Here we are, just over a week out from the most planned out and choreographed meals of the year. Travel plans have been made and sleeping arrangements are agreed upon. Sporting events and maybe a turkey trot have been blocked into the calendar. Some of us are scrambling to finish little house projects before our guests arrive. Others already know what they will be wearing. When it comes to the menu, I find it is often straddling traditional norms and a modernized new normal. Accommodating a variety of tastes at the table can be challenging, but does not have to be. Now is the time to put some thought, and love, into the feast.
Let’s start with your role in “The Big Meal.” The Big Meal for many is centered around a big bird. Frankly, since your loved ones have gone through so much effort to be there, there is no good reason to buy the cheapest, most industrialized version of the big bird from a supermarket. Furthermore, there may be good ethical and food safety reasons not to do so. Sparing you the full story of the living conditions, feedstuffs, and health care protocols of supermarket turkeys, let it suffice to say that the industrial turkey producers don’t offer public farm tours for a reason. Sure, our pasture housing systems are costly and cumbersome, and our grains are more expensive for having been grown without toxic inputs. But come see for yourself our animal welfare standards. Because we know you to be a champion of local, sustainable, healthy food, we also know the quality of our turkeys are more aligned with your values. But in truth, comparing a supermarket turkey to an Elmwood turkey is comparing apples and oranges.
There are likely to be office potlucks and food-centric sport spectating events on your calendar as well. Be the one to volunteer to bring a veggie-centric dish to be sure you have a few wholesome foods to chow down on. Or, tell the hosts you have a new chicken wing recipe you found, so you can eat in peace knowing they were raised right. Melt organic cheese over organic pasta, stir in some organic sautéed mushrooms and some other veggies on hand, and you’ve got a hearty dish to offer.
By preparing and cooking with whole organic ingredients, it tends to be easier to accommodate loved ones with allergies. It’s easy to create diverse menu options so the folks at your table with nut, gluten, and other allergies (not to mention your vegans and vegetarians) will all have something to enjoy. Keep your recipes simple and let the food speak for itself.
We have persevered through all kinds of weather this year in order to provide all of you with wholesome organic foods well into the winter. Spinach, lettuce, hakurei, beets, carrots, sweet potatoes, potatoes, butternut squash, cabbages, kale, fresh sage, dried herbs, turkey, beef, lamb, chicken, pork and eggs are all abundantly available. This means you, too, can have a higher intake of organic foods in your diet. It’s up to you whether you stealthily feed wholesome foods to your guests, or crow about it every chance you get. Either way, put some heaping helpings of health on your plate, and eat a little bit of everything, to be polite.
Your friends and family will thank you, and so will we. —Mac Stone
