Welcome to Our (Sustainable) Thanksgiving Table

Over the years, Mother Earth News has dished up plenty of good ideas for low-budget, practical, eco-friendly and fun Thanksgiving celebrations. Here’s a guide to some of our best, including Thanksgiving recipes that range from quick-and-easy to slightly more inspired. Whether you’re getting ready to dig into a locally raised turkey that grew up on real pasture or a wildly creative vegetarian or vegan holiday meal, you’ll find plenty of inspiration in our deep archives.

We’re thankful that you came to our table today, and we hope you enjoy a very Happy Thanksgiving!

Table of Contents:
Better Birds 
Meatless Meals 
Traditional Thanksgiving Foods
Sustainable Holiday Drinks, Too
And More...
Resources 

BETTER BIRDS: ORGANIC, PASTURED & HERITAGE BREED TURKEYS

Stood Up by a Thanksgiving Turkey 
by Barbara Pleasant, November 2008
Want a locally raised grass-fed turkey this Thanksgiving? Here's how to find a supplier.

A Turkey Story 
by Jena Woginrich, November 2008
Last spring, I decided to raise my own free-range turkey for Thanksgiving. Here’s how that project turned out. 

Talking Turkey for T-Day
by Deanna Duke, November 2008
Pledge to eat local foods, including locally raise true free-range heritage turkeys, this Thanksgiving.

Free-range Thanksgiving Turkeys 
by Tabitha Alterman, November/December 2005
If you're looking for a delicious, sustainably raised turkey this Thanksgiving, your best bet is to purchase one from a local farm.

Discover Better Flavor This Thanksgiving 
by Aubrey Vaughn, November/December 2007
From organic apple pie to tasty heritage turkeys, local, sustainable Thanksgiving dishes are healthier and better tasting than supermarket options. Learn how you can enjoy a savory, eco-friendly Thanksgiving feast.

Saving Rare Breeds 
by Nancy Smith, February/March 2004
While historic livestock breeds may not be as "efficient" as their industrial counterparts, the animals are often healthier and more interesting to keep; their meat, milk or eggs are more flavorful, and their genetic diversity is vital to our food security. Learn how you can help save rare birds by joining the Real Food Revival.

Why the Midget White Turkey is the Perfect Homestead Turkey 
by Troy Griepentrog, August 2008
Heritage breeds are worth saving simply because of the genetic diversity they offer, but they’re also extremely fun to raise (and learn about). This interview explains some of the finer points of one breed of turkeys. In 1971, only six specimens were known. Today, could the midget white be the ideal homestead turkey?

Midget White and Bourbon Red Turkeys are Better! 
by Troy Griepentrog, August 2008
A recent taste test comparing heritage breed turkeys with “industrial” turkey reinforced that heritage turkeys, especially the midget white and bourbon red, do indeed taste better than factory-farmed birds you’ll find in the supermarkets. Find out which breeds were the winners and learn about the turkey that not only tastes best, but is also the perfect choice for your homestead.

A History of the Midget White Turkey 
by J.R. Smyth Jr. and B.C. Wentworth, May 2004
This is a rare firsthand look at how and why a rare breed of turkey was developed, was rescued from near extinction, and may become popular once more.

Why You Should Care About Heritage Breeds 
by Troy Griepentrog, March 2008
Here are some thoughts on why rare breeds should matter to you.

How Eight Heritage Turkeys Kicked a Butterball’s Butt 
by Don Schrider, August 2008
In the past few years, several taste tests have indicated that heritage turkeys taste better than industrial breeds. This new study involved about 70 people in a blind taste test. But this test involved more than just flavor. Texture, tenderness, aroma and appearance were also rated.

A Real Thanksgiving Bird 
by the Mother Earth News editors, October/November 1998
Raise or hunt your own turkeys for Thanksgiving and Christmas. Includes instructions on how to skin and prepare a turkey for cooking.

Talking Turkey 
by Anne Vassal, October/November 1995
New ways to cook and prepare a Thanksgiving favorite, including recipes for turkey mango curry, Azteca soup, picadillo pita, BBQ turkey and turkey white bean salad.

The Turkey Hunt 
by Edward Stern, October/November 1996
As I drove up Highway 27 heading toward Northern Michigan, I was enjoying a late fall day, the kind just sunny enough that if you wanted to (and I did), you could stick your hand out the window and feel the crisp air passing through your fingers without being cold. It was gorgeous, and so was she.

Savor the Flavors of Fall: Roasted Heritage Turkey with Herbs 
From our sister magazine, Herb Companion
Serve with gravy made from the vegetable- and herb-flavored broth left in the roasting pan.

