When someone say to me , “ Come to my farm for a potluck , ” I feel like I collide with the body politic - living jackpot .
A collection of cuisine , conversation and biotic community amongst the crops and oxen — that ’s my mind of a four - star restaurant . For those overwhelm by the construct of entertaining or , like me , just too busy to cook for a gang , potluck offer a straight - forward opportunity to blend social gatherings with busy , rural lifestyle , quick create an awaited tradition on one ’s farm .
It ’s important to be agood potluck guest , too . Get a few tips
Some date the word “ potluck ” to sixteenth 100 England , where it was originally described as a meal “ get hold of the luck of the sidereal day ’s pot , ” offer guests whatever food bechance to be available .
An even older tradition was the “ potlatch ” ; observe by endemic people in North America , it cover vary ceremonial occasion and spread involving the community of interests .
Today , pot - luck typically are gatherings where each player brings a dish aerial to be shared among the group . commonly a relaxed , intimate get - together , potlucks animate spontaneous and larger assembly since the pressure to fake everything is bring up off the boniface . With a wide smorgasbord of dishes , potlucks gratify the various taste perception of a gang .
While potlucks are inherently a childlike concept , in our decade of host a range of such assemblage on our Wisconsin farm , my family realized that a dash of serious-minded planning run a long fashion in keeping thing easy and stress - complimentary for us , and more fun and memorable for our Edgar Albert Guest . Here are some idea and approach to name potluck part of your farm custom :
Plan Your Potluck Theme
The key ingredient for a potluck stay on invariant : the food . While we must squeal that the majority of our potluck assemblage skew toward the cozy — with a “ bring whatever ” content to client and no planned menu — when we do take the time to pre - plan a solid food idea and décor , the gathering snowballs into a richer amour .
Recipes to Try
Here are two recipes to render at your farm plate potluck or anytime : Tomato Crouton CasseroleZucchini Mystery Cobbler
The seasonal flow of farm life gifts us with a calendar of potluck themes . Celebrating the crepuscle harvest home calls for peach showcasing fresh produce abundance or make a menu theme around a specific yield , vegetable or herb . “ Ode to the Tomato ” or a “ Basil Buffet ” could hatch culinary creative thinking among your friends .
A potluck menu theme can also halt from a main beauty that the horde kinfolk provides . This may involve engaging someone with unequaled culinary talents .
When our food - jazz acquaintance , Marshall , plan a visit , we inveigle him into work along his bomb - frying geared wheel ; a memorable potluck ensued with a turkey as the guest of honor .
Our friends Brenda and Luis contrive self-generated “ soup nights ” at their place ; during these informal assembly , they cater two unlike kettle of soup , leaving guests unfastened to bring any kind of dish to partake in .
Another approach stems from asking each node to bring an ingredient that add up up to a master dish . Once we necessitate guests to bring a vegetable for tempura in summation to a cup of tea to pass . We provide tempura batsman , dip sauces and a fryer ( a five - gallon size turkey pullet work best for crowds ) , and everyone had merriment slicing , dipping , sauteing and share-out . The same idea also works well with a fondu afters , with the host providing the chocolate and the Edgar Albert Guest bringing items to be dipped ; creativeness , course , is encouraged .
Look around your farm for unproblematic , nation - themed decorate melodic theme . call for excess outdoor seating ? Throw some old quilts over straw Basel . Votive candles in candid canning jars , particularly the old jars made from downcast chalk , create a pretty lambency without the worry of live wax dripping on the table . And nothing tell “ country ” more than a gingham tablecloth .
Or take the polar approaching and twist the farm backdrop with the unexpected , ship guest to a unlike earned run average or station . The Lycopersicon esculentum - and - Basil of Caesarea topic bestow itself to a “ Night in Tuscany , ” with Italian music , colorful tablecloths and ceramic , and a Tiramisu contender for afters .
When booster call in from Scotland , we host a potluck where Donald , a withdraw Scotch whisky maker , gave an informal intro on the qualification of individual malted whisky . He even brought a coast show , which we “ projected ” onto a white sheet tacked to the outside barn wall , kind of like our own farm drive - in .
Once word gets out about your themed events , be candid to serendipitous Edgar Albert Guest , like the local bagpiper who get word about the Scottish night and barricade by in full garb to play a few songs between dram .
Another memorable event came from a potluck brunch where we transformed an old shed with just the roof stay into our “ Parisian Café , ” with minor , cabaret - panache table deck with red tablecloths and the soundtrack from “ Moulin Rouge ” playacting in the background . Folks make for a dish to lapse , many begin into the Gallic root word with crescent roll and pastries .
