Jorgensen Farms

Unlike barn red or farmhouse white, yellow is not a color that people usually associate with farms. But at Jorgensen Farms near Columbus, Ohio, the yellow paint accenting all the farmstead’s buildings perfectly suits owner Val Jorgensen. She not only possesses a sunshiny personality but also stays busy as a bee running her certified organic farm. Val, in fact, keeps bees and sells honey at local farmers markets.  She also grows fields of golden sunflowers; raises chickens, lambs and cows that roam in grassy pastures; has passive solar greenhouses carpeted with pots of mint and rosemary; and plants acres of basil, dill, lavender, tomatoes, peppers and other good things she supplies to select Columbus chefs.

Although the farm generally is not open to the public, Val participates in nearby Gahanna, Ohio’s Herbal Trail and often welcomes groups for tours. Probably the most pleasurable time to experience Jorgensen Farm’s beauty and bounty is during the by-reservation-only Sunday Suppers, when professional chefs prepare seasonal dishes using Val's home-grown ingredients.  The superb food and genial country atmosphere (diners eat amid the herb gardens, on the farmhouse porch or inside the barn) are absolutely worth the cost ($68 per person) and the country drive.