#610 – 6 Farmer-Approved Tips for Easy Holiday Grocery Shopping

Our ties to agriculture remain strong, even though these days our focus is on industrial development in rural markets. When this post from the Illinois Farm Bureau came across our email, we just had to share!

6 Farmer-Approved Tips for Easy Holiday Grocery Shopping  

When it comes to holiday food planning, are you all about the early prep? Or are you more of a – dare we say, procrastinator? Whatever your style, here are six farmer-approved tips (after all, they’re the ones who grow and raise our food) to remember before you head to the grocery store.

1. No matter what the label says, all turkey comes to your table hormone free, because additional hormones aren’t used on any poultry farms (that goes for your holiday ham, too).
2. Is an organic bird or produce worth the extra cost? You can decide if it tastes better, but nutritionally they’re about the same, as research shows little difference between organic and conventional foods. Find out more about how one Illinois farmer is raising turkeys here.
3. Whipped cream on your pie, sour cream in your mashed potatoes, the perfect cheese tray or just a tall glass of cold milk – all dairy is antibiotic free. If a cow is treated with an antibiotic, the farmer must adhere to strict withdrawal times before that product can enter the market. This applies to all USDA inspected meat, too.
4. Keeping things healthy with a veggie tray at your holiday festivities? Both organic and conventional farmers use chemicals to protect their produce from insects and weeds, and in extremely small amounts.
5. Want to stick with in-season Illinois fruits and veggies? Go with apples, bell peppers, cabbage, peas, potatoes, sweet potatoes, pumpkin, spinach or squash for your feasts.
6. Illinois is the No. 1 producer of pumpkins in the U.S., so if you were undecided on making that homemade pumpkin pie before, #supportlocal and throw a can in the cart.

We are truly grateful for our agricultural roots! And we are very thankful for you, our loyal readers. We wish you all a very Happy Thanksgiving!