All the milk at Homestead Creamery comes from two local farms, both in their third and fourth generations of family ownership.  The milk is free of all hormones and antibiotics, and because the milk is sold in recycled glass bottles it tastes fresher longer and is more environmentally friendly.

Note: Our Farm to Market slide shows currently feature farmers and producers from our South and MidAtlantic Regions. We hope to expand to others in the future.

Here’s wishing you and your loved ones a happy and healthy Thanksgiving!

Still facing the bird with no clue how to cook it?  Got a finished turkey and unsure how to carve it?  Missing an ingredient and need a last minute substitution?  Check out our Holiday Guides & Tips for some help!

I think one of the best things about hosting the Thanksgiving feast is having days of leftovers! Of course, I like leftovers; some people don’t. The trick can be taking the leftover ingredients and turning them into a new dish. In this podcast, we talk with nutritionist and natural foods chef Alana Sugar about using up all of that valuable food in new and interesting ways.

Make sure to check out our holiday pages for great turkey leftover recipes. What’s your favorite way to eat up all that great food?

Podcast: Download

For those who enjoy the unexpected and esoteric sides of life, I have a souvenir for you to share with those you love to amuse. Algae. From green to red, slimy to coarse, and microscopic to enormous. Just mention the topic of algae, and many people think of the unsightly green film in swimming pools and fish tanks…or their eyes glaze over. Add to your unpredictability the story of potentially the most humble, unpretentious organisms on Earth.

My name is Tim Schaeffer, I am the founder of Depth, an exclusive brand at Whole Foods Market.  Depth offers body and hair care products based on the renowned skin benefits of marine algae, all formulated to meet the stringent Whole Foods Market Premium Body Care Standards. Prior to creating body care products, I was a marine biologist for ten years. My wife, Depth’s co-founder, is also a marine biologist, which is how we met. During my tenure as a marine biologist, my focus was on marine algae. I’d spend hours engulfed in all types of algae on land and underwater, studying their ecology and genetics. Believe me, I have first-hand experience in how algae can flabbergast friends.

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Sometimes I find gift giving especially challenging. With all the need in the world, why the heck should I get Aunt Mary Lou a new apron? She has 10 already! What I really want to do is make a donation or give a charitable gift in her honor. But then there’s nothing tangible to unwrap and somehow the family turns me into the Scrooge of the season. “Why can’t Paige give normal gifts like everyone else?”

If a version of this story plays out for you, the Feed 100 Bag just might be the perfect option. Here’s the deal: you buy the Feed 100 stylish reusable shopping bag to give as a tangible gift and part of the proceeds go to providing 100 meals to hungry Rwandan school children.  Win-win, right?

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Are you looking for easy ways to save time in the kitchen this holiday season — without sacrificing quality or flavor? If so, check out this week’s Secret Ingredient episode where our host Charlotte shares her secret for making holiday baking “easy as pie.”  Available in two varieties, classic and whole wheat, our 365 Everyday Value™ Organic Frozen Pie Shells roll over the average store-bought pie crusts with their impressive attributes — you won’t find any partially hydrogenated fats lurking between the layers of this pie crust! Keep a couple on hand for everyday dessert, quiche and pot pie making ease and stock up for the holidays to make pie making a breeze.

Get the Recipe: Classic Pumpkin Pie with Spiced Crème Anglaise and Cinnamon Sugar Walnuts

Delving further into research on natural fragrances, I had the pleasure recently to connect with Jack Chaitman, an expert on plant distillation who has been extracting premium essential oils for over 25 years. When it comes to natural fragrances, Jack is extraordinary: an inspiration and a true artist who taught me much about essential oil extraction. I am glad to share with you some of his wisdom and passion.

There are differences in how essentials oils are distilled, and when they are extracted artfully with hydrodistillation methods, according to Jack, you are going to get a full spectrum of fragrance components that cannot be achieved with CO2 and steam-extracted essential oils and absolutes. Jack calls these minor fragrance constituents of the plant “soul components” — components that transfer the plant’s intelligence and the intact life force. It is due to these soul components that natural fragrances are so complex, that the scent keeps changing as you smell it. When you breathe it in, it is like being in nature or like smelling the ocean. Through this poetic vision of essential oil extraction, distillation is seen as the art of releasing the plant’s soul into the oils.

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Thanksgiving is a holiday filled with tradition – celebrating the fall harvest with a bountiful array of fall vegetable sides and a succulent turkey centerpiece, giving thanks at the dinner table before the meal, watching the Thanksgiving Day parade and football games on TV and taking long naps after too much turkey and red wine.

Why not start some new traditions this year by “greening” your Thanksgiving?  Check out some of these great tips on how to make your holiday celebration memorable, while being a little kinder to the environment.

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Yes, I couldn’t resist posting a Whole Deal tips post featuring Thanksgiving tips.  As you can see from our chosen tips below, we’ve got some creative customers out there!  From using whole turkeys year-round to spreading out your holiday shopping to planning for leftovers – there are many ways to make your food budget more manageable – even during the holidays!

Remember, each week, we choose tips to be featured in our weekly The Whole Deal™ blog post. Every chosen tip gets a $25 gift card, so submit you tips and recipes here.

Pamela W.
Use whole turkeys throughout the year, not just at Thanksgiving. I stock up on whole turkeys when they are on sale around the holidays then use them throughout the year. I thaw the frozen turkey, and cut the breast off. This can then be used the same way you would use boneless, skinless chicken breast, for stir frys or kabobs, etc. I then cut the legs off, roast them, then coat with bbq sauce and finish on the grill, just like at the fair. The rest of the turkey gets roasted and I remove the meat and use it for turkey enchiladas or turkey salad for sandwiches. Then I boil the bones for broth that I store in the freezer to use whenever I need it.

Jane V.
With the holiday season rapidly approaching, I have found a way to help with the extra food expenses. I like to plan out my menus several weeks in advance and then spread out my shopping for Thanksgiving and Christmas over several shopping trips. I then absorb the extra costs over several weeks, rather then taking a big hit all at once. This also helps me to take advantage of any special sales(stock up and freeze things if you can) and allows me to try some of the goodies I don’t normally buy.

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In my world, Thanksgiving is all about the side dishes.  For produce people, there is significance to just about every season.  But there is a special place in our hearts for the fall and Thanksgiving, which are the biggest times of the year for us!  It’s all about abundance, freshness and making that extra effort to provide everything our customers (and we ourselves) need to make an exceptional family meal. This is no small feat because for produce, this is also a time when local farms shut down for the season and our produce teams become more reliant on product grown further away. The holiday is steeped in tradition and many of the items we traditionally serve are truly at their seasonal best, but a few others have been added over the years and are not exactly in season. Regardless, Thanksgiving is about celebrating the bounty of Mother Nature in ways we know and maybe don’t know.

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