A Farm to Table Fourth of July

A Farm to Table Fourth of July

I decided to host a farm to table fourth of July celebration right in the heart of my very own garden.

JUMP TO RECIPES

I have always had a vision of hosting a Farm to Table dinner in the garden, I indulge this idea for the Fourth of July. I have always pictured a large farmhouse table nestled among the herbs, tomato trellis and pole beans, with some magical twinkle light dangling from above.The farmhouse table would be covered from end to end with fresh veggies that were grown from my own garden, and if you wanted more, well you could just turn around and pick more. Clearly, I grew up watching entirely too many Green Giant commercials.*Please note that I was compensated for this post. This post contains affiliate links for your convenience. These involve no extra cost to you, but may result in me receiving a small commission should you decide to purchase after clicking on my links – for which I am very grateful! You can view my full advertising disclosure here.

Last week I shared the DIY on how we created these Easy Raised Planter Beds for my veggie garden this year. As you can see they are doing very well and growing prolifically. Today’s menu will feature items from these very planter beds since a lot the items are currently in season. We have six kinds of tomatoes, peppers, lettuces, pole beans, a variety of herbs, strawberries and blueberries that are all in season. So this meal will focus on these fresh from the garden items to play up the farm to table theme. It also creates that garden vibe that I was dreaming of at them same time without any effort since it is already in place.

We constructed this large farmhouse table which I will be adding our DIY soon out of pallet wood. In fact this is one of the two pallets that our Master Bedroom Shiplap was delivered the week of June. I noticed that it was an extra long pallet much like my DIY Vertical Herb Garden Pallet,  an my mind started to immediately concoct a table/potting bench DIY plan. Waste not, want not I always say, and the long pallets are hard to come by.So this is the finished product which today will be used a farmhouse table, but can also be used as my gardening table and potting bench year round. We borrowed my metal dining room chairs for the day, which I really liked out here a lot, so do not be surprised if I end up with new dining chairs and these become a staple out here, but I think I would need at least 2-4 more lol. We also added a rustic ladder with a set of my Brightech String Lights which you can SAVE 10% off with my JENRON friends and family link, artfully draped over to create a makeshift chandelier that is long enough for the 106″ table. I have to say I love these lights and I have them on my screened porch as well. They last a long time and hold up to the weather and elements well. 

THE TABLE DETAILS:

As you look at the beautiful table dressing I love the simplicity of using a 60″ square tablecloth on the bias. I gives this rustic table a classic feel layered with the flag placemats. The tablecloth is the Oxford Striped Print in navy by Deconovo. It is suitable for indoor or outdoor use and is made of a spill proof fabric.I also loved these fun firecracker style pillows from Deconovo too! Well technically, they are called a Sunflower Floral Pattern Pillow Cover in red. I guess I personally think they look a lot like firecrackers for the Fourth of July, especially with this table decor. I will call them Sunflowers next month and then Poinsettias at Christmas time, since this is such a versatile pattern. These are such an amazing deal they come in a set of 4  pillow covers for $26.99 and are a great quality I highly recommend them. 

The Ball Mason Jar Napkins were a DIY similar to My DIY Strawberry Napkins I did for Easter. I just used this cute Ball Mason Jar Stencil from Stencil Revolution. I thought these were so cute considering I always use Mason jars as our everyday drinking glasses. Plus they were perfect for this theme. Keeping with the farm fresh theme I added some fresh clipped Gardenia’s to this sweet 8 pc set of Mason Recycled Blown Glass Vases Assortment available at Walmart. I also added in a few fresh clipped herbs like basil and thyme as well since they remind me of old fashion rooting jars like my granny used to have on her window sill in the kitchen. In fact that will probably be their new home after the gathering.

Although they could have also made a cute little party favor too with a rooted plant for my guest to take home, but honestly I did not think about it until just now, as I was writing this post. I also fell in love with these cutie melamine plates from the Hello Series at Sugarboo it is perfect for outdoor entertaining. They have 10 different greetings for each of your guests, no name cards required, they will know who they are, LOL!

The Farm Fresh Fourth of July Menu: 

As I mentioned above in my vision I wanted the table to filled with all things fresh from the garden, or at least the farmers market, if I could not actually grow it. Case in point, corn and potatoes, I just have not gone there yet, and until I have more land I probably won’t anytime soon.

