A local Thanksgiving feast

It's easy to eat local in the summer. But for many of us, it gets harder in the fall and winter. This is especially true if you don't can or preserve food some other way. I preserve a few things, but not enough to last all winter.


However, it is pretty easy to get the main components of your Thanksgiving meal locally. Farmers markets have potatoes, yams, and squash. And in Maryland we have a number of local, humane meat producers who sell turkeys, lamb, beef and almost any other meats you might want.


Two of my favorites are Springfield Farm and Roseda Farm. Springfield Farm sell eggs, butter and almost any kind of meat or poultry you would want - except beef. Beef is Roseda Farm's specialty. For the past several years we have purchased a lot of meet and poultry from the two farms. To the best of my knowledge, neither farm fits the strict, government definition of "organic", but both limit the use of antibiotics and raise their animal humanely.


At Springfield, I particularly like their eggs - big, beautiful yolks and so delicious. They also make great ice cream. I am not a huge ice cream lover (my husband is), but even I look forward to the Jack Daniel's flavored ice cream. As for Roseda, all they sell is beef, and the quality is terrific. I am not sure if you can buy individual cuts directly at the farm, but they sell their meat at a number of local grocery stores, including Graul's.


For more information on local farms where you can buy a Thanksgiving turkey, check out this article in The Baltimore Sun.


Also, if you are interested in an eye-opening look at how big agriculture is trying to take advantage of the local food trend, read this.