You Can Have Your Sustainable Turkey and Eat It Too

Sustainable Table & The Meatrix sent out a newsletter today. If you would like to keep up with what is going on in the sustainable world, or just here at GRACE, sign up here. The new year promises exciting changes… keep in touch!

When people think about Thanksgiving, the first thing that should pop into mind is gratitude for all of the blessings received throughout the year. The real first thought, however, may be food. Thanksgiving, the most delicious of holidays, is a great time to experiment with sustainable and heritage foods. Sustainably-raised heritage turkeys are slightly more expensive, but you can be confident that the bird was raised humanely and will taste all the better for it. Most Thanksgiving staples are seasonal, so most of what you need for mashed potatoes, stuffing and pies should be readily available at the farmers market. And while you might be thinking foooood, buying sustainable and local is about celebrating food the way it should be.

If you haven’t ordered your turkey yet, check out Heritage Foods USA, but do it soon because the birds are about to fly the coop! If you don’t have the urge to cook a gigantic Thanksgiving dinner but still have the desire to eat one, search the Eat Well Guide for sustainable restaurants that will serving one instead.

Read on to find out what we’ve been up to at Sustainable Table and The Meatrix and learn what our friends are doing too! Have a very joyful Thanksgiving!

Meatless Monday

Our sister organization, Meatless Monday, has found themselves in the middle of a very hot topic! As industrial agriculture’s part in climate change has become clear and the health benefits of eating less meat are more apparent every day, Meatless Monday is the way to go. Check out their website next Monday to read “10 Ways to Cook Up a Meatless Thanksgiving,” written by trained chef and longtime food journalist, Kim O’Donnel. She will also be hosting “Table Talk with Kim O’Donnel” on the Culinate website, Thursday (tomorrow!) at 1pm Eastern time.

Food, Inc. DVD and New Accompanying Teacher Guides

The revelatory movie Food, Inc. has recently been released on DVD enabling fans and activists to further spread the word about sustainable food. In collaboration, the Center for EcoLiteracy has developed the Food, Inc. Discussion Guide. The 102 page guide provides questions-to-ask and activities about the film, including health, sustainability, animal welfare, and workers’ rights. It is designed to help high school students make more thoughtful choices about food and participate in a meaningful dialogue about food and food systems. Download it now!

Fresh DVD and Discussion Guide

FRESH is a wonderfully uplifting movie celebrating people across America who are re-inventing our food system. FRESH wants to facilitate a discussion about a practical vision for the future of our food and our planet. They have provided a guide to help you start this conversation. Asking questions like, “What do you think of the statement made by Michael Pollan that we pay three times for our food – at the register, with our health care, and via agricultural subsidies?” are among the thought provoking suggestions in the guide. Purchase a screening kit to show at home, in your community, or at a larger event – and get people thinking!

The Meatrix

Do you have friends and family who still don’t want to know about the problems with our current food system? Don’t be pushy – sometimes these things take a while. Send them the link to The Meatrix series and sit back and wait for their questions. We have found it works nicely!

The Daily Table Blog

• Read Meatless Monday’s interview with Jonathan Safran Foer, “Eating Animals” Enlivens Issues.
• Learn why sustainable food is good for your health, Antibiotics: If This Doesn’t Convince You, Nothing Will.
• Watch our video on urban farming, A Farm in Danger: Help Save BedStuy Farm.
• Keep up on food news with Sophy’s Sustainable Dish.