How to Make a Local Farm Fresh Thanksgiving

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Now is the time to start planning your holiday gatherings. Before you go out and buy a frozen store turkey, consider these local family farms by buying a local farm-fresh, pasture-raised turkey for Thanksgiving. Take the Local Thanksgiving Challenge, and support local farms and shops this Thanksgiving.

Keep reading for locally grown vegetables to accompany your farm-fresh turkey, available pie ingredients, and where to pre-order your baked goods and desserts for the holiday season.

LOCAL FARM-FRESH TURKEY

Alwan + Sons Meat Company  {Peoria}    //     Call to reserve a fresh or frozen turkey! Order ASAP—Alwan + Sons sell out every year

Bittners Eureka Meat Locker  {Eureka}    //     Hickory smoked farm-fresh turkeys, frozen turkey, fresh farm-fresh turkeys, or BYOT (bring your own turkey) and Eureka Meat Locker will smoke it for you—orders begin November 1, 2023

Braker’s Market  {Eureka}   //   Hickory smoked, fully-cooked turkeys will be available to purchase along with smoked and spiral hams

Christ Orchard  {Elmwood}    //     Order your farm-fresh turkey ASAP— taking orders until all birds are reserved 

Elmwood Meat Products  {Elmwood}    //     Hickory smoked turkey breast available—preorders begin Oct 31, 2023

Little Blue’s Farm  {Morton}    //     To guarantee your Thanksgiving bird order ASAP and definitely by mid-November. If turkey isn’t on your menu, Little Blue’s Farm offers beef tenderloin and whole hams for your holiday feast too

Pottstown Meat + Deli  {Peoria}    //     Order ASAP for an Amish-raised, free-range turkey! Turkey breast and honey spiral hams are also available for your Thanksgiving feast

Prairie Creek Pastures  {Tremont}    //     Reserve your pastured turkey ASAP. These birds are raised on pasture, no antibiotics, no drugs, and GMO-Free

Raber Packing Co.  {West Peoria}    //     Frozen and smoked turkey available—orders begin November 1, 2023

Red River Farms  {Eureka}    //     Specializing in pasture-raised turkeys, Red River Farms has a first pay, first pick process. So, if your family needs a certain sized bird, it's best to get the order in as soon as possible. Red River Farms will be taking orders until all 60 pasture-raised birds are reserved

Roth Turkey Farm  {Forrest}   //   Fresh (never frozen), all natural, processed, federally-inspected turkeys from an all vegetable diet, with nothing added or injected. Order your turkey early!! Roth Turkey Farm does sell out each year

Yordy Turkey Farm  {Morton}    //     Order ASAP! As of late September, Yordy Turkey Farm has 6,000 of their 10,000 birds left to reserve but they sell out every year! The Yordy team will try to accommodate walk-ins but it won't be a guarantee

VEGETABLE, PUMPKIN, + SQUASH SIDE DISHES

Ackerman Family Farms  {Morton}   //   Many varieties of autumn and winter squashes 

Braker’s Market  {Eureka}  //   Green beans, Brussels sprouts, turnips, collard greens, onions, potatoes, squash including acorn, butternut, spaghetti, and pumpkins

Broad Branch Farm  {Chillicothe}    //     Fresh herbs 

Crooked Row Farm Illinois  {Chillicothe}   //  Tomatoes, green beans, radishes, turnips, and collard greens

Christ Orchard  {Elmwood}    //     15 varieties of squash, including acorn, butternut, spaghetti, and more

Garden Spot Vegetable Farm  {Princeville}   //   Cabbage, Brussel sprouts, carrots, potatoes, winter squash

Hartz Produce  {Wyoming}   //   Organic produce

R. E. Arends Orchard   {Laura}   //   Garden produce like squash, tomatoes, peppers, Butternut squash, pumpkins, gourds

Schaer’s Country Market  {East Peoria}   //   Pumpkins, gourds 

Tanner’s Orchard  {Speer}    //     Squash, pumpkins

PIE INGREDIENTS

Ackerman Family Farms  {Morton}   //   Sugar pie pumpkins

Braker’s Market  {Eureka}   //   Sugar pie pumpkins, apples, frozen fruit from this season, pecans, and cranberries

Broad Branch Farm  {Chillicothe}    //     Eggs 

Christ Orchard  {Elmwood}    //     Apples and sugar pie pumpkins

Crooked Row Farm Illinois  {Chillicothe}  //   Sugar pie pumpkins, pears, and frozen raspberries from this season

Garden Spot Vegetable Farm  {Princeville}   //   Apples

Hilly Lane Pumpkins and Fresh Produce  {Sparland}   //   Apples and sugar pie pumpkins

Partridge Point Orchard  {Metamora}   //   9 varieties of apples

Pleasant Row Orchard  {Cuba}   //   Apples, peaches, and cherries

R. E. Arends Orchard   {Laura}  //   Apples and sugar pie pumpkins

Roth Pumpkin Patch  {Morton}   //   Sugar pie pumpkins  (Season ends Oct 31!)

Tanner’s Orchard  {Speer}    //     Apples, sugar pie pumpkins, and cranberries

BAKED GOODIES + SWEETS

ARDOR Breads + Provisions   {Peoria}    //   Dinner rolls, crescents, baguettes to dry for stuffing

Braker’s Market  {Eureka}   //   Dinner rolls, bread cubes for stuffing, and whole pies

Caleri's Café & Bakery  {Roanoke}    //   Selection of pre baked pies, dinner rolls, and crescent rolls

The Vine Coffeehouse + Bakery  {Princeville}    //   Whole freshly baked pies and sweet rolls

Great Harvest Bread Co.  {Morton + Peoria}   //   Rosemary + chive dinner rolls, basil + oregano dinner rolls, and wheat + white Virginia rolls, stuffing bread with onions, celery, sage and thyme to make into stuffing, pumpkin chocolate chip bread, and cinnamon swirl bread

LeBakery  {Peoria}    //   Dinner rolls, bread cubes for stuffing, whole pies

Mike’s Cobbler Corner  {Pekin}    //    Homemade fresh whole pies

R. E. Arends Orchard   {Laura}  //   Pre-order ASAP—pumpkin cheesecake, cider donuts, caramel apples, pumpkin bread, pecan pie, apple crisp, pumpkin pie, apple pie, and homemade apple cider

Supreme House of Cheese  {Toluca}    //   Made-to-order or frozen pies: pumpkin, pumpkin pecan, chocolate peanut butter, cherry, apple, peach, and blueberry

The Confectionery  {Morton}    //   Fresh homemade pies—fruit pies, cream pies, pumpkin pies and pecan pies will all be available in both mini and full size. Place orders early as the shop will have limited pies available

The Pie Doctor {Princeville}    //   Whole, fully-baked pies—place orders ASAP on the website or Facebook. Homemade fruit pies are a specialty with the popular apple crumb with cranberries.  New holiday flavors are being announced soon

Trefzger’s Bakery  {Peoria Heights}    //   Pre-order ASAP—taking orders for fresh whole pies including 12 different fruit pies, 6 different cream pies, pumpkin pie, pecan pie

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