Knowing where your food comes from is important, and it’s easy to forget that food doesn’t just come from the grocery store. Don’t get us wrong! We love grocery stores. Who doesn’t appreciate the convenience, the eclectic foods, the occasional free sample, the smells, the sales, you name it. After all, a grocery store (Annapolis Whole Foods Market) is where we got our start! However, this Thanksgiving we want to try our best to eat conscientiously and deliberately, so we stepped outside of the grocery store and onto a local family owned farm.

For our first annual TesseGiving Feast, we chose to buy our turkey from Cabin Creek Heritage Farm in Upper Marlboro, MD. This family owned and operated farm has an open door policy. The Hills welcomed us and gladly showed us around (and will do the same for anyone who shows up to their on-farm store). We were allowed to see every detail that went into raising our happy and healthy turkey, from the beginning to the end.

The Hills treat their animals very humanely, by practicing rotational grazing on healthy green pastures. We share their belief that all animals should be treated with respect. They show their animals respect in the form of sunshine and fresh air, two things we can’t get enough of. These turkeys had full access to the outdoors and were raised 100% free-range. When we visited the farm a few weeks prior to Thanksgiving, the turkeys were freely wandering around, foraging, and gobbling away. This was exactly what we wanted to see.

At Tessemae’s, we believe that it is important to feel confident about everything that we eat, and through purchasing our turkey from a local family farm, we feel good about supporting a great method of sustainable farming. We are thankful for the Hill family who work so hard to give us this option.

Now we just have to decide which Tessemae's marinade to cook our turkey with. Hmm…

How are you using your favorite Tessemae's product in your Thanksgiving feast? #Tessegiving

Visit www.CabinCreekHeritageFarm.com if you are interested in learning more about how the Hill family does things on their farm. We hope to inspire you to take interest in meeting the farmers who grow your food.