Springtime + a DIY Farmtable Plank

I’m joining my friends Cindy and Mary Ann today to share our homes in the springtime. I have to say when we first started talking about this I somehow let it slip my mind that springtime comes very slowly here in the northeast. I decided this post was the perfect time to share our recent DIY Farmtable Plank.

Cindy and Mary Ann are in California where I’m imagining the fields glowing from the wild mustard seed in bloom. When I lived in California, I would marvel at the hills being so green this time of year and then turn to brown by early summer. Here in Connecticut, even the forsythia is still showing no signs of blooms. 

The long winters give us plenty of time for DIY projects. The farmtable plank will be perfect in every season. I was imagining pots of springtime plants from the nursery.  I managed to find pots of Irish moss which was actually unexpected, but I love it! 

Pots of Irish Moss

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Quince Branches are a must in the springtime

I bought my one bundle of Quince branches for the year. They are quite expensive even at the wholesale flower market, but they will last a long time, and as I said…spring comes very slowly around here.

We made two farmtable planks inspired by those we saw at Hudson Grace

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The Supply List

• One 2″ x 10″ x 8′ fir plank (We purchased at Home Depot and had them cut in half for putting it in the car). Cost: $12
• Black Stain (Sherwin Williams Tricorn Black) – A quart will be more than enough.
• leather bootlace for hanging $12
• Sand Paper (Medium-smooth grit)
• Food Grade Mineral Oil

Tools Needed

1. Jigsaw, mitre saw or table saw (You could ask Home Depot to make the length cuts for you).
2. Drill with 1/2″ drill bit
3. Electric sander or a book of wood for hand sanding

Step by Step Instructions

•  Cut wood to 40 or 48″ long (we made one of each)
• Measure and draw the handle. It is 2 1/4″ wide at the top and 2″ wide at the bottom.
• Cut the handle with the jigsaw
• Choose the smoothest side of the wood and sand that side, the ends and the sides. We left the bottom side a little rough, but not so rough that you would get a splinter if your ran your hand on it.
• To drill a hole in the handle, measure down 1 1/2″ down and that will be your center point for the hole. Drill the hole and sand around the hole as needed.
• Once you are done sanding and happy with the smoothness, wife down with a damp cloth.
• Once the wood is dry you are ready to stain. Carefully brush on the stain trying to avoid brush stroke marks. Repeat second coat for full coverage.
• When completely dry, apply mineral oil with a soft cloth. (Something that will not shed, like an old t-shirt).
• Attache leather lace to hang when not in use.

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Using the Farmtable Plank to serve individual charcuterie servings

After the year we’ve had, we are all looking forward to entertaining again both indoors and out. But what will that look like? Will we change the ways we serve food? Especially appetizers or “finger foods.” I have always loved these farmtable serving planks and only recently have I thought the way I will use it might look a little different. Instead of arranging the food on the board in groupings of bread, cheeses, meats, fruit, spreads, olives on the board, I arranged 4 equal servings and placed them in the middle of the table. You could put each serving closer together and serve up to 6 or 8 if you had the bread at each place setting to save some space on the board.

This is communal in a way that feels like you are coming together, but it’s a little less sharing and touching. What do you think? Are you for it or do you think we will slowly go back to our old ways? I really wonder?

Grapes, Olives in salt cellar dishes, cheese, bread, almonds

Pots of Irish Moss Line the Dining room table for an easy springtime centerpiece. Give one to each of your guests as a parting gift

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Make sure to visit Mary Ann & Cindy to see what they have going on for Spring in their homes.

Classic Casual Home

Cindy Hattersley Design