Farm Fresh + New Year's = A Good Year

I was asked a few days ago what I was eating on New Years day.  To be honest I'm still recovering from cramming 16 people into my Grandma's tiny 55+ neighborhood house for Christmas where we fell short on coordinating due to the ever growing list of guests and ended up with almost 1 dessert per guest, 2 sets of deviled eggs, a full turkey and a giant piece of pork. Granted 16 people might not seem like a lot to a "normal" family however I'm an only child and so is my cousin. My Mom is an only child and my other aunt has no kids. We are a small crew but we still have fun. Lots of games and prizes are involved at every holiday thanks to our family MVP, cousin Moll-A ("A" because she is A+).

Back to New Year's....

I had no answer when asked what I was eating. Then I thought to myself should I have an answer?

The asker went on to tell me she'd be downing 12 grapes (much like an incredible game of "fluffy bunny"...one of my favorite games to watch others play) and she'd also be eating collard greens. She said it's for luck. You have to start a new year off lucky.

Luck?

Well friends it turns out there are a bunch of farm items to bring on the luck for a great year.

Here's a little list:

Greens: Think collards, kale, cabbage. The green color of these guys symbolizes money. And the more green you eat the more green you'll have in your pocket.

Collard Green Dip
Drunken Collard Greens
Cabbage Wedges in Bacon (checking 2 off the list with this one!)
Fresh Cabbage Spring Rolls (use green cabbage instead for luck)

Grapes: Grab 12 grapes to represent the months of the year and eat one for each stroke of midnight. If one (hopefully it's no more than one) is sour that will be a bad month.  Rumor has it this tradition was started as a way to take care of the grape surplus in the beginning of 1900's.

Legumes: Beans, peas, lentils....these are also representative of money since they're like coins. Dried beans grow when you cook them so they symbolize growing wealth.

Pork: Pigs root forward. Always moving forward like you want to do!  Apparently pig shaped items count too if you aren't a pork eater. Chicken however should be avoided since they scratch backward.

Cabbage Wedges Wrapped in Bacon

Pomegranates: I love almost anything pomegranate flavored...especially in the form of adult beverages. These beauties' red color represents health and all of those red seeds represent a prosperous year.

Some other "lucky" items: circular cakes or donuts, pickled herring (not something I'll be eating but it is indeed lucky), long noodles, and whole fish.

Happy New Year!