GROW! hosts farm-to-table benefit dinner
BONNERS FERRY — Gardeners for Regional Organic Wellbeing Community Garden has harvested food to prepare a bountiful, gourmet dinner and is looking forward to serving it to the Boundary County community on Oct. 15 at their first Farm-to-Table Local Gourmet Five-Course Feast.
GROW! invites community members to partake in the fundriser, created from locally grown produce by the community garden, and showcasing a plethora of foods donated by community businesses.
“I could talk all day about the amazing food that we have prepared for this dinner and about all of the amazing food that has been grown and raised here in Boundary County and that has been donated to us for this event by our local businesses,” said Kate Painter, Secretary of GROW! and Boundary County Extension Educator. “I’m really trying to make this a celebration, and include as many local businesses in this event as possible.”
If that isn’t enough to entice, Magician Star Alexander of Sandpoint, will be entertaining the guests between dinner and dessert, and performing again during the cocktail hour.
A raffle and silent auction will also be held to raise funds for GROW! so that the group can continue providing wholesome, organic food to the community. The members of GROW! have been supplying fresh, organic produce to the Boundary County Food Bank, Senior Center and the Farmer’s Market since 2009. The proceeds from this event will enable them to continue their contributions.
GROW! President Jerry Pavia will be raffling himself off during the event. The winner has a choice of prizes that include select, platinum prints photographed by Pavia, or a two-hour family or individual photo session.
Pavia, accompanied by a visual, slideshow presentation, will also educate guests about the history and vision of the eight-year-old organization.
Other local businesses providing items for the raffles and silent auction include SoulShine Restaurant, Schweitzer Ski Resort, and Home Depot. Local artisans are participating as well, including photographers Steve Jamsa, Annie Pflueger and Sculptor Lee Harris.
Sponsors for this event include: Farm to Market Grains (Tim and Julie Dillin) is providing stone-milled flour for the breads and pastries; Houck Farms (Tim and Julie Dillin) is donating hummus from farm-grown garbanzos; Cowcreek Blueberries (Debbie Woods) is making a blueberry dessert; and Marva Maring, of Clear Skies Sheep Company, is making an appetizer from the lamb she raises on her farm. In addition, Becca Harlan, of Harlan Mountain Farms, is providing goat milk; local restaurant, Under the Sun, is serving a roasted pepper and tomato soup; Far North Deli is making an apple dessert; beef for roasting was supplied by a local, organic, grass-fed Galloway bull; and vegetables for the dinner (carrots, beets, fingerling potatoes, onions, greens and herbs) are from the GROW! community garden. Kootenai River Brewing Company is providing two pony kegs of beer, BeeHaven Flower Farm (Paula Rice) is providing table decorations, Bella’s Barr (Bob Peterson) is providing milk for cheese and butter, Will Beasley is making fresh apple cider, and local eggs are coming from Kootenai Ranch and Happy Girl farms.
GROW!’s mission statement is that they support a local and regional food security system and wish to advocate for agricultural practices that enhance the ecological independence and economic sustainability of Boundary County. Their goal is to create a self sufficient, food-independent community.
All are welcome to attend the upcoming GROW! meetings on Oct. 5 and Oct. 19 at 6 p.m. at the UI Extension Office, 6447 Kootenai St., Bonners Ferry.
The fundraiser is set for Oct. 15 at the Boundary County Fairground from 6 p.m.-9:30 p.m. Children are welcome to attend.
Pavia said tickets are limited to the first 100 people. “We are close to reaching our 100th ticket sale and we encourage everyone who wants to attend to visit Bonners Books so they don’t miss out on this great event.”
Tickets are priced at $40 per person, and are available online at tinyurl.com/9BFarmToTable or at Bonners Books. For more information, contact Kate Painter at 509-432-5755.