What better way to feed a crowd at a ladies night than with a Garden-Inspired Grazing Table. Read on to learn how I created this gorgeous healthy spread from local, organic food.
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I recently hosted an evening workshop for over 20 women in my own backyard. Learn more about it here. I knew many of the ladies would be arriving straight from work and wouldn’t have time to eat before the event. While I wasn’t about to cater a sit-down dinner, I also didn’t want my gals to go hungry…that’s not how my mama raised me!
I knew many of the ladies would be arriving straight from work and wouldn’t have time to eat before the event. While I wasn’t about to cater a sit-down dinner, I also didn’t want my gals to go hungry…that’s not how my mama raised me!
So I decided to put together a healthy, organic snack table for the ladies to have a nibble while they crafted their custom leather earrings.
A few days before the event I was busy in the kitchen making fresh cherry-vanilla jam and spicy garlic scape pesto from organic produce that my friends grew. (Let me know in the comments below if you would like me to recreate the recipes and post them for you.) Both spreads were a big hit!
When planning the workshop I had high hopes that my garden would be producing enough to feed a crowd, but alas we had been plagued with cold wet weather and my garden was lagging way behind its usual pace. So, I decided to make a few calls to my favorite local vendors and find another way to rustle up some grub. 😉
The day before the workshop I order fresh bread from the local bakery, Okanagan Bake House in Vernon. I really wanted it to be its best so I scheduled the pick-up time for a couple of hours before the workshop.
I knew I needed fresh produce, so I contacted my friend Michelle from Golden Ears Farm in Chase, BC. I knew that Michelle would be attending the workshop so I met her downtown and she presented me with a huge bin full of fresh-picked, organic carrots, radishes, cucumber, kohlrabi, black raspberries, and even homemade pickled garlic scapes! I was so thankful for all the beautiful organic produce.
Finally, I popped up to Farm Bound in Vernon, BC where my friend Jaye has a twice-weekly warehouse sale of the surplus bulk organic products that she purchased for her weekly subscription box sales.
This is where I picked up the organic apricots, and an assortment of organic cheeses from Jersey Land Organics a local small-scale dairy from Grand Forks, BC. I have to mention that the traditional artisan cream cheese was to die for!
The garlic scape pesto and artisanal cream cheese went together perfectly on the fresh baguette. I loved the flavor combo of creamy and spicy together.
I also made a fresh batch of my Rose Petal and Hibiscus Simple Syrup for a herbal cocktail for the ladies. See the Recipe here
Garden Inspired Grazing Table Presentation
I knew I needed a way to present the food on the snack table that would honor the hard work of the growers and producers, so my final “lifeline” call was to my friend Danica of Danica Ceramica in Kelowna, BC.
Danica is a budding ceramic artist and has taken inspiration from her own time as a market gardener as well as
I created the grazing platter breadboard from finger joint pine, which can be found in the shelving section of any big-box hardware store. I stained
The rest of the veggies and berries were simply washed and sliced. I cleaned and cut the tops off of the baby carrots and served them upright in mason jars. I think they all looked so cute and they were so easy to serve.
The Snack Table Was A Huge Hit!
Everyone enjoyed the grazing table and it was so easy to put together. I hope you give it a try and put a smile on the faces of the guests at your next ladies night.
If you would like to learn more about the Leather Jewelry Workshop see my post here. Leather Jewelry Workshop
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Thanks for hanging out!
Jana
