by Jenny Barnett

There’s something sacred about gathering in the colder months when the days shorten, the food gets heavier, and conversation carries deeper.

This time of year isn’t about picture-perfect centerpieces or overflowing tables.
It’s about quiet abundance.
A pot on the fire. Hands around a mug. A shared story while the wood pops.

If you’re looking to host Thanksgiving, Friendsgiving, or any kind of seasonal gathering with more soul than stress, here’s how we do it on the homestead: with cast iron, candlelight, and care.

Step 1: Embrace the Outdoors

Even if you’re not off-grid, taking your gathering partially outside makes it memorable. Set a table under a tree. Start a fire pit. Pass drinks from the porch. Give folks room to breathe before the feast begins.

• Set up benches, hay bales, or wooden stumps for seating
• Offer flannel throws or wool blankets to wrap up in
• Keep cast iron pots simmering by the fire: cider, stew, or beans

A few simple tools from the fireplace collection at Old West Iron can turn any hearth or fire pit into a working part of your meal.

Step 2: Cook in Cast Iron and Keep It Simple

You don’t need twenty sides. You need food with heart, food that’s meant to be passed around, eaten hot, and remembered.

A few favorites that work beautifully in Dutch ovens or over open flame:

• Homemade Dutch Oven Corned Beef
• Root vegetable stew with garlic and thyme
• Skillet cornbread or sourdough biscuits
• Baked apples with cinnamon and maple

These are meals you can make ahead, serve hot from the pan, and clean up with one rag and a smile.

And if you’re wanting something a little extra, Good.Store’s Autumn Bold Tea Blend has a beautiful, seasonal flavor that feel just right for a rustic setting.

Step 3: Decorate Like a Forager, Not a Florist

The best holiday tables aren’t designed, they’re gathered.

• Forage for pinecones, spruce tips, seed pods, or dried berries
• Use kraft paper as a table runner
• Tuck sprigs of sage or rosemary into napkin rings
• Fill mason jars or iron candle holders with beeswax tapers

These touches don’t just look good. They smell like memory.

Step 4: Set the Table with Texture

Let your table tell the story:

• Enamelware or pottery dishes
• Linen or cotton napkins (nothing disposable)
• Handmade napkin rings or tied twine bundles
• Cast iron trivets right on the table
• Wood cutting boards for passing bread and butter

You don’t need everything to match, you need everything to feel like it belongs.

Bonus: Light for Mood, Not for Brightness

Nothing ruins a warm gathering like overhead LEDs.
Choose firelight, candles, and dim lamps. Give the darkness permission to stay, it makes every bite taste better.

A Homestead Holiday Is About Remembering

• That you have enough.
• That you’re surrounded by people who matter.
• That time, not things, is what gives meaning to a meal.

So keep it slow. Keep it honest. Keep it yours.

Cast iron. Candlelight. Community. That’s the recipe.

— Jenny