News
From Our Farm to Our Table - What's Happening at the Golden Lamb
Inspired by the agricultural heartland we call home, we made a daring decision to start our own farm. Now, we’re celebrating our second harvest and are excited to share its story with you.
"We just realized we're here in the middle of beautiful agricultural land," General Manager Bill Kilimnik said in an interview with Cincinnati Enquirer food & dining writer Polly Campbell this summer. "We were already sourcing produce from local farmers: our eggs, our honey, maple syrup, our turkeys. But we like the idea of knowing every bit of what goes into each of our dishes."
Located in Oregonia, about 15 minutes from the inn and restaurant, the Golden Lamb’s 350-acre farm hosts rows of vegetables, herbs and melons; a field of popcorn; several head of cattle; a berry patch and even five beehives.
“This year we are proud to announce that throughout the summer all homemade pickles, cucumbers, green beans, zucchini, squash, and a few varieties of lettuce in our salads were harvested directly from the farm. We hope our guests could really taste the difference these fresh ingredients made as a part of our appetizers, salads and seasonal vegetable medleys included with your dinner as a side or topping, ” Kilimnik said. “The whole process has been a learning experience and is giving all of us at the Golden Lamb a sense of appreciation for the hard work that goes into our food before it even gets to our restaurant.”
Maintaining this property truly is a Golden Lamb family affair with many of the inn and restaurant employees pitching in to help around planting and harvest seasons. Even Chef Nick Roudebush can often be seen out on the farm picking the week’s best produce and gaining inspiration for seasonal menus and specials.
“There’s an extra sense of pride in creating a dish from ingredients that you’ve cultivated from the ground up,” Chef said. “Having the opportunity to showcase those ingredients in new dishes is pretty unique.”
Our Garden Zucchini Toast, featured this summer on Local 12 in Cincinnati and FOX45/ABC22 in Dayton, is one of those specially-inspired dishes, as are many of the offerings on this year’s Bounty of the Harvest menu, which will be available Monday, October 7, through Saturday, November 23.
As we enter the early stages of fall, the farm will be experiencing a bit of a resurgence as harvested cucumbers, melons, and beans make way for ripening tomatoes and peppers, as well as pumpkins, some of which will be made into delicious pumpkin pies for Thanksgiving.
As our farm continues to flourish and grow, we are excited to bring you some of the freshest flavors in southern Ohio. Join us for lunch, dinner or Sunday brunch to experience them for yourself!