Wilsonville Spokesman Online

Build a local Thanksgiving feast

The Willamette Valley is a gold mine for autumnal foods and produce

• By: Amanda Newman  
• Published: 11/23/2009 3:55:24 PM
• Last Updated: 11/23/2009 4:12:08 PM

File photo
Here's your chance to "shop local" for your Thanksgiving dinner.

In these tough economic times, “shop local” is the mantra of many who want to boost their local economies and help businesses in their communities. As Thanksgiving approaches, that goal can segue into a new one: “feast local.”
 
It takes a little searching, but building a local Thanksgiving meal is possible, practical, and a good way to support your neighbors.
 
The meal’s centerpiece, of course, is the turkey. Aurora’s Del Mesa Farms is a division of Foster Farms, which produces locally grown poultry – including turkey. The birds are grown without hormones or steroids and would be a nice addition to any Thanksgiving table. Or, for the more adventurous, there’s always the possibility of wild turkey. Fall turkey hunting season runs Oct. 15 to Dec. 31 in most of Western Oregon. Wild turkeys aren’t too prevalent in the immediate area (most are in eastern Oregon), but they can be found here. For more information and instructions on preparing and cooking your bird, visit the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife's Web site.
 
Meat is hardly a meal without its companion staple: potatoes. Mashed potatoes and sweet potatoes – both are required, and both are available locally. The closest major Oregon potato suppliers are in Sherwood, which has a plethora of choices: Amstad Produce offers Norkotas and reds; Baggenstos Farms has reds, purples and Yukon golds; and Tualatin Valley Potato offers reds and Yukon golds. Potatoes are also available at Iverson Family Farms in Woodburn.
 
“We rank seventh or eighth in the nation for potato production,” Jennifer Fletcher of the Oregon Potato Commission said of the state’s potato industry. “We have a lot of different specialty varieties.”
 
The Willamette Valley is particularly known for its reds and Yukon golds, she added. Sweet potatoes aren’t as big in Oregon, but can be found on a smaller scale at farms throughout the state. Try Mulino Valley Farm, a family-owned organic farm in Mulino, for example. While there, pick up your green beans and the farm’s specialty, garlic and onions.
 
Corn mazes got all the attention last month, in the lead up to Halloween. Now it’s time to return to the farms – this time, to buy the corn. Organic Brothers in Aurora offers organic sweet corn, as does Moon Ridge Farms in Beavercreek. Canby’s Morning Shade Farm and Bauman’s Farm and Garden in Gervais also sell sweet corn, along with a smorgasbord of other fresh produce that can contribute to your feast, such as beets, tomatoes and various squashes and peppers.
 
Cranberries, or cranberry sauce, are essential Thanksgiving fare. While not available in the immediate locality, they’re just a short trip away. Grown in cool, wet areas – specifically, bogs – the berries have found an ideal home in Coos and Curry counties, where they grow naturally and have been cultivated since 1885. Trek out to the coastal communities, dubbed “Cranberry Country,” or visit www.oregoncranberry.net to purchase “Oregon’s red gold.”
 
The fundamental Thanksgiving dessert is pumpkin pie, and it can’t be skipped. Pie pumpkins should be smaller and sweeter than typical carving pumpkins. Bauman’s Farm and Garden specifically markets pie pumpkins, and French Prairie Gardens in St. Paul and Fir Point Farms in Aurora are also worth a try. Or head back to the pumpkin patches visited for Halloween and ask for pie pumpkins.
 
For a true local dessert, make a hazelnut pie, Oregon’s answer to pecan pie. The state – in particular, Yamhill County – dominates the national hazelnut market, with the Willamette Valley home to 99 percent of the United States hazelnut industry, according to the Oregon Hazelnut Marketing Board. Pick up the state nut at Eggers Acres in Dundee (also one of Oregon’s only outlets for fresh pie cherries, if you’re interested) and try your hand at a hazelnut caramel or hazelnut maple pie. For more information and recipes, visit www.oregonhazelnuts.org.
 
Apples are also abundant in the area and can be used to make apple pies – or apple cider. Visit Marquam Meadows Fruit Company in Molalla or Willamette Farms in Newberg and take your pick, literally.
 
If the adults want to drink something more sophisticated than apple cider, the Willamette Valley is known for its wine industry. Wineries throughout the area will open Thursday for the annual Wine Country Thanksgiving tour, but they also offer wines that should compliment well your feast at home.
 
Cathy Martin of Argyle Winery in Dundee suggested starting off with the 2008 Willamette Valley Riesling, which has “flavors of tangerine peel and peach, all embraced by a hint of Christmas spice ... a nice complement to dishes or appetizers.” A 2006 Black Brut, a sparkling red Pinot Noir, comes next. “The structure of this wine makes it the perfect complement to the turkey and cranberry sauce usually already on the table,” Martin said. Finish with the 2007 Minus Five Dessert Style Riesling, “a beautiful balance between sweetness and clean, crisp acidity.”
 
But don’t stop there! Visit www.pickyourown.org or www.eatlocal.net for local food and produce sources you can take advantage of throughout the year.

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