Chef David Ross and his staff at Delavan’s Lake Lawn Resort recently unveiled the resort’s new herb garden and honeybee apiary.
"Frontier Restaurant is at the center of three big trends in dining right now: New American comfort foods, dining as entertainment, and the rise of locally produced ingredients," Ross said. "It makes sense for us to bring our grow-on-site ingredients front and center so diners can see that their ingredients are as fresh as can be. Plus, it adds to our efforts to educate and instruct diners so they can bring our traditions back home with them. In today’s economy, we realize people will come back time and again if we provide them value."
Ross has grown his own herbs used in his cooking for the resort’s two restaurants and extensive wedding and catering presentations. Now with a new location just off the Frontier Restaurant deck, guests can see the garden and watch Ross and his team preen and harvest fresh herbs each day.
The resort’s apiary is located safely on the Lake Lawn Resort grounds and contains up to 120,000 honeybees. Ross creates homemade flavored honeys and honey butter.
Ross has offered up some tips for tending to your herb gardens during the fall season.
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Relax on the pruning. While it’s important to maintain control of the herb garden throughout the warmer months with continual trimming, late fall is a good time to let plants grow hearty and establish strong roots.
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Remove and pot tender herbs like rosemary for indoor wintering.
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Cover during frost. Herbs can be harvested past frosty October nights, as long as sheets or plastic are used to protect the plants.
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Plant for next year. Herbs, just like other plants, can be put in the ground just before winter, where they can establish roots and mature earlier in the spring season. Bulb herbs, like garlic, shallots and saffron, are especially good for fall planting.
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Harvest and dry herbs for the winter months. Basil, oregano, rosemary, sage and thyme will all grow well into the fall and provide lots of opportunity to gather for winter projects.
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Make gifts or pantry preparations. Chives, parsley, cilantro and tarragon are all fantastic for oils, vinegars, pestos and other preparations that can be stored for future use or even used as holiday gifts.
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Consider freezing. The most common method of herb preservation is hand drying, but you can also freeze herbs to maximize flavor and natural oils.
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Dry seeds for spring planting. Remove mature, dry seeds and allow them to table-dry indoors before storing in glass containers for the winter.
