Challenge: Serve a 100-mile Holiday Meal
When
you commit to eating only foods grown within a 100-mile radius of your
home, you get to know and support local farmers, support our local
economy, and avoid the packaging, transportation, and carbon-emission
costs of purchasing food produced farther away.
We are blessed
to live in an area that is agriculturally rich. As a result, there is
an abundance of fresh foods to include in our holiday meals that we
should all be grateful for: Fish and shellfish from the Pacific; meat,
cheese, milk, cream and butter from animals grazing on the rich
grasslands of Sonoma and Marin counties; citrus fruits from the Central
Valley and the edges of the Sierra foothills; winter vegetables and
greens from the mild coastal climates of San Mateo, Alameda, San
Benito, Monterey and Santa Cruz counties; and dried peaches, figs,
apricots and plums from the pantries of the warmer, fruit-growing
counties of Yolo, Solano, San Joaquin, Contra Costa and Santa Clara.
And the list goes on.
Easy Things You Can Do:
Plan a meal around what is in season, you'll be pleasantly surprised by the choices available:
Vegetables:
If you start with the vegetable portion of your meal, simply learn what
is in season and local to base your choices on. Visit the Center for
Urban Education about Sustainable Agriculture's (CUESA) website that
offers a calendar of when fruits and nuts and vegetables are in season in our area.
Meat:
Ham, pork, and duck are favorites for many families, but turkey reigns
supreme at most holiday tables. Whatever type of meat your family
prefers, look for chemical-free, free-range or range-fed meats for best
quality. If you're interested in turkey, consider
heritage turkeys, which have experienced a resurgence of interest due
to their superior flavor. According to the Heritage Turkey Foundation,
breeds such as the Standard Bronze, Bourbon Red, and Narragansett,
among others, "are traditional 'standard'
breeds of turkeys which have not been 'industrialized' for efficient
factory production at the expense of flavor and well-being of the
turkeys. These are the breeds of turkeys recognized by the American
Poultry Association in its 1874 Standard of Perfection."
Seafood: With the Pacific Ocean a short drive away, you also have some fresh choices of seafood. Oysters are integral to many holiday meals, either served on the half shell or tucked into the stuffing.
Shop locally.
If you haven't yet been to your local farmer's market, this is a great
season to start. The sense of health and community you'll derive from
shopping in the fresh air is a major draw for return customers. But
it's the quality of the produce that, of course, is the primary appeal
of a farmer's market. Visit http://www.localharvest.org to find the market nearest to you.
Local resources
Heritage turkeys:
Assorted meats, including ham, range-free turkeys, "heirloom" turkeys and other holiday meats that are range-fed and chemical-free:
- Dittmer's Gourmet Meats & Wurst Haus (Mountain View)
- Local markets such as Draeger's and Andronico's,
Oysters:
- Hog Island Oyster Company at the Ferry Plaza Market in San Francisco or go straight to their source on Tomales Bay.
- Johnson's and Tomales Bay Oyster companies are within walking distance of Hog Island.
Bread:
- Esther's German Bakery in Mountain View
- Campbell Bread in San Jose
- Local markets such as Country Sun (Palo Alto) and Whole Foods carry breads from other bakeries within 100 miles.
Cheese:
- Harley Farms Goat Dairy in Pescadero
- Cowgirl Creamery at Point Reyes Station
- Local markets such as the Milk Pail (Palo Alto) and Country Sun carry cheeses from numerous Northern California makers.
Sources: Heritage Turkey Foundation, http://heritageturkeyfoundation.org/; " Thanksgiving like the Pilgrims wished for", Palo Alto Weekly, 11/10,2006