Add a Local Twist to Cinco de Mayo
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Raise a glass and eat a celebratory meal in honor of the Mexican victory over the French at the Battle of Puebla in 1862!
Yep, that's what Cinco de Mayo recognizes. Cinco de Mayo is not, despite what many think, Mexico's Independence Day, which falls on September 16. Of course, it also celebrates Mexican culture—especially Mexican culture in the U.S—in general.
Since Cinco de Mayo is as much of an American holiday as a Mexican holiday, Mexican-American food—either typical or with a twist—is very much in order.
Depending on where you live, keeping the menu, which is likely to call for things like chiles, limes, and tomatoes, local can be tricky in early May. One relief is that the avocado harvest is often in progress, so at least you can get those in-season (and make yourself some killer guacamole).
It's an opportunity to remember that "local foods" goes well beyond produce. Sure, buying in-season tomatoes at the farmers market is the stereotypical locavore habit (and the first step to a more localized diet for many people), but finding sources for locally raised meats and things like locally (and freshly) made tortillas is part of eating foods closer to home, too.
Since all but the most stringent and humorless locavores tend to make exceptions for special occasions, holiday foods, and parties, I've gathered some of my favorite recipes with Mexican-inspired flavors without too much worry about their seasonality: