If you've ever wondered how the pear you ate for lunch grows, or how a farmer knows when his field of corn is ready to pick, the Field to Plate agritours are for you. They are a four-hour tour of Mid-Columbia farmlands, ending at one of the many commercial farms in our area for dinner.
The meal is prepared by a Tri-City chef using many of the products and produce grown on the farm where you dine.
The Sept. 10 Field to Plate tour will end at Middleton Organic Orchards in Eltopia for a meal prepared by Chef Chris Van Hoorelbeke of the Crazy Moose Casino in Kennewick and wines from Barnard Griffin in Richland.
You will walk the fields with the farmers, see and feel the foods they grow and then sit down to a family-style meal to savor the flavors. Reservations are due by Sept. 5.
The agritours and dinners are organized by Cathleen Williams of Kennewick and Debbie Toner of Richland. They have enlisted help on the tour from Fields of Grace, a nonprofit group that gleans fields for produce to give to area food banks. In return Fields of Grace will receive half of the net proceeds from each Field to Plate event.
The tours leave at 4 p.m. from TRAC in Pasco. Cost is $125 per person.
The Oct. 8 tour will be at Sunheaven Farms near Paterson for brews from Ice Harbor Brewery in Kennewick and a meal by Chef Frank Magana of Picazo 7 Seventeen of Kennewick.
For more information on the agritours, or to make a reservation, call 947-1316 or email SpecialPro45@aol.com.
Class on cheese, wine
Milbrandt Vineyards is holding a educational and fun Wine 101 class focusing on Italian cheeses from 6 to 8 p.m. Sept. 8. Participants will sample several cheeses paired with Milbrandt Vineyards wines. Cost is $30 per person.
For more information, or to register, call 509-788-0030.
The tasting room is in Prosser's Vintner's Village, 500 Cabernet Court.
For more information on the winery, go to www.milbrandtvineyards.com.
New read
The book: The Puglian Cookbook by Viktorija Toforovska.
Cost: $20
Best for: The cuisine of Puglia is famous for being among the best in Italy. The recipes in this cookbook are simple, the ingredients easy to find, and the dishes bursting of flavor. These are healthful, easy to prepare dishes that should appeal to everyone.
*Loretto J. Hulse: 582-1513; lhulse@tricityherald.com. To receive a recipe via e-mail each Tuesday register at tricityherald.com and click on newsletters. If you already are registered, click on edit account and newsletters to select Recipe of the Week. This exclusive recipe does not appear in the newspaper.
