A year ago, the world as we knew it was about to change. By the end of March, we were bunkering in place and dealing with everything as best we could. One of the hardest changes to many of us was not being able to physically be with our friends and family due to the lockdown and social distancing. We didn’t like it, but we adapted and learned how to ZOOM, wear a mask, wash our hands correctly and appreciate being able to buy toilet paper!
We became creative and inventive and found solutions to staying in contact with fun ways like “porch drops” and virtual gatherings. Almost a year later, many of us have accepted our “new normal” at least for now.
One clever idea that was born during this time, was the Jarcuterie, a unique way to avoid shared plates of food. A jarcuterie is all the delicious trappings of a charcuterie board packed into a jar or single-serving container.
The original trend was started by Suzanne Billings who owns Noble Graze, a charcuterie and grazing board company in Arkansas. She said she came up with the concept as another single-serving idea during the pandemic, and the idea quickly spread like wildfire.
My first “encounter” with a jarcuterie happened when a dear friend called and asked if my husband and I would like to do a “virtual” happy hour. She said she and her husband would “porch-drop” the snacks to us and then virtually see us at 5:00.
The snacks were two mason jars filled with olives, cheeses, salami and bread sticks. There were also two little containers of hummus and a nice bottle of wine. When 5:00 rolled around, we had such a lovely virtual happy hour. The food was yummy, and it was so fun to visit and catch up with our friends!
When life gives you lemons, make lemonade, or when you are living in a pandemic, make some jarcuteries and have a virtual happy hour!
– Becky Lynn is a writer for EllisDownHome.com. She and her husband Bob enjoy spending time with their 8 grandchildren and traveling. Becky loves cranking up the music and heading to the kitchen to try out new recipes or cook for an upcoming party. She is passionate about continuing to be a life-long learner!
