With only 2 days to go before Thanksgiving 2008, what could be a better subject for Green Day than How to Green your Thanksgiving and I don't mean green eggs or green meat by that.
You can start with your bird, if you are a meat eater by buying one from a free-range farm.
It is a little more pricey but way tastier.
I bought on a number of occasions Goose and Turkey from Eberly (Pennsylvania).
Rachel Sarnoff offers a detailed guide on How to Go Green: Thanksgiving Day (Planet Green).
From decorating your house and setting the table to what type of turkey to buy (the heritage kind she says), she broke it all in small chunks.
Each part is given a timeline, menu (2 weeks prior), cleaning house (day before).
Don't forget the composting and recycling (number 10 on her list):
you can separate the green scraps from the rest and toss them in your
leaf bin. And you're recycling your plastic bottles and aluminum cans,
right? Timeline: On the big day (and maybe one day after)."
Maura Judkis takes a more modest approach with How to Start Green Thanksgiving Traditions (Fresh Greens)
Getting back to Heritage Turkeys, Local Harvest notices that they are experiencing a revival. The breeds they mention are Standard
Bronze, Bourbon Red, Jersey Buff, Slate, Black Spanish, Narragansett and
White Holland.
If you are still scratching your head as to what you are going to cook/serve or just looking for that last recipe to complete the menu, visit Chow's Holiday Central Thanksgiving Page. I might try my hand at their Apple-Chestnut Soup with Parsley Croutons (which happens to be vegetarian, no cream (butter though) and quick to put together).
On the sweet side, the Brown Butterscotch Pie has my vote.
I hope this Green Day # 54 helps with your Thanksgiving preparations.
Related: More Thanksgiving Wine Tips: "With These Strategies, Pick Your Pour' (Washington Post) and 3 Wines that Might Stick with your Thanksgiving Turkey or Not plus Let's Talk About 'A Gluten Free Thanksgiving'