This sounds great! I just found this nifty little site. My family has always had a relatively local Thanksgiving, even before we really understood the whole locavore movement.
My Mom has always gotten her turkeys from a local turkey farm called Bongi's. We love the taste of the fresh, local turkeys. They are so different from the plastic encased, frozen birds.
Then there are the sides. My family has always had a garden if at all possible. I've now got one as well. So, between us, we have lots of veggies at our disposal. The butternut squash is a must have, along with the pumpkin pie from our own pumpkins. We also have goodies that were frozen during the summer, like broccoli, green beans and peas. Apples are abundant here in New England, so pies and cider are a yummy addition.
It seems that the biggest thing that is not local are the grains. We buy all of our flour from King Arthur Flour. The company is relatively local, being in Vermont, although I don't know where they get their grains from for the flour. I'm told that there will be a grain CSA starting up in the Western part of MA, so that should be very exciting.
Interestingly, I've never thought about this before. I'm relatively new to the locavore and green movements. It is neat though, that we were doing it right anyway. The only thing we need to find local now is the little boiling onions for creamed onions. Those are a must have at our Thanksgiving meal. What will you be having for Thanksgiving?
A couple of years ago my family was featured in a newspaper article about our attempt at having an all local Thanksgiving dinner. We'd been transitioning to a local diet for a few months (which was really tough, at times), but I'd never tried a feast :).
ReplyDeleteIt's gotten much easier with time, and now, most of our food is local without too much thought or effort.
It's pretty cool, isn't it, to discover that you have a local diet without even trying too hard? :)
Like you, our family has been eating (mostly) locally forever -- because the food is so wonderful. We're lucky to live in a rich food basket. We'll definitely be having leeks for Thanksgiving because the garden still brims with them...beets and Brussels sprouts too. Our turkey comes from a local farm that supplies our chicken all year. Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday because it celebrates the harvest from our garden.
ReplyDeleteHappy to have found your blog! We're just up the road in Maine...
Wendy, it seems that local does get easier the more I do it. It seemed so overwhelming at first. I love meeting all the wonderful people in the area.
ReplyDeleteJune, welcome! You aren't far at all, I think Wendy is in Maine as well. I wish we could find a good local chicken farmer around here. I've gotten turkeys, beef, pork and of course seafood, but the chicken is elusive.
Sadly, I am not going to be the one doing the Thanksgiving feast this year, my sister in law and her husband are (which is a story in and of itself!). When we prepare and host the feast, it is almost exclusively local with the exception that our turkey has not always been a truly local bird. Washington state but not necessarily that close. However, it is getting easier to find a more "local" bird. The rest of the meal is largely from our own garden - including last year's cranberries which I grew myself! I have added another bed of them this year and they should be producing by next Thanksgiving too. Pumpkin and blueberrie pies. Brussel sprouts and green bean casserole. Whole wheat rolls made from freshly ground Washington state grown wheat. Mashed potatoes from my garden. Cranberries in sauce made from cranberries grown at the front of my shop building. Usually my mother in law brings a fruit salad made from their apple and pear trees in Ellensburg. Thanksgiving is one of the easiest meals to prepare using local fresh ingredients - because it is a celebration of our American harvest and our native foods are highlighted.
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