Life: Version 2.0 » farmers market

My Local (Virginia) Thanksgiving – Success and a summary

Susan — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 14:24:54 +0000

I am so thankful for such a wonderful day. Great friends and family gathering around the table, where we went around the table to say what we were thankful for. I am blessed.

Dinner was by far the best Thanksgiving meal I have had in a very long time. The meal was fresh and full of flavor. It was a lot of work (since I was the only one cooking) but well worth it. Only a few non-local ingredients were used (see my summary below).

Farmers Market purchases (things I purchased last weekend at my local farmers market):

13lb free-range, Virginia turkey – enough to serve 6 people, with a bit of leftovers
sweet potatoes – baked and mashed, with a hint of cinnamon, nutmeg, tiny bit of butter and salt
Red potatoes – mashed with butter, milk and salt
Brussels Sprouts – tossed in olive oil, fresh rosemary from my deck garden, salt and pepper. Roasted until browned
Kale – sauteed onions, garlic and some bacon (not local) – then threw in 1/2 cup local white wine to de-glaze the pan, then chicken broth and kale
Onions & Garlic- for just about everything
Granny Smith Apples – for deep dish apple pie
Apple Cider – used as part of the turkey brine as well as to drink
Eggs – for brushing the pie pastry
Sausage – for the stuffing.

From my deck garden: Fresh Rosemary, Sage, Thyme – all from my deck garden. I used these for the turkey as well as for the stuffing.

To decorate my table: I used some blue glass bottles with sprigs of sage, lavender, lemon verbena and rosemary (all from my deck). Beautiful.

Local beverages served:

Blenheim Vineyards 2005 Virginia Meritage

Barboursville Vineyards 2006 Virginia Chardonnay

Barboursville Vineyards 2006 Virginia Cabernet Savignon

Afton Mountain Vineyards 2007 Virginia Gewurztraminer – by far my favorite of the evening

Starr Hill Virginia Dark Starr Stout

Shenandoah Joe’s Coffee

Non-local ingredients: Salt, Pepper, Stuffing mix, chicken broth, flour, celery, walnuts, some spices, coca-cola

Treasures from the farmers market

Susan — Sun, 26 Jul 2009 23:23:33 +0000

I ‘heart’ my local farmers market.

There is no reason to shop anywhere else.

Celebrating local abundance: Wine, Coffee, Farm-fresh produce

Susan — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 00:08:45 +0000

I noticed recently that local grocery stores are starting to carry a lot more locally produced items, including wine, coffee and produce. Ultimately this does benefit the local economy and support local business and albeit convenient, it is much more expensive to shop this way. Of course if you have to rely on grocery stores, it is still a good thing to choose locally produced goods in general.

It occurred to me that it would be helpful to make a short list of resources to help folks celebrate the abundance of this beautiful state by enjoying some of what it has to offer.

Buy coffee from local roasters

In Virginia, I found these:

Mill Mountain Coffee and Tea
Orange Coffee Roasters
Central Coffee (they carry this at Whole Foods)

Buy locally grown produce

Use LocalHarvest.org to find any of the following in Virginia (and any other state):

Shop weekly at your local Farmers Market
During Farmers Market season, make it a point to buy everything you can from here. The produce is much less expensive than in stores AND it is fresh and delicious.
Participate in Community supported agriculture (many times wonderful, fresh produce gets delivered to your door!)
Pick it yourself (this is REALLY fun and supports local farmers) – visit pickyourown.org

Buy (and Drink) Virginia wine

Virginia wines are fabulous – the first vineyards in America’s history were in Virginia. Not only do these vineyards make for a wonderful weekend getaway (see my favorite Virginia Wine Blog), but the wine is excellent.

http://www.virginiawines.org/