Think you’ve already tried everything at this year’s Flower & Garden Festival? Think again! At the Farmer’s Feast booth, you can try three different menus over the course of the festival.
Farmer’s Feast has been a staple culinary kiosk at the EPCOT International Flower & Garden Festival for many years. It’s the one and only festival booth that features three different, rotating menus throughout the Festival’s duration. The menu of treats to try when the festival first begins offers one round of seasonal snacks and sips – but as early spring transitions into late spring, and spring turns into summer, this booth introduces a changing selection so there’s always something fresh to taste!
With the Flower and Garden Festival officially entering its Springtime menu iteration this past weekend, we just had to be there to taste the most recent offerings. From returning flavors, new dishes, all the way through to a surprise cocktail, let’s get into why you should not miss the Farmer’s Feast Springtime menu… or why you should avoid it!
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Find Returning Festival Favorites on the 2023 Farmer’s Feast Springtime Menu
Two of the three dishes featured on the 2023 Springtime menu at Farmer’s Feast are returning festival favorites! Both the Grilled Vegetable Bruschetta and the Strawberry Rhubarb Upside Down Cake are back!
The Grilled Vegetable Bruschetta at Farmer’s Feast. Photo by Maria Salerno
The Grilled Vegetable Bruschetta starts with a flame-grilled slice of fresh ciabatta bread, and is then topped with seasonal marinated vegetables before it is finished with a goat cheese crumble and topped with sweet balsamic glaze. When we visited the booth, a culinary Cast Member was toasting fresh ciabatta bread over an open grill flame!
The crunchy, lightly buttered, fire-grilled bread combines wonderfully with the soft, marinated vegetables to create a great textural contrast with each bite. The small crumble of goat cheese adds to the savory flavors here. The balsamic glaze provides a hint of sweetness without being overbearing. Overall this is a light, fresh, and satisfying snack that would pair perfectly with a hot EPCOT day.
The Strawberry Rhubarb Upside-Down Cake with a dollop of whipped cream. Photo by Maria Salerno
The Strawberry Rhubarb Upside-Down Cake has been my hands-down, all-time favorite EPCOT Festival dessert for three years running…so needless to say I was a tad nervous when I saw the dessert’s iconic (to me) preparation had changed slightly this year! Instead of serving the fresh, house-made creme fraiche on top of the upside down cake, the dollop is now served off to the side.
At first, I was put off by the change… but I should have trusted the EPCOT culinary team! The freshly whipped, not-too-sweet creme fraiche is actually better served on the side, as it no longer melts into the cracks of the warm cake before you can enjoy the dish properly.
I’m pleased to report the cake itself is still phenomenally delicious! The sweet rhubarb and strawberry top a soft, pillowy cake that truly is the stuff of dreams. The bright flavors of the fruit scream “Spring,” while the lightness of the cake and fluffiness of the creme fraiche make the dessert substantial without being overly filling or heavy. I couldn’t wait for this dish to return this year, and I can’t recommend it enough!
A New Dish to Sample, and a Surprise Cocktail?
When I stepped up to order my food, I noticed a small, very unassuming sign near the cash register…promoting a new cocktail I was not expecting! Surprise! A Strawberry-Rhubarb Cocktail (complete with Helix 7 Vodka, Gifford Rhubarb Liqueur, Monin Strawberry, and lemonade) is available as part of the Springtime menu. The cocktail was not originally announced as part of the 2023 Flower and Garden Festival offerings and is not featured in the EPCOT festival booklet, so it was a very neat surprise to see this drink listed.
The Grilled Swordfish from Farmer’s Feast. Photo by Maria Salerno
New to the Farmer’s Feast Springtime Menu in 2023 is a Grilled Swordfish dish. The Swordfish is freshly grilled by a culinary Cast Member right behind the booth, so the cooked fish never has far to travel before it lands on your plate! Grilled asparagus and roasted fingerling potatoes accompany the fish to complete the dish.
The fish was very flaky, and I didn’t even need to use the knife I grabbed to cut through it; it fell right apart! My plate came with a palm-sized piece of swordfish- a good portion for a Festival dish. The fish itself was not overly moist, and definitely benefited both flavor and texture-wise from the lemon blanc sauce drizzled over the top. The asparagus and fingerling potatoes were both cooked and flavored very nicely, and the best bite of this dish was when I got a little bit of everything on my fork at once. I just wish I got more than one potato on my plate!
A Look Ahead to the Summer Solstice Menu
While I highly recommend checking out the Farmer’s Feast Springtime menu offerings (especially that phenomenal upside-down cake!), you only have until May 20th to taste the current menu. The Farmer’s Feast menu will change once more during the 2023 Flower and Garden Festival.
The Summer Solstice menu (beginning May 21) will offer items featuring ingredients harvested during the summer months. A Tomato and Red Onion Panzanella,a barbecued Seared Pork Tenderloin, and a Sweet Corn Crème Brûlée will round out the SUmmer Solstice menu. Be sure to check back here for our review of the menu when it changes for the final time on May 21st!
