by Ben Becker, Newsletter Writer
Many of us consider fall the best season. The shorter days and cooler temperatures are a reprieve from the heat and demands of the summer. It lacks the chaos, mud, and anticipation associated with spring, and the cooler evenings and brisk winds lack the bite of desolate winter. It is also a popular time to connect with our food and the land on which it is grown. September brings a huge bounty from our garden plots and local farms, with many of the more delicate produce reaching its peak. October unfurls with cycles of apples with one variety after another coming into its own. By November, much of the late harvest becomes available, when hearty squashes and pumpkins can be enjoyed. All of this culminates with Thanksgiving, perhaps the ultimate American holiday for feasting.
For lovers of turkey, Tofurky, and pies of every stripe, this last gasp of fall is a chance to fill your plates and sit down to share with those in our own inner circles. As always Willy Street Co-op staff are continuing to adapt to the times and many new challenges as they do all they can to make sure that your holiday meal is still one to remember. “It is really our time to shine because Thanksgiving is a very food-based holiday,” says long-time cashier Jesse Thurber. “Staff really do really enjoy Thanksgiving even though it is a busy and stressful time.” In order to ensure all the holiday necessities are on hand, our staff still strive to supply, stock, and provide for all your holiday needs and reflect on what a community-owned grocery store stands for.
Prepared Foods Shopping
As the Co-op’s employees are putting their minds and muscles to work to provide convenient ways to set your Thanksgiving table this year, our Production Kitchen and Prepared Foods department are designing their offerings to make the prospect of preparing your turkey day feast less daunting. As always, the Co-op is here to connect with the best local product our state and region have to offer. Production Kitchen Director Ben Anderson and Prepared Foods Category Manager Nicholas Oconnor are working to incorporate as many local products as possible into your holiday menu. This will be accomplished by providing you dishes priced by the pound, so you can get the serving size that fits your gathering the best. These offerings will continue to be available without the hassle of ordering from our catering services so that you can grab them quickly and safely at the store. This should help small family gatherings avoid extra drudgery in the kitchen. At the same time, these offerings are also designed to be scalable so bigger groups can multiply their helpings or just save some for leftovers.
If you are looking for a convenient way to lighten your culinary load, you can count on staples being available, too, such as oven-roasted turkey sourced regionally from Ferndale Farms in Minnesota, green bean casserole, mashed potatoes, and stuffing. Don’t forget to add some new or favorite flavors with individually sized containers of Potato Corn Chowder, Creamy Chicken Wild Rice Soup, Maple-Roasted Root Vegetables, and of course cranberry sauce and either mushroom or turkey gravy. In developing this menu, we are particularly proud to showcase the local veggies. You, too, can take pride in knowing your meal is sourced from and supports the local farmers and producers right here at home. Our Prepared Foods department puts in a great amount of effort making sure we are sourcing local and high quality ingredients. These locally prepared foods are just about as close to the traditional homemade meal as you can get without making everything from scratch in your own kitchen, and you are sure to enjoy the time you’ll save.
Produce
For those looking for fresh, local ingredients to use in their own heirloom recipes, keep an eye out for the seasonal flavors available on our Produce shelves. These are likely to include cranberries, sprouts, celery, and potatoes grown from local farms along with other ingredients you’ll want to stock your cupboard with before curating your menu.
Wine & Spirits
You can also help yourself and your guests get into the spirit of Thanksgiving by trying out options from our wine and spirits selection. Bring a bottle to the table from our Fair Trade and organic vintages. If cocktails are more your thing, pick up some Wisconsin specialties such as Midwest Vodka, or pack some punch into your libation with a shot of Death’s Door Gin. Beer snobs can’t go wrong as Co-op coolers are packed with a changing seasonal selection from our state’s many breweries.
Turkeys
Co-op shoppers can still expect to have turkeys available for pre-order, and this year we are continuing the tradition of pricing per pound. In offering turkeys priced by their actual weight, you will be charged only for the amount of turkey you take to the register. Customers can order turkeys around a mere 10 or 12 pounds, or go all the way up to 24 pounds and above if you are looking to feed lots of folks or if you just love leftovers.
Because we source our turkeys from regional farms using more sustainable and bird friendly practices, our ability to get turkeys sourced at an exact weight is often challenged, but our Meat department staff are always ready to do all they can to make you happy. For the best guarantee that you will get exactly what you want, don’t forget to place your pre-order, and get your pick up early while we still have plenty of stock. The pre-order window goes from November 1 through November 17. Turkey pick-up will become available starting on November 19. If you miss the pre-order, or are just looking for a side of turkey to complement your other dishes, we usually have turkey breasts or other offerings other than a whole bird on hand leading up to the big day. Look for our open-stock turkeys starting on November 19.
