Before you truss that turkey this Thanksgiving, will you note where it was raised?

And those potatoes that are ready to roast, are they locally grown?

"Eat local" is the current catchphrase for what farmers have been advocating since, well, always.

But it's a philosophy that's gained serious currency in the past couple years with the likes of influential books such as The 100-Mile Diet, as well as community initiatives such as the Hamilton Eat Local food campaign, which includes a map and online food directory on where to buy food grown close to home.

So how much effort would it take to have an Eat Local Thanksgiving?

Surprisingly, not much -- especially for families like the Pardys of Burlington.

They make it an annual family tradition to choose a fresh turkey from the Hamilton Farmers' Market on York Boulevard. And trips to the Burlington Mall Farmers' Market are a weekly affair.

"I try to go organic and fresh whenever possible," Heatherann Pardy said, as she strolled Burlington's market with her three-year-old daughter Hannah.

For years, the mother of two shopped sporadically at Burlington's farmers' market, off Prospect Street at Burlington Mall. But within the past year it's become her only stop for produce. She says she pays a little more but food lasts longer and tastes better.

"It's worth it," she says.

The advantages of eating locally grown food are the same as they've always been. Food is fresher, and often tastier. It's said to be better for the environment because the food is transported shorter distances, which means less carbon dioxide emissions. And it supports the local growers and businesses.

"If we don't bake it, we don't sell it," Clive Eynon, of British Baked Goods in Simcoe, tells a customer who's eyeing his homemade scones and pies at the Burlington farmers' market, one of several farmers' markets where he's a regular.

Like many farmers advertising their wares at the market, Eynon, who started his business in Hamilton, tells anyone who's interested where he gets the apples or berries for his pies and that he bakes his own bread.

You can't walk five feet inside the market without reading signs that tell you exactly where the produce comes from. See these strawberries? Picked in Waterford. The batch on the other side of the table come from Simcoe.

"We have to go with the consumer trends," explains Eynon. "You have to change how you do your marketing."

And if you don't have the time or inclination to visit a farmers' market for your Thanksgiving meal, grocery stores still have plenty to offer.

Just look for the Foodland Ontario symbol, or signs that specifically state the food is grown locally.

The majority of produce at Lococo's on Barton Street East is locally grown. Customers are piling their carts with root vegetables such as beets, carrots and squash, said Jeremy Perrin, Lococo's operation co-ordinator.

"It's really all about the hearty stuff," he said.

This is the first year Lococo's has begun selling meat, said meat director Keith Dunnett. He's betting more people will choose fresh turkeys over frozen.

About 3,500 fresh turkeys, all locally produced and grain-fed, will be brought to the store, beginning today.

"We've got the odd frozen one, but what we've heard from people, especially in the last month, is that they want fresh," said Dunnett.

And if a regular turkey proves too pedestrian for you, Dundas butcher shop Cumbrae's is offering the traditional broadbreasted white turkey as well as the higher-end heritage turkey.

Known for its exceptional flavour and texture, the heritage turkeys are the old-fashioned kind you rarely see because they are more time-consuming to raise.

They also sell for twice as much as the traditional white ($8 per pound versus $3.99 at Cumbrae's).

Still, they're regaining popularity in North America.

Slow Food USA made it a project a few years ago to bring heritage turkeys back to the dinner table. Last year, Cumbrae's sold only two. This year, they've ordered 25.

If the Eat Local movement interests you but you don't know where to start, Jeff Crump, founder of Slow Food Ontario, recommends you start small.

"It would be daunting to say, let's do a 100-mile Thanksgiving dinner. But if you do just one thing, people should feel good about that."

Perhaps this year you buy locally grown potatoes and make mashed potatoes from scratch. Next year, add squash. Or start a tradition to buy your turkey local, suggests Crump, executive chef at The Ancaster Old Mill.

"I think everyone is interested in the idea of an Eat Local Thanksgiving. Everybody has the intent and thinks it's a great idea. It's whether people pull it off," he said.

"It has to be enjoyable. If it's not enjoyable, it won't happen."

cprete@thespec.com

905-526-2487

Terrific, tasty, tender turkey available for Thanksgiving

What's in season?

Here are the types of Ontario-grown produce available fresh from your grocery store or farmers' market:

Apples, green beans, beets, broccoli, brussels sprouts, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, celery, corn, cucumber, eggplant, garlic, onions, parsnips, pears, potatoes, squash, tomatoes, zucchini

-- Foodland Ontario

* Here are local farms that sell fresh turkeys, according to the Buy Local! Buy Fresh! Hamilton food map.

Fenwood Farm,

774 Sawmill Rd., Ancaster

905-765-1479

fenwoodfarm.com

All whole turkeys are sold out but turkey pieces are available. Turkeys are drug-free. Price $9.85 per pound (450 g) for boneless breast, $3.30 per pound (450 g) for thighs and drumsticks

Dearsley's Meats Ltd.

1154 Powerline Rd. E., Lynden

905-648-3560

All whole turkeys are locally raised and grain fed. Price $2.79 per pound (450 g).

Morden's Organic Farm

801 Collinson Rd.

Dundas

905-627-4774

mordensorganicfarmstore.com

All whole turkeys are locally raised, organic and/or drug-free. Price $3.99 per pound (450 g).

For more information

* Foodland Ontario: foodland.gov.on.ca

This site includes seasonal recipes, lists of foods in season, as well as tips on how to buy and store different fruits and vegetables.

* Environment Hamilton Eat Local: environmenthamilton.org/eatlocal/

This site includes a blog and online food directory where people can buy food grown close to home.

* Farmers' Market Ontario:

farmersmarketsontario.com

Includes farmers' markets across Ontario, with hours of operation, address and maps

* Buy Local! Buy Fresh! Hamilton and area local food map and directory:

Excellent resource listing local farms by region and what foods they grow. Available at all public libraries and municipal centres, such as Hamilton City Hall.

* Have a problem with your turkey? Butterball turkey offers a free hotline staffed by people who can answer any turkey questions you may have. It's open until Friday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.; and Saturday, Sunday and Thanksgiving Monday from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. The number is 1-800-288-8372.

Tomorrow:

Katrina Simmons' Eat Local column focuses on a Thanksgiving open house. Plus: a traditional roast turkey recipe and turkey tips.