When I launched this blog last fall, one of my very first posts was about a big backyard harvest party that the roomie and I threw. It rained all day until an hour before guests arrived. We somehow pulled it off, all our guests slid around in their muddy boots all night, and stayed bundled in the chilly weather while we ate an incredible meal together.
This year, we’re planning a wedding on a quick timeline, so the harvest party got less of our attention. We still hosted, though, and had a blast with our people, amazing food, and another year of crazy weather!
In terms of the look and feel of the party, I changed very little. I made little signs for each chair with our guests’ names on them instead of more traditional place cards this year. Everyone found a wooden initial wrapped around their napkin. And I skipped the silver dollar eucalyptus and stuck with my dried stuff to keep it simple. Plus, I like the moodiness of the dried version and that it can be reused.
I love our harvest parties because they’re annual and even in one year, so much changes amongst our people. In the past year, a couple got married (and is expecting!), another bought a home, a newborn was in attendance that wasn’t even a twinkle last year, and we’re engaged—just to name a few! Things are always changing and it’s fun to have a consistent event that’s not a birthday or official holiday to take that all in and connect with each other.
The idea of the harvest party came to me when I was still at my job at Successful Farming. I was one of very few people on staff that didn’t have a direct tie to the farm. I got excited about so many components of agriculture while working there, but mainly I was enamored by the magic of harvest. I loved that everything came together after starting the year off planning, then planting in spring, riding the roller coaster of emotions that come with the growing season (and the many treatments that come with it), and then finally, harvest. I love that families come together to drive the grain cart, run meals out to the fields, perform equipment maintenance, etc. all to provide food for the world. And in the case of corn and soybeans, grain that contributes to a multitude of products we all use unknowingly all the time.
Harvest season always filled my heart up with gratitude for the farmers, which is why we started hosting the party. To acknowledge all that the farmers put in throughout the year to people who (for the most part) have few ties to agriculture—even living in the heart of Iowa. We eat Iowa sweet corn and meat, and toast our farmers for all that they do for us. This year, we invited a farmer and he couldn’t make it because he was in the field! It was amazing and felt full circle to acknowledge his hard work before we ate together.
I spent more time enjoying my friends and the great food this year, so there aren’t as many pictures to show off. I do have great black and white shots of some of our guests, though, which I consider to be a huge win. Thanks for stopping by! And remember to thank your hardworking farmers! 🙂
