Don’t Be a Turkey: Entertain Greenly this Holiday Season

Date: November 20, 2008 | Category: Food & Drink, Holiday & Gift, Kitchen, Lifestyle

Chekhov once famously wrote, “People are far more sincere and good-humored at speeding their parting guests than on meeting them.” It isn’t that entertaining isn’t enjoyable, just that hosting holiday celebrations can be stressful, especially if you are trying to make more eco-friendly choices around the house.

But preparing an organic meal and decorating with an eye towards sustainability needn’t be nerve-racking since there have never been more green products on the market. You just need to know where to look. This year, ecofabulous has done the shopping for you (OK, you still have to purchase the bits you want, but we make it easy!).

Stuff Yourself Organically

A turkey has long been the ubiquitous choice for Thanksgiving entertaining (unless you are a vegetarian, and your preference lies with Tofurky). With approximately 46 million turkeys consumed in America each Thanksgiving, The National Turkey Federation estimates that more than 690 pounds of turkey are consumed on this one thankful day alone. That’s a lot of bird!

The problem with conventional turkeys is that they are often raised in confinement on over-crowded factory farms. Rather than enjoying a natural diet of bugs and grasses, they are fed grain and supplements containing antibiotics. In addition to the ethical implications of raising animals this way, turkeys raised on industrial farms tend to be dry and tasteless due to their unnatural diets, so the meat is often injected with saline solution, not the main seasoning most people seek when they sit down to their holiday meal.

The good news is that there are eco-friendly (and healthier!) options in poultry. Buying an organic turkey is the way to go. An organic turkey is certified by the USDA and must be raised under strict guidelines: using no antibiotics or growth enhancers, and fed a diet of only organic feed. Plus, the animals must be given access to outdoors, which leads to healthier birds than those raised in crowded cages.

Markets like Whole Foods carry organic turkeys year-round, but make sure to call ahead as you may have to order one in advance for the holidays. Or you can find a turkey raised by a local farmer in your area. LocalHarvest.org allows you to search by zip code for farmers markets, grocers and farms in your area that sell organic turkeys for the holidays. The directory even lists online stores that will deliver these right to your home.

Once you’ve secured a bird, it’s time to move on to the edible accessories. Again, most grocery stores now carry a good selection of organic fruits and veggies but the most eco-friendly way to buy your fruits is locally at a farmers market, which cuts back on the fuel needed to ship produce. In addition to LocalHarvest.org, you can find a farmers market near you at FarmersMarket.com, which allows you to search by city and state for the market closest to your home.

If you are planning to make your own turkey but need help with the pesky details, we have found some prepared foods that will make your holiday a bit more manageable. Grown Right Organic Whole Berry Cranberry Sauce ($2.79) is a tangy and delicious must-have with turkey (and for those sandwiches the day after Thanksgiving.) Also try the Roasted Turkey Gravy Seasoning Mix ($1.29) from Simply Organic, if you aren’t the “from scratch” type.

Dessert is another part of the holidays that can make even the most relaxed hostess sweat a bit. For a pumpkin pie from semi-scratch, use Wholly Wholesome’s Organic Nine-Inch Pie Shells and Farmer’s Market Organic Pumpkin filling.

Thankful You Don’t Have to Cook

If you love to entertain but cooking is not your forte, there are still lots of ways to serve your guests delicious and organic meals this holiday season, without the risk of burning down the house or giving your guests food poisoning. With locations all over the country, Whole Foods Markets will deliver a full meal to your home, from stuffing to dessert. You can customize your meal by choosing from a large selection in each category. (For example, you can choose three different types of turkey, lamb or prime rib as the entrée.) Meals come fully prepared but must be ordered 48 hours before pick-up. All you need to do is reheat the food and transfer it to your most beautiful serving dishes. The cost is about $25 per person, depending on the items you choose.

Viva la vino! Charge up the coffee pot!

Wine is a part of many holiday celebrations, so this year choose an organic varietal to serve your guests (or to bring as a hostess gift, if you are spending the evening elsewhere.) The Organic Wine Company’s website is a great resource, especially if you are relatively new to organic wine (or wine in general). You can choose by color, type of vino or country of origin. Each bottle is described in detail and the site offers wines in a spectrum of prices.

Once the meal has been devoured, the spirits have been drunk, and your guests are enjoying your semi-scratch pumpkin pie, finish up with an eco-offering of coffee. We like the organic single-origin coffees from Pachamama Coffee Co-Op, a coffee company wholly owned by farmers, which is available in stores or online.

A great product for keeping your coffee hot all evening without leaving your coffee maker on, which wastes energy and can burn your delicious brew into a pot of sludge, is the Eco AirPot from Service Ideas ($45.50). The air pot, which pumps coffee with the press of a lever, is glass-lined - so it won’t leach chemicals into your coffee - and will give you up to 8 hours of flavor and heat retention. It also features a swivel base and carrying handle, perfect for transporting the pot to the table or buffet.

Feather Your Nest with a Green Table

If you are hosting a large crowd, chances are you are considering disposable tableware to cut down on dish washing at the end of the night. Since Americans throw out nearly 100 billion plastic, paper and Styrofoam plates and cups each year – most of which are made from petroleum-based plastics, hazardous foam or chlorine-bleached paper – making an eco-friendly choice about how to serve your meal is very important. VerTerra makes a beautiful line of compostable tableware that is made from pressed fallen leaves, without any chemicals or toxic glues. The plates, which come in a variety of different sizes, are sturdy enough that they won’t collapse under the weight of your turkey dinner and can be tucked into your compost bin when you are finished. The only problem is that they are so attractive, no one wants to toss them!

Clearly the most ecofabulous choice is to use your own dishes, good china or not, as long as you choose an earth-friendly dish soap for cleanup. Method makes dishes sparkling clean with their dishwasher ovals, available directly from Method or at stores like Target. And be sure to load the machine fully and efficiently before running the cycle. Alternatively, if you are hand-washing delicate dishes, be sure to use cool, not hot water to save energy and don’t run the water while you wash. We prefer Green Works dish soap for everything that doesn’t go in the machine.

Table linens are an especially important part of any eco-friendly Thanksgiving table. Conventionally-grown cotton uses approximately 25 percent of the world’s insecticides and more than 10 percent of the pesticides used in the world today, so buying organic cotton is not only a good idea for the health of your family but is imperative for the health of the planet (with the caveat that you should use what you already have, if you don’t need a new one).

Rawganique has beautiful table linens in organic linen or organic hemp, that come in a variety of colors. Dress them up with these chargers, made of reclaimed fir and this stunning candelabra made of reclaimed metal ($28)– both from VivaTerra - and your table will be something the planet can be thankful for as well. And don’t forget the organic flowers from Organic Bouquet, which will deliver eco-bouquets or centerpieces right to your door.

And by the way, we are thankful for you and for your commitment to being conscious! Happy thanksgiving.

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