Thanksgiving in Pittsburgh

Well, it's snowing in Pittsburgh so I'm reminded of past Thanksgivings. After a delicious meal of turkey, broccoli porridge and sweet potato pie, we headed over to the growing arts district in Lawrenceville. There seems to be something for everyone in the "zone". I stopped in a few stores that featured the art and design of local artists including fashion, hand printed cards and warm hand-knit hats. Some shops had a keen eye on the future, offering organic, fair trade products, while others featured reused furniture.

of course nothing beats the find in an out-of-the-way yard sale.

Indie Craft Experience

A group of talented artists and designers all got together on Saturday for the Atlanta Indie Craft Experience. The event took place at The B Complex in the West End.


The building was transformed into a crafter's market complete with artists, food vendors, a DJ and a sustainability crew. Not quite the High Museum of Art, the B Complex surrounded the handmade creations with broken windows and portable heaters but the room's talent and passion for independence rivaled that of any renaissance artist. The independent spirit sustains the belief that anyone can use their creative ideas to contribute to the community. Many of the crafts offered were practical, affordable, recycled, and all were laced with an entrepreneurial drive.

Green Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is just around the corner and my mailbox is quickly filling up with tips about food, holiday origins and sustainability. According to the Green trend, this is the year of the local Thanksgiving. In other words, don't even think about cranberries if you don't live on the shore of a bog. That's right, if it isn't grown within 100 miles of your holiday china, keep it off your table. Although scholars are not really sure what the colonists ate during that first Thanksgiving meal, they are quite sure it was not shipped in. Far from family and friends, those pioneers of new visions and values created a new type of family when they shared a table with the Wampanoag Indians.

For me, the new world is Atlanta and there are plenty of local markets that can keep me cooking close to home.
Peachtree Road Farmer's Market is reviving an old tradition full of home-grown fall flavors. What's the advantage of a locally tailored menu? Well, for starters, the food just tastes better.

Not from Georgia? Well try a local food guide and cook up some regional cuisine.

I sure hope I can find some local sweet potatoes because all this talk has made me hungry!