Turkey expert and Geneva resident Renee Ferguson, known to some as the ‘Turkey Lady,’ will be signing her cookbook Saturday at the Geneva Green Market.
Mark Weaver, who with his wife Connie helps run the market at Inglenook Pantry, 11 N. Fifth St., said more vendors will be at the market this weekend and they expect a good turnout.
Ferguson’s expertise comes from the 14 years she previously worked for Butterball.
“I handled people’s turkey traumas,” Ferguson said.
She recalls an incident in which a customer called in for advice, asking whether the pop-up timer in their meat thermometer would change color. Ferguson said she advised the caller that it was not a pregnancy test.
“Everybody has a funny story about turkey,” Ferguson said. (read more)
Giving thanks to the season’s harvests was a centuries-old tradition held by most cultures around the world. After the autumn harvest, communities held long feasts celebrating the season’s harvest and gatherings for the winter months. It wasn’t till the mid-1600’s that Thanksgiving, as we know it today, began to take shape. Fasting forward several hundred years, it was as recently as 1941 that President Roosevelt signed a bill that established the fourth Thursday of every November as Thanksgiving Day. This has been followed by every state in the union since 1956. Today Thanksgiving still remains centered around food and feasting surrounded by family and friends.
In the spirit of giving and being thankful we at the Geneva Green Market, NFP and would like to take this opportunity to thank all the chiefs, GGM, NFP members, merchants and volunteers whose continual hard work and dedication make this market feasible season after season. We would especially like to thank our faithful farmers, vendors and customers. Join us in Thanking our farmers and in showing how much we appreciate them in providing fresh food from there fields to our tables.
If you haven’t ordered your Thanksgiving Day turkey there is still time to do so. Visit us at genevagreenmarket.org/farmers. If you did not pre-order a turkey, there will be some turkeys available for purchase at the market on a first come, first serve basis. Come early to get yours.
Feeling overwhelmed by your big bird? Join us from 9-12 as “Talk Turkey to Me” author Renee Ferguson joins us to answer your turkey questions. She will have copies of her book available for purchase. Full of how- to’s, how not to’s, tips, instructions and recipes that can be used year round. A great resource to have on hand for those times Renee can’t personally be in your kitchen. She will sign copies, which can be a nice, personalized hostess gift.
If all this talk of turkey got your tummies rumbling be sure to stay afterwards as Jennifer Downing of Nourish shows you how to dry brine and bake a Black Spanish turkey. She’ll also show you a few excellent sides that will pair up perfectly with your bird. The best part is that’ll you’ll find most of the ingredients right at the market. After a tasty sample, enjoy a wine sample from Galena Cellars Vineyard & Winery-Geneva. All this should provide great inspiration for our 3rd annual Thanksgiving Localvore Challenge. Deadline for submissions is December 1st.
From our family to yours
Happy Thanksgiving!
