The Dean Public House and Grand Community Gardens have collaborated to host a garden to table dinner on September 7th, with two seatings at 5 and 8 pm. The 4-course meal will include everything “As local as possible,” manager Jon Harvey explains. The Dean Public House will cook up donations of beets, Swiss chard, and potatoes donated from Grand Community Gardens, as well as a 4-H pig that was raised just outside of Parshall. “We’re going to get real crazy with whatever they give us,” Harvey assures.
This is the third garden dinner event that Grand Community Gardens has hosted. “Our goal is to educate people about high altitude gardening and introduce them to the sites available to them in their local area,” says board President Merilyn Hunter. In fact, there are sites throughout the county where residents can lease a raised garden bed to grow their own crops. Fee structures average $40, and include the soil, automatic watering, and a fenced, secure location in Kremmling, Hot Sulfur Springs, Granby, and Fraser.
Aside from the promise of a great meal, “You know exactly where your food is coming from,” Harvey explains. Research shows that adverse stress on animals—abuse, fighting in pens, stress—causes rapid depletion of glycogen, which turns the meat acidic and tasteless. According to Kansas State University, the phenomenon is known as Pale Soft Exudative (PSE). Conversely, consuming local produce and livestock not only supports local, hardworking 4-H members, it will also taste better. Furthermore, the garden to table dinner benefits the community, as the Dean Public House will donate 20 percent of proceeds to Grand Community Gardens, as part of their monthly First Friday donation program.
Meals will be priced at $35 without drinks or $55 includes a drink pairing. The dinner is by reservation only, and the restaurant will be otherwise closed for the event. For reservations call 800-923-3690 or email info@dph.com.
