CULLMAN, Ala. – The North Alabama Agriplex will host its sixth annual Harvest to Home Fundraising Dinner and Silent Auction in September, but the event will be different this year due to COVID-19.
Since we cannot all be together, we are inviting the community to prepare our fresh, local foods into a meal at home then enjoy the bounty of the harvest knowing your neighbors are also tasting the same great flavors. Our locally-sourced meal prep boxes come complete with pre-portioned ingredients and a custom tailored recipe from local Farm to Table Chef Braxton Taylor of Dreher’s in Cullman. The meal prep boxes will be available for pre-order Sept. 4-13, with a drive-through pickup at the Agriplex Sept. 17 from 2-5 p.m.
Chef Braxton has created a delicious meal just for this event and provides the recipes with a video, color photos and easy-to-follow instructions, even for beginner chefs. The menu of the night includes a salad course with local greens, apples, sunflower seeds and cheese with a main course of Pan Steak Argentina and Cornbread Ratatouille. The box will have all the ingredients you need except for some basics like olive oil, salt, pepper, butter and milk. There will be a few options within the recipes if you need to adapt, for example, to a gluten-free meal. The meal prep boxes will feature apples from Steele Orchard, beef filets from Brickyard Meats, tomatoes from Champion farms and much more. Each box will cost $50 and serve two people.
Our always popular Silent Auction will be online this year at www.agriplex.org. Browse and bid on items from Sept. 4-13 with pickup Sept. 15 or 17. Items are diverse – featuring gardening and farming items, plants, original works of art, gift cards to local businesses, local farm produce, and lots more. Check out the North Alabama Agriplex Facebook page for previews of Silent Auction items.
The Harvest to Home Dinner and Silent Auction raise funds to continue our mission of promoting agricultural heritage through educational programs and community outreach. This includes programs like gleaning produce at our local farmers, hosting workshops and meetings for organizations all over north Alabama, renting facilities for family gatherings, supporting school gardens throughout north Alabama and getting people excited about growing their own food. And new this year, the Agriplex is providing COVID relief through farmer support, grant funding, virtual education and much more.
Our sixth annual Harvest to Home Dinner is sponsored by Alabama Farm Credit. Boxes have been generously donated by West Rock and our printing sponsor is Cullman Electric Cooperative’s Sprout Fiber Internet.
Our event program, provided with each meal box and each silent auction item, will feature other participating businesses. This unique event would not be possible without all of these supporters.
Dates to remember
Sept. 4 – Harvest to Home Online Silent Auction opens for bids and meal box pre-orders taken starting at 9 a.m. at www.agriplex.org.
Sept. 13 – Last day to bid on Silent Auction and pre-order meal boxes; site closes at 5 p.m.
Sept. 15 – Early Silent Auction pickup at the Agriplex from 2-5 p.m.
Sept. 17 – Harvest to Home Meal Prep Box pickup, plus Silent Auction pickup at the Agriplex from 2-5 p.m.
For more information about the North Alabama Agriplex or the Harvest to Home Dinner, visit www.agriplex.org.
