Now is the time to start planning your holiday gatherings. Before you go out and buy a frozen store turkey, consider these local family farms by buying a local farm-fresh, pasture-raised turkey for Thanksgiving. Take the Local Thanksgiving Challenge, and support local farms and shops this Thanksgiving.
Keep reading for locally grown vegetables to accompany your farm-fresh turkey, available pie ingredients, and where to pre-order your baked goods and desserts for the holiday season.
LOCAL FARM-FRESH TURKEY
Alwan + Sons Meat Company {Peoria} // Call to reserve a fresh or frozen turkey! Order ASAP—Alwan + Sons sell out every year
Bittners Eureka Meat Locker {Eureka} // Hickory smoked farm-fresh turkeys, frozen turkey, fresh farm-fresh turkeys, or BYOT (bring your own turkey) and Eureka Meat Locker will smoke it for you—orders begin November 1, 2023
Braker’s Market {Eureka} // Hickory smoked, fully-cooked turkeys will be available to purchase along with smoked and spiral hams
Christ Orchard {Elmwood} // Order your farm-fresh turkey ASAP— taking orders until all birds are reserved
Elmwood Meat Products {Elmwood} // Hickory smoked turkey breast available—preorders begin Oct 31, 2023
Little Blue’s Farm {Morton} // To guarantee your Thanksgiving bird order ASAP and definitely by mid-November. If turkey isn’t on your menu, Little Blue’s Farm offers beef tenderloin and whole hams for your holiday feast too
Pottstown Meat + Deli {Peoria} // Order ASAP for an Amish-raised, free-range turkey! Turkey breast and honey spiral hams are also available for your Thanksgiving feast
Prairie Creek Pastures {Tremont} // Reserve your pastured turkey ASAP. These birds are raised on pasture, no antibiotics, no drugs, and GMO-Free
Raber Packing Co. {West Peoria} // Frozen and smoked turkey available—orders begin November 1, 2023
Red River Farms {Eureka} // Specializing in pasture-raised turkeys, Red River Farms has a first pay, first pick process. So, if your family needs a certain sized bird, it’s best to get the order in as soon as possible. Red River Farms will be taking orders until all 60 pasture-raised birds are reserved
Roth Turkey Farm {Forrest} // Fresh (never frozen), all natural, processed, federally-inspected turkeys from an all vegetable diet, with nothing added or injected. Order your turkey early!! Roth Turkey Farm does sell out each year
Yordy Turkey Farm {Morton} // Order ASAP! As of late September, Yordy Turkey Farm has 6,000 of their 10,000 birds left to reserve but they sell out every year! The Yordy team will try to accommodate walk-ins but it won’t be a guarantee
VEGETABLE, PUMPKIN, + SQUASH SIDE DISHES
Ackerman Family Farms {Morton} // Many varieties of autumn and winter squashes
Braker’s Market {Eureka} // Green beans, Brussels sprouts, turnips, collard greens, onions, potatoes, squash including acorn, butternut, spaghetti, and pumpkins
Broad Branch Farm {Chillicothe} // Fresh herbs
Crooked Row Farm Illinois {Chillicothe} // Tomatoes, green beans, radishes, turnips, and collard greens
Christ Orchard {Elmwood} // 15 varieties of squash, including acorn, butternut, spaghetti, and more
Garden Spot Vegetable Farm {Princeville} // Cabbage, Brussel sprouts, carrots, potatoes, winter squash
R. E. Arends Orchard {Laura} // Garden produce like squash, tomatoes, peppers, Butternut squash, pumpkins, gourds
Schaer’s Country Market {East Peoria} // Pumpkins, gourds
Tanner’s Orchard {Speer} // Squash, pumpkins
PIE INGREDIENTS
Ackerman Family Farms {Morton} // Sugar pie pumpkins
Braker’s Market {Eureka} // Sugar pie pumpkins, apples, frozen fruit from this season, pecans, and cranberries
Broad Branch Farm {Chillicothe} // Eggs
Christ Orchard {Elmwood} // Apples and sugar pie pumpkins
Crooked Row Farm Illinois {Chillicothe} // Sugar pie pumpkins, pears, and frozen raspberries from this season
Garden Spot Vegetable Farm {Princeville} // Apples
Hilly Lane Pumpkins and Fresh Produce {Sparland} // Apples and sugar pie pumpkins
Partridge Point Orchard {Metamora} // 9 varieties of apples
Pleasant Row Orchard {Cuba} // Apples, peaches, and cherries
R. E. Arends Orchard {Laura} // Apples and sugar pie pumpkins
Roth Pumpkin Patch {Morton} // Sugar pie pumpkins (Season ends Oct 31!)
Tanner’s Orchard {Speer} // Apples, sugar pie pumpkins, and cranberries
BAKED GOODIES + SWEETS
ARDOR Breads + Provisions {Peoria} // Dinner rolls, crescents, baguettes to dry for stuffing
Braker’s Market {Eureka} // Dinner rolls, bread cubes for stuffing, and whole pies
Caleri’s Café & Bakery {Roanoke} // Selection of pre baked pies, dinner rolls, and crescent rolls
Frosted Bakery {Princeville} // Whole freshly baked pies and sweet rolls
Great Harvest Bread Co. {Morton + Peoria} // Rosemary + chive dinner rolls, basil + oregano dinner rolls, and wheat + white Virginia rolls, stuffing bread with onions, celery, sage and thyme to make into stuffing, pumpkin chocolate chip bread, and cinnamon swirl bread
LeBakery {Peoria} // Dinner rolls, bread cubes for stuffing, whole pies
Mike’s Cobbler Corner {Pekin} // Homemade fresh whole pies
R. E. Arends Orchard {Laura} // Pre-order ASAP—pumpkin cheesecake, cider donuts, caramel apples, pumpkin bread, pecan pie, apple crisp, pumpkin pie, apple pie, and homemade apple cider
Supreme House of Cheese {Toluca} // Made-to-order or frozen pies: pumpkin, pumpkin pecan, chocolate peanut butter, cherry, apple, peach, and blueberry
The Confectionery {Morton} // Fresh homemade pies—fruit pies, cream pies, pumpkin pies and pecan pies will all be available in both mini and full size. Place orders early as the shop will have limited pies available
The Pie Doctor {Princeville} // Whole, fully-baked pies—place orders ASAP on the website or Facebook. Homemade fruit pies are a specialty with the popular apple crumb with cranberries. New holiday flavors are being announced soon
Trefzger’s Bakery {Peoria Heights} // Pre-order ASAP—taking orders for fresh whole pies including 12 different fruit pies, 6 different cream pies, pumpkin pie, pecan pie