Stop, Breathe and Give Thanks

Thanksgiving is so close now – just a day away, and I have hardly had time to think about blogging! That’s the curse of being the communications director for the nation’s largest turkey-producing state, I guess. I have tons of resources and recipes at my fingertips, but I’m too busy to stop, breathe and blog. Instead, I am gladly fielding media calls, posting on Facebook, Tweeting on Twitter (@MNGobbleGal and @MinnesotaTurkey), and organizing our annual “Turkey Day” press conference with the Governor of Minnesota.

And ironically, it’s rare that I even cook the turkey for Thanksgiving! More often than not, Teacher Man, the youngster and I are traveling either to my parents’ farm or his parents’ home, where someone else is charge of “turkey duty.” This year, I’m bringing home-made rolls and wine to my family’s celebration – not too complicated but also enjoyable.

All of that said, I do want to stop for a moment and give my thanks to all the turkey farmers out there – not only in Minnesota but across our country – who raise approximately 248 million turkeys annually so that we may enjoy this affordable, delicious protein all year long. I think my new blogger friend Katie Pinke (The Pinke Post) said it best in her blog this morning: “They are soft spoken, hard working farmers. They are the faces behind the birds we will feast on tomorrow.” She was referring to North Dakota turkey farmers, but the same can be said for our farmers in Minnesota as well – and many farmers across the U.S.

And as for my 250 turkey farmer “bosses” at the Minnesota Turkey Growers Association, I am grateful that they give me the opportunity to work for an industry I admire and am so proud of. Thank you!

Happy Thanksgiving!

I urge you to Tweet your #foodthanks today or join the Pinterest party at http://pinterest.com/agchatfound/foodthanks/. (Just follow the #foodthanks Pinterest Board and  you’ll receive an invitation to join the board to pin your own recipes and  give #foodthanks. Cool idea, yes?)