Galentine's Night at Whole Foods

Galentine's Day is a celebration invented by the quirky and lovable, Leslie Knope of NBC's comedy, Parks and Recreation.

What is Galentine's Day? I'll let Leslie explain:

Oh, it's only the best day of the year. Every February 13th, my lady friends and I leave our husbands and boyfriends at home, and we just come and kick it, breakfast-style. Ladies celebrating ladies. It's like Lilith Fair, minus the angst. Plus Frittatas. - Leslie Knope, Parks and Recreation Season 2 Episode 16

Basically, Galentine's Day is awesome!

Last week I attended Galentine's Night at Whole Foods in Upper Arlington with my friend, Amy. I already had an idea that there were Parks and Rec fans working at this Whole Foods. A few weeks ago, I spotted an awesome chalk drawing of Ron Swanson in the meat department (where else would he be?).

Being a big fan of the show myself (I have happily compared my hometown's Heritage Festival to the fictional Pawnee Harvest Festival already on this blog), and seeing that the activities for the evening would be making truffles and terrariums, I had to go! All the best parties include chocolate and plants, in my opinion.

The evening started deliciously with hors d'oeuvres (I enjoyed lots of different types of cheese and some fantastic pecans) and a glass of wine. Our host, Hannah, welcomed us and asked if any of us watch Parks and Recreation, since that is where the idea for this evening came from. This, of course, confirmed my suspicions that this is the coolest grocery store in Columbus! I hope they have a "Treat Yo'Self" day soon!

Hannah showed us how to scoop and shape the dark chocolate truffles, which we could then roll in cocoa powder, shredded coconut or toasted hazelnut pieces. They were heavenly (and gluten-free and vegan!). We all got a copy of the recipe so I will definitely be making some of these at home!

After making a mess with chocolate (my mess was a big one, my hands were really warm that evening and the chocolate was melting all over my gloves!), we started making our terrariums.




We used mason jars, though I've seen a wide variety of containers used to make terrariums. My favorite was a terrarium made in a French press! First we put a layer of small pebbles in the empty jar (I reserved a few pink ones to put next to my plant). Next we added charcoal (to purify the water which is important for a closed terrarium) and finally, the potting soil. Everyone selected their plants and gently planted them in the soil. The finishing touches were some sphagnum moss and our reserved pebbles. All of the terrariums looked fantastic!

(I've now been bitten by the terrarium/teeny garden bug! Every empty container I come across has a new purpose: terrarium! I might turn every jar in our recycling bin into one!)


Galentine's Night was a lot of fun! Just like the Etsy Craft Night I went to a few weeks ago, it was a great value too($10 for a glass of wine, hors d'oeuvres, chocolates and a terrarium)! It was wonderful hanging out with Amy and meeting the other ladies who attended the event. Whole Foods also looks great all decked out for Valentine's Day too! 

I think Ms. Leslie Knope would be proud!