Make Holiday Entertaining Easy and Green

By Kristie Snyder, 

GreenLeaf Editor

The holiday entertaining season is here, and with GreenStar's help, your gatherings can be festive, sustainable — and easy. Our new Deli Manager, Erik Lucas, and the rest of the staff have been working hard to bring in natural, local and organic offerings for the winter holiday season.

Pre-made cheese plates will be available throughout the season in the grab-and-go cooler. Each will feature four or five cheeses — including an aged, a soft, a semi-firm, and a blue cheese variety — packaged with nuts and dried fruit from GreenStar's Bulk Department. Add a couple of baguettes or some crackers from Grocery, and they're perfect for a smaller gathering or dinner party. For a larger event, call the Deli for a custom cheese plate.

If you'd like to do it yourself, our new "Cheese 101" flyer can help you put together a cheese plate to be proud of, and the Deli's knowledgeable staff is always happy to help. If you've been by the cheese cooler lately, you might have noticed an expanded selection. Erik is particularly happy to present Cypress Grove's artisanal goat cheeses from California, including their award-winning Humboldt Fog.

Antipasto platters are also available, featuring old favorites and new items from the Mediterranean bar, including several varieties of olives, marinated vegetables such as mushrooms, artichoke hearts or gigante beans, and a dip or spread.

If you prefer to put together your own antipasto platter, look for new packaged Mediterranean bar offerings in the grab-and-go cooler. Erik is excited to introduce pickled vegetables made in the Deli kitchen, including local beets, spicy turnips and carrots. You'll see more Deli-made dips and spreads as the holidays near, including tapenade, caponata, roasted red pepper and feta spread, and roasted tomato and white bean dip.

The Deli's traditional party platters are still available, with a selection of wraps, quesadillas, hummus, crudités and more. Look for the flyers at the Deli counter for more information. Sushi platters are available as well.

For refreshments, check out GreenStar's great selection of local beers and hard cider. Grocery Assistant Manager Adam Morris recommends Peak Organic Brewing Company's selection of India Pale Ale, Pale Ale, Nut Brown, Pomegranate Wheat, and, specially for the winter season, their Winter Session Ale. Wolaver's Organic Alta Gracia Coffee Porter is another seasonal beer and customer favorite, even popular among those who don't normally drink beer.

For children and non-drinkers, local Hemlock Grove organic cider, available on a limited basis in the Produce Department, is a burst of apple in a glass, or try Knudsen's sparkling juices, found in Grocery. A selection of dairy and vegan eggnogs from the dairy cooler will keep everyone feeling in the holiday mood.

Keep your party green with our recycled plastic dinnerware and compostable tableware available in the Grocery Department.

Send your guests home on a sweet note with a selection from one of the GreenStar Bakery's mini-dessert, "bar-bite" or cookie platters. Or treat your loved ones to a warm-from-the-oven cookie, with the Bakery's new homemade cookie-dough rolls — they're easy to pop in the oven during the festivities for the perfect send-off.

To order made-to-order cheese plates or Deli platters, call Erik at 607.273.2507 x223. For sushi platters, call 607.273.8213. For Bakery platters, call 607.273.5069.