On the side table (and a figgy update)

by duluth, November 18, 2009 | Permalink

We’ve been talking turkey all month on this blog—but on the big T-Day, what are you going to eat with your bird? There are so many menu variations that we could fill the rest of cyberspace with all the possibilities. And since we don’t want to upset the apple (or PC, if we’re going to be computerally-correct) cart of cyberspace, here are a few of the great side dishes we’ve got here at Whole Foods Market Johns Creek:

Dressing or Stuffing? Our cornbread pan dressing is made with chicken stock and unbleached flours, wholesome as all get-out and tradition, southern-style. For stuffing you can choose from one made with rosemary bread and stout chestnuts, or a sourdough-based sage version that’s yeasty and filling.

Taters?  Thanksgiving’s a carb-loading day, right? We’ve got scalloped potatoes topped with Emmenthal, provolone and parmesan cheeses, sweet potatoes humming with honey, brown sugar and cinnamon,  and good ole’ fashioned mashed russets.

Craving a casserole? Ditch the soup can—we’ve got a green bean casserole that’ll knock your socks off, made without all the canned sodium and unpronounceable ingredients. Our mac and cheese is made with real cheddar—it’s a real hit with kids. And the squash casserole is thick with yellow veggies and carrots and dusted with a light breadcrumb topping. Creamy, deliciously good.

Sweating over the stove?  No way with our turkey gravy! We’ll end your endless stirring with gravy made from natural turkey juices, bay leaves and unbleached flour. And why mess with cranberries in a can—we make our cranberry relish thick and chunky and studded with oranges. It’s so tasty spread over bread for that leftover turkey sandwich.

Pies? Puh-leeze.  You name it, we’ve got it. Pumpkin, pecan (made with Georgia grown pecans!), chocolate bourbon pecan, chocolate silk, banana cream, apple, blackberry, cherry, mixed berry, gluten-free pies, no sugar added pies, three kinds of cheesecake, and cookie platters galore, all guaranteed to give you a natural sugar buzz all the way until Black Friday.  Our bakery’s got lots of rolls for the crowd in front of the TV snarfing down turkey sandwiches, too.

Table Décor? Hostess Gifts? We’ve got it covered! We have a beautiful cornucopia centerpiece in Garden & Floral, and fruit baskets in small or large sizes.  They’re perfect as hostess gifts!

But does it all taste good? Come try for yourself at our second Holiday Tasting this Saturday the 21^st, from 12-3pm. You can order all these goodies there, too, but remember: the ordering system cuts off on Sunday at 8 pm in the store and midnight online at www.wholefoodsmarket.com/holidays.

FIG UPDATE:  Remember when I told you I was going to try to freeze whole figs? I recently took out a small batch to roast as appetizers. I let them thaw in the refrigerator for 24 hours before roasting and they turned out great. Yay! Fresh figs all holiday season!

Your Turkey’s Hometown

by duluth, November 11, 2009 | Permalink

I’ve been working at the Holiday Table this past week. It’s fun to help folks figure out how many people a 12-pound turkey will feed, whether they want to go the traditional dressing route or get all adventurous with rosemary-chestnut stuffing, or if it’s cheating to let us cook Thanksgiving dinner and just transfer everything to their own dishes (answer: it’s only cheating if you leave the containers in plain sight.)

One of the questions I’m most frequently asked is, “where do your turkeys come from?”  While it’d be easy to be clever and say “the meat department,” that answer just won’t fly. Actually, we can trace our turkey’s roots right back to their hometowns.

For example, our raw fresh and organic turkeys come from two family farms in Pennsylvania: Jaindl Farms, in the Lehigh Valley, and Koch Farms, in the Lewiston Valley. The rolling farmland affords these turkeys room to roam. Their barns have big open sides and their litter is healthy, dry and free of bacteria. The organic birds get organic feed, made from locally grown corn and roasted soybeans. Pretty good eats if you’re a turkey!

New this year is our kosher turkey. They hail from Kosher Valley’s farms in Plainville, New York. Like our other birds, they’re fed a special vegetarian diet and get more space to do their turkey thing than in conventional farms. They’re raised and processed according to ancient laws, but they meet the modern demand for healthy kosher choices. These turkeys are all rolling into the store at approximately 15 pounds, enough to feed about 10-12 people with plenty of leftovers.

Our Heirloom turkeys come from Diestel farms in Sonora, California. An heirloom is a turkey variety that is no longer widely raised, so this is as close to a wild turkey as most consumers will get.  The Diestel family has been in the business of raising turkeys for over 40 years, and their farm is dotted with trees and ponds and clean, dry barns so the occupants can come and go at will. (Pretty nice crib for a turkey). The Diestels raise their birds more slowly, so their flavor develops naturally. This results in more meat and less fat and water in the turkey. We’re getting these birds in the 20-pound range, so if you’ve got a lot of guests who love richly flavored meat this is the turkey for you.

Remember, all our turkeys are antibiotic and hormone-free. Drop by the table or visit us online. We’ve got lots of turkey to talk about!

FROM OUR TURKEY TABLE TO YOURS

by duluth, November 4, 2009 | Permalink

I probably don’t need to tell you that this is the beginning of the busiest time of the year for our store.  Now that we’ve been a part of the Johns Creek community for over three years (seems like yesterday we were breaking bread and opening the doors!) we hope that we’ve become a part of your holiday traditions.  And just like always, we’re getting the store ready to help with all your holiday plans.  There’s a whole wall of our 365 Everyday Value™ staples that’ll come in handy for baking.  We’ve got frozen turkeys from Nature’s Rancher in all sizes, so if you’ve got room to stash your bird away now’s the time to come in. There’s even a beautiful gift selection in our Whole Body Department, with a splendid tree and adorable stuffed animals just waiting for a new home.  If it’s on your Thanksgiving to-do list, you can get it done here.

But sometimes things don’t always go according to plan. Folks get sick and don’t have the energy to cook pumpkin pies.  Your college kids may bring home one or two extra mouths to feed—like the defensive line of their football team. And maybe Great-Aunt Matilda has decided to become a vegetarian, Uncle Bob’s on a new gluten-free diet, and Cousin Earline just flat-out can’t eat cheese anymore. When you’re thrown curveballs like that, what in the world can you do?

You can still count on us. Starting this Friday, November 6^th, Whole Foods Market Johns Creek will have our Holiday Table (affectionately known here as the “Turkey Table”) up and running.   At the Turkey Table you can order your just bird or a whole Thanksgiving dinner. We can tell you how big a turkey you need for any number of guests, get the scoop on the ingredients and our prepared foods, and just generally take the stress out of Thanksgiving Day so you can enjoy your family and friends. We’ve got vegan and vegetarian options and suggestions for almost every other kind of dietary restrictions.  And everything you order is all made to our exacting standards, with wholesome ingredients and no artificial unpronounceable.  We’ll take your order and print you a receipt on the spot, and if you change your mind you can call us back.  All you have to do is come back into the store on the 24^th or 25^th of November, and we’ll box it up for you.

Mouth watering for more? Well, I’m happy to tell you that you can get a taste of our Thanksgiving goodies on Saturday, November 14^th and November 21^st from 12 noon to 2 pm, when we’ll have our “Taste of Thanksgiving” holiday sampling. You’ll get to try our turkey, dressings and sides, pies and rolls and other treats, and we’ll be happy to take your order.  And if you can’t make it into the store, never fear—you can order everything online at www.wholefoodsmarket.com/holidays. Be sure that you’re ordering from the Johns Creek store—we’d love to see you and talk some turkey!