Food & the Gathering of Iowa/MidWest Gardeners
By merigold (Maridell) on April 5, 2011
| What makes for a successful gathering of gardeners? Well for starters (and not necessarily in this order): good weather, good folk from near and far, good conversation, maybe a fun activity or two, some plants to be swapped....and oh, let's not forget the FOOD! |
As I start to write this article in the final days of winter (hopefully) I enjoy the memories of attending three of the past year's Gatherings of Iowa/Mid-West Gardeners (GIG). The memories sustain my hope that Spring will soon be here! Oh, to get outdoors again and start looking to find the first signs of green growth pushing through the muddy earth (I already see daffodils from last years gathering!). What plants will I have enough of this year to share? I am excited for my fourth trip to the GIG which takes place this year just north of Boone Iowa with Nancy (nannybee) and her husband as our hosts. This is my third year for helping with the organization of the food for Saturday's lunch (May 14th this year). I'm happy to have had the opportunity to help in this small way. By sharing the work, the event is much easier for everyone and all can enjoy the company of their fellow gardeners. In the past three years that I have attended the gathering the meal of the day has been a potluck. Goodness, we have had some wonderful meals! I can almost smell the food now, the scents of each dish co-mingling in the air! Out of the kitchens of many homes comes: chicken, pork, beef, casseroles, breads, sides of beans and salads, and desserts, lots and lots of desserts. Many of the foods are obviously made from the bounty of the previous year's garden. YUM!
This year will be a little different, and different can be good, real good, as in catered BBQ good! This year we are catering in food from a restaurant in Boone Iowa. Their specialty is BBQ and it promises to be a good meal. Think about it, who does beef and pork better than Iowa (well... except some Nebraska folk we all know)? NOBODY! Now don't be thinking you are going to get off scott free from cooking...we'd sure like to see some desserts (pretty please with sugar on top). Of course, as always, it is not necessary for everyone to bring dessert - because there is always plenty to go around!
So here is an assignment for you, look over the catering menu choices and prices below and then place your order at the end of this article! All meals will need to be pre-paid. You can post your meal choice and then I will c-mail you with my address as I will be collecting all the money. You can place your order anytime but you must place your order and send your money no later than April 4th. We will assume that you plan to bring a sack lunch if I have not heard from you by then. Also, the beverage is bring your own. Our gracious host may have something on hand such as tea but otherwise bring your favorite! The menu is as follows (click to enlarge):
10 AM Saturday Morning, May 14th: We will start meeting at Nancy’s house (c-mail twinlakeschef for directions.). Please unload your plants and complete any prearranged plant trades and be ready for a 11:30 AM lunch. This really is a wonderful opportunity for meeting with old friends and meeting some new acquaintances...that will soon become friends. To get in on the chit chat visit the MidWest Gardening Cubit http://cubits.org/MwGardening/ For attendance purposes, please post a reply to Larry R's article on the event here: http://cubits.org/articlesongardening/articles/view/903/
Please Plan to Join Us for the 2011 GIG! We Look Forward to Seeing You There! |
| « More articles |
Comments and discussion:
| Subject | Thread Starter | Last Reply | Replies |
|---|---|---|---|
| GIG pics | Moby | May 17, 2011 9:00 AM | 0 |
| Sign Up for Sat Barbeque | TwinLakesChef | Apr 18, 2011 1:58 PM | 29 |
| How fun! | Sharon | Apr 16, 2011 7:55 AM | 60 |
| Sign Up for Dessert Potlluck (optional) | TwinLakesChef | Apr 6, 2011 8:39 AM | 14 |
| Side dishes, or just desserts? | BookerC1 | Feb 28, 2011 11:09 PM | 5 |
