There are officially 44 weeks until my birthday dinner I've decided to grow myself, not that I'm counting. But actually, I am. And 44 weeks gives me 308 days, from today as I’m writing this, to grow every ingredient for my birthday dinner in my backyard. Then I’ll have everyone over for dinner in the same backyard where it all grew.
I’m calling this project The Backyard Feast, and this is my official announcement!
My idea is to grow and harvest the entire meal for my birthday next year from my just-over-one-acre property. I still have to figure out all the specific rules, but I’m working on it. Like, does the olive oil count? What about salt? For now, I know all the main ingredients must be grown and harvested by me.
I'm still figuring out the guest list, but I want to keep it small. Small enough that I can enjoy making it and actually sit down to eat it. A micro dinner party feels about right.
I’m taking inspiration from people whose work I appreciate and admire: Michael Pollan, Robin Wall Kimmerer, and Martha Stewart. And just like these respected people, this project brings together so many things I love: gardening, good food, making something beautiful, and gathering people around a table.
I love having something to work toward slowly. When I plan a lot of my parities it’s typically done on a much shorter timeline. I can plant a few seeds now, spend the winter figuring things out, and hopefully watch a meal take shape in the spring and summer. By late August, I want to sit down and recognize all the little decisions and time that went into getting us to that magical meal.
Also, I really want it to taste good.
There are so many details to figure out. What will be ready in late August? What will I need to harvest earlier and preserve? How do I plan a menu when some of the ingredients might have other plans?
After seven summers at this house, I have a pretty good idea of what grows where, but I know I’ll need to be flexible. This year, not one of my summer squash came in. However, I grew a record number of lemon cucumbers once again!
Then there are all the other details. What will the table look like? Can I grow flowers for it? Do three people technically need invitations? What time is this happening?
I can easily spend as much time thinking about a little handmade invitation as I do the food. I know myself. A small dinner can turn into twelve projects pretty quickly and go from a micro to a macro party.
Over the next ten months, I'll share monthly updates on the garden, menu, and all the little details I'll surely become deeply absorbed in. That includes what worked and what didn't. Some months there may be a lot to show, and other months, I may just be looking at a patch of dirt and making plans.
I guess you could say these posts will be somewhat of a journal: what worked, what failed, and what I’d do differently. And if you’ve ever wanted to grow an entire meal, or even one thing for it, maybe you’ll find something useful here too!!
This month: pumpkins out, fava beans in
Pumpkins harvested, vines pulled. The cucumbers are almost done, although the hoop house and our fairly warm, dry fall have kept them going. It is wild to still be harvesting cucumbers in late October.
This week, I planted the first seeds for next year’s garden: fava beans. I don’t know yet whether they’ll make it onto the birthday menu, but they’re in the ground. It’s a start.
Forty-four weeks to grow a birthday dinner. Hopefully, by the end of this, we’ll have a delicious dinner shared with good people.
I’ll see you in four weeks for the next update!
