Easter Egg-citement!

Easter Egg-citement is right around the corner! This year we have added an extra weekend of our Easter celebration increasing the number of egg hunts that are taking place. Easter is one of my favorite times of year here at Eckerts. It starts off with a delicious breakfast in our Restaurant with the Easter Bunny. Join the Bunny for a hearty country meal to start the day off right, Breakfast with the Bunny will take place from 8am to 9:30am in our Restaurant. (Reservations are encouraged, please call 618-233-0513 to make reservations and to acquire more information). Every year when it is finally time for Easter Egg-citement to begin I get very excited because I know it means that spring is finally here and we get the chance to enjoy outdoor activities once again! We will be holding our annual Easter Egg Hunts they will take place April 9th & 10th, 16th & 17th, and 22nd & 23rd at 10am, 11am, 12pm, 1pm and 2pm.We will also have many other terrific spring activities. Baby Chicks and Bunnies will be making their annual appearance at our farm. It is always a sight to see those furry little things running around! There will be a face painting booth, and kids will get to plant their very own seed in our Garden Center to take home and watch grow. In our Country Store kids will get to create and enjoy their very own delicious Easter treat!

Hop on down the bunny trail and join us at Eckert's for this years Easter Celebration!

A Special Thanks to Our Friends at Wisconsin Cheese and Schlafly Beer!

We have recently had two "Guest Chef" Classes here at Eckert's in our Classroom. The first was held on March 21 and was the Wisconsin Cheese and Schlafly Beer Pairings. Sarah Hill from The Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board was one of our guest speakers and gave our guests a glimpse into the world of Wisconsin Cheese! Sarah Hill is in the cheese business and has more than 25 years of experience under her belt. She attended the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park where she got the opportunity to work in kitchens all across the country. Sara is currently a board member of the American Cheese Socitey and serves the Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board as Culinary Manager of Cheese Education. Sara served up some of her most delicious cheeses to be paired along side of the fine products of Schlafly Beer. Ben Broker from Schlafly Brewing discussed the fine art of concocting the perfect brew. Beer is the new wine of the U.S. Artisan Cheesemakers and Brewmasters around the country are creating wonderful products that are made for each other. Both based on the "terrior" of where they are made with full, complex flavors that make each other taste even better!

Our next "Guest Chef" Class took place on March 22nd in our classroom and was a Wisconsin Cheese Dinner. Once again Sarah Hill was our guest chef! She led us through the preparation of a fantastic meal and gave our guests the opportunity to learn about great Wisconsin Cheeses and taste items prepared with several delicious cheeses. Our recipes consisted of: Cheddar olive pops, arugula salad with Blue Cheese, baked chicken breasts filled with Prosciutto and Fontina with SarVecchio Crust, bacon mac and cheese with Gruyere and finished it off with a rich Chocolate Mascarpone fondue!

We had an amazing time and hope our guests did too. Thank you Sarah Hill and Ben Broker for making those evenings so delicious!

Spring is in the Air!

Spring is in the air at Eckert's. We are excited to be gearing up for planting season in our Garden Center. Our Garden Center is filled with springtime decorations, seeds for planting, and beautiful flowers. Eckert's wants to offer you the best selection of plants each season and during our peak seasons, April and May, new plants arrive daily. We always have an Eckert's staff member on hand to use as a resource for help when planting any garden.
During March Eckert's has fruit trees, seed potatoes, onion sets, garden seeds, cold-season vegetable plants, cold tolerant flowers, and shrubs and trees. Here at Eckert's we get very excited about the planting of fruit trees and hold an annual Fruit Tree Seminar. This year our seminar is being held on March 26th from 12pm - 2 pm at our Belleville Farm. You can relish in the bounty of your own personal orchard after attending Eckert's Fruit Tree Seminar! Learn about the great variety of fruit trees available to homeowners, the basic of fruit tree planting and how to care for your home orchard from the Eckert family. There is no registration required and it is FREE! For more information about our Fruit Tree Seminar please contact Eckert's Garden Center at 618.233.0513 x 4.

March Merriment

This March is packed full of exciting events for the whole family!

March 9, 26 & 29

Mommy & Me Cooking Class - Green is Groovy

March 10

Wine Class - Old World, New World Wines

March 12

Kids Cooking Class - Great & Green

March 12

Wine Class - Taste and Learn

March 14 & 28

Bunko Night in our Restaurant!

March 19

Cooking Class - Cook the Book, Giada de Laurentis Cookbooks

March 20

Teen Cooking Class - Pasta with Punch

This class will focus on the basics of making perfect pasta! We'll use a variety of noodles and talk about their differences as we make a traditional white sauce, red sauce from scratch, a fresh tomato sauce and more.

March 21

"Guest Chef" Class - Wisconsin Cheese and Schlafly Beer Pairings

March 22

"Guest Chef" Class - Wisconsin Cheese Dinner

March 25

Murder Mystery Dinner - The Comic Book Killer

Step into a world of Superheroes and Super Villains! In the past they only argued with each other, but now they have a common enemy. The Evil Doctor Weevil! He has sworn to destroy heroes and villains alike! However, someone uses his own fiendish plot against him. You'll meet lots of silly characters like "The Ice Man" and "Psychic Woman" or you may be a silly character yourself. "The Comic Book Killer" will be fun for both the ladies and the men! Don't forget your mask and cape when you attend this "Super" show!

March 26

Cooking Class - Brunch & Breakfast Favorites

March 26

Fruit Tree Seminar

Relish the bounty of your own personal orchard after attending this seminar. Learn about the great variety of fruit trees available to homeowners, the basic of fruit tree planting and how to care for your home orchard from the Eckert family from 12pm-2pm.

March 27

Kid's Cooking Class - Great & Green

March 30

Cooking Class - Lunch & Learn

March 31

Cooking Class - Cook and Grow Herbs

Reservations are required for most of our events so please call (618) 233-0513 to reserve your spot today! To find out more information about an event that interest you, please visit http://www.eckerts.com/.