Thanksgiving Plans

Strutting Turkey by E Scott Wheaton

Thanksgiving is upon us! I've been plotting and planning for over a month now and did most of my shopping on Saturday at the farmer's market and Trader Joe's. Shopping locally is important to me in general, but I think it's especially important for Thanksgiving when purchasing large amounts of food. My apples and pears (for stuffing, pie, and another dessert) are from Hood River, my pie pumpkin is from Square Peg Farm in Forest Grove, my green beans and sweet potatoes are from Rick Steffen Farm in Salem, my potatoes are from Ridgefield, WA (19 miles north of the PSU Saturday Farmer's Market), my brussels sprouts are from Junction City (near Eugene), my celery and carrots are from Philomath, my onions are from Spring Hill Farm in Albany, and my cranberries are from Eagle Organic Cranberries in Bandon (my mom and dad's favorite place to go on the Oregon Coast). The turkey, from Nicky Farms, we purchased at Sheridan Fruit Company yesterday because it was killed Monday after being raised in Southern Oregon. Talk about fresh!

As always, I'm planning to make far too much food. I made challah on Saturday and cubed it for stuffing and I also made maple-orange cranberry sauce. Monday morning I made an apple-cranberry chutney. Yesterday I made two different pie doughs and vanilla bean ice cream.Today I'm making stuffing, the pies, and possibly one other dessert. And of course, Thursday, I've got a lot of stuff to do. I'm excited though. I do enjoy hosting Thanksgiving dinner and I think it's going to be great.

What are you all doing for Thanksgiving? Tell me your plans!