Farm Dinner & Meadery Tour

Last weekend I had a fantastic girl's night out - we drove out to West Marin and enjoyed a mead tasting, tour of a meadery, followed by a delightful farm-to-table dinner. It was a fun thing to do off the beaten path and a learning experience to boot. I had never heard of, let alone tasted, mead until that evening. What is mead you ask? It's wine made from fermented honey! So instead of grapes, honey is used. I don't know about you, but that blew my hair back!

The evening festivities took place at Heidrun Meadery in picturesque Point Reyes. Upon arriving, I entered a greenhouse and was delighted by the beautiful tablescape, the twinkling lights and a sweet crystal chandelier overhead. I immediately forgot I was in a greenhouse.

Tablescape

Welcome to Heidrun

I was told that all of the floral arrangements were made by a woman who lived in town, and boy, were they a feast for the eyes. The colors, the variation, arrangement and scents were perfection. She even incorporated fresh herbs and a cabbage variety to make it even more interesting.

Floral beauties

I couldn't stop admiring the flowers all night, and as such, kept snapping photos of them.

The setting was perfectly designed and planned for, allowing guests to mingle and enjoy the space.

Beverages and take home treats

Shortly after arrival we began the mead tasting. 4 varietals were offered, each one quite different. Because honey can be collected from a wide array of flowers, which are grown in many different regions and climates, the possibilities seem almost endless in terms of potential flavors. For example, honey collected from a wildflower in Southern California will taste different from a wildflower in Vermont, resulting in potentially two different tasting wines.

The 4 we tasted were made from the following: Lehua Blossom from the Big Island of Hawaii, Oregon Meadowfoam Blossom, California Orange Blossom and Madras Carrot Blossom. Each one was unique, flavorful and tasty! 

Mead lineup

And what's wine without some cheese? I honestly could have eaten just this cheese platter and drank mead and been completely happy - I mean, what else do you need in life?

Well, I suppose fresh oysters are a good addition too. Not pictured were the other amazing appetizers - beet salad and smoked steelhead on crackers. YUM!

Sluuurrrpp!

Here is the landscape behind the meadery, isn't it pretty? It rained for two days prior, so everything looked verdant and refreshed. 

Bonfire ring and lots of natural seating

Picture perfect

Last shot of the gorgeous blooms - I love the special touch of honeycomb to the table decor.

Rustic beauty

Here are the roughly 700 lb metal drums full of raw honey from all over the country. Heidrun hopes to one day produce their own bulk supply of honey, but in the meantime, they source it from many places.

Unfortunately I couldn't take any more photographs, but our hosts proceeded to walk us through the complete mead-making process. It was both fascinating and educational, and certainly gave me a true appreciation of the time, effort and care that goes into making a bottle of the sparkling stuff.

After the tour, we sat down at the long communal table for a farm dinner. All of the meat and produce came from a local farm in the West Marin area, and the chef incorporated mead into the main and dessert courses. I am a huge proponent of supporting local farms and growers as much as possible, and eating food that is seasonal and grown sustainably. There is nothing that compares to food that is made using fresh ingredients that is harvested just before cooking, and did not travel over 1,000 miles to get on your plate. 

The menu included a mixed greens salad (made decadent by the addition of clotted jersey cream), slow-cooked, mead brined pork shoulder on a bed of polenta, and finally, a chevre panna cotta with mead soaked sultanas and a pecan crumble topping. Each course was paired with local wines. 

Cast of characters of a superb meal

Love the rustic charm 

But by far, the best part of the evening was the company. Although I came with two girlfriends, it was a wonderful experience to sit down and share a meal with people who we may never have met otherwise. I am a believer in the power of food to bring people together, and this was another example of that. I had almost nothing in common with the people who I sat with, and yet the conversation and laughter never stopped. 

But as the cliche goes, all good things must come to an end. Luckily, I had several bottle of mead and these fresh baked cookies to take home!

Apricot & Coconut cookies

The dinner was organized by Elizabeth at West Marin Food and Farm Tours and I highly recommend them. They offer a number of different types of tours and there is something for everyone. I cannot wait to plan a date for Randy and I, or maybe another girl's night out. Cheers!