Entertaining "in" and "from" the Garden

I knew that having a potager would be a great addition to our home from an economical and certainly from a gourmet perspective. But I really hadn’t imagined that it would add so much to our home entertaining.

This weekend, we held a little end of summer party. We host an annual event each year, but this year the garden played heavily in the theme as well as the menu. In addition, it really became a conversation item for many guests who toured around the beds to see what was growing. The garden bench served as an impromptu conversation stop.

Good friends, good food…Good Times. We served chicken and beef brisket slider sandwiches for the main course. For the side dishes, we incorporated items from the garden in each dish. The centerpiece was the Caprese salad that included the heirloom tomatoes and the bright and tasty basil from the garden. The pasta salad included corn, zuccini, pepers and peas from the garden. The antipasta/relish tray included roasted peppers and homemade pickles from cucumbers grown in the garden.

Entertaining is always fun for us, but adding the garden took it to another level. I look forward to seeing how the rest of the year’s entertaining is enhanced by our little potager.

Happy Gardening!