SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – The table is set and you’re invited to an artisan dinner of a lifetime, where you’ll take your seat among America’s most stunning flower and foliage farms.
The 2017 American Grown Field to Vase Dinner Tour is a cross-country series of intimate pop-up gatherings, located on seven flower and foliage farms from coast to coast. Seasonal, local and sustainable blooming flowers dazzle on white-linen tables elegantly dressed by top U.S. floral designers. Meals are prepared by farm-to-table chefs.
At each unique meal and through the accompanying farm tour and design demonstrations, guests who attend from all areas of the country will make a personal connection between flowers and agriculture as part of America’s floral landscape. They will experience the age-old art and science of flower farming while being served platters of delicious, seasonal and locally-grown fare through four courses, including specialty desserts accompanied by vintage wines, micro-brewed beers and floral-inspired cocktails.
Companions old and new will share lively conversation in the company of diners equally passionate about preserving American Grown flowers, farmland and our country’s floriculture heritage. While enjoying the seasonal meal, guests will be drawn to the botanical beauty of petals, stems, foliage, vines, buds and berries – all artistically arranged to bring multi-sensory pleasure to the dining experience. The attention is on the farmers, their flowers, their farms and on the floral designs they inspire.
Now in its third year, the American Grown Field to Vase Dinner Tour is annually presented by Certified American Grown Flowers, a unified and diverse coalition of U.S. flower farmers, including small and large farms located in multiple states around the country. Member farms participate in an independent, third-party supply-chain audit to verify origin and assembly of the flowers they grow. When it appears on bouquets, bunches and other packaging or store signage, the Certified American Grown logo gives consumers confidence in the source of their flowers, and is an assurance that the flowers they’ve purchased were grown on a domestic American flower farm.
“The Field to Vase Dinner Tour showcases the heritage of the American floriculture professional’s work,” says Kasey Cronquist, administrator with Certified American Grown Flowers. “This very popular, three-season dinner tour spans the U.S. in seven locations in 2017. With limited seating in stunning surroundings, accompanied by a delicious dinner and interesting guests, the meals sell out year after year, providing inspiring support for our American floriculturists.”
The first of seven artisan dinners in 2017 takes place on Saturday, March 11, in the U.S. Heartland – inside the fragrant glasshouses of Len Busch Roses, Plymouth, Minn. Len Busch Roses grows and sells roses, alstroemeria, tulips, lilies and a wide selection of gerbera daisies.
The Field to Vase Dinner Tour travels to Carpinteria, Calif., on Thursday, March 30, to the home of Gallup & Stribling Orchids, provider of beautiful, premium-cut and potted cymbidium and tropical orchids.
- The Flower Fields, Carlsbad, Calif., on Thursday, April 20, home of the Tecolote® Giant Ranunculus, also known as the Persian buttercup or Ranunculus asiaticus. Incredibly colorful and beautiful, the ranunculus flower is native to Asia Minor and is a member of the Buttercup family.
- Destiny Hill Farm, Washington, Pa., on Saturday, June 24, overlooks historic Washington and showcases the beauty of the Pittsburgh region, including 137 acres of fragrant lavender, and an array of florals, berries and shrubs.
- Scenic Place Peonies, Homer, Alaska, on Thursday, July 29, is located on the scenic East Hill, overlooking Kachemak Bay, at an elevation of 1,150 feet and grows 14 cultivars of peonies for the cut-flower market. It is one of America’s largest producers of fresh-cut peony stems.
- Hope Flower Farm, Waterford, Va., on Sunday, Oct. 8, located in the heart of Loudoun County’s breathtaking countryside, is a playground for floral design and teaching. Situated on 25 acres, the farm is complete with two traditional barns, a quaint tenant house and an abundance of ground for planting – as well as for hosting farm-to-table dinners, stylized photo shoots and workshops.
- FernTrust, Seville, Fla., on Saturday, Nov. 18, is a cooperative of 13 family farms encompassing a combined 350 acres growing a variety of ferns, grasses and foliage plants for the fresh-cut floral market, including tree fern, leatherleaf, aspidistra and more. Florida’s blend of warm/cold temperatures nurture dark color, lush plants and textural interest, and is the perfect climate for cultivating gorgeous greens.
Field to Vase dinners are from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. at each destination. Attendees will leave with beautiful memories, gifts from the tour’s generous sponsors, and a greater understanding of why fresh, Certified American Grown Flowers in the home – and on the table – are important to health, well-being, local economies and good conversation.
Destination dinners generally sell out quickly. Seating and tickets are limited. For more about participating farms, floral designers and chefs – and for reservations, tickets and travel information – visit the website at www.americangrownflowers.com/fieldtovase, and be sure to sign up for the e-newsletter. For up-to-the-minute news, visit the American Grown Field to Vase Dinner Tour on Facebook and Twitter.