Thanksgiving in Michiana

Gathering friends and family around a table filled with gratitude and local goodness

Make this a truly local Thanksgiving—from the wine or cider to the décor on your table. While you are finishing the meal prep, ask guests to go out and glean a natural centerpiece or use a bowl of local fruit and some beeswax candles to grace your tabletop.

The following recipes come together easily with a bit of planning and some thoughtful preserving during the bountiful fall months. Make use of your freezer space and your farmers market to get all you can from our Michiana region. Happy celebrating!

Lazy Person’s Roast Turkey​

Recipe courtesy of Adam Derstine, Blue Heron Farm (Millersburg, Indiana)
Recipe adapted by Tara Swartzendruber-Landis

Farmer Adam Derstine shared this recipe with us last year in our Edible Michiana newsletter. It was so good (and so simple—less than 10 minutes of prep time), that we had to reprint it this fall. You might just find that it is the easiest and most flavorful turkey you have ever made.

Sautéed Collard Greens with Hot Pepper Vinegar

Recipe courtesy of Michael Freed
Adapted by Tara Swartzendruber-Landis

Collard greens are often boiled with fatback until they melt in your mouth. While delicious, we suggest a fresh twist on this classic for your Thanksgiving table: a quick sauté and braise, resulting in vibrant greens with just a bit of crunch. The hot pepper vinegar is a traditional Southern condiment that is great for using up the abundance of spicy peppers available in September.

Roasted Butternut Squash and Hazelnut Panzanella with Cinnamon Vinaigrette

Recipe courtesy of Chef Brad Hindsley, Spire Farm to Fork (LaPorte, Indiana)

Panzanella is a traditional Italian salad made with leftover bread. In this version, local chef Brad Hindsley offers a contemporary American take on this rustic salad with roasted Butternut squash and a seasonal vinaigrette just right for the Thanksgiving table.

Baked Cranberries with Cider and Ginger

Recipe by Tara Swartzendruber-Landis

This is a savory, tart change from traditional cranberry sauce. Add more maple syrup if you prefer a sweeter sauce. If possible, pick up some local ginger from Clay Bottom Farm in Goshen, Indiana, and freeze it to use for your Thanksgiving meal.  This sauce keeps well in the refrigerator and can be made the day before the big celebration.

WHERE TO GET YOUR BIRD: 

Bullseye Market
Vandalia, MI
Organic, locally raised
Order by October 1

Creekside Farm at the Goshen Farmers Market
Goshen, IN
Pastured, hormone-free
Pre-order highly recommended

DC Meats
Osceola, IN
All natural, free range, raised in MI
Pre-order required

Grass is Greener Meats and Produce
Bremen, IN
Red Bourbon heritage breed, pastured, non-GMO feed, hormone and antibiotic-free
Delivery to Granger
Farmers Market available
Pre-order required with deposit by October 1

Gunthorp Farms
LaGrange, IN
Pastured, hormone- and antibiotic-free
Pre-order required

Hiatt’s Poultry at the South Bend Farmers Market
South Bend, IN
Free range, hormone-free

Jake’s Country Meats
Cassopolis, MI
Pastured, hormone- and antibiotic-free
Pre-order required

Maple City Market
Goshen, IN
Free range, hormone and antibiotic-free, from Sunshine Acres (Middlebury, IN)

Purple Porch Co-op
South Bend, IN
All natural, pastured, from Family Farms Cooperative

Roseland Organic Farms
Dowagiac, MI
Organic, pastured, non-GMO feed, hormone and antibiotic-free

Yoder’s Meat and Cheese Company
Shipshewana, IN
Amish-raised, hormonefree, from Peacock’s Poultry (Troy, MI)

Zeiger Farm
Three Oaks, MI
All natural, free range