Feasts Fresh Local


TheFirst Thanksgiving


Foods that might have been on the menu:


Wild Fowl Turkey, goose, duck, crane, swan, partridge


Meat Venison, seal


Seafood Cod, clams, lobster


Grain Wheat flour, Indian corn


Vegetables Pumpkin, peas, beans, onions, carrots


Herbsand Seasonings Olive oil, leeks, dried currants, parsnips


Source: History.com


HISTORIANS AREN'T SURE WHAT topped the table for the Pilgrim's first Thanksgiving. But they suspect lobster, venison and partridge were on the menu—and not ham, pumpkin pie or mashed potatoes. The Pilgrims were the original "loca-


vores" and now, after decades of factory farming and processed foods,many peo- ple have come full circle. They desire a "local" meal for celebrating, with food sourced fromlocal farms. The possibilities abound in the foot-


hills, for preparing a fresh, local feast— for Thanksgiving, Christmas, Hanukkah or New Year's. Here are some sugges- tions for finding the ingredients and preparing it:


FarmersMarkets "They're only for summer," you


might think. Not so. The Foothill Farm- ers Market in Auburn is open year- round, Saturday from 8 a.m. to noon at theOld Town Courthouse parking lot, on Auburn-FolsomRd. at LincolnWay. In the fall and winter, stalls at the


market fill up with Mandarins, kiwi, salad greens,winter squash, root vegeta- bles, pumpkins, persimmons, even fresh horseradish to dollop on your prime rib.


Placer County Real Food Cookbook This new cookbook has recipes and


menus for every week of the year, pre- paredwith local ingredients. "FreshMan- darins are a staple on holiday tables and are used in recipes from salads to desserts, sauces and syrups," says co-au- thor Joanne Neft. Neft'sThanksgiving "bird" comes from


Natural Trading Co. in Newcastle. The well-illustrated cookbook makes a thoughtful gift. Formore information go to PlacerCountyRealFood.com.


BriarPatch Co-op Natural Foods CommunityMarket "The Patch," the biggest organicmar-


ket in the foothills, is a one-stop shop for local, organic produce as well as beef, venison, poultry and seafood for the hol- idays. Vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free items also are widely available.


| 12 FoodWineArt


PHOTOS: PLACER COUNTY REAL FOOD


local and regional free-range meats and poultry,


The market carries many brands of including Diestel Turkey


(Sonora), Betz Ranch venison (Grass Val- ley), Fowler Family Farms poultry (Penn Valley), Nevada County Free Range Beef and Liano Seco pork (Chico) as well as "sustainable" seafood. Organic produce is available season-


ally from 20 farms in the area—Red Hill Mandarins in Brown's Valley, for exam- ple—and local free-range eggs are avail- able when the hens are laying. Bulk grains come from Grass Valley


Grains. Rice come from Lundberg Fam- ily Farms in the Central Valley. Olive oil comes from Apollo Olive Oil (Oregon House) and honey from McClaughry Farms (Grass Valley), among others. The store carries many local wines,


including Avanguardia, Montoliva, Naggiar, Nevada City Winery, Smith Vineyards and Solune. BriarPatch also has teamed up with


Wendy Van Wagner of In the Kitchen in Nevada City to offer hands-on cooking classes. A class on holiday salads and sides is offered inNovember, for example. BriarPatch is at 290 Sierra College Dr.


in Grass Valley. Phone 530-272-5333 and the website is BriarPatch.coop.


Nevada County Free Range Beef "There's no gentleway of saying this:


artificial junk has no place in our cows, on our land, or on your table," modern- day cowboy Jim Gates says about his grass fed beef. "Our cows eat and live the way nature intended. No hormones, no antibiotics, no grain, no corn. And no confinement." Gates' filetmignons are a favorite for


holiday dining. This time of year, the stew meat, short ribs and soup bones make for a gourmet comfort foodmeal. Gates' beef is available at BriarPatch.


Packaged ground beef is available at SPD Markets inNevada City andGrass Valley, Natural Selection in Grass Valley and Mother Truckers in Nevada City. Gates' beef is sold direct from the


ranch from April to November, though you can order any time of the year. It is sold by the eighth, quarter, half orwhole animal. Cost per pound is $6 for quarter, half or whole, and a family pack (eighth order) costs $6.50 per pound and weighs about 45 pounds.


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