I grew up watching my mother demonstrate hospitality with Sunday dinners in our old farmhouse. I remember setting the table Saturday evening in preparation for Sunday company. We placed 12 extra boards in the old wooden dining table, stretching it from one end of the kitchen to the other end of the family room. The wooden hutch stored the special occasion dishes. From here, we pulled stacks of china plates with silver and blue trim and the matching blue tinted water glasses. The silverware chest lined with rows of ornate silverware was opened up. Two long pastel blue tablecloths were thrown over the table. Place settings were carefully set, mom reminding us which side the forks were placed on. Mom spent the week preparing the homemade meal. Sunday dinner was a full spread and I can still smell it. Dinner included mashed potatoes topped with brown butter and fresh vegetables all grown in her garden. My mother’s preserved garden pickles and red-beets were brought up from the cellar and placed in little glass bowls. Bread was baked and served with a side of homemade strawberry jelly. The desserts were many and made from scratch. I remember chocolate cake, sugar cookies with white frosting and sprinkles, and caramel pudding made with milk from the farm and topped with whipped cream. I remember the feelings of excitement that accompanied preparing for a house full of guests.

The definition of hospitality is the friendly and generous reception and treatment of guests, visitors, or strangers. Such a beautiful thing. A big Sunday dinner, simple cup coffee, or a grill picnic all represent hospitality. Good food and good conversation is life to the soul.

(PS….don’t miss the AMAZING giveaway below.)

Hatchery makes hospitality and handmade ingredients easy with their delicious and quality goodies. When Hatchery’s tasty ingredients arrive at our studio, our team gets so excited to prepare a meal that is bursting with flavor. The best part? All of Hatchery’s goodies are small batch ingredients handmade by independent makers from around the country. Hatchery says it best….”We designed Hatchery to allow people to break the norm and experience new flavors from the comfort of their own home. Our team travels the country so you don’t have to – sifting through green markets, visiting family farms and traveling dirt roads – in search of the most unique and flavorful ingredients. We’re doing our part to help people discover flavors they would have never discovered on their own.”

Combining good food and the evening chill in the air is perfect for a late summer grill picnic. Preparing for a grill picnic takes selecting the right ingredients with fresh flavor. For our team’s backyard grill party, we prepared a tasty Grilled Peach Salad. A bed of arugula, goat cheese, sugared pecans, and balsamic glaze completed the salad. We included goodies from Hatchery and peaches from a local orchard to make the salad extra special. The flavor combination was absolutely delicious.

The balsamic glaze was made by reducing a combination of  Blackberry Balsamic Vinegar and Lavender Honey.  Pecans were toasted a coated with a glaze made with Madagascar Vanilla Sugar. Before grilling, the peaches were brushed with Organic Tea Seed Oil.

This beautiful cutting board is handmade by a local Pa maker, Olde Mill Cabinet Co. 

Make the grill picnic extra festive by adding in a blueberry cocktail and a crusty loaf of bread topped with Blackberry Habanero Jam. There are many other amazing backyard grilling seasonings and sauces.

Our team is passionate about makers and we love that Hatchery values the makers behind all their products.

The Tasting Box makes such a great gift for those in your life that appreciate good food and experiencing new flavors.

Use CHARCO at check out ​on hatchery.co ​and receive your first tasting box for just $10.

Lastly, we have an amazing GIVEAWAY today. Olde Mill Cabinet Co. is providing a beautiful handcrafted wooden cutting board and Hatchery is providing a SIX month subscription to the Tasting Box packed full with incredible goodies. To enter this INCREDIBLE giveaway, head on to Hatchery, select a product you want to try from the marketplace, and leave a comment here telling us what it is OR go to this instagram post and tell what you love grilling.

Giveaway will end Friday at midnight and winner will be announced Saturday morning. Good luck friends!

This special shoot was styled by Emily and photographed by Bethany.