Your Thanksgiving Feast, Locally Grown

As temperatures drop and the days leading up to the most anticipated meal of the year dwindle, it’s time to start planning your Thanksgiving feast. To help make your meal extra special, we’ve rounded up a list of retailers with local ingredients you can use in your favorite  holiday dishes. Not only is shopping locally a sustainable way to support the community, neighborhood farmers markets and grocery stores offer great-tasting food year round!

“Fall” in love with the farmers market

Glen Lennox residents really luck out in the farmers market department. Surrounded by three markets: Chapel Hill, Carrboro and Eno River, finding seasonal produce for your homemade casseroles has never been easier.

The Chapel Hill Farmers’ Market, located at University Place, offers its vendor selection to shoppers on Tuesday afternoons and Saturday mornings. Fresh veggies, baked goods and performances by local musicians and vocalists on Saturdays; this market has it all. Between their Pre-Thanksgiving Market on Tuesday, November 21, and their ongoing Music at Market series, you won’t want to go the holiday season without paying a visit to the Chapel Hill Farmers’ Market.

Next, head over to the Carrboro Farmers’ Market on Wednesday afternoons, until the week before Thanksgiving, and Saturday mornings. For an extra boost to get you through meal prep, stop by Three Waters Café, serving coffee right out of their truck! For an even more festive experience, shop the Thanksgiving Market on Tuesday, November 21.

Tucked in downtown Hillsborough, the Eno River Farmers’ Market was born out of the town’s original market, established in 1754. Open Saturday mornings, the Eno River Farmers’ Market has a competitive list of local growers. To keep your Thanksgiving feast lively, pick up some cider from Botanist and Barrel, the only natural cidery in the South and one of the market’s vendors.

Get your (local) groceries!

After browsing the farmers markets, continue to shop locally for the rest of your Thanksgiving groceries. This year, choose organic meat and dairy products from farms surrounding the community.

Steve’s Garden Market & Butchery in Hillsborough is the place to go for natural and hormone-free meats. They even create custom orders upon request, just make sure you place your order well before Turkey Day!

Coon Rock Farm is another vendor for quality meat and dairy products. Located on the Eno River in Hillsborough, they are proud to be a sustainable family farm. They have both fresh and frozen turkeys to pre-order, so secure your bird now. You can buy produce, other meats, eggs, dairy products and artisan goods too.

If you need local products in a hurry, swing by the community-owned grocery store: Weaver Street Market. With locations in Carrboro, Chapel Hill, Hillsborough and Raleigh, they are open for shopping seven days a week. And if you want to spice it up with a new dish this Thanksgiving, check out their favorite recipes online.

A bounty of botanicals

Now that you’ve planned your grocery shopping, it’s time to think about how to decorate your table of delicious eats. Instead of buying commonplace decorations, consider visiting a florist or nursery in Chapel Hill, Carrboro or Hillsborough.

If you are looking for a big bunch of fall flowers to wow your guests, look no further than Blawesome, a flower farm in Chapel Hill. They offer a variety of bouquet selections and dried floral creations. Effortlessly adorn your table with one of their Market Bouquets, arranged with seasonal blooms.

For those of you looking to decorate your doorstep, mark your calendars for an Eno River Farm Fall Wreath Class. Hosted by Master Gardener, Becky Garner, this class provides you supplies and a beautiful take-home wreath at the end. Purchase your tickets online in advance.

Lastly, if you are a plant person rather than a flower fan, stop by Fifth Season Gardening Company in Carrboro. Their non-GMO plants are also free from neonicotinoid pesticides. They are certified as a retailer of Bird-Friendly Native Plants, making Fifth Season a sustainable nursery for you to support.

We hope this guide to Thanksgiving shopping inspired you to support local businesses and meet vendors in your community this season. Now, off to buy those turkeys, baked goods and autumn arrangements. Happy shopping!