Turkeys & cranberries ~ local fare
Thanksgiving is a day of mourning for our Native American neighbors.A day to be full of gratitude and celebrate the turkey and the cranberry for many others.I don’t love turkey, but I do love being with friends and family, coming together around the table, and all of us going for walks along the ocean.As the harvest season comes to a close, we lay out the bounty, eating a gigantic meal based on local and native foods. This is one meal that is easy to serve local. In most rural areas, we can find a turkey grower or find a turkey that hasn’t traveled too far.Thanksgiving naturally is the smallest environmental footprint meal compared to others, as so much of the meal could come from the backyard or really close to home. Most of our holiday meal will come from Martha’s Vineyard and the remainder from other parts of New England. When you think about it, very few of the dishes we serve on Thanksgiving have changed over the centuries. I have 7 “wild” turkeys (I hesitate to call them wild because they wait for me every morning hoping I will throw them some grain when I fed the chickens- and I usually do—so I have actually domesticated them!)We American’s will consume 48 million turkeys this week! Most of these birds were created by selective breeding to encourage a bird that grows lots of white breast meat quickly, is white, has been de-beaked and lives in inhumane facilities with a diet of corn and antibiotics. These birds are bred to grow quickly and their legs often collapse under their weight. These turkeys can no longer mate naturally, because their large breasts make it physically impossible. The majority of turkeys that we eat today have been created by artificial insemination. The turkey industry quickly started raising only one type of turkey in the 1960s - All so we can have a uniform (tasteless) bird!There is a health issue here not just pertaining to us eating these animals (you are what you eat!), but also to our environment. When only one kind of bird is raised, these birds are at risk of being wiped out by disease; their genes are so similar across the entire population that it is unlikely that many would be able to fight off a deadly disease.
I am suspicious of words like “Cage Free” and “Organic”! But, I am noticing several grocery stores carrying “pastured” or humanely-raised birds”. Always ask! If nothing else, the question forces the grocery to reconsider…
Ask for the name of the farm and go on the website
Investigate and call the farm to ask
Are the birds running around outside?
What are they fed?
One farmer told me that the turkeys had to be kept inside to be certified organic because they might eat bugs or dirt! (no shit!) - and if they were outside, they would fly away…hmmm???… I’ve got “wild” turkeys and I can’t MAKE them fly away! I can barely stand to hear myself rant any longer on turkeys, so I will end here on the turkey talk...Look for heritage breeds. It’s most likely too late this year to find a heritage breed turkey, but you’ve got a whole year to plan for next year, so begin looking now and always ask around! Keep an eye out for local farmers who sell turkeys that are raised more humanely and will have a smaller environmental footprint than those that have been frozen and shipped across the country.Yes, it will cost a whole lot more, but you’ll be spending money on the real price of real food!Now about cranberries…Well, there are several considerations.Organic or non-organic? Cranberries are number 17 on the EWC Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides.This says to me: IF I have to buy non-organic, it will be okay, BUT, there are other considerations. Today I saw organic cranberries in the store from Wisconsin verses non-organic MA grown cranberries. I would choose the MA ones!I want to share with you a raw cranberry relish recipe that I have been making for years. My dear friend Clarissa insists on using cranberry relish out of the can, so one year I added this recipe to the canned stuff and she loved it! It really doesn’t get any easier than this!
I am compelled to share this Boston Globe article that answers many of your cranberry questions that come to mind as you pass the bogs in Wareham on your way to the Vineyard… "They grow on the family tree" So when you are having fun around the table this week, don’t forget to say grace! I turn to my dear friend Ingrid Goff – Maidoff for inspirational graces - Simple Graces for Every Meal (warning: don’t say this over a Butterball or any other non-identified bird)
This food grew with passion, Let us live with passion, Lives of vitality, dedication, celebration and growth. Amen!