The Kankakee Kultivators Club met Thursday, October 12, at the Kankakee Public Library. Guest speaker Jade Crawford, of Charcuterie by Jade, presented the program on how to assemble charcuterie boards. Crawford, who lives in Milford, began her business as a hobby during the pandemic shutdown, designing boards for family and friends. Co-workers encouraged her to develop her business in 2022, and she’s been growing ever since.
Jade stated she provides her charcuterie services anywhere within a 75-mile radius. She enjoys making boards for every kind of occasion and enjoys doing special events, such as girls’ night home parties. Her biggest charcuterie project was a 20-foot table that served 150 people. She invites everyone to visit her Facebook “Charcuterie by Jade,” or Instagram “Charcuterie.ByJade.”
Crawford’s tips for a successful charcuterie:
- Be organized. Start with a list of everything you want on the board before shopping, though while shopping, still be on the look-out for new or interesting items you might want to try.
- Use flowers or herbs to garnish and make the board look seasonal.
- Include small bowls of dips, honey, or other toppings and small items like nuts, etc.
- Mix savory and sweet to your own tastes.
- Prep as many of the foods the day ahead so you are not too rushed right before the event. Assemble as close to the event as you can, putting items like crackers on last so they don’t get soggy.
- Vary the colors and textures of your items throughout the board so it has an interesting look. She also likes to layer food “up,” so it looks multi-dimensional and not flat.
- Be sure the platter or board you use is food-safe. If not, you can line it with parchment paper.
- Jade demonstrated how to make salami flowers, meat rivers, cheese slicing techniques, as well as unique fruit garnishes.
Guests at the meeting were invited to come to her table to taste all of the treats. The board she created at the meeting was raffled to a lucky club winner.
During the club’s general meeting, many projects the club has accomplished this year were reviewed, including: The 75th Anniversary Celebration; annual Garden Walk; District VIII Fall Meeting, co-hosted with the Kankakee Valley Garden Club; participation in the fifth grade History Days at the Kankakee County Museum, and many other projects.
The public is reminded that anyone who has an interest can join the Kankakee Kultivators Garden Club. Meetings are the second Thursday of every month, except July and January. General meeting begin at noon and the program at 1 p.m. All meetings are in the fourth floor auditorium at the Kankakee Public Library, unless otherwise noted. Join us on our Facebook page at Kankakee Kultivators Garden Club.