2020 was so bad, even people who don’t believe in “lucky foods” made them this year. I’m not one of those people—I have a fair amount of Sicilian in me and so I respect the superstitions. Plus, I can’t resist an opportunity to do a local version of a holiday-appropriate meal. So this is my lucky local 2021 meal.

I made yellow-eyed peas (mostly) following this recipe from My Clean Kitchen.
The site says, “yellow eyed peas are thought to bring not just luck, but luck in the form of GOLD.” Additionally, pork is supposed to inspire progress in the new year.

I  scored the beans at Stone Gardens Farm. They sell them at their farm stand for a neighboring farmer they know. I used an onion from Wild Carrot Farm, carrots from The Farm, Woodbury, garlic from Maple Bank Farm, kale from Waldingfield Farm, and a smoked ham hock from Stuarts Family Farm.

I made cornbread muffins (following this recipe) using
Patti Popp’s renowned corn meal from Sport Hill Farm, flour from Farmer Ground, NY, and buttermilk from Hawthorne Valley.

The three foods are meant to be eaten together: black-eyed peas (or their heirloom yellow-eyed cousins) bring coins, greens (the kale) bring folding money (dollars), and the yellow-hued cornbread promises gold.

I made southern biscuits (following this recipe) with AP flour from Farmer Ground, NY, Arethusa butter, and Hawthorne Valley buttermilk. I also used Red Fife wheat from Anson Mills. They’re not local, but they’re deliberate about their grains and their growing practices and Red Fife wheat is delicious.

There are no promises of luck for eating the southern biscuits—I made them to use up the rest of the buttermilk! (They were delicious.)

So this is it 2021. You don’t have to be the bestest year evah. You just have to be better than 2020. That shouldn’t be too difficult.

Did I mention, I love my farmers!