The Prep Work Has Begun

The prep work in my home has officially begun for Thanksgiving (which falls on the fourth Thursday in November here in the United States and is really one of the very nicest holidays for us local foodie people--it's all about appreciation for the meal and the people around the table!). Pounds of Corinna Garmon's string beans are blanched and in the freezer. Charlotte's butternut squash made its way into a batch of whole-grain butternut oatmeal raisin cookies yesterday. And, come hell or high water, those persimmons are going to end up on that table somehow.

But, of course, the centerpiece of it all is the holiday turkey. Last year, I bought mine from Tommy at Gum Creek Farms but his chicks didn't make it through the drought this year (which is still so fierce here that there is a complete outdoor watering ban in the northern part of Georgia, where I am, with a few exceptions including home food gardens--I met folks at the nursery the other day who were buying lettuce plants to slip in their flower beds just so they could water them).

I don't know of any other local farmer raising organic, free-range turkeys right now. So, my options, as I see them, are:

* Heritage Foods USA. According to their website:

True Heritage Turkey is a product that represents one of the greatest conservation stories in the United States. Once critically endangered, varieties like the American Bronze and Bourbon Red turkeys have now been upgraded to more secure population sizes thanks to increased demand.

But $179 for an 18-20 pounder (delivered)? And I don't see any mention of organic. Hmmmm.

* LocalHarvest. You can search by zip code for turkey farmers in your area, or you can view the entire selection of free-range, organic, heirloom (or some combo of that) turkeys that are available from various farmers on the site.

* Whole Foods usually has a large quantity of fresh, organic, free-range turkeys right before Thanksgiving.

And, of course, there will be one less turkey-eater at my table this year, so I'm looking forward to adding a new protein-packed side dish option.

In addition to the persimmons this week, I have also found passionfruit (which is the plant that the currently-plentiful Gulf fritillary butterflies used as their host plant) and black walnuts, right here in my little suburban neighborhood. What else will I find locally that may make it onto my holiday table this year?

For those of you not in the United States or Canada (where Thanksgiving was just celebrated this past Monday), you can have your own feast of local foods, friends, family and a day of thanks. It's a meal that's as good as it gets.

Any ex-pats out there? How do you handle Thanksgiving abroad?

The Prep Work Has Begun