The 100-Mile Diet is a site started by Alisa Smith and James MacKinnon in Vancouver. They decided to try to only eat food produced within 100 miles of their apartment. They had some challenges, like how to eat bread without any local wheat, but eventually relaxed the rules a bit to allow for locally milled wheat (although it wasn't grown locally). In any case, lots of people took them up on the challenge, and some even limited the scope to within 50 miles!

Now, this idea is somewhat controversial, especially with people who live in parts of the country (read: almost everywhere else) that don't have year-round farming. If you're interested in exploring some other points of view on the eat local issue, visit the great post (and comments) on Michael Ruhlman's site.

But, for us extremely lucky Central Valley Californians, now there's a 100-Mile Thanksgiving Challenge going, and the 100-Mile Diet site will show you the 100-mile radius from your home address. You can also sign up for email alerts on the local food movement. So I started thinking: What could we eat for Thanksgiving that was produced within 100 miles? Here's what's on my proposed menu, with some explanations and sources:

The Turkey I've ordered a Branigan free-range turkey from Taylor's Market. Branigan's farm is in Woodland, and they grow their birds a bit longer than usual, to acquire more flavor. Their site lists other stores that carry their birds. Diestel Turkey Ranch in Sonora is another local choice. Their turkeys are sold at the Sacramento Co-op.

The Vegetables Whether you prefer white potatoes or yams, beets or glazed carrots, you can find a farmer who grows these locally by visiting the Davis Farmers Market site. If you like the classic green bean casserole, then you're out of luck, since they're out of season right now. Although you might look for canned green beans from a local farm if you have to have them. That still counts! You can also search the PlacerGrown site for local producers.

The Rolls and Butter Did you know that California's wheat flour milling is the second largest in the U.S.? A trip to the Sac Co-op found bulk all-purpose and pastry flours from Giusto's in South San Francisco. They mill organically grown wheat from the western U.S., so there's no guarantee it's from within 100 miles of you, but pretty close. You could also buy some locally made breads from the farmer's market. As for butter, we've got lots of dairys nearby. Both Straus and Clover Stornetta are brands that are produced within 100 miles. For something a little different, try Meyenberg goat butter from Turlock.

The Stuffing If you're baking rolls for dinner, then you can bake extra and make them into the stuffing. Or, you might consider a rice stuffing, using Lundberg rice, dried fruit, onions, and fresh herbs. Or, go the Southern route and make a cornbread stuffing with nuggets of locally made sausage from the Elk Grove Sacramento Co-op or Diestel.

The Cranberries Now, this is a real challenge. We just don't grow cranberries in California. So, a little flexibility is required. How about making a fig chutney or a blueberry sauce instead? When I was in Costa Rica one Thanksgiving, they served blackberry sauce with the turkey and it was delicious!

The Salad This is easy. There are a multitude of local farmers who have salad greens. Arugula is fresh this time of year, and can be tossed with slices of persimmon and onion. Dress it with a vinaigrette made with Bariani olive oil.

The Pie Since we do have local wheat (yay!), we can have pie. I'm a fan of butter and shortening or lard in my crust. Lard is more likely local, and you can fill the pie with Courtland pears for a pear-cardamom pie or local apples, pumpkin, or even pecans (although walnuts are a good choice too).

The Wine Lots of choices here, since there are thousands of acres of wine grapes within 100 miles. For really local flavor, try Clarksburg's Bogle Chardonnay or Chenin Blanc or Lodi's Michael David Vineyards wines. Or look for Amador County wines. Your choices are wide ranging.