By Chris Aldridge

Kentucky Ag News

FRANKFORT - Every year, when the General Assembly convenes in Frankfort, the Kentucky Department of Agriculture schedules one morning to serve a free breakfast to state lawmakers. The meal is made entirely of Kentucky Proud food, right down to the jam on the biscuits.

What if, we thought, we challenged Kentuckians to make their Thanksgiving dinners an all-Kentucky Proud feast? What if they served their family a meal to remember made with the freshest ingredients from their friends and neighbors just down the road, not from strangers thousands of miles away? A commitment to local sourcing keeps their money within their community by supporting Kentucky farm families and local businesses.

To those Kentuckians up for the Kentucky Proud Thanksgiving Challenge, below are some tips on where to source an all-Kentucky Proud Thanksgiving dinner from the traditional spread of turkey and dressing/stuffing, to vegetable side items and a homemade pumpkin or apple pie, or other sweet treat.

Turkey

Roast turkey is the star of any Thanksgiving table. There are three farms in central Kentucky  that sell locally raised turkey. Slaughter Family Farm near Shelbyville is already sold out, so act fast before the turkeys are gone:

• S & V Farms near Harrodsburg is accepting reservations for its farm-raised, organic whole turkeys with a $25 deposit. The turkeys are raised on open pasture and typically range from 15-25 pounds. The final price will be calculated based on the processed weight. The turkeys can be picked up at the farm or delivered locally for a fee.

Go to SandVFarms.com.

• Elmwood Stock Farm near Georgetown is taking pre-orders for two types of whole organic Thanksgiving turkeys: heritage breed and larger broad-breasted bronze turkeys similar in size and shape to those found in supermarkets. Both types are raised on pasture, supplemented with non-genetically modified (GMO) organic grains.

Parts of their turkeys – bone-in breasts, legs, thighs, wings, and a giblet pack (heart, liver, and neck) for gravy making – are also available. A handy All the Trimmings Bundle includes a flavor-enhancing turkey brine kit, turkey broth for gravies and casseroles, and sage pork sausage, which can be used to make dressing/stuffing.

Elmwood is one of the few farms in the country to produce heritage turkeys that are certified organic by the U.S. Department of Agriculture including Narragansett, the oldest-known American turkey breed.

Elmwood’s turkeys are frozen fresh and will be available for free local pickup in Georgetown, Lexington, Cincinnati, and Louisville. They can also be delivered for an extra charge to homes in central and northern Kentucky, and Cincinnati.

Go to ElmwoodStockFarm.com.

Dressing/stuffing

Whether made using bread, cornbread, or biscuits – or a combination of two or three – Weisenberger Mills near Midway has baking mixes for dressing/stuffing. Its yellow and white cornbread mixes are made using locally grown, non-GMO corn. The mill describes it as “real southern cornbread, not sweet!” It also has a variety of flours ground from Kentucky-grown wheat to make homemade bread and biscuits. If dinner rolls are on the menu, Weisenberger has its popular hot roll mix for that too.

Go to Weisenberger.com.

Vegetables

Some families believe it isn’t Thanksgiving without a large bowl of mashed potatoes on the table. Sweet potato casserole is another popular dish. Root vegetables, such as potatoes and sweet potatoes, are among the seasonal vegetables available right now at most farmers’ markets in Kentucky.

Other farmers’ market veggies in season right now include: other root vegetables, like carrots, beets, and turnips; winter squash, such as butternut; leafy greens, like spinach, cabbage and kale; broccoli, and Brussels sprouts.

The Kentucky Proud website, KentuckyProud.com, has a list of all Kentucky Proud farmers' markets, sortable by location, product, and other criteria.

Elmwood makes it easy by offering an All-local, All-organic Seasonal Holiday Box, which can be added to turkey orders. The box includes apples, pears, butternut squash, potatoes and sweet potatoes, carrots, beets, garlic, onions, salad radishes, fresh herbs, a dozen eggs, and leafy green salad mix.

S & V Farms also sells organic vegetables with its whole turkeys. Varieties include squash, okra, carrots, green beans, herbs, greens (lettuce, kale, and spinach), onions, sweet corn, pumpkins, beets, and radishes.

Unfortunately, cranberry sauce is the only traditional side item that can’t be sourced in Kentucky because our climate is too warm for growing the berries.

Dessert

The best variety of pumpkin for making pie is a sugar pumpkin, also called a pie pumpkin, because it has dense, sweet flesh and a lower water content, resulting in a smooth, flavorful puree.  Jack-o-lanterns are not ideal for making pie due to their higher water content, stringy texture, and less sweetness compared to sugar pumpkins. If a farmers’ market doesn’t have sugar pumpkins, other pie-making options include other small, sweet varieties, such as fairytale and Cinderella, and certain squashes, like red kuri or butternut.

Pie crust can be made from Weisenberger whole wheat pastry flour, also known as soft wheat or graham flour. It is made from soft red winter wheat grown in Kentucky.

Don’t like traditional pumpkin pie? Pivot to the most popular pie in America using locally grown apples. An Organic Apple Bundle is available from Elmwood if the fruit is not available at your farmers’ market.

Skip the pie and choose from several dessert mixes from Weisenberger: funnel cakes; scones; and banana, pumpkin, and spoon bread.