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Holiday feasts are a hallowed American tradition, a symbol of our nation’s diverse history. This holiday season, trying something new means getting back to our roots. For much of our history, the meat and vegetables that have graced the center of our seasonal tables were harvested in our own backyards, farms and gardens. But in the past few decades, the tradition has morphed to mean store-bought turkeys with built-in pop-up timers, Brussels sprouts and broccoli shipped to grocery stores from Mexico and stuffing from a box.

Thanksgiving, as well as some Christmas dinner traditions, call for a plump tom on the table. Since the ’60s, industrial turkey farms have been producing certain breeds that grow plump in a short time-but are considered to be otherwise genetically weak in comparison to the kinds of turkeys our ancestors enjoyed. The Heritage Turkey movement strives to repopularize the heartier breeds enjoyed in Thanksgivings past, like Naragansett and Bourbon Red. The turkeys take longer to develop, but are reported to taste better and to be healthier, in addition to being healthier animals in general.

“This was our third year buying a 18-20-pound Heritage Bronze turkey,” says Sara Bossen, who lives in Cleveland with her husband and two children. “We buy our meats directly from farmers that we’ve built relationships with over the past two years. It’s very cool that the agriculture around Cleveland, the farmers market, the locally owned grocery stores and our food co-op make it fairly easy to feed a family with almost entirely local meats and produce, especially through spring, summer and fall.”
Traditional holiday vegetables in American are traditions for a reason—most of them are native to our soil: potatoes, sweet potatoes, a vast array of berries, corn, squash and more. In recent years, more and more Americans, like Sara, are choosing to take back the holiday and source the components of their meal from local farms and markets.

There are plenty of options for finding local, unprocessed side dishes. That’s why more and more people are taking the 100-mile challenge: to create a holiday meal made entirely from food produced no more than 100 miles from home. It doesnt have to be difficult or expensive. In many regions, roadside farmers markets still do brisk business in early winter, and some supermarkets feature local seasonal items each week. Buying local may mean that your holiday menu will vary slightly from past years—when sourcing locally, you usually have to build the dishes around what is available, rather than what tradition dictates.

Why do the hundred mile challenge? It’s a creative culinary endeavor, to be sure. But with oil prices and concerns about global warming escalating, buying local can have an amazing impact on the community and the environment. You’re putting money back into your community, keeping local business going. You’re also drastically decreasing your carbon footprint. When food travels highways—and, increasingly, oceans—to get to your table, the process uses tons of gas and produces tons of pollution. When you buy local, the energy impact usually involves just a couple of hours of driving time total. You’re also getting food that is fresh and perfectly in season-and often organic.

The 100-mile concept was born in 2005, when a Canadian couple kept an online journal of a year’s worth of meals made from ingredients grown within 100 miles of their home. Their blog proved popular, and sparked an interest in others to take the 100-mile challenge.

Foodie blogger Jennifer Baskerville of Cookin in the Cuse points out yet another benefit-the savings. Two years ago, she held a “100 Mile, Eat What You Have” Thanksgiving, meaning that the local menu even more specifically centered on “cooking out of the larder and root cellar.” She capitalized on the bumper crop from her garden and from her Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) deliveries, building the menu around these items. For a fee, people in most areas can sign up for a Community Supported Agriculture box, a weekly delivery of seasonal, local products. these are most often produce, though some communities have meat and dairy options for an increased cost.

While researching the article, this author was surprised to find thousands of articles, blogs and websites discussing locally sourced meals, holiday and every day. Everyone’s talking about ways to create more satisfying meals and connect to their food. There are web resources geared towards specific regions as well, from Long Island to Ohio to Puget Sound. Look for websites featuring 100-mile holiday meals, or, more generally, local produce and other foods in your area. Whether you’re compiling an abundance of produce for your Kwanzaa table, seeking local dairy products for Hanukkah, or stocking up on wines for New Years’ Eve, these resources can help you find what you need to make the holiday taste great.

And don’t forget the most local food of all—that which you can grow in your own garden. Sara in Cleveland added that her family will be breaking ground on their own garden next spring. “Once we start making our own yogurt and canning we’ll practically be our own little urban farm. It’s exciting!”

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