Summer is in full swing, meaning the bounty of Denver metro farms is taking shape. Sure, fresh produce and farm-raised meat make their way to tables at local restaurants, but you also have the opportunity to enjoy these riches right at the source. The return to dining in the field is a welcome experience that celebrates the best seasonal ingredients and offers insight into the agricultural efforts of Colorado farmers and chefs.

With a variety of venues and formats to choose from, your farm-fresh dining options have never been better. Just be sure to nab your reservation soon, because many tend to sell out quickly.

Black Cat Farm

Longmont
An extension of chef-owner Eric Skokan’s Black Cat Bistro, this organic farmstead is serving three-course, prix-fixe dinners showcasing the freshest picks of the day. While you won’t know what’s on the menu ahead of time, past iterations have included spring salads, root veggies, and roasted heritage pork or lamb. Meals are served in private dining spaces (hosting up to eight people) in the historic blacksmith barn, garden cabanas, or beneath the patio pergola—surroundings that are bursting with rustic charm. Dinners start at 7 p.m. each night and can be booked via OpenTable, with reservations opening for the following week on Mondays at noon. $105 per person; you can also pre-order wine selections with the help of sommelier service

Bonus: The Supper Club, a program from chef Tajahi Cooke of Ms. Betty’s Cooking and Denver-based event company Fireside at Five, is hosting a summer dinner series. On July 21 at Black Cat Farm, Cooke will team up with chef Hosea Rosenberg of Blackbelly for a five-course meal paired with cocktails from Boulder Spirits. $275; all proceeds benefit Sophie’s Neighborhood

Lyons Farmette

Lyons
Running through the height of summer on Wednesday evenings from July 21 to September 22, this series is a collaboration with chefs from an assortment of restaurants and catering operations to serve suppers under the stars. Start off with a tour of the fields, then dig into culinary creations from chefs like Hosea Rosenberg and Paul Dominguez from Cured in Boulder. Each event also doubles as a fundraiser for different community organizations and nonprofits, so you’ll also be supporting a great cause by enjoying an alfresco meal. $69 to $125 per person

A Grazing Life at the Frost Farm

Fountain
When you take part in an event by a Grazing Life, it’s an experience that includes more than just a delicious dinner. Your time on the ranch includes tractor trailer tours, yard games like axe throwing and giant Jenga, live music and dancing, a bonfire, and more. The dinner series kicks off on Sunday, July 11, and continues on select Friday, Saturday, and Sunday nights until the final feast on Saturday, September 25. There’s also a series of farm-to-table Sunday brunches on June 27, August 29, and September 12 and 26.  After you dine, shop for local meats, vegetables, and flowers to take home with you. $145 per person for brunch; $165 for dinner (both include adult beverages)

Meadow Lark

Locations vary
This beloved series of dinners celebrates our state’s farmers and food artisans. The events will take place from July 1 through September 23 at a variety of farms, including Aspen Moon Farm in Longmont and Cure Organic Farm, and Oxford Gardens in Boulder. You’re welcome to walk the fields and chat with the farmers before sitting down to dig into a handcrafted meal inspired by the morning’s harvest and prepared onsite. Meadow Lark books dinners at $750 per table, which seats up to six people. So this is your chance to recruit some friends or family to join you for the occasion. Reservations operate on a lottery system; the one for July slots started Monday, June 7. The August lottery opens Monday, July 5, and September’s starts Monday, August 2. Sign up for Meadow Lark’s mailing list to get all lottery updates.

Whistling Boar at MetaCarbon Organic Farm

Longmont
Teaming up to host a farmhouse supper club, Whistling Boar—a Longmont-based private chef and events outfit—and MetaCarbon Organic Farm are experts in the art of table-to-farm dining while providing a beautiful outdoor setting. Come for the lovingly prepared menus spotlighting regeneratively grown produce, and stay for the farm tour, music, and dancing. All the dinners take place on Saturdays throughout the summer: June 5 and 12, July 3 and 10, August 14, September 11, and October 2 (tentative). $85 per person; menus are sent out prior to the event

Outstanding in the Field

Shawnee
Known for its impressively long tablescapes in settings around the world—vineyards, meadows, fishing docks, and city streets—this roving dining experience offers two chances to take a seat at the table in McArthur Gulch. The bucolic site located about 50 miles southwest of Denver sports rolling grasslands and woodlands on protected lands, making for an entrancing landscape. First up on Friday, July 30, guest chef Kelly Whitaker of Sunnyside’s the Wolf’s Tailor will take the reins in the field kitchen to prepare a four-course, family-style meal. The guest chef hasn’t been named yet for the following evening on Saturday, July 31, but both events also include a cocktail reception with passed appetizers. $285 per person

Sunset Dinner Experience at Sumac Hill Farm

Centennial
Smedley Events is the vision behind this curated evening that brings together culinary experts for a multi-course meal with Mount Evans as the backdrop. The sunset dinner experience on Saturday, July 10, features chef Terence Rogers and Holly Adinoff of City Park West’s Sullivan Scrap Kitchen, and a peek at the menu reveals dishes like peaches and honey, spring onion gnocchi, and Colorado lamb. In the spirit of fostering a communal atmosphere, the affair is presented in a Jeffersonian style, which means the team will introduce a topic to center conversation around with your tablemates. The chosen theme for this edition is sustainability, so come prepared to share your own stories about what it means to you. $150 per person, beverage pairings are included

A sunset dinner experience at Sumac Hill Farm. Photo courtesy of Sumac Hill Farm