Thanksgiving Dinner Locally Grown

Last week I had the opportunity to take a cooking class at the Canandaigua  New York Wine and Culinary Center. The class was focused on Thanksgiving  dinner.  The meal was fabulous and not  being a great chef, I truly enjoyed learning some helpful hints. We were told  about why you should brine your turkey; how the cells of the turkey expand and  retain the moisture. We were given hints about how to prepare dishes, such as mashed  potatoes and green bean casserole, ahead of time so that everything is ready at  the same time.  You put them in the oven
after taking out the turkey and letting it cool for the required one-half hour.  And there really is the perfect way to carve  a turkey.

We were able to enjoy the meal after we were done with  class: turkey, stuffing, cranberry relish, mashed potatoes, green bean  casserole and gravy. Absolutely delicious!

The moral of the story is that at the end of class, Chef  Jeff explained that one of the great opportunities we have living in upstate NY  is that we are able to get most of our Thanksgiving cooking ingredients locally. Even the  cranberries, they came from the Adirondacks. And of course with the meal we had  a delicious glass of Finger Lakes wine.

So when you are shopping for your meal, think local –  turkey, apples, bread, sausage, pumpkin – all available locally grown and  locally raised. It is great for the environment and delicious too!