorn Bottle Shop (wine), Matt and Dan (space), Philipsburg Fire Department (tables and chairs), Julie Fink (tablecloths, forks, hot plates), Kim Chabal and Bri Crisp (setup), and Casey Hensely (napkins, glassware). This is definitely a community event and couldn't have happened without these awesome community members!
