Late summer is the time of year to celebrate local produce with friends, so that's what my Gourmet Dinner Club does every year. This Farm To Table menu is intended to be inspiration for you to create a menu that excites you. Cook food that comes from farms, not factories, and have fun talking about what you found, where you got it and what you learned.
Year after year there are more and more choices for food. More ultra-processed food but also uncommon varieties of vegetables coming from local farms, and some flown from half way around the world too.
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Visit Local Farmers Markets
You've got all year to support national and international companies that supply the safe, gluten free packaged food you want and need. You definitely should support them.
The farm to table concept is to skip the imported ingredients and enjoy the bounty of the harvest from local gardens and markets.
When I make the effort to visit a Farmer's Market I see candy cane beets, purple beans and carrots, rainbow chard, potato varieties I've never heard of, squash of all kinds, fresh herbs, beautiful edible flowers and so much more. I highly recommend the trip!
In The Spirit of Farm-To-Table
Don't avoid a dinner like this because of what you think are the rules for eating local. Host your dinner in the spirit of farm-to-table. Serve real food. Read labels. Then bring your findings to the table to share.
Make rules if that's a fun challenge for your group (remember the 100 mile diet) but I'm sure many foods don't grow near you. In-the-spirit simply means do the best you can. My Prosecco Berry Sangria uses pomegranate juice and a single orange (from South Africa in August), but the raspberries are right from my garden. To me that counts!
So plan a menu that excites you. Read the stickers on the produce (with the tiniest print ever!) and start the table conversation about where your food comes from.
The Best of Dinner Club
My 'gourmet friends' are foodies but we're not too serious. We've been getting together for decades and these days we're just happy to get a date on the calendar.
The host sets the tone and anything goes. For this particular dinner we were told to pick something from Kathy's garden and make a dish out of it.
I was assigned to salad so came up with this Harvest Jewelled Salad. I just wanted to show off candy cane beets but that's not all. An hour later, we all learned about bee keeping and I got the one tablespoon of honey I requested for my salad dressing.
How To Start a Gluten Free Dinner Club
Plan a Farm To Table dinner right now and share the idea of starting a Dinner Club at the table. Dinner Club is a perfect way for people living on a restricted diet to come together but real friends can learn to cook safe gluten free food too.
For ideas check out this post, How To Start a Dinner Club.
Make The Presentation Count
Cooks need tools and serving dishes for an impressive presentation. To minimize the amount of dishes I buy, I choose clear glass and plain white platters and trays.
Gluten free cooks know that reusable grilling sheets are ideal to prevent cross contact when cooking on someone else's' barbecue. To make my Summer Fruit Pizza I used a 12-inch tart pan with removable bottom and you can read all about how to do that in the recipe description for the Fruit Pizza.
So here's my inspiration for you to plan a Farm To Table menu. Whether your meal is simple or elaborate, has rules or not, I guarantee you'll learn a thing or two about where your food came from. And that's the point!
I'd love to hear about your dinner in the comments below.
A Farm To Table Menu
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Warm Spinach Basil Salad with Pancetta and Pine Nuts
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Chicken with Tapenade and Tomato Basil Sauce
Grilled Vegetable Stacks or Zoodles or Grilled Corn
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Summer Fruit Pizza or Grilled Peaches
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