By Scott Hutcheson/The Hungry Hoosier
Lebanon — You may call me Captain Obvious after the next sentence, but stick with me. It’s October, which means that next month is November. I bring that up because for some of us, October is when we start our pre-game planning for Thanksgiving. Sure, you don’t have to think ahead about Thanksgiving if everything you plan to put on the table comes from the local supermarket. If, however, you acquire special ingredients from both near and far, it’s time to get to work.
Herbs and Spices
October is when I take inventory of my herbs and spices. The experts say that dried spices should only be kept on-hand for about six months. It’s is not that they go bad, really, they just begin losing their potency. Two-year-old sage won’t be nearly as sage-y as a new jar. Besides sage, I stock up on dried rosemary, cinnamon, whole nutmeg cloves and more. I get some of my herbs and spices by mail but there’s also a terrific shop on the north side of Indianapolis called Penzey’s. You can check their Web site at www.penzeys.com for location information.
Flours and Grains
Chances are you’ll be doing lots more baking as the weather cools, so October is a great time to be sure your flours and grains are fresh. To make those pie crusts, dinner rolls and cookies even more special, you might want to consider using flour and cornmeal milled here in Indiana from Hoosier-grown grains. There are a few mills across the state and one of my favorites is Sunny Slopes Farm in Lynn (Randolph County). Steve and Rosalie Deatline make wheat flour from wheat they grain right there on the farm. They get corn from nearby farmers and produce their own cornmeal and grits. I prefer cornbread "dressing" instead of stuffing so I’ll be making my cornbread this year from Sunny Slopes’ cornmeal. The Deatlines sell off the farm (7773 S. 100 East in Lynn) if you’re headed their direction. If not, they will gladly ship. They can be reached at 765-874-2170 or deatline@globalsite.net.
Sweet Stuff
Sure sugar can sweeten all your Thanksgiving treats, but maple syrup can add that something extra that will make your guests wonder what your secret is. Pumpkin pie and sweet potato casserole are especially delicious when laced with a bit of maple. I’ve tasted lots of Indiana maple syrup and found most of it thin in both consistency and flavor. The best syrup, by far, is from Burton’s Maplewood Farm in Medora (Seymour County). Their amber elixir is a staple in our home. Their wonderful syrup can be ordered online at www.burtonsmaplewoodfarm.com. Their farm is also home to the National Maple Syrup Fesitval held each year on the first and second weekends of March. More information about the festival can be found at www.nationalmaplesyrupfestival.com.
Turkey
Of course the star of any Thanksgiving show is the turkey. If you are planning on the typical frozen bird from the grocery store you won’t need any advanced planning, but if you want you want it to be something special, like a fresh Indiana-grown bird, you’ll need to place an order soon. There are an increasing number of options for high-quality local turkeys and I’ll give you the rundown on those in my next column.
