A bounty of area businesses and markets make shopping local for all the ingredients of a customary Thanksgiving dinner a relatively easy task.
The turkey is the star of the show on Thanksgiving, and the Delmar Farmers Market, now held indoors at Bethlehem Middle School, is a good place to find one. Frantzen’s Scenic Acres Farm, a family-operated farm located in Knox, takes preorders for its heritage turkeys at the farmers market. Heritage turkeys are allowed to breed naturally, opposed to commercially bred turkeys.
Frantzen’s breeds their turkeys on its farm, along with incubating the eggs on site. The turkeys are raised on grass, and their diet is supplemented with natural, locally grown grains.
“Most store-bought meats and poultry have been bred for the convenience of the breeders and the convenience of the stores … and not for the well-being of the animal and not for the quality of the product,” Paul Tick, manager of the Delmar Farmers Market, said. “The heritage breed is something that has been allowed to breed naturally and of course without artificial hormones added to it and artificial feed. It makes for a much tastier and much healthier animal, and we think that is a better product for the consumer.”
Falvo’s Meat Market owner Joseph Robilotto said hundreds of people come to his store every year looking for a turkey from Jaindl Farms, a family-owned farm in Pennsylvania.
“They don’t even ask the price; they just order the turkey, and they know what they want,” Robilotto said. “This is a good turkey, and it does show that they are satisfied with them since they keep asking for it.”
The National Turkey Federation has selected Jaindl Farms’ turkeys as the “grand champion” for more than 40 years, which designates what turkey is served at the White House on Thanksgiving.
Preordering a turkey from Falvo’s is recommended to ensure the size of turkey desired. Around 90 percent of the sales come from preorders, Robilotto said. The store is located directly off Route 85 on Route 85A in Slingerlands.
The turkeys come in “at the last moment,” Robilotto said, so it is “really fresh” and will not need to be defrosted.
Falvo’s has also been selling their own sausage stuffing for more than a decade.
“It is an old fashioned sausage dressing just like my mom used to make,” Robilotto said. “We use good, fresh seasonings and the meat is not loaded with fat, so it is not going to be greasy.”
Also at the Farmers Market in Delmar are more than 40 vendors offering vegetables, starches and other sides. Tick said there is “every sort of green imaginable, and all vendors are from about a 35-mile radius of Delmar so the selections are fresh.
Tick encouraged people who have not been to the market before to check it out for “the taste and quality of the products … and the fact that buying local supports our local farmers and crafts people” and boosts the local economy.
“The interest in local has been tremendous, and when we are outdoors we attract up to 2,000 people a day,” he said. “Between five to 10 new businesses have sprung up from the market. They end up with a following … and they are able to open outside the market with the own shop.”
Tick said buying from local businesses benefits a community as a whole, because those businesses return around three-quarters of every dollar to the community, while chain store typical return less than half of every dollar.
Traditional Thanksgiving dinners also wouldn’t be complete without a tasty pie, and Grandma’s Pies and Restaurant on Central Avenue has made that their specialty.
“We have been here so long that we are an icon in Colonie for pies,” Grandma’s co-owner Ron Raylinsky said. “It is really our fresh ingredients, and it is the quality. We have real whipped cream, and not many people have real whip cream anymore.”
Raylinsky said the store serves up so many pies, somewhere in the “several thousands,” that the day before and on Thanksgiving, the restaurant is closed. Police are usually out front directing the influx of traffic, too.
Raylinsky said the top selling pies annually for Thanksgiving are apple, pumpkin and chocolate cream. Outside of the favorites, he recommended people try the five fruit pie or apple walnut pie.
Grandma’s started taking preorders at the start of the month and ordering ahead of time is recommended if someone wants a particular pie. Call the restaurant at 459-4585 to place your order.
For those seeking a simple solution to serving up a delicious meal, Grappa ’72 Ristorante is offering a complete feast without the hassle.
Grappa’s holiday meal includes the turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes and sweet potatoes, cranberry sauce, candied carrots, sweet buttered corn, vegetable medley, fresh rolls with butter and of course a freshly baked pie.
The meals are offered in portion sizes for six, 12, or 20 people. Orders must be placed by Monday, Nov. 25, at 8 p.m. and will be available for pick-up from noon to 10:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 27. Call 482-7200 to place an order and visit www.grappa72.com for more information.