Call of the Wild
From our sister magazine, Natural Home
Increasingly popular with gourmet diners, wild game offers meat eaters a healthier alternative.

Turkey Tips
From our sister magazine, Grit
Select your turkey based on your guest list.

MEATLESS MEALS: THE VEGETARIAN THANKSGIVING

Vegetarian and Vegan Thanksgiving Meals 
by Aly Van Dyke, November 2008
Attention Vegetarians and Vegans: You too can have an enjoyable, delicious Thanksgiving dinner without compromising your lifestyle!

Vegan Pumpkin Pecan Pie
by Laura Evers, November 2008
Happy Thanksgiving! Want a new vegan dessert to serve at Thanksgiving? Try this Vegan Pumpkin Pecan Pie from the website Care2 Inc.

A Vegetarian Thanksgiving 
by Ron Schadegg, November/December 1984
Try this recipe for stuffed pumpkin in lieu of turkey for a vegetarian Thanksgiving — or simply add to a traditional meal as a fun, flavorful side dish.

With All the Trimmin’s 
by Scot Robinson, November/December 1973
Make a complete Thanksgiving feast without the turkey, or any veggies for that matter. Includes cooking instructions for stuffed pumpkin, cranberry sauce, creamed baby onions and baked apples.

Healthy Holiday Pie Tip
by Tabitha Alterman, November/December 2005
This season, try a creamy vegan pie with fewer calories and less saturated fat. 

Vegetarian Holiday Fare
From our sister magazine, Herb Companion
The 7 meat-free recipes testify to the fact that vegetarianism is not a form of deprivation, and also that vegetarian cooking doesn’t necessarily aim to imitate meat with nonmeat ingredients (although the Vegetarian Holiday Roast might serve that purpose).

TRADITIONAL THANKSGIVING FOODS

Pumpkins & Squash

What Do You Do With a 40-Pound Squash? 
by Lorraine Worley, September/October 1980
Winter squash or pumpkin can be canned or follow the recipe for yeasted pumpkin bread, pumpkin butter pie, banana-pumpkin milkshake or a pumpkin butter cake.

Pumpkins Make Any Dish a Smashing Hit 
by Jessie Fetterling, October 2008
This year, instead of using a pumpkin as another too-easy-to-smash decoration, pick out a pumpkin to cook with at your local pumpkin patch. Pumpkins are healthy and can satisfy both your sweet and salty tooth, so start celebrating the flavor of the season! Includes recipes for Rigatoni with Pumpkin and Bacon, Pumpkin Ravioli, Pumpkin and Shrimp Bisque, Thai Pumpkin Soup, Pumpkin Bread and more.

The Great Pumpkin 
by Jack McQuarrie, September/October 1982
How to pick and preserve a pumpkin, including seeds and Mother's all-time favorite pumpkin pie recipe.

Grilled Pumpkin with Rosemary and Sea Salt 
by Deanna Duke, October 2008
This great recipe offers a new way to enjoy pumpkin.

Three Phunky Pumpkins 
by William Woys Weaver, October/November 2007
There are lots of wonderful heirloom pumpkins that are superior in flavor and appearance to the same old orange globes found everywhere in the fall: It’s a shame we don’t see more of them. Here are a few varieties for gardeners with enough room for long, trailing vines. One is French, one is Italian, and one is Iranian. All three will forever change your perception of pumpkins.

The Great American Pumpkin 
by Gail Damerow, October/November 1992
Information on how to grow pumpkins along with tips on choosing the best pumpkin for cooking. Includes recipes for pumpkin purée and clearwater pumpkin soup.

About Pumpkins 
by Sara Pacher, September/October 1987
The benefits and joys of growing, preparing and cooking pumpkins, including what to grow, when and how to plant, what to watch for, how to harvest and store and how to grow giant pumpkins. Includes recipes for Simple Pumpkin Soup and Pumpkin Muffins.

How to Roast Pumpkin and Squash Seeds 
by Tabitha Alterman, October 2008
Halloween may be over but put those old pumpkins to good use by roasting the seeds.

Roast Squash Seeds 
by Scott Smith, December/January 2005
You will get a bonanza of great flavor and nutrition from squash and pumpkin seeds, which are loaded with protein and fiber.

Garden & Yard: Wonderful Winter Squash 
by Barbara Pleasant, August/September 2005
This highly nutritious vegetable stores easily for up to six months. Includes cooking tips.

