Farm to Table: Your Thanksgiving Plate

Nov 19, 2021

This time next week you’ll be wishing you owned more elastic waistband pants.

Thanksgiving is quickly approaching, so we thought it was a perfect time to educate eaters about the food on their heaping plate. Because, let’s face it: When you’re stuck at the table with the awkward uncle, you may need something to talk about.
 

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We all know the star of the Thanksgiving Day show is the turkey.  Your turkey might have come from one of these top turkey-producing states: Minnesota, North Carolina, Arkansas, Indiana and Missouri. We know a lot of farmers in our trade territory who have put up turkey barns in the last ten years.
Did you know this about the big birds?:

  • Turkey is low in fat, high in protein and is a good source of iron, zinc, phosphorus, potassium and B vitamins

  • Cartoon turkeys you normally see are actually dark feathered or wild turkeys. Farmers typically raise a different breed of turkeys which are more efficient at producing meat. These turkeys have white feathers.

  • Benjamin Franklin proposed the turkey as the official United States bird.  Dismayed by news of the selection of the bald eagle, Franklin replied, “The turkey is a much more respectable bird, and withal a true original of America.” It makes us wonder how our diets might be different had the turkey triumphed.
     

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  • Cranberries, along with blueberries and Concord grapes, are one of three cultivated fruits that are native to North America.

  • Some cranberry vines in Massachusetts are more than 150 years old.

  • Cranberries don’t actually grow in water, rather they grow on dry land and are harvested using water because cranberries float.

 
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  • Starting in September pumpkins start to make their way onto stoops, into coffee cups and onto plates. 

  • Squash was part of the Three Sisters, a combination of corn, beans and squash that were planted together by Native Americans

  • The stalks of the corn supported the beans, the beans added nitrogen back to the soil and the squash spread across the ground blocking sunlight from weeds.

 

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  • Sweet potatoes are a staple on most Thanksgiving Day tables.

  • You may have heard “sweet potatoes” and “yams” used interchangeably, but they are actually from different botanical families.

  • Sweet potatoes come from the morning glory family and yams come from the lily family.
     

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  • The turkey isn’t the only animal at the table.

  • Most marshmallows contain gelatin, which is a protein substance derived from collagen, a natural protein present in the tendons, ligaments, and tissues of mammals.

  • Before you consider going vegan, remember how marshmallows make the sweet potato casserole.

 We wish you a wonderful Thanksgiving.
May you have time time to reflect upon the many things you're thankful for. 

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