How to Host a Sustainable Holiday Party
Blog Post By Meg Barkley
You don’t have to sacrifice flavor or style while keeping sustainability top of mind when planning your holiday gathering. At Clif Family we’re sharing our favorite tips to make your party green and festive too!
Host a Mini Food Drive
Get into the spirit of giving back for the season. As you extend your invites, suggest in lieu of a host gift, that your guests bring a pantry item to donate to your local food bank.
Upcycled Service Ware
When planning your service ware for your party, if you’re short on platters or bowls, borrow from friends and family or visit your local vintage shop for whimsical holiday finds. And to keep down on paper waste, think about using cloth napkins. We suggest using biodegradable or reusable plates and silver like these stylish options from our friends at Knork.
Support your Local Farmers
Curate a menu, sourcing ingredients from your local Farmers’ Market or CSA program. Local produce provides nutritious flavors and helps to sustain your community. Be sure to ask your favorite farmer for recommendations about other artisan producers you can support. Many farmers produce fresh bread, pies, or other baked goods for the holiday season.
Foraged Décor
Think about bringing nature indoors for your table decorations and arrangements. Winterberry holly, persimmons, olive branches, ivy, mistletoe, acorns, or nuts make for interesting textures and colors.
Just Dip it!
Dips are always fun for any occasion. Whip up your favorite dips and try to modify a few with dairy free or plant-based ingredients. At Clif Family we love to take our Savory Nut Mixes and blend in a food processor with a little of our Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil and you’ve got a satisfying dip. Or try your hand at Chef John’s Muhammara Dip. And for the best veggies for dipping, we suggest you select an array of colorful vegetables like jicama, fennel, snow peas, lettuces, chicories, peppers, potatoes or Romanesco cauliflower.
Make it Toasty
Bring the Clif Family experience to your event by creating a “Build your own Bruschetta Bar” as your main attraction. Fill up a platter with toasted rustic bread, roasted sweet potato “toast” and Belgian endives as your base. Have fun by offering an assortment of delicious toppings. For inspiration, we suggest you check out Chef John’s selection of seasonal Bruschetta recipes on our blog.
Some favorites are: Honeynut Squash, Persimmon, or Ricotta and Winter Greens
Sustainable Beverages
For drinks, think about skipping canned beverages and look to flavor your filtered water. Infuse citrus, rosemary, and ginger for a refreshing sipper. Or brew and serve cold a spiced black tea or Rooibos tea for warm flavors. For wine, we suggest our Sparkling Brut Rose, Napa Valley Chardonnay and The Climber Bordeaux-style Red Blend to cover the sparkling, white and red drinkers on your guest list.