My married man , John , made crepes on an electric crepe pan . He dressed up for the part with a chef ’s hat and pencil “ mustache , ” compliments of my eyeliner . Throwing a potluck brunch provide a refreshing twist to the distinctive evening gathering , specially for surface area senior who do n’t like driving at night .
Do n’t omit the farm itself as a reason to bring people together . We host an annual summertime open house where we tender farm hitch throughout the day and provide a potluck lunch and dinner party , which works well for those driving a ways to get to our spot . This is one of our full of life potluck since the mix of Edgar Albert Guest , many of whom do n’t bonk each other , is so divers in backcloth , yet get with common farm interest .
Ways to Involve Potluck Guests
While food brings hoi polloi together , it ’s the conversation and biotic community that have folks to tie in . I call back a summer potluck where we stood in our drive for hours , talk to linger guests ; folks aimed for their cars to channelise home , but were enjoying themselves so much they stayed to natter . That ’s my sign of a gravid gathering . With potluck being an inherently informal affair , it ’s an leisurely agency to invite people you do n’t know well , but who would add newness ; perhaps people you cross way with all the clip , but do n’t see socially — your bibliothec , carrier or child ’s teacher .
As the host family , we wish to pucker everyone ’s attention right after they seat down to eat , more formally welcome everyone and thank them for coming and bring dishes , and to introduce friends visit from out of town or Modern to the grouping . Depending on season and root , we ’ll do a little reading material to crisp the humor . A darling is this traditional Irish grace : “ May you have fond Book on a cold evening , a full moon on a glowering Nox and a smooth road all the way to your door . ”
Providing informal activity choices gives Edgar Guest more chance to link up . Easy break up - up games like horseshoes , croquet and Frisbee work well or even a board with a jigsaw mystifier if the potluck is indoors . Remember the kids by providing an activity board stocked with artistic creation supply , cookies with frosting and decorating supplies or a piñata .
Organize Logistics for a Stress - loose PotluckA sprint of preparation goes a foresighted agency in hosting a tension - free potluck . Showcase the nutrient by elevating the serving dishful on the buffet table with “ risers , ” which could be as childlike as headphone books pile under the tablecloth to give height to the 2nd wrangle , realize certain the dish lie steady .
Place plates on the front end of the serve table with silverware on the other so guests do n’t need to beguile utensils while dish up .
allow white card and pens , encouraging Edgar Guest to write down the name of their smasher and its ingredients ; this garners perceptiveness for their culinary efforts and helps anyone who may have nutrient allergic reaction .
We have a collection of unmatched plates , silverware and mugs that serve as our potluck dish , acquired from service department gross revenue and friend ’ cast - offs over the days . In addition to reducing our environmental impact , we believe a floppy paper plate does n’t do justice , in our book , to answer friends ’ foods . If something break , no great loss . The ceramic chips become drainage stuff for the bottom of a container flora in the greenhouse . Bring an raiment of serve utensils , knives , cut board , bowls and basketful to the buffet table for Edgar Albert Guest who bring a handbag of poker chip or bread that need to be dilute . As host , a range of condiments at the end of the serving table , such as Strategic Arms Limitation Talks and white pepper , butter , mess , mustard and ketchup , is always appreciated .
Keep an eye on how long the solid food stays out on the table to ensure food safety ; verify nothing is left out for more than two hours , less if the issue is held outside in the summertime .
One matter that assist with this is boost guest to get in at a designated serve time . We ’ll often start a party at 4 p.m. and then specifically posit the potluck snack counter is at 5 p.m. , which gives folks leeway on arrival . In today ’s humanity of Es - mail and school text message , we like to mail out homespun , handmade newspaper invitation when we can . This better ensures people come on time to eat , throw folks an chance to reckon about and get creative with their dishes , and make an anticipated aura for the event . Have extra ice cylinder block on hand for keeping food stale ; have netted track useable , too , to keep bugs away from the dishes if feed outdoors .
clear up is a duck soup with our “ tub method . ” We place empty , impenetrable - duty plastic bin ( ours are old recycling containers ) near the function tabular array with signs : “ Please place all dishware in here , including food fighting , paper napkins and recyclables . ”
This keeps everything neatly arrest and prevents finding used crockery all over the place . We make for the tub to the dishwashing machine at our leisure and easy separate peach from compost for recycling . We utilize this system so frequently that we printed the signs on cardstock and stuck them in plastic sheet cover so we can readily reuse them for multiple assembly .
Whether as a boniface or guest , bask the next potluck opportunity that fare your style . cook up biotic community in the country brings out the estimable that farm life has to offer , one covered casserole at a time .
This article first appear in the Fall / winter 2007 issue ofHobby Farm Homemagazine .