Kitchen Garden: About Squash 
by Sara Pacher, September/October 1989
Cooking uses for this versatile vegetable, including pies, casseroles, fruit cocktails, varieties, harvest and storage.

Pumpkins, Post-Halloween
From our sister magazine, Herb Companion
Halloween is over and there are pumpkins still sitting in your living room. What should you do with them? Herb Companion can help.

Pumpkins, Gourds & Squash
From our sister magazine, Grit
A visit to a pumpkin farm yields several gourd, squash and pumpkin ideas. 

Potatoes, Sweet Potatoes & Yams

The Sweetest Potato 
by Rita Pelczar, April/May 2007
Slip some nutritious and delicious sweet potatoes into this year’s vegetable patch. Here's how to grow, harvest, store and cook sweet potatoes for your holiday feast. Includes Mother’s favorite varieties of sweet potatoes plus a recipe for candied yams.

Great Varieties of Potatoes and Sweet Potatoes
by William Woys Weaver and Roger Doiron, November 2008
Our food and gardening experts recommend some favorite potato and sweet potato varieties for stellar Thanskgiving meals.

Other Favorite Thanksgiving Foods

A Toast to Roasted Vegetables
by Barbara Pleasant, November 2008
Roasting is the best way to cook winter root vegetables, because dry heat coaxes out and concentrates flavors. Use this simple method and fool-proof tips from cookbook author Andrea Chesman to bring out the best in  parsnips, carrots, rutabagas and other root vegetables.

Healthier Holiday Desserts
by Aubrey Vaughn, December 2007
While homemade desserts are delicious, they're often high in fat and calories. Satisfy your sweet tooth without sabotaging your body, with these healthier holiday dessert recipes.

Parsnips Back on the Plate 
by Kris Wetherbee, February/March 2003
Now is the time to experience parsnips, the ivory jewel of root vegetables. Includes the recipe for Ginger-glazed Parsnips — a perfect holiday treat!

Stocking the Root Cellar
by Mike and Nancy Bubel, September/October 1990
Keeping winter vegetables fresh underground, including varieties, treatment, storage, harvest.

Courting the Cranberry 
by Bruce Burnett, April/May 2001
Not only are cranberries a delicious addition to any Thanksgiving feast, they’re good for you too! Cranberries may have broad-spectrum antibiotic value against E. coli and other harmful bacteria and are an excellent source of vitamins A and C and potassium.

Create a Cranberry Feast 
by Eva Zlab, November/December 1981
The ruby of the bog will add a burst of color and a bundle of flavor to your holiday fare, including recipes for cranberry-honey sauce, cranberry crepes and apple-cranberry salad.

Try Apple-Sausage Stuffing
From our sister magazine, Natural Home
This delightly sweet stuffing will liven up any Thanksgiving feast.

Herbs in Stuffings: Classic Holiday Stuffing
From our sister magazine, Herb Companion
The secret is French bread and copious amounts of celery, green onion, and parsley, a legacy of our Louisiana Cajun neighbors. If you use dried instead of fresh herbs, convert to teaspoons instead of tablespoons.

Savor the Flavors of Fall: Savory Butternut Squash Stuffing
From our sister magazine, Herb Companion
This dish pairs beautifully with roasted heritage turkey with herbs.

SUSTAINABLE HOLIDAY DRINKS, TOO

Even the Drinks are LOCAL? Try Farm-fresh Apple Cider This Thanksgiving 
by Tabitha Alterman, November 2008
Support America's artisan cider makers by putting locally made sweet and hard apple cider on the Thanksgiving table this year.

Cheers to Pumpkin Beers! 
by Tabitha Alterman, October 2008
Pumpkin love continues, but this time with a twist, it's not an ale but a lager, the only one of its kind in the world! Includes a link for how to brew beer in a pumpkin.

Brew Your Own Beer
by Nathan Poell, October/November 2008
Homebrewing is a lot of fun, and it gives you the chance to make any kind of beer you want. It’s relatively easy and inexpensive to get started, and making your own beer is usually cheaper, too. This article will tell you what you need to know to make a good first batch of beer with step by step instructions for a basic brown ale. Are you ready to get started?

Good Libations
by Megan Phelps, December 2007/January 2008
For delicious and eco-friendly beverages, try local and organic wine and beer. Choosing local beverages encourages breweries and wineries to explore a diversity of flavors, and avoids the environmental costs of transporting wine and beer halfway across the country, or even halfway around the world.

Enjoy Delicious Apple Cider, Sweet and Hard 
by Megan Phelps, October/November 2007
If you happen to be driving out in the country on a beautiful fall day, and you pass a roadside sign that says "fresh apple cider," by all means stop! This is the time of year to enjoy freshly pressed cider, and some of the best available is from local cider mills.

