Thursday, November 24, 2011

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving marks the spot on my calendar when I go from hoarding, to using everything up.  I didn't get nearly enough stuff put away, but then, I really didn't expect to actually succeed.  I'm not sure how I could have done better, other than to not have other things going on in my life...as if that's going to happen.

Unfortunately I don't have pictures of my Thanksgiving meal.  My parents came up last weekend and we did it all early.  I can say, however, that the only things I bought fresh for the meal were the turkey, some bacon, eggs, and sausage for the stuffing (although a few things did come from my weekly box from Boston Organics a week prior).

So we had a "real turkey".  By real, I mean from the "real food" movement that I've been reading about.  Sure, we could have bought an inexpensive stand in, but I wanted a turkey from a local farm.  Real turkeys are far more expensive, and not any better tasting that the regular grocery store model, but I like to put my money where my values are.  What better time to support local farms?

The stuffing was made from my husband's homemade sourdough bread, the aforementioned sausage, and celery from my weekly box.  I made cranberry sauce with cranberries from the box (in season and local) and agave nectar I had in my pantry.  Mom made gravy from the drippings, and it came out great!

We also had brussel sprouts that I'd been holding off on cooking for a while because I wanted some veggies.  I didn't grow any sweet potatoes this year, but I did get some in my box a few weeks before hand, so I roasted them as well.  I'd also picked up some beans from our local shop, so my mom made baked beans.  I had a butternut squash, bought from a local farmer's market, that I roasted, but wasn't really ready on time so we skipped it.  Cole slaw came from our own carrots and some local cabbage.  The mashed potatoes were entirely from our own garden.  I also pulled out the homemade apple sauce I'd frozen and opened a can of home canned pickles (the cucumbers were grown in either my or my parents garden).

I made a pumpkin pie for desert...from scratch.  The pie crust had butter picked up from a local farm, but the flour was organic, stockpiled in my pantry for this purpose, but not specifically local (trader joes).  The pumpkin grew in our garden!  The eggs were local, but not in season.  I could have pulled out some frozen ones, but I think I'll save that for later.


Overall I'm feeling pretty good about our meal.  A local meal was a great way to give thanks for all the bounty of this years harvest.  I'm looking forward to making more meals out of the leftovers, and to exploring my cupboards, freezer, and pantry throughout the winter season.