How to Prepare an Eco-Friendly Thanksgiving Dinner

Thanksgiving is a time to celebrate food and family, a time to push your cooking skills to the edge and prepare a gourmet meal. If you're tired of making the same old recipes and want to try a few variations this year, why not change up the menu with organic and eco-friendly choices instead? Organic food will probably increase your Thanksgiving grocery bill a little, but the extra investment could be well worth it; better quality food and more flavorful creations are just a few reasons to go organic this Thanksgiving.

The first step in preparing your eco-friendly dinner is to design your only-organic menu. Head to the farmer's market and natural grocery store for a preview of the season's latest and greatest. You'll want to do this at least a week in advance, so take a small notepad if needed and mark down everything that could work for your dinner table. You'll be surprised how many organic choices there really are, and the more options you have, the more creative you can be!

Finding a free range turkey is the next step, and you can find this at most natural grocery stores and markets, but you might need to turn to local farmers if you live in a small community. Find a few organic farms in the area and ask about free range turkey or other meats for your Thanksgiving dinner table. Preparation is key, so calling at least two weeks in advance will help you find exactly the quantity you need. Free-range and organic meat is usually tastier and easy to prepare; it's free of artificial hormones, chemicals, and other preservatives that can change the way meat tastes and cooks. Buying from local farmers also means you'll help support the local economy. If you're going vegetarian or vegan with your Thanksgiving menu this year, you may consider cooking Tofurkey or organic tofu for the main entrée.