In a Lot's-wife turnabout, I've been spending a great deal of time reflecting on our five-year hiatus in the Midwest now that we've moved home to New Orleans. Post-Mardi Gras, Jazzfest, Halloween and Christmas (the seasons), we would come north to find organically-grown vegetables left by the cat-sitter who was an artist and organic farmer. The alternate cat-sitter was also a musician and an organic farmer. Since my recipe for root vegetables is to boil them into glue, I took tips from my sister-in-law who is a nurse and an organic farmer. A great deal of pride is shown in the quality of locally farmed organic ingredients. Henry's Farm has a booming co-op and it seems like most of our friends worked there. Epiphany Farms is also coming up as a farm-to-fork exercise in sustainable dining. The Epiphany team is working toward a restaurant with five star chefs who also work on their own organic farm. For now, they offer ingredients for local noshing at the wine bar A. Renee.
In my sister-in-law's kitchen, I knew the name of the goat providing delicious goat cheese (Star) and the fact that Star was a bit of a diva. During harvest season, you couldn't go into a local shop without coming home with a bag full of fresh vegetables from friends. One word that comes to mind is bounty. The other is sharing. Farm country in the Midwest was first nicknamed Little Egypt when America was suffering through a terrible famine and our crops just kept growing -- enough to ship out to the rest of the country. The nickname for my hometown newspaper was Little Egypt's Greatest Daily with a pyramid logo, which seemed curious to a kid in a prairie town.
Back in our post-Katrina prairie home, a peaceful day out was a walk through the wind farms when the air was crystal clear. A big night out was a Peter Adriel concert as his father, energy professor Solar Dan, served organic potatoes fried in vegetable oil from his farm, shaved into chips with his vegetable-oil-powered drill. Solar Dan has also managed to rig up a solar chainsaw, so the sky's the limit in alternative energies. Our local glass was not only recycled, but bottles are also spun into the town's glass Christmas tree by Jason Mack of Mack Glass. Bloomington has always been a home for innovations, including the gas furnace, which moved the country away from coal and ushered in a new middle class.
It's also the town that gave Abraham Lincoln his campaign manager once his friends talked him into running for president. Based on plaques dotting the buildings downtown, Lincoln liked to give speeches on inventions and modern marvels of the 1800s. We lived in what would have been the skyscraper in Lincoln's day, at six stories tall. It faced the courthouse museum where a guide let my husband take photos from the inside of the clock tower for a magazine spread. The gear-filled dome was a steampunk dream.
I like to think Lincoln would have loved the sustainable farming and spirit of sharing that's rolling through the Midwest right now.
President Lincoln declared the first Thanksgiving holiday in 1863, a fact that was mentioned by President Barack Obama today who also said: "In America, we come together when times are hard."
Upon departing for the White House, Lincoln told his assembled friends in Springfield:
"To this place and the kindness of these people, I owe everything."
In that spirit, here's wishing you and yours a Thanksgiving filled with bounty and sharing.
All Photos by Jeff "Happy Thanksgiving" Beninato
Follow Karen Dalton-Beninato on Twitter: www.twitter.com/kbeninato
such a nice thanksgiving post KB - thank you.
i believe i shall send you some of our magic gourmet spice blends - a perfect addition to vegetables, cheese, and all things tasty!
happy holidaze!
mr. sleeper
http://www.list-profits-formula.com
Anyway, here is a link to George Washington's thanksgiving day proclamation in 1789. Thought you would also enjoy this link as well: http://wilstar.com/holidays/wash_thanks.html
Thanks again for your post.
I am an organic grower--although mostly for ourselves--and consumer. I'm always amazed at the number of co-workers I run into on Fridays at our Locally Grown network pick-up site. It's clear that even those who publicly scoff at organics are privately eating organic. It's a far cry from what I found in farm products when I moved to Arkansas five years ago.
When I first moved to Arkansas, I was shocked that in such a rural state it was extremely difficult to find sustainable, local produce near our home. You could find it 70 miles away, but that's not local enough for regular use. That's when my garden went from modest to meeting many of our needs. I started a humble little blog, with recipes from scratch to take advantage of local products plus gardening and the occasional feature about local growers, like my recent feature on a biodynamic farm: http://ozarkhomesteader.wordpress.com/2010/11/17/why-sustainable-farms-are-healthier-farms-in-pictures/ Like Vivian, I've got a few Thanksgiving recipes. :-)
Thank you again for this post! It really makes it clear in how many places in the US people are getting back to the basics and learning organic and biodynamic farming.
In the same spirit, I created a Thanksgiving menu that celebrates the bounty of the season. I would be so honored for you to take a peek: http://foodandstyle.com/2009/11/11/a-vegetarian-thanksgiving-feast-5-course-seasonal-menu-with-wine-pairing-and-game-plan/
Wishing you, your loved ones and your readers a very happy and delicious Thanksgiving!
Viviane
PS: Just followed you on Twitter too!