I kept the drinks fresh and simple with some lime Perrier for a fresh organic vibe. We have really been trying to clean up our eating and drinking, so I am limiting our in take on all things bad these days. You may also notice that the table is predominantly vegetarian as well. No we are not completely vegan or vegetarian yet, but we have been moving closer to that direction with less meat and more vegetables. I made an Easy Peasy Caprese Pasta Salad which is just adding 3 cups cooked pasta to my Caprese Salad recipe along with 1 cup chopped Genoa Salami and 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese. My Caprese salad recipe below, features 6 types of my garden grown tomatoes including Sunny Girls, Romas, and Grape tomatoes. Then I added in four types of fresh basil we are growing as well, Hardy Ruffled Italian, Purple, Greek Basil and Traditional Sweet Green.

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5 from 12 votes

Caprese Salad

Course Appetizer, Salad, Side Dish
Cuisine Italian
Prep Time 10 minutes
Total Time 10 minutes
Servings 8

Ingredients

  • 4 cups Tomatoes ( any variety- the more the merrier) Diced
  • 8 oz Mozzarella Pearls
  • 1 cup Fresh Basil Sliced into Ribbons
  • 4 tbls Oli+ve Tuscan Herb Olive Oil
  • 1 tsp Hımlayan Salt
  • 2 tsp Fresh Cracked Pepper

Instructions

  • Dice Tomatoes into glass bowl
  • Add Mozzarella Pearls and coat with Olive oil 
  • Add salt and pepper store in Refrigerator until ready to serve 
  • Add Basil Ribbons prior to serving and stir 

I did a fresh pole bean salad, which I snapped the beans fresh off the vine and lightly stir fried them in a wok pan with some cilantro and roasted onion olive oil. Then added fresh peeled Mandarin Oranges, 1/2 cup almonds, 1/2 cup Cran-cherries and 1/2 cup crumbled Feta cheese. It was chilled for hour in the fridge and served cold, a true delight in the July heat.We also grilled up some chicken breasts, roasted herb butter Mexican Street Corn and Golden Rosemary Mini Potatoes. You can find all my recipes for my compound herb butters here in my Herbivores Harvest post. They are perfect for the potatoes and street corn and come from the herb in the garden as well.Fresh fruits were served for dessert, with fresh picked strawberries, some from my garden and some we picked ease where to supplement the volume because at our house you never too many strawberries. Ron just loves them.I also picked up some slices of watermelon and I created a batch of  Souse’ Sugar Grapes. I made a batch of Souse’ Sugar Grapes a few weeks ago for a neighborhood party and they were such a big hit with all my neighbors, I had to do a blog post about them, so here they are and I will attach the recipe link above as well for you too!You may also have noticed my cute little antique jello molds I broke out especially for dessert. I used watermelon and berry blue jello to stick to color story and flavors and topped with a little fresh whipped cream, and garnished with sliced strawberries, blueberries, or grapes.

We also had a few red velvet cupcakes with cream cheese icing. These were always my daddy’s favorite and with July being his birthday month I always think of him around the Fourth of July. So this are just a sweet little reminders and cute little patriotic dessert too. I also added just a hint of fresh mint to the tops to add the farm fresh theme to the cupcakes, and since red velvet is actual chocolate flavored the mint is a a very nice touch to the cake itself. We have so much mint right now I could add it anything and everything. Like Mint Juleps, Mint Ice cream, or mint tea. It is even nice in fresh fruit salad on and on grilled meats for a summery Mediterranean flavor.    
Of course we still had to have a few of the Americana traditional snacks for later. I thought some Moon Pies, RC Colas, and Cracker Jacks would be a fun treat while watching the neighborhood “Battle of the Fireworks”, which is always quite the the show in our neck of the woods.  Who will have the biggest and the best? We shall see…

The cute little Pepsi cart can easily be transferred over to the fireplace seating area where the comfy sofa and chairs are located which way more comfortable for lounging. Plus they are the best seat in the house to see fireworks once the sun has set behind the trees. We are literally surround on all sides by fireworks, from across the creek and our street. *This post contains affiliate links for your convenience. These involve no extra cost to you, but may result in me receiving a small commission should you decide to purchase after clicking on my links – for which I am very grateful! You can view my full advertising disclosure here.

