Well folks - the verdict is in - we"re really into the Fall, aren't we? Philadelphia's wonderful trees are sporting beautiful colors and those wonderful drain spouts are filling up with the products of our old and gorgeous trees. Even if you are able to ignore the growing tendency of the retail world to push every holiday way before it's occurance - the weather, the time change, the leaves - all have got to have you thinking about Thanksgiving. You're a Foodie. It's a Feast. It's unavoidable.
I have to say that I have always thought that Thanksgiving was a wonderful holiday. How perfect the day is for locavores, slow foodies, and foodies in general. The whole concept of the celebration is supposed to be "local" and "seasonal" - the idea is to celebrate the harvest and the fact that you actually
have some good foods from the harvest as you prepare for the long winter months. And you don't have to run around trying to find the perfect gifts - it is truly a time to be together with loved ones and just feast!! How could that be bad?!?
And never does one meal do more for the concept of
leftovers. Starting a few hours after the actual feast has wrapped, the "picking" begins, to be followed by days of sandwiches, soups, and of course, the ever fabulous Turkey Tetrazzini! We have gone so far as to order two turkeys so that we can wallow in left overs after the big day is over and the guests have gone!
Try to stop yourself from focusing on the hectic nature of the weeks following Thanksgiving - concentrate instead on the actual day and what it means and what it has meant at various times in our nation's history. Lose yourself, instead, in the selection and preparation of many of the wonderful, local products which we are so lucky to have. It sounds trite perhaps, but spend a little time thinking about what you truly are thankful for and voice it. It will make you feel good - and even more hungry!
Again, we live in an absolutely wonderful part of the country when it comes to putting together a Thanksgiving feast. Our Farms and producers are second to none and our climate allows for wonderful Fall produce to accompany those free range turkeys and pumpkin pies. It's all right here for us - so we get to skip the travel costs - in money, in taste and in quality - that many other folks wanting a traditional Thanksgiving have to pay because they don't have such easy access.
In the next couple of weeks, I would love to hear from you as to your favorite Thanksgiving recipes. What
has to be on the table or it's just not Thanksgiving? What do you like to do with the left overs? Who are you spending the Holiday with this year?
I will be posting more about what we'll be feasting on and with whom in the next few days.
Lastly, a plug that I must include: we are faithful customers of Fair Food Farms in the Reading Terminal Market when it comes to ordering our bird. They provide wonderful options, and all are humanely raised and free of all that "stuff" that makes those turkeys in your stupermarket freezers look so - well - weird. Get your order in soon!
Please share your recipes, traditions and plans for this year!
Enjoy the Fall.
