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Yolo County is one of the richest, most agriculturally diverse counties in Northern California, a place where you can prepare a feast with food grown within a 50 mile radius, including relatively rare free-range turkeys, artisan roasted walnut oil, rich red wines, leafy green vegetables and the red and orange fruits of fall.
Enjoy a simple cornucopia of locally raised foods for Thanksgiving, and the process of brining the food to your family table, whether that be a drive through the countryside to purchase your turkey or a visit to the Davis Farmers Market for your produce.
As you wind through Woodland onto road 25A you'll see a big sign that says Branigan's Turkey Farm with an arrow pointing down an olive-tree lined lane. Two more, smaller signs will guide you to the end of the lane where you'll see a classic California barn, weathered white, with a couple of wagon wheels stacked against it, a house, and a small processing plant fronted by an office. The turkeys, alas, are not in sight, having been moved to range land in the nearby foothills several years ago. Here Terry Branigan and his wife Terri Sue process over 18,000 free-range turkeys a year, almost all of them in November and December, and 70 per cent are sold at the counter right there at the farm.
Branigan's is one of a declining number of small, independent turkey farms who produce, process and sell their own turkeys as opposed to raising turkeys for large-scale commercial operations under contract. Terry is the third generation of his family to raise and sell turkeys, and he clearly loves these big, ungainly birds. "They're not brilliant, but they're a lot smarter than people think," he say s smiling, telling us "you've got to make any changes real slow, even moving their water from one place to another."
The turkeys the Branigan's raise aren't any special breed, just a standard type, but it is how they are raised and processed that keep customers coming back, year after year. First of all, they are free-range turkeys, 4,000 bird flocks roaming a 20-acre parcel, feeding naturally in addition to fattening on the hand-fed vegetarian feed Branigan gives them. Secondly, unlike most turkeys, which are processed at 16 weeks, Branigan turkeys are allowed to exercise, develop and mature on the land for another ten weeks, which adds texture to the meat and a thin-layer of fat beneath the skin. There are no artificial lights turning on and off to get the birds to eat more during a 24 hour period. Thirdly, they are hand-processed, not machine processed. An inspector checks every bird. The birds are chilled to below 40 degrees in ice, not in cooling tunnels. "This makes a big difference", Terry says, "because that means the turkeys don't absorb water, like they do in the tunnels."
Not far from Branigan's is La Tourangelle Nut Oil Company situated in a walnut orchard. Walnuts are pressed into oil on the site, after having been sun-dried. The delicate oil is packed and shipped to markets nationwide, including the Davis Food Co-op and Nugget Markets. Or travel to Main Street in Winters on a Friday evening for a tasting of wines from Yolo County's newest winery, Berryessa Gap.
And of course, at the Davis Farmers' Market you can buy all the locally grown and locally processed fruits, vegetables, and nuts you need from the farmers themselves to make your Thanksgiving a truly home-grown event. You can even buy fresh olive branches, decorative gourds, and grasses from the Farmers' Market or gather the last of fall's roses from your garden. What could be better than that? After all, the Pilgrim's original feast was all local food.
A YOLO THANKSGIVING MENU
BEVERAGES
For an aperitif, try champagne or seven-up and a few spoonfuls of pomegranate syrup or pomegranate juice (like a Kir Royale) or mull apple cider.
For wine with dinner, R.H. Phillips - Hogue (Dunnigan), Bogle Winery (Clarksburg), Capay Valley Vineyards (Brooks), Heringer Estates (Clarksburg), or Berryessa Gap, the new winery on Main Street in Winters.
APPETIZERS
Deviled Eggs, Carrot Sticks, Broccoli Florets, Olives (with a drizzle of olive oil and zest of orange and lemon), Toasted Walnuts and Almonds, Dried Apricots
SOUP
Butternut Squash Soup and Artisan Bread or rolls from Village Bakery, the Upper Crust, the Nugget or the Davis Food Co-op.
MAIN COURSE
Roast Turkey with Walnut, Bread and Dried Fruit Stuffing
Pomegranate Sauce
Or a Vegetarian Entry:
Swiss Chard and Potato Terrine
Sweet Yolo Yams
SALAD
Tossed Green Salad (add some wild greens, chicory or Arugula) with Fuyu Persimmons, Pomegranate Seeds and La Tourangelle Walnut Oil Vinaigrette
DESSERT
Old-Fashioned Sugar Pumpkin Pie, followed with a tisane of mint or lemon balm tea
PORT & TRUFFLES
Port from Bogle Winery, and truffles fresh from The Candy House, Ciocolat, or Konditorei.
Local Thanksgiving Sources
Order a free-range Branigan Turkey at www.braniganturkey.com. You can also contact them at 530.662-4205.
For Yolo grown and processed Pomegranate syrup and jelly, visit the Good Humus stand (Jeff and Annie Main) at the Davis Farmers Market.
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