Here is a fun little infographic about what makes up the colors of Fireworks for your viewing pleasure. I thought I would share this fun find from a great company call Compound Interest they have all kinds of great things like this Chemistry of Fireworks available at there site. I also found their book about, Why Does Asparagus Make Your Wee Smell? to be entertaining as well, but we eat a ton of asparagus, LOL.

From here we can watch the battle of the fireworks between all the different streets in our neighborhood since we are centrally located in the middle of the neighborhood. We usually have a pretty great area to watch from, so no need to even leave our own backyard. Hope you all have a happy and safe Fourth of July!

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Farm To Table 4th of July JENRON DESIGNS

26 Comments

  1. Suzy Lummus

    Wow! The small details and vision you make come alive is so pretty here. I have to say this one might have moved into one of my top three favorites! Thank you for keeping it real! So many designers have beautiful ideas ,but budgets that are far beyond my reach. You on the other hand can keep the finances in check and never compromise on the look right down to the very smallest perfect detail!
    Can’t wait to see the ship lap!
    Suzy

  2. Thank you so much Suzy! We are loving the new shiplap project by UFP EDGE, and can not wait to share the reveal of the ceiling next week! This was just a fun little bonus DIY that I decided to put together while Ron was making all the specific miter cuts for the ceiling pattern. Honestly it kept me close by if he needed me, but also busy doing something else so I did not “hover”….which can be a project killer, LOL! Plus I got a new table/potting bench out of the deal so for it was a total win-win.

  3. The farm table idea is so innovative, brilliant and inexpensive. Great job.

  4. This looks amazing and I felt like I need to be there. ha ha. I love the fresh plants pots hanging at back wall and adding charm to outdoor patio settings. I wish some day I could grow my own veggies and have them on my plates. Thanks for sharing.
    Heena – https://travelandhikewithpcos.com/

  5. This is absolutely spectacular, Jen! Your creativity astounds me! Great job on building the Farmhouse table! Everything looks so pretty and sounds so delicious!

  6. Wow! I am inspired for the 4th! You have such a wonderful eye for detail! Thanks for sharing and I can’t wait to copy some of your tips for the 4th!

  7. Wow you have a great place and view!! I am sure eating meals here is an experience. I love all the small details you incorporated! Great photos!

  8. Karletta

    Loving this Farm to Table idea. It would be nice to be invited! I especially liked the table arrangements – very nice indeed!

  9. I’ve stamped napkins, but never thought to stencil them. What a creative idea! The Souse’Sugar grapes look awesome. I’ll definitely be trying your recipe.

  10. O wow you are so creative! I love the thought and detail that you put into everything! Everything is so festive and decretive!

  11. Farmhouse Fixer Upper

    Hey Girl just popped over to tell how much I loved your post for the 4th of July and I gotten to see more on how your made this table! Are you doing a DIY post? If not you must I want to make one, so I am begging you to do a post on it, please, for me?

  12. Hey Lindsay yes I will do a post for you…. I have the shiplap ceiling releasing this week so it might be a hot minute before I get it written a up but I promise I put post all about it…. for you my friend!

  13. Everything about this is so perfect and festive! I love farmhouse decor, a lot of my own home is decorated in this way!

  14. Sarah

    Wow! I’m in love with so many aspects of this post! It’s not only creative but stunning as well. You have done a fantastic job creating the perfect farm house, outdoor space for the 4th of July. I think my favorite decor elements are the herb pallet, canning jar stenciled napkins, and the iconic all American snacks in the vintage Pepsi crate. As for your menu… well I’ll be right over! 😉

  15. Love the styling to celebrate 4th July! And nice with all the herbs you have at home. We still have a green house to build in the garden.

  16. So so pretty, I wish we celebrated it in Italy that could be the perfect table!

  17. Bella

    oh this is so pretty! I love a good farm to table look! I totally wanna come over

  18. Amber Myers

    Okay, this is the best set up. I so wish I were this kind of person but I’m more of a throw stuff on paper plates kind of person. But I always admire when people set up like this.

  19. Love the garden setting and farm to table idea. It’s a really welcoming and festive decor. Well done. Great details with the pillows and lights! Always a good choice with Perrier.

  20. Tisha

    5 stars
    This is such a cute 4th of July set up! Love it

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