I’m going to be perfectly honest here, I LOVE SPRING. The sun is out earlier and longer, the weather warms up and my favorite plum trees out in front of my house blossom with incredible pink flowers that brighten every morning. My family celebrates Easter, which traditionally centered around candy-filled baskets and a big feast with ham as the centerpiece.
As I reenacted these traditions with my own children, I began to feel terribly conflicted about the junk I, er, I mean the Easter Bunny was putting in their baskets. From the plastic “grass” to the high fructose corn syrup filled candy, I wondered how I could keep our traditions alive.
With a little effort, I was able to find biodegradable shredded paper for the bedding of their baskets, tons of organic candy, lollipops, and chocolate to satisfy their sweet tooth and even modified our family recipes with organic herbs, spices and other ingredients.
Now, my kids can build all of the same memories I had during my childhood and I can feel good about how we’re celebrating in healthy and eco-friendly ways.
If you’re serving ham for Easter brunch or dinner, try this recipe using all organic ingredients. Happy Easter!
Savory Organic Easter Ham
Ingredients
Organic ham 5-8 lbs. (bone in)
1/2 cup organic yellow mustard
1/2 cup organic dark brown sugar
1 tsp. organic ground black pepper
2 tsp. organic whole cloves
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
2. Cut across outer layer of ham, just through top layer, in long diagonal slices. Repeat in opposite direction until a criss-cross pattern is achieved.
3. Mix mustard, brown sugar and black pepper in a small bowl. Using a basting brush or your hands, coat ham with mixture. Using as many whole cloves as needed, push the stem-end of the whole cloves into spots where the slice pattern has created an “x,” or sporadically throughout slice marks as desired.
4. Cover with foil and bake for 15-20 minutes per pound. Remove foil and bake uncovered for last 15 minutes.
5. Slice, serve, and enjoy!