Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays, but it can also be quite stressful. One way you can alleviate that stress is to start your shopping early. Here are 5 items you can buy early for Thanksgiving dinner!
Canned/Frozen Vegetables
Fresh produce is always a great choice, but it is not always optimal. You have to buy fresh produce right before using it. This can be risky at Thanksgiving. In the South, greens are very popular are frequently sell out in certain markets.
Looking to add greens to your Thanksgiving menu? Check out my Southern Turnip Greens recipe for a delicious option!
You can work around this issue by buying frozen greens. Whether you opt for turnips, collards, or mustard greens, you can find frozen options in most grocery stores. These can be bought well in advance of Thanksgiving. I do not recommend canned greens; these should be used as a last resort.
Canned green beans, on the other hand, are a good option. Like frozen greens, canned green beans can be bought well in advance.
Flour/Cornmeal
Flour is one of the most important ingredients needed for Thanksgiving dinner. Utilized in many baked goods, be it cakes or pies, flour is almost always needed. It’s something you usually have on hand, but you may not have enough for Thanksgiving. Flour has a long shelf life, and you can buy it many weeks in advance.
Like flour, cornmeal is another item that is quite important for Thanksgiving. It’s a key ingredient in homemade dressing, stuffing, and cornbread. Also, like flour, it has a long shelf life and can be bought ahead of time. This is another item that can sell out the closer you get to Thanksgiving.
Spices and Seasonings
Unless you want a bland Thanksgiving, spices and seasonings are going to be a big part of the equation. Fresh herbs will have to be bought closer to the actual dinner, but dried spices and seasonings can be bought weeks ahead of time.
Sage is a key ingredient in most dressings/stuffings and can be bought in advance. Thyme, rosemary, garlic, and onion powder are all classic seasonings for the Thanksgiving turkey. Stocking up on salt and pepper is not a bad idea either, as you will go through a lot if you are cooking for many people.
Don’t forget the seasonal spices used in things like sweet potato casserole and pumpkin pie, such as cinnamon and nutmeg. These spices can become scarce the closer you get to Thanksgiving.
Powdered and Jarred Gravy
We all know homemade gravy is the best variety, but sometimes it is just not practical when you are cooking half a dozen dishes at once. There are various powdered gravy mixes to choose from, whether it be chicken or turkey gravy. They don’t take long to cook, and the quality is decent depending on the brand you choose.
If you are looking for an even easier option, you can opt for a jarred gravy. This option only needs to be heated up on the stovetop or microwave. Like the powdered variety, the quality will vary depending on the brand you choose.
Cranberry Sauce
Last but not least, we have cranberry sauce. This might be the one dish where more people PREFER the canned variety to homemade. Canned cranberry sauce is a tradition in many households. We tried a homemade cranberry sauce one year, and while I enjoyed it, my wife preferred the canned. And don’t worry, she had bought herself and the kids a can of the old-fashioned stuff too!
This is a staple on most Thanksgiving menus, so it is another item that could sell out in certain markets. A can of cranberry sauce lasts practically forever, so it’s a great item to pick up early.
These are but some of the items you can pick up weeks in advance to take a little stress off your Thanksgiving dinner shopping. There could be many more depending on your menu. The earlier you choose what you are going to serve, the sooner you can knock out some early shopping!
