My Green Toronto Thanksgiving
With the arrival of the first long weekend of fall, I suspect I'm not the only one digging out my stretchy and loose-waisted pants in preparation for the day of overindulgence that typifies Thanksgiving. This year I'm hoping to start a new tradition among family and friends by providing a planet-friendly feast.
The greenest Thanksgiving doesn't involve meat, but since a bird-shaped soy log isn't likely to please Tryptophan-seeking guests, an organic and free-range turkey is a great alternative. Whole Foods, The Healthy Butcher, The Big Carrot and Beretta Organics carry free-range birds raised without pesticides, antibiotics, or hormones.
The second stop on my shopping list is my local farmer's market, where I'm hoping to fill my reusable cloth bags with organic Brussels sprouts, carrots and taters. I can further reduce my Thanksgiving's ecological footprint with the use of other local foodstuffs.
I'm no wine expert, but nothing pleases my palate more than a glass of organic wine or beer, and Turkey Day is no exception. Frogpond Farm winery in Niagara-on-the-Lake produces wines that are organically grown, processed and certified by organic crop producers and processors.
Malivoire's Moira vineyard on the Niagara peninsula has operated under organic certification since 2004. The LCBO also sells a number of organic wines, both local and imported. For beer drinkers, Toronto's own Mill Street Brewery makes its Organic Lager using organic hops and brewers' malt grown without the use of pesticides, insecticides, herbicides or chemical fertilizers.
In truth, the thought of producing a Thanksgiving meal by myself is scarier than watching horror flicks on Halloween. There are a few "green" caterers in the city that might save me from embarrassment. Vert Catering offers organic and natural menus with fresh, local and seasonal ingredients. They support the community by donating to charity, compost and recycle all excess food, use AutoShare vehicles for transportation, and provide biodegradable tableware if needed.
Hearty Catering specializes in vegetarian dishes prepared with organic and seasonal ingredients that promote local producers. Worst-case scenario: I can pre-order cooked turkey (or a vegan meal) with all the trimmings from Whole Foods.
Photos from angiemckaig and Gabe Toth on Flickr.
Comments (12)
Oh, but you can have "the greenest" Thanksgiving, without any meat. There is no need for the massacre that happens as this time of year.
I did last year and we're doing this year as well (with new and improved recipes this year). Here's the link to my post:
http://www.nakedknitgirl.ca/?p=2970
Pretending that non-meat products like soy don't involve killing is silly. As an organic farmer, I'm keenly aware of the millions of bugs that are killed every time a field is tilled. Free-range birds like the ones I raise are very environmentally friendly, and way greener than soy.
What does "green" have to do with not killing animals? If you can argue the keeping and raising of turkeys is intrinsically harmful to the environment I'd like to hear it.
You should also check out The Sweet Potato - which is located in the Junction. They carry free-range and organic meats / produce.
Please note that none of my recipes contain soy. No fake turkey or anything. It is a non-meat Thanksgiving menu.
Mark,
Can I speak to you about free range birds? I'm looking into starting a free-range egg business, and have not found much evidence that the expression 'free range' is in common use. Thanks, Deb
All I can think of when you say "Green Thanksgiving" is how many greenbacks will cross the palms of others hands in order to procure all those items mentioned.
Hate to break it to you, but I'm not prepared to take out a second mortgage for that free ranging turkey from Whole Foods.
Deborah,
I'm only raising birds for myself and my family at the moment, mostly because of the lack of an ethical abbattoir near me. I am starting to sell eggs soon, and I'm not sure how i'll refer to them. I used that term a little loosely. My birds have 10 acres to "hunt" for bugs on, and some people would call that free-range, while others would call it "pastured"...
Maria,
Sorry, I used soy as an example, but my point was that ANY vegetable that comes from a tilled field, or is not hand-picked kills bugs. Almost every time a human eats a food that came from a farm, some sort of living thing was killed in it's production.
Deborah,
I forgot to mention that we'll also slide the word "heritage" in there when we sell eggs, as our eggs come from Canada's oldest variety of chicken, the Chantecler.
As aware consumers who are concerned about the well being of our groceries, everyone should really be aware of what 'free range' actually means. Does it mean that your bird had a luxurious life in a pasture, pecking at insects and or does it just mean that the bird may have had the opportunity to go outside of the battery - if it actually found the door to do so.
Your butcher should be able to tell you. And if they can't, go elsewhere.
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