Dancing Ewe Farm in Granville, NY - A "Shear" Delight!
Do you watch PBS on the weekends? Do you tune into the Food Network? Have you seen the PBS show, "A Chef's Life," documenting the real life of chef, Vivian Howard, who incorporates Southern cuisine into her North Carolina restaurant with charm, humor, and heart? Maybe you have seen "Moveable Feast with Fine Cooking," where host, Pete Evans takes us across the country with farm to table cuisine. Do you sometimes find yourself watching Giada De Laurentiis or Ina Garten in their gorgeous homes making something you wish you could smell and taste? These types of programs are so fascinating and appealing that they make you wish you could jump right into the television just to experience a moment of the incredible food and scenery displayed on the screen. A place where you can actually visit and experience such delights actually exists. It is Dancing Ewe Farm.
Arriving at the Farm:
After a gorgeous country drive just 20 minutes from Country House Bed & Breakfast, you arrive to an expanse of green rolling land spotted with white wooly sheep and their sheepdog protectors, all in front of the mountainous backdrop. Going at the peak of leaf season makes the scene that much more magical. Upon entering the red barn, you are overwhelmed by the beautiful scene on the inside! A long rustic table decorated with fresh flowers, personalized place cards, and twinkling lights overhead, is set for the homemade meal to come. You eat at the table with other guests to the farm, allowing you the opportunity to meet new friends and share the outstanding experience. Wine from Tuscany is immediately offered along with a mouthwatering "aperitivo." Wines, cheeses, limoncello, extra virgin olive oil, and jams are for sale and guests mill with their treats while looking out the windows at the expanse of land, sheep, and chickens, while awaiting the farm tour.
The Farm Tour:
We have always driven by farms longing to get closer to the animals, admiring them from afar. This tour takes you behind the scenes, allowing you to see how the farm operates and you can pet the sheep! The sheep are quite personable and come right up to show you love (and some just want to munch your shirt sleeve, but that is fine by us)! The tour is led by one of the owners of the farm who is intriguing, interesting, and forthcoming in discussing this fascinating life! The tour proceeds while his wife prepares the homemade meal. This duo is outstanding! Read about their path here. This couple not only look like celebrity chefs, but master the personality and style too. Where were the cameras? Along the tour, we learned how the sheep were milked, how the cheese was made, and how even Mario Batali enjoys and purchases the ricotta for his restaurants; It is that good!
The Meal:
Upon completion of the tour, you return to the barn where your meal awaits. The farm offers Saturday dinners and Sunday lunches. We partook in the Sunday lunch. You can buy tickets online and must do so in advance, as the reservations are filled quickly! At your place setting is the wine you selected upon entering the barn along with sparkling San Pellegrino. You begin with the antipasti; an array of savory and sweet delicacies including bruschetta, sun dried tomatoes, and a variety of cheeses and toppings. Every bite is incredible! The main course is homemade ravioli made with the eggs laid by the chickens on the farm and the farm's famous ricotta cheese. Our ravioli also had butternut squash and pumpkin within, and was in a butter and sage sauce that you will dream about afterword. Seconds were offered. The ravioli can be summed up in four words: De - lec - ta - ble. Dessert was a homemade ricotta tart with blackberries. Wow! This was an instant transport to Tuscany. We then tasted some limoncello and swiftly purchased a bottle. The meal truly was amazing. Bene! Ben fatto! Buon lavoro!
The Experience:
This experience was ideal from beginning to end. The owners and staff were extremely inviting and pleasant. This was the best way to spend a day; amazing food and spirits, meeting great people, and interacting with nature's great gifts. Thank you, Dancing Ewe Farm, for creating such an awesome place and sharing it with others. Dancing Ewe Farm is superior and so are the people running it. Dancing Ewe Farm offers a program better than one on television; one where the viewer can enjoy the experience with all their senses - and this is a show we certainly will continue to tune into again and again.
