Civil Eats

In this week’s issue of New York Magazine, New York-based chefs and farmers worked together to bring readers a locally grown Thanksgiving menu complete with recipes. Here is how the magazine introduced their spread:

“The Pilgrims, of course, were locavores, and now, after decades of factory farming and MSG, we’ve come full circle. Eating minimally processed food from nearby sources has become a New York, and national, obsession. In that spirit, we’ve assembled “A Local Thanksgiving”—a complete holiday feast, created by the most ingredients-driven New York chefs and sourced from area farmers. Yes, you may pay a bit more, but what you lose in parsimony you gain in ecological correctness and, most important, deliciousness. Besides, here’s something else the Pilgrims understood: Even in a world of tight resources, there are occasions when a small splurge is exactly what one needs.”

I’m considering celebrating Thanksgiving with an Eat-in, where we will eat locally sourced food, and then send everyone on their way with a biodegradable doggie bag.

How are you celebrating Thanksgiving? Are there any recipes from your neck of the woods that involve using local ingredients? Will you be using Thanksgiving as an opportunity to encourage a change in the food system?

Photo: Farmer Ken Migliorelli and Dan Barber’s fennel soup by Marcus Nilsson for New York Magazine

Paula Crossfield is the managing editor of Civil Eats. She is also a regular contributor to the Huffington Post and is a contributing producer at The Leonard Lopate Show on New York Public Radio where she focuses on food issues. An avid cook and gardener, she currently seeks out urban places to cultivate in San Francisco. You can follow her on Twitter for the latest food policy news.