Food Supply Chains
The market for turkeys presents an excellent case study in how our food supply chains can create or limit opportunities for locally based foods. Raising, slaughtering, and transporting meat to market is especially challenging without the availability of necessary infrastructure. With a limited number of federally inspected processing facilities here in Wisconsin, the resulting bottlenecks constrain those farmers, processors, and consumers looking to connect with each other to make local turkey-raising viable. Such limitations only further favor the big four meat conglomerates as the industry continues to consolidate and squeeze out small producers dedicated to higher quality and safety.
Ferndale and Bell & Evans
In spite of these challenges, Willy Street Co-op continues to provide two of the best brands of turkey out there. Just over the border in Cannon Falls, Minnesota, our friends at Ferndale continue to raise free-range turkeys just as they have for three generations. Ferndale turkeys are 100% free-range and antibiotic-free. In addition, their farmers have a good relationship with a humane local processor. If you are looking for an organic bird, we also carry Bell & Evans turkeys. With either brand you can be sure to enjoy a well-raised, quality turkey, and you won’t have to worry about the slimy saline solution you’ll get when shopping at other stores.
Thawing and Preparing Your Turkey
Knowing more about where your turkey comes from will help you to enjoy your Thanksgiving all the more, but to do so you’ll have to know how to thaw and prepare it too. If you are ordering a fresh turkey for pick up, don’t be alarmed to find a layer of ice on the outside of the bird. For these fresh turkeys, the freezing is only superficial, and should thaw out after an overnight in your refrigerator. If you do purchase a frozen bird, you’ll need to get it ready further in advance. Plan to keep a frozen turkey for two to three days in the refrigerator so it thaws out completely before cooking. Proper thawing can help keep you and your family safe from threats of food-borne illness or from disasters with more explosive cooking methods.
There are plenty of ways to prepare your turkey, all with different advantages. Our Meat Category Manager Nick Heitman recommends brining. “I am a brining fan; it's kind of the best way to maintain and not have the breast dry.” For an especially tender and moist turkey, try combining buttermilk and salt in a brine, as popularized by American chef Samin Nosrat. After preparation, there is always the challenge of slowly roasting your bird while working to get your sides whipped up. If you have a Weber cooker handy, you can use it to smoke your turkey and save some room in the oven. Or cut a thick slab of onions in the pan and place the turkey on top. When it mixes with the juices, the result is a perfect gravy!
Dessert
Let’s face it, not everyone sees the turkey as the star of the show. Some of us are just dessert people. For those with a massive sweet tooth, the meat and potatoes are merely forerunners to the main event. This year might be your chance to mix it up by incorporating sweet potatoes into your favorite crust, mixed in with your favorite sweeteners and spices. You might want to think outside the can, and pick up some pie pumpkins to process for a made-from-scratch dessert. If pumpkin seems a little too tired to you, give it a fresh approach by trying it in a sweet and delectable custard.
If the kitchen is not your special place but you are looking for a crowd-pleasing favorite, be sure to pick up some of our pre-made pies at the Co-op featuring locally produced ingredients. You can buy them in whole or half pies so a greater variety can be enjoyed by everyone. Grab one with Door County cherries for a culinary throwback to summer on the peninsula. These pies are sure to disappear fast, so don’t wait!
What to Be Thankful For?
For many of us, the best thing about Thanksgiving is having that opportunity to connect with family members who we don’t often see, or to socialize with our buddies at a “Friendsgiving” gathering. For families looking to spend some quality time together away from the everyday distractions, cooking up that big feast might be just the ticket. The experiences young people have in food prep not only give them a chance to expand their horizons and tastes but to develop skills and independence that will serve them in life. One way to do this is to encourage tasting as you cook. It not only helps to build culinary instincts but to introduce something new to the pallet of picky eaters. Another great strategy is to involve your teens and preteens in planning the day’s menu. Let everyone decide on at least one dish; it could be a family classic that is always enjoyed year after year or maybe something new and bold. Encourage your youth to take on preparing and cooking their selection, which can give them a sense of ownership in the meal. If your people aren’t quite ready to hold a knife or boil water safely, they can still be involved. Look for art projects like creating a centerpiece or making hand turkeys that little ones can perform safely and take pride in. The more ways you can get everyone involved, the more memorable your Thanksgiving day is likely to be. For many of us, cooking is a way to express care and affection for others, so participation can mean fond memories of time spent together.