Gathering with friends, enjoying both sweet and savory foods, refreshing cocktails, and great coffee in a relaxed, non-hurried atmosphere is exactly why we all love brunch. Friends + Food + great company equals happiness. The very reasons why brunch is so popular. Growing up, breakfast was said to be the most important meal of the day, but shows like Sex in the City and Brunch at Bobby’s have helped to glorify Brunch.
Brunch: a meal usually taken late in the morning, that combines a late breakfast and an early lunch as defined by Merriam-Webster. Brunch: the perfect combination of sweet and savory dishes, served with cocktails at the perfect time of day as defined by the masses. Brunch is a verb for some and a noun for others. It may be the meal that gets the most attention on social media with thousands of Pins, Tweets, and Instagram posts (31,221,966 #brunch posts). Brunch moments have become a socially shared, social experience. The Washington Post reports that the search term “Brunch” has been growing since 2004.
The origins of brunch date back to 1895. Guy Beringer, a British author called Brunch “A Plea” which was published in Hunter’s Weekly. In the article, Beringer offered a suggestion to the alternative of the “heavy, post-church Sunday meals” and instead gave favor to a “lighter fare served late in the morning.” Beringer also wrote, “Brunch is cheerful, sociable, and inciting.”
In the 1930s, brunch caught on in the US. The New York Times fully endorsed brunch by declaring Sunday a Two-Meal Day. Brunch is a bonding ritual and a deep social pastime; it is bringing a fresh perspective to the idea of relaxing on the weekend.
We are all living in a hurried but “let’s plan time to relax” kind of world. We are connected to everyone through social media, but the need to slow down, relax, and connect face-to-face is real, and Brunch is the invitation to do just that.
Restaurants have capitalized on the growing trend, adding brunch menus and brunch specials, but for many the idea of gathering with friends at home is the ideal way to enjoy brunch. It gives us a chance to get creative in the kitchen and put some of our favorite cookbooks to good use. Amazon has over 100 cookbook titles that include the word Brunch, a few of our teams’ favorites include Brunch at Bobby’s, Brunch Life: Comfort Classics and more for the Best Meal of the Day, and The Sunday Brunch Cookbook by Tim Lovejoy and Simon Rimmer.
Brunching at home is multi-generational, and over the past year and a half when covid-19 had us at home, the popularity of brunch at home grew. “Brunch is more than just a meal, it is an experience,” notes Donna Letier. “It is an opportunity to capture moments in time with friends and family,” she adds. It is a time to be creative in the kitchen, spend a little more time creating a batch of morning cocktails, setting the table where everyone will actually sit down and converse, and yes exploring the never-ending brunch recipes from our favorite foodie influencers.
We created the Brunch Bag Garden to celebrate brunch- the idea that cocktails, mocktails, savory, and sweet dishes are always better with fresh herbs harvested directly from your garden. Just look at Ina Garten’s Potato Basil Frittata recipe and Martha Stewart’s Victory Garden Cocktail that brings whiskey and applejack brandy together with fresh thyme and rosemary.
The brunch bag garden comes with seasonal herbs or seasonal leafy greens, is small enough to move from your patio to your countertop, and will add flavor and style to your brunch setting. Each Gardenuity Brunch Bag Garden comes with fully rooted plants, a Brunch Bag Grow Bag, soil, plant nutrients, and a season of Grow Pro support. It is just another way to experience growing something good and Brunch.
Great food is timeless and so are great friends. So, gather for brunch and let your Brunch Bag garden have a seat at the table. Need a little more inspiration? Here is a great list of the most popular brunch items in every state. Favorite Brunch foods and drinks in every state.
A few favorite brunch recipes that are better when topped with fresh harvest from the garden:
Twice baked breakfast potatoes
Tater tot waffles with smoked salmon and fresh dill
Ratatouille toasts with fried eggs and fresh basil
Brioche with prosciutto, gruyere, egg, and fresh greens