Lake Drake

Tuesday, 09 June 2026 — Sea Breeze Farm, Neverstill, Oregon

I built a pond with AI-assistance (Avian Intelligence—haha)!

I have wanted to do this for years, and honestly overthought the process too much. I finally got inspired to convert a low spot between the farmhouse and outbuildings and just did it! Instead of using an excavator to dig out an elaborate structure, I opted for a brilliantly simple approach. I used the ducks to build their own water feature. I simply redirected the runoff water from our spring-fed water storage tanks into the depression, fenced off the area, and introduced a gaggle of ducks and one of our sows. The water slowly filled the shallow basin, and the ducks and pig went about busily wallowing and drilling and sealing the area. Over the course of the past few weeks the mini-lake expanded from a simple puddle into a sprawling water feature, large enough to canoe in! Lake Drake is slowly expanding every day and the ducks are in heaven! Their manure gets randomly distributed across the basin as they splash, swim, and dive for treats, gradually sealing the bottom, allowing a persistent pond to form. After a couple of weeks, the frogs moved in and now we hear the delightful cacophonous chorus every evening. I’m guessing that the ducks eat some of the frogs, but the population seems to be exploding faster than their appetites.

Duck is a core staple of our restaurant menu, and I daresay over the years we have perfected our duck-raising process and are creating the most flavorful, scrumptious duck I have ever tasted. We never tire of the many preparations we have refined over the years and feature our ducky delights nearly every week of the year. My menu this month reflects exactly this reality—dishes that highlight the fledgling garden growing right next to Lake Drake and delicious dairy from Rose’s “Milch Cow”, Mocha. We can’t wait to share our delightful duck harvest with you this month at Coq au Vin. Please make a reservation and join us this month as we feature the best of the season from our garden, pastures and dairy. Here is my menu for this weekend:

Boule
George’s sourdough loaf with cultured butter

Gougère
Savory cream puff with creamy duck liver mousse and rhubarb compote

Salade Gésiers
Garden lettuces, green garlic vinaigrette, confit duck gizzards, roasted hazelnuts, fromage blanc

Tortellini in Brodo
Hand-wrapped chicken tortellini, chicken consommé, candy cap mushrooms

Coq au Vin
Red wine-braised rooster, pappardelle pasta, garden asparagus

Magret de Canard
Dry-aged, roasted duck breast with new potatoes and garlic scapes

Profiterole
Vanilla bean gelato, warm Venezuelan chocolate sauce

Bon appétit!

Quack quack!

Chef George

P.S. We have one slot left for a couple at our Farmstay experience on 21 June! You don’t want to miss this time of year on the farm. A magnificent farm feast, cozy farmhouse lodging, and a classic farm breakfast the next morning. Farmstay events are an incredible value! Book your spot now before it’s gone!

Join us at the farm

Join us for an immersive dining experience on the farm.

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