What: A five-course meal with wine pairings for 100, benefiting a farm
Where: Queens County Farm
When: September 10 at 6:00p.m.
Why: In the spirit of urban farming and the fall harvest season, sitting down for a feast fresh off your surroundings just sounds right—especially when all you have to do is eat and drink for a good cause. “Farm dinners are a great way to reconnect people with the farms and farmers growing their food,” said Chef Daniel Holzman, who grew up cooking in the kitchen of Le Bernardin, and later went on to open SPQR in San Francisco. “It’s inspirational to see such quality meats and produce coming from a plot of land in Queens.”
Chef Holzman will join Top Chef contestant and former owner of Brooklyn-based Paloma, Camille Becerra, in preparing the meal, which will have Cracklings and Crispy Pig Ears with yogurt and fennel pollen, Slow Roast of Loin & Belly with musto and olives, and a Pumpkin Cake with farm honey—but that’s just a sneak peek. “There is no deep moral lesson here, we are just trying to have a great time, support an awesome local farm, cook a great meal, and offer a memorable outdoor evening,” Chef Holzman continued. “As New Yorkers, it’s sometimes hard to remember that there’s an alternative to the routine.”
The only working historical farm in New York City also sells fresh (chemical-free) produce straight from the source, so be sure to poach the offerings—including tomatoes, sweet corn, lettuce heads, basil, beets, eggs, carrots, radishes, pork, fennel, scallions, potatoes, onions, and apples—when you visit.
Whole Foods has nothing on this place.
Cost: $75
How to get there: Take the E or F Train to Kew Gardens/Union Turnpike Station or Q46 Bus (eastbound on Union Tpk.) to the Little Neck Parkway stop. For information on the farm’s labor day BBQ and campout, complete with Brooklyn Brewery beer, click here. Visit bronwpapertickets.com to purchase tickets. (Queens County Farm Museum, 73-50 Little Neck Parkway, Floral Park, Queens, 718.347.3276, queensfarm.org)
Photo: Top photo courtesy of Queen County Farm, others by afulki
The co-founder and editor-at-large at offMetro, Lauren is a sustainable travel specialist and freelance journalist with frequent bylines in National Geographic, Bicycling Magazine and Shape. Follow Lauren’s adventures at @laurenmati.
Sarah Knapp is a Brooklyn based entrepreneur whose love for the outdoors and community building led her to the October 2013 creation of OutdoorFest. She has a BA in History, is a Wilderness First Responder and a NY state hiking, camp and boating guide. Her proudest achievement to date is reading the Aeneid in Latin. 
Allison was one of our first top writers and Chief Editor but is no longer working with offMetro. Allison is a native New Yorker, who has lived in Rome, Tuscany, Melbourne, Toronto and Los Angeles. She frequently contributed travel pieces to Family Travel Forum, using her own children as guinea pigs as they travel the globe. She never missed a chance to sample local delicacies, as her love for travel goes hand-in-hand with her love for food and wine. 
Josh Laskin is a freelance travel writer and photographer based in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. When he is not at work or on the road, you can find him in the mountains snowboarding, climbing, hiking, fly fishing, mountain biking, and eating bagel bites.
Annie is a travel writer, environmentalist, and surfer based in Venice, CA. She heads up our West Coast team, keeps our grammatical errors in check, and makes sure our California writers always have a plan for their next adventure. Follow Annie’s travels @annelisemcb.
Carly Pifer is a freelance writer who has been known to follow whims inspired by romantic movie scenes or colorful street style shots to India, Japan, Tunisia and Argentina. After stints living in Seoul, Boston, Paris and Los Angeles, writing and searching for something intangible, she landed somewhat steadily in Brooklyn and has begun to find inspiration in her more immediate surroundings. 
Kate E. O’Hara is a New York based freelance writer and photographer who loves all things food—especially the people who make it and market it. Her writing aims to capture the essence of the food experience; the stories that go well beyond a plate of ingredients. In addition to her love of food, Kate is also known to have a hankering for red wine and craft beer. You can also find Kate on Instagram