Farm-to-Table Outdoor Entertaining

For years, Susan MacTavish Best enjoyed a rooftop garden every summer at her Soho loft. There the lifestyle expert known for hosting salon-style dinner parties would serve up herbs and veggies from her garden.

“There is something so special and organic about serving people dishes that include ingredients you grew yourself right there on site,” says MacTavish. “I think there is a nostalgia and authenticity to the experience that tugs at our souls and makes everything taste just a little bit better. Of course, a homegrown tomato is one of the most delicious things on the planet!”

Entertaining outdoors under the sun or stars makes you and your guests feel like you’re on an exotic vacation. “The fresh air and openness breathes a new life and aura into the occasion,” says MacTavish.

“Across the nation at many restaurants, the farm-to-table concept of serving up locally sourced, fresh produce is flourishing,” adds Joan Casanova, spokesperson for Bonnie Plants, whose plants, including vegetables, herbs and fruits, are available in nurseries nationwide.

“No matter the size of your garden space, the farm-to-table concept is easy to replicate at home,” says Casanova. “You can grow fresh foods that are readily available right at your fingertips, even if you just have a small, sunny patio or balcony. Most produce thrives in containers. Growing your own at home will elevate your cooking—and it’s certainly fun for your guests.”

If you’ve grown herbs like basil and tomatoes this summer, now’s the time to make favorites like bruschetta and pesto. Keep the farm-to-table outdoor entertaining going into the fall by growing cool-season crops like lettuce and carrots.

Here are some tips for making your farm-to-table outdoor entertaining experiences memorable and magical.

Invite guests to help with the harvest. Visitors are often delighted to help cut herbs and pluck fruit and veggies. The resulting dishes you make from the homegrown produce taste even better to them and you.

Put out homegrown produce as centerpieces. Rather than decorate your table with flowers, adorn with pots of herbs and vases containing edible flowers. Encourage guests to pick off anything they’d like to eat.

Use fun tableware and linens. Entertaining outdoors gives you permission to be more informal than indoors. Bright-colored tableware and linens lend a festive touch to the outdoor entertaining space. Today’s outdoor fabrics come in a wide variety of plentiful designs that are sure to complement whatever is growing outdoors.

Ensure comfort. If you’re hosting a daytime event, make sure that guests can seek refuge from the sun. Large trees offer cool comfort, while patio covers and awnings give a stable shade source close to the house. Patio umbrellas are another shade option.

For daytime events, MacTavish leaves out sun hats for guests. “Nobody likes bright rays on their faces all day. A cool, wide-brimmed hat is such a nice item to have handy,” she says.

Likewise, keep guests warm at night with an outdoor fire, heat lamp and blankets. “Throw blankets are also nice as an option for folks to toss over their shoulders or to sit on should seating run short,” says MacTavish.

Julie Bawden-Davis is a garden writer and master gardener, who since 1985 has written for publications such as Organic Gardening, The American Gardener, Wildflower, Better Homes and Gardens and The Los Angeles Times. She is the author of 10 books, including Reader’s Digest Flower Gardening, Fairy Gardening, The Strawberry Story Series, and Indoor Gardening the Organic Way, and is the founder of HealthyHouseplants.com. Her backyard is a Certified Wildlife Habitat by the National Wildlife Federation