Local Thanksgiving!

[tinuviel_k]

Is anyone thinking of trying to make an almost completely local Thanksgiving celebration? This is my first year in ages hosting Thanksgiving, and I am trying to make as many locally sourced foods as possible.

I had the BEST time today getting my ingredients. It was so much fun. I made a big list of everything I'll need for Thursday (except fresh salad greens and a fresh veggie) and hit our farmer's market. I got tons of vegetables, fruit, bread, and mushrooms and bought from 5-6 farms. It was a cold, sleety day, but we got our first snowfall so the market was humming. In addition to having a nice time chatting with the various market vendors I also got to enjoy oysters on the half shell (the oyster and clam man always has them on the weekends this time of year), fresh hot soup, and hot spiced cider. I had much more fun that I would have had I gone to the supermarket chain stores for my shopping.

For the other items on my list, including the turkey, I went to our food co-op grocery. My kitchen is filled to the brim. I baked pumpkins and made cranberry sauce today. Tomorrow I'll make pie dough and freeze the apple pie, an perhaps start the gravy and some of the appetizers.

I'd love if it other people who are trying to "stay home" food-wise for Thanksgiving would share some ideas. Here are mine:

Chanterelle crescent rolls: I make these yummy crescent rolls stuffed with a cream chanterelle mushroom with sherry. The mushrooms are gathered right here in nearby forests. The crescent roll dough, alas, comes from Trader Joe. ;-)

Turkey: While I could not afford a local heritage turkey this year I did get a free range turkey that was raised regionally. Maybe next year!

Cranberry sauce: Cranberries grown near the coast 1.5 hours away, local pears.

Mashed potatoes: My favorite German butterball potatoes grown by a super nearby farm. Yum!

Stuffing: Bread from my favorite bakery, celery, apples, onions, and garlic from the farmers market. Wild mushrooms picked locally. Broth homemade by me from local pastured chickens!

Chanetrelle mushroom soup: I picked up the last of the beautiful chanetrelle mushrooms at the market. It's been a great year for these!

Pumpkin pie: Pumpkins from my favorite farm, local eggs.

Apple pie: I live in Washington and we have TONS of great apples right now! I chose Empire and Breaburn for my pie.

I am having a little trouble trying to figure out salad and vegetables. Most of the salad green production here has fallen off. There is a local salad mix available at our co-op, but it is not my favorite. My family really loves salad, though, so I may need to "cheat" here.

I usually do green beans with shallots as my vegetable, but green beans certainly are not in season anymore. We have lots of squash and root vegetables right now, and some cabbage. I need to think further about this one.

Edited by tinuviel_k - 11/21/10 at 7:03pm

[Sativarain1]

That's awesome that you were able to buy everything locally grown for Thanksgiving and your meal plan sound delicious!

[HollyBearsMom]

Congrats! thats awesome!

I am in Thanksgiving Country, haha, so my T-days are pretty local w/o even really trying.  Local fresh kill bird, local root veggies and greens. Made my own bread but wheat was from one state away, still thats not *too* bad.  I did break the local rule and got some Oregan pinot noir and CA chardonnay. 

and how could I forget local cranberries, great for the sauce but also in a good cocktail too!

Edited by HollyBearsMom - 11/24/10 at 2:19pm

[catnip]

• Sage crock "cheese" with crackers and/or apple slices (local apples, homegrown sage)
• Stuffed mushrooms with reduced balsamic glaze (local nuts, mushrooms, onions)

• Carrot ginger sweet potato soup (all local but the spices)
• Arugula salad with beets, candied pecans, satsuma mandarins and citrus vinagrette (all local)

• Baked Ziti with buttenut squash, carmelized onions and sage breadcrumb topping (local squash, sage, onion, nuts)
• Chipotle mashed sweet potatoes (local sweet potatoes, onions)
• Breadcrumb stuffing (local onion)
• Mashed potatoes (local)
• Maple baked lentils (local onions)
• Roasted brussels-sprouts with apples and onions (all local)
• Cranberry-pear sauce (local pears, homegrown oranges)

• Baked apples with oat-nut filling and coconut whipped cream (no gluten, lightly sweetened with maple syrup only)
• Pumpkin whoopie pies
• Apple pie

[Toolip]

I wish I would have seen this earlier.  I'm not hosting this year but we have done it in the past.  I am bringing a few local things though.  I made some chantarelle butter, I collected the chantarells and the shallot was from our CSA.  I also did a cranberry relish with localish cranberries.  And I made some water kefir sodas.

OP, I'm curious where you are located.