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Thanksgiving like the Pilgrims wished for
Feast on foods in season, locally grown

by Ann Duwe

If the pilgrims could return for a Palo Alto Thanksgiving and feast on what they found within 100 miles, they would be amazed at the bounty within their reach. They had no choice about whether to eat what was in season or grown organically. They had no idea whether the yams, corn or wild turkeys they enjoyed were sustainably harvested. But they were grateful.

In that spirit the Valley of Heart's Delight is sponsoring the "100-Mile Thanksgiving," an introduction to the area's holiday food resources on Nov. 16 at the Conexions facility in Palo Alto. Conexions: Partnerships for a Sustainable Future is the non-profit organization under which the Valley of Heart's Delight project operates.

"Tastes, recipes, lists of sources for ingredients -- we'll have them set out in courses in a way that opens a conversation with staff and volunteers about where our food comes from," said Susan Osofsky, co-director of the project.

Appetizers, salads, soups, side dishes and desserts will be prepared. Only the turkey will be missing, though Heritage Turkeys, special native breeds in danger of extinction, will be on the source list. Two sources for Heritage Turkeys -- S & B Farms in Petaluma and Willie Bird Turkeys in Santa Rosa -- lie within the 100-mile limit, while two others -- Spomer Turkey Breeding Farm in Kingsburg and Mary's Turkeys in Madera are close.

"One hundred miles is guideline; it is not about denial!" Osofsky said. "Our event is much more about knowing the farmer and the source of your food than it is about limits."

Choosing local, seasonal vegetables at a farmers' market can satisfy many objectives -- support for local farmers, help for the local economy as well as avoidance of daunting packaging and long-distance transportation costs. Best of all, farmers' market vegetables are at their peak of freshness and flavor.

Not every recipe ingredient for that pumpkin pie must fit the local criteria, Osofsky said, noting that spices have traditionally come from regions far from here; just use them knowingly, she said.

Locally and sustainably grown products are available at nearby markets, but one can also go to the source or order online.

Heritage Turkeys, for example, are available from Draeger's and Andronico's. Draeger's is stocking Heritage birds from Mary's Turkeys. Both markets advise ordering early because the supply is limited.

"Heritage Turkeys arrive fresh rather than frozen and come only in approximate sizes: 12 pounds and under or 12 to 16 pounds," said John Draeger, who also stocks Diestel brand turkeys from Sonora as well. These are not heritage breeds, but the turkeys are range fed and chemical-free. Andronico's stocks Willie Bird free-range turkeys.

Dittmer's Gourmet Meats & Wurst Haus in Mountain View features house-smoked ham and turkey as signature items, smoked with hickory or maple wood and free of dangerous chemicals. While meats come from all over Northern California, the expertise for making grutzwurst, landjaeger, bratwursts, merguez and many sausages, including chorizo, is the realm of Bubert Dittmer himself.

Appetizers might include locally made bread and cheese. Campbell Bread in San Jose or Esther's German Bakery in Mountain View are easy to reach, and local markets such as Country Sun on California Avenue in Palo Alto and Whole Foods carry breads from other bakeries within 100 miles.

Cheese hounds will not be disappointed with selections from Harley Farms Goat Dairy in Pescadero or Cowgirl Creamery at Point Reyes Station. Country Sun carries cheeses from more than seven Northern California makers, some of whom are more than 100 miles away, but all of them are much closer than Europe.

Melissa Reynen, customer service manager at Country Sun, is particularly fond of firehouse cheddar (plain or smoked) made by Springhill Cheese in Petaluma. While cheese need not be "fresh" like broccoli or Brussels' sprouts, buying locally supports local producers. You can talk to them about their methods.

For oysters to serve on the half shell or tuck into the stuffing, one can shop at 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.

Organizers of the 100-Mile Thanksgiving are not serving fish for the same reasons they are not offering meat (convenience, cost and vegetarian leanings.) The pilgrims surely looked to the sea, and event organizers recognize the value of the search.

Princeton Seafood Company in Princeton-by-the-Sea features Dungeness crab bought from fishermen coming into Pillar Point Harbor. According to fishmonger Randy Haake, other varieties available now include rock fish, lingcod, albacore tuna, halibut and, from slightly farther north, Petrale sole. The commercial salmon season closed in October; the season for sport fishermen closed Nov. 11, but intrepid anglers could collect mussels or poke for eel during November's low tides.

"Our menus were chosen with an eye toward encouraging people to try new foods or to substitute local ingredients for things that traditionally grow elsewhere. Chutney might make a good alternative to cranberry sauce," Osofsky said. Village Harvest makes a line of chutneys and jams from locally grown fruit, available at Common Ground or online at www.villageharvest.org. Quince or persimmon dishes made with locally grown fruit could add color and a new twist on tart.

If one omits the turkey, as 100-Mile Thanksgiving organizers have, dry beans might be more important. Osofsky discovered pozole, a large dried-corn-like hominy, among the 20 to 30 varieties of dry corn and beans offered by Rancho Gordo in Napa. The farm also sells genuine masa flour. Their products are available at the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market, by mail order or online.

Rice is a northern California product. Lundberg Family Farm sells California-harvested wild rice in addition to other varieties. As an alternative to rice or potatoes, Osofsky suggests the Peruvian staple quinoa.

There's no dearth of locally made desserts. Like cinnamon and nutmeg, chocolate only grows in the tropics, but once it arrives here, it is transformed into fine-quality delicacies by Guittard, Ghirardelli, Scharffen Berger and Richard Donnelly chocolates. Of the many bakeries producing pies for Thanksgiving, Country Sun's Reynan waxes rhapsodic when describing pies from Christine's Upper Crust in San Rafael.

Locally made juices and herbal tea are widely available. More than 30 wineries are within 50 miles, mostly in the Santa Cruz Mountains, according to Randy Richardson, owner of Vino Locale in Palo Alto. Not all use organic, sustainable methods, but Aptos Creek Vineyard uses dry-farmed grapes, Bonny Doon, which offers lovely dessert wines, uses the biodynamic method, and Hallcrest and Silver Mountain Vineyards are genuinely organic, Richardson said.

"Thanksgiving is about gratitude, and we have much to be thankful for," Osofsky said. "There is incredible abundance in our area. We have land for agriculture, a year-round growing season and organizations working collaboratively to make this abundance visible. When you know where your food comes from, you can say thank you to the farmers."

The pilgrims would approve.

What: 100-Mile Thanksgiving

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