Girls Night Out: Enchanted Acres

*I received complimentary activities to facilitate my review.  

All views and opinions shared are my own.*

Last weekend I visited Enchanted Acres, located west of Sheffield, Iowa, with the North Iowa Bloggers.  My family and I enjoyed exploring the pumpkin patch and painting pumpkins.  We have had fun going on a family visit every year since its opening in 2012.  In fact - here is a list of our family's 5 Favorite Things to do at Enchanted Acres.

At the end of the evening, while we were all hanging out on their hexagon fire pit swings, I asked Enchanted Acres owner, Shannon Latham, what she was most excited for this year at the pumpkin patch.  Without hesitation she said, Art Box Painting!  And that got me thinking about all of the fun activities Shannon plans for the patch's season, not only for families, but also some for adults only.

So grab some of your girlfriends and head out to the Big Red Barn at Enchanted Acres and have a Girls Night Out:

• Saturday, September 23rd at 2 p.m., Pumpkin Succulent Class, prices vary
• Sunday, October 1st at 1 p.m., String Art Class, $35
• Saturday, October 7th at 1 p.m., Farm to Table Cooking Workshop: Pumpkin Butter-stuffed French Toast and Pork Breakfast Sausage, $25
• Sunday, October 8th at 2 p.m., Art Box Painting Workshop, $45
• Saturday, October 14th at 2 p.m., Creative Spirits Painting Class, $35
• Sunday, October 22nd at 2 p.m., Farm to Table Workshop: Herbs and Butters, $25

If you can't make a class, you can still go with your friends to Enchanted Acres to get pumpkins, gourds, mums and to check out their gift shop with lot of fun decor items and food!  The pumpkin patch is open Fridays 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturdays 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sundays 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.  General admission is $5 per person (children age 2 and under are free), and on Fridays the admission is waived.

So which class would you love to go to with friends?  Remember to Comment for a Cause!

Ladies Night Out in the Field

As a busy Mom of four I'm always looking for a good excuse for a Ladies Night Out, and that was part of the inspiration behind CommonGround Iowa's inaugural Ladies Night Out: Banquet in the Field.

Photo courtesy of Joe Murphy

I am a volunteer with the national CommonGround program, which brings together women farmers from across the United States, to share about the food we grow and how we produce it.  Our goal is to have conversations to help consumers sort through the myths and misinformation surrounding food and farming.  There are twelve volunteers in the state of Iowa.  Last year after harvest we got together and decided we wanted to create an event where we could foster relationships with other women in Iowa and talk about food, farming and family.  One of our volunteers, Kellie Blair, volunteered to host the event, and from there the event that brought together 40 women from Central Iowa (and four men - all with the last name Blair and our photographer 😉) got its roots.

Our host Kellie Blair and one of the Blair men 😉
welcoming guests to their family's farm
Photo courtesy of Joe Murphy

The evening started off with appetizers and small chat over wine.  It was great to meet a wide variety of women - teachers, legislators, marketing professionals, business owners, pastors, etc.

Des Moines Moms Blog Co-Owners Andrea Cooley and Kara Knaack
having a conversation with CommonGround Volunteer Sara Ross and myself
Photo courtesy of Joe Murphy

After everyone arrived and had their fill of appetizers, Kellie welcomed everyone to their corn, soybean, pig and cattle farm.  Kellie and her husband AJ took the group around to checkout some of their equipment and cattle, as well as answer questions about some of their farming practices and technologies used.

AJ sharing about their beef cattle calving season,
while many got their perfect cow photo and cow selfies
Photo courtesy of Joe Murphy

Then it was time for supper to be served.  The menu included amazing smoked beef tri tip, roasted pork tenderloin, marinated garden vegetables with edamame, and dauphinoise potatoes.  I have to specifically name the menu because it was delicious and perfect for a ladies night out!

Photo courtesy of Joe Murphy

Following supper there was a short program which included AE Dairy President & CEO Miriam Erickson Brown.  It was great to catch up with both her and AE Dairy Director of Marketing Kim Peter that evening, and for Miriam to share the AE Dairy story with all of the attendees.  AE Dairy has made changes over the decades to reflect trends but one thing remains the same, their passion for quality and that starts with the cows on the Iowa dairy farms they source their milk from.  I also loved that she shared about being a third generation family business owner.

Miriam Erickson Brown, President & CEO of AE Dairy
sharing with the women about her family's dairy business
Photo courtesy of Joe Murphy

But you want to know what my favorite part of the evening was???  It was the dessert!  And not just because the warm apple crisp and vanilla ice cream were once again delicious; it was because of the conversations held sitting at the tables or standing in line to get more ice cream.  After a couple hours of dinning and hearing about all of the volunteers' farms, the women in attendance had lots of questions and were interested in learning more.  Our intimate setting was the perfect spot for everyone to feel comfortable to ask any question and have discussions about food and farming.  There were so many connections made that evening.

Blair Farm
Photo courtesy of Joe Murphy

Thank you to Kellie and AJ for being our gracious hosts.  You both were great at sharing about your farm with everyone.  Thanks to my fellow CommonGround Iowa volunteers for working on everything from the invite list, to bringing flowers from their personal gardens to use as table decorations.  Thank you to our CommonGround staff for making arrangements for things like a tent, tables and chairs, and for taking our ideas and transforming them into something tangible.  And lastly, thanks to all of the women who shared their Friday night with us.  I hope you had a great Ladies Night Out and I can't wait for the 2nd Annual event next year!

Have you ever been to a Ladies Night Out on a farm?  Have you ever been to a Banquet in a Field?  Share about your experiences in the comments section.  And if you haven't been to an event like this and would like to, let me know that as well!  Remember to Comment for a Cause!