Our Outdoor Summer Kitchen Is Open And Ready For Cooking

Usually, we wait until Memorial Day Weekend to open our summer kitchen, which is our outdoor kitchen adjacent to our 1811 wine barn where we can cook pretty much anything, all alongside meadow views and a breeze.

But now that spring is here early, so is our summer kitchen, and we’ve already started to cook our favorite international dishes surrounded by the Hunterdon County hills. This spring and summer, look out for wine and food pairings, cooking demonstrations and other events in this fun and historically-inspired space.

Through early American history, people used summer kitchens to not overwhelm already stifling-hot homes. The residents of our 1811 farmhouse once had one, too – we even found its hearth deep in our cellar on which fires would be built under one or more cast iron pots or other cooking vessels.

Read More: How To Make Our Favorite Spring Dishes

The summer kitchen was built over when the 1836 section of the farmhouse was added, but we revived the idea of it soon after we started planting our vines in 2005 as a way to feed our friends and employees who helped us in the vineyard.

Since then, it’s made an appearance every spring through fall. Now, it’s more than a way to keep our team fed – it’s also a way to feed and entertain our visitors and also keep them comfortably distanced in an outdoor setting, should it make them feel more at ease.

Read More: Our Blaufrankisch Represents The Evolution Of The Hunterdon Wine Scene

In our post-COVID world, that’s been an unexpected benefit of our summer kitchen. But an even greater one? It takes us back to a primal way of cooking, reminding all of us how lucky and happy we are to be alive and dining on delicious cuisine.

Learn more about Mount Salem Kitchen by visiting us at mountsalemkitchen.com or contacting us at 908-735-9359 or info@mountsalemkitchen.com.