Fall’s Sweetest Harvest 
by John Stuart, October/November 2007
If you want to try really delicious apple cider, look for fresh local cider in the fall. You can find it from small cider mills, or press it yourself with a backyard cider press.

Make Your Own Hard Cider 
by Nathan Poell, October/November 2007
Making delicious hard cider is fun and simple, and if you press your own sweet — nonalcoholic — cider, you’ll have the perfect starting place to brew your own intoxicating hard cider.

Falling for Apples 
by Noel Perrin, September/October 1983
One of the sweetest things about homemade cider is the pressing of it.

Get Ready for Cider Pressin’ 
by Judy White, September/October 1976
If you know what's good for you, you'll round up some jugs, and head for the nearest cider mill right away.

Juice of the Apple 
by Michael Phillips December 1993/January 1994
Don't settle for thin, homogenized, store-bought "apple juice." Homegrown cider is cheaper and infinitely more refreshing.

Pouring Apple Cider 
From our sister magazine, Grit
Clyde’s Cider Mill is country’s oldest steam-powered cider mill.

AND MORE…

Reader Callout: What's the One Thing You Make From Scratch at Thanksgiving?
by Tabitha Alterman, November 2008
What's the one thing you make from scratch at Thanksgiving? Tell us (and our readers) about that one special, “gotta have it or it just wouldn’t be Thanksgiving!” thing you make from scratch every year.

A Simpler Thanksgiving 
by Anne Vassal, October/November 2000
Thanksgiving doesn't have to mean a crowd of folks and hours of labor. Enjoy a simple, savory Thanksgiving feast with these easy recipes. Includes recipes for Herb-roasted Turkey Breast, Grilled turkey, Baked Sweet Potatoes, Sauteed Brussels Sprouts, Green Salad, Squash Flan and Ginger Cream.

Back to Basics 
by Anne Vassal, October/November 1998
Simple Thanksgiving recipes for Garlic Roast Chicken, Mixed Greens salad, Leftover Chicken Salad, Bean Soup, Almost-Instant Dessert.

Harvest Kitchen 
by Stephen Klein, November/December 1990
Preparing the traditional Thanksgiving dish, including recipes for cranberry relish, cranberry cake, apple and cranberry crunch and turkey tips.

Saving Tradition 
by Anne Vassal, October/November 1992
Look here for simple directions for cooking and preparing a turkey. This includes recipes for smoked gravy, cranberry sauce, bread stuffing, sweet potatoes, and pumpkin pie.

Savor the Season with ‘Slow Food’ 
by Megan Phelps, November/December 2006
Indulge in traditional, homemade foods this holiday season by discovering the slow food movement.

A Turkey of a Different Feather 
by Juanita Browne, November/December 1983
Creating a decorative turkey from various vegetables, including squash and pumpkin.

Save Money on Holiday Meals
From our sister magazine, Grit
Talk turkey when searching for ways to downsize the cost of the main meal for festive occasions. 

An Inspired Thanksgiving
From our sister magazine, Grit
The Grit magazine staff offers tips and recipes for a delicious holiday meal.

A Harvest Banquet
From our sister magazine, Herb Companion
Give thanks for the bounty.

RESOURCES

* Local Harvest 
Find local sources of organic and grass-fed meat with this directory of family farms, farmer's markets and natural food stores. Find local sources of organic and grass-fed meat with this directory of family farms, farmer's markets and natural food stores.

* Eat Wild 
Scientific proof of the benefits of grass-fed meat is available at the Eat Wild site, which is maintained by Jo Robinson, author of the books Pasture Perfect and Why Grassfed is Best. The site also includes a directory of producers of grass-fed beef, bison, pork, chicken, turkey and dairy products.

* Slow Food USA
This international organization of food lovers has active chapters in most states. 

* Consumer Guides:
Environmental Working Group Guide to Pesticides in Produce
Greenpeace Shopper’s Guide to Genetically Modified Foods 
Utne Reader's Guide to Sustainable Seafood 

* Local Breweries and Wineries:
Beer Town 
All American Wineries

* American Livestock Breeds Conservancy (ALBC)
This nonprofit agency is working to conserve rare breeds and genetic diversity in livestock.

* Sand Hill Preservation Center 
This small family farm is dedicated to the preservation of genetic resources, including rare and unusual seed varieties and poultry breeds.

* Share Your Thanksgiving Photos with other readers at CU (see you), our free photo-sharing site.