Valley Bounty: Local New Year’s Eve

For many of us, New Year’s Eve is the last in a string of celebrations from late November to early January often referred to simply as ‘the holidays.’ Maybe it’s a consequence of the sustained indulgence of the preceding weeks that we often think of New Year’s as an opportunity to resolve ourselves to better habits. Even though, statistically speaking, most of us will not follow through on most of the resolutions we make, I think there’s something really valuable even simply in the act of making them—it’s a chance to reacquaint ourselves with the vision we have of who we would like to be, and take stock of the habits and routines that are not moving us in that direction.

One resolution we can get a head start on is supporting local farms. It’s easy to fill your New Year’s Eve celebration with local favorites—here are just a few ideas to get you started:

• Beet hummus — take any hummus recipe and replace the chickpeas with oven-roasted beets for a dip with incredible color and an added sweetness.
• Deviled eggs — you’ll be surprised how much of a difference fresh local eggs and a dash of hot sauce make in your favorite recipe.
• Pear slices with local goat cheese (if you really want to impress your guests, you could even add some crumbled bacon).

Valley Bounty is written by Brian Snell of CISA (Community Involved in Sustaining Agriculture)