Just in time for Thanksgiving, we’ve gathered some of our favorite conservation success stories about the ingredients found in your favorite Turkey Day fare.
TURKEY
Traditionally the centerpiece of many families’ Thanksgiving meals, turkeys were once headed toward extinction. How did these birds rebound with such success?
TOFURKEY
Some folks forego turkey for this plant-based substitute usually made from soybeans. Increased demand for the versatile crop, however, is straining natural ecosystems in South America, where more than half of the world’s soy is grown.
BEER AND WINE
In Arizona, farmers, conservationists and local entrepreneurs are teaming up to offset groundwater use for vineyards and to plant barley – a key ingredient in beer – to keep the Verde River flowing.
MASHED POTATOES
Potatoes are notoriously difficult to grow sustainably, but Idaho farmers are transforming the landscape with regenerative agriculture strategies.
GREEN BEAN CASSEROLE
What’s Thanksgiving without this classic casserole? With global demand for food on the rise, farmers in Wisconsin are finding ways to grow crops, such as green beans, without harming soil or water health.
CRANBERRY SAUCE
Fresh or from a can? This age-old debate isn’t quite as ancient as Tennessee’s northeast Shady Valley: a rare, high-elevation remnant of the last Ice Age, and one of only two sites in the state where cranberries can be found.
BREAD
Whether it’s dinner rolls or stuffing, wheat―the most widely cultivated crop in the world―is the key ingredient. Last year, Michigan’s productive Saginaw Bay region harvested its first sustainably grown crop of this important grain.
PECAN PIE
To finish off the meal, nothing says decadence like a pecan pie! Singer Amy Grant shares what she loves about the pecan tree.