This is the time of year we hear about Farm To Table dinners where the idea is to remember that our food once come from farms and not factories. Every year there are more food choices available, even in grocery stores, coming from local farms. You can support these farmers by purchasing their products and you may just be a little healthier for it. Whether you make a special trip to your local Farmer’s Market, pick vegetables from your garden or choose locally grown items at the grocery store you can make this Farm To Table menu.
Without worrying about specific guidelines for farm to table, I encourage you to host a dinner in the spirit of farm to table. Serve real food, no packaged prepared items, and it will be a great first step. Share the effort and enjoy a culinary adventure with friends.
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Gluten Free Dinner Club
Dinner Club is a perfect way for people living on a restricted diet to come together and share their experiences while enjoying a meal. If you want to be part of a Dinner Club share the idea with friends. Set the criteria then host that first meal to talk about it, without the pressure of committing to a regular schedule. You can check out my post, How To Start a Dinner Club for ideas. My Gourmet Dinner Club has been meeting for thirty years and we’ve had many culinary adventures.
Dinner Club Mishaps
In my Dinner Club we try new recipes with no expectations. The host chooses the menu and if one recipe is a total fail we are supposed to bring the dish anyway. It’s part of the experience and although it rarely happens there have been a few disasters.
There was that Thai Basil Chicken recipe made with dried basil that was apparently so horrid the entire dish went in the garbage and we never saw it. Then there is the Irish Soda Bread story from a St. Patrick’s Day menu when I was assigned to make the bread. Made with wheat flour and yeast, simple by some peoples standards; my bread was as heavy as a brick and I knew it. Clearly a notorious recipe fail, I brought it to demonstrate my effort and enjoy the wrath of my foodie friends. Everyone howled and my bread became the centrepiece on the table; forever been referred to as the Irish Soda Bread doorstop. I have not attempted Irish Soda bread since.
Get The Tools
There are no specific tools for this menu but you can’t cook and eat without them. I chose to serve my Gazpacho in Mason jars for a casual presentation then added the vegetable skewer for a touch of gourmet. A reusable grilling sheet is always helpful to avoid cross contamination when cooking on a barbecue. To make my Fruit Pizza I used a 12-inch tart pan with removable bottom.
A Farm To Table Menu
Prosecco Berry Sangria
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Gazpacho
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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 Garden Green Beans
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Summer Fruit Pizza
The same Farm To Table menu in pictures.
Warm Spinach Basil Salad with Pancetta and Pine Nuts
Chicken with Tapenade and Tomato Basil Sauce
Grilled Vegetable Stacks or Garden Green Beans
No matter what kind of a meal you create I hope you have a discussion about where your food comes from. I’d be happy to hear anything from that conversation in the comments below.
