Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. We in the U.S. have a lot to be thankful for, despite our enormous challenges and gripes. Those of us who are true food lovers, of course, cherish Thanksgiving for another reason: for the once a year family feast! What better way to show gratitude during the Thanksgiving season than to share your Thanksgiving menu using healthy local food items as much as possible. Simply share and explain your localvore menu.

For newbie localvores, this is what it's all about. There is a growing awareness that eating foods locally is a really good thing for several reasons. It supports local farmers, and they need all the help they cn get. Usually the food is fresher, and that means it tastes better and has better nutrition. And third, if it is closer, then it is not transported as far, so it has less of an environmental impact. If you haven't thought about it before, just imagine how much of your thanksgiving could come from closer sources, rather than transporting all of it from far away! If you are an experienced localvore, please take a moment and jot down your local menu items. We have some neat prizes for those who show local eating talent.

1st Prize: Natural Beeswax Harvest Candle Basket and Lake Champlain Chocolates ($40.00 value)

2nd Prize: Gift Set of 4 Round Taper Natural Beeswax Candles ($40.00 value)

3rd Prize: Lake Champlain Chocolates Gift Box ($20.00 value)

Contest Rules

Send a menu for Thanksgiving dinner to us via email. Next to each menu item please note where it was grown or produced.

Send your menu to:Email LoveEarthAlways.

Deadline for receipt of menus is Monday November 23rd at noon!

Winners will be judged by the completeness of the menu and the number of local items on the menu.

The Vermont-made candles are made of 100 percent natural beeswax. From the flowers to the hives to our workshop, the beeswax we use in our candles remains as pure as the source. The most common candle-making material, paraffin, is a petrochemical product that dissolves into the air we breath. Beeswax is an environment-friendly alternative that is beautiful, as well as non-toxic, long burning, non-sooting and sweet smelling. And the Vermont-made Lake Champlain Chocolates? They speak for themselves!