Thanksgiving is a time to gather and celebrate the harvest. In anticipation of the traditional Thanksgiving dinner, you probably make a shopping list, then take a trip to the grocery store and load up the cart with the things you'll need to prepare a feast for family and friends. Perhaps your list includes some of these items:

• turkey
• bread, celery, onions for stuffing
• cranberries
• potatoes
• pumpkin for pie
• apples for pie
• wine

As you make your way through the aisles, the last thing on your mind might be where all this food comes from. This year, pay attention and you might be surprised to discover that nearly all of the food at your Thanksgiving table can be grown in Michigan.

Let's start with the turkey. Michigan turkey producers raised 4.8 million birds in 2002 — resulting in more than 179 million pounds! The average American eats more than 18.2 pounds of turkey — or one full bird — each year. For most of us, a large percentage of that consumption occurs at the Thanksgiving table!

What would Thanksgiving turkey be without stuffing, right? The main ingredients for many stuffing recipes are bread, celery and onions. Michigan is the second largest grower of celery in the United States, with nearly 99 million pounds produced in 2002. Onions add flavor to the stuffing and value to Michigan's agriculture industry. Growers produced nearly 90 million pounds in 2002. And the wheat to make the bread could easily have come from Michigan, as growers produced more than 32 million bushels of wheat in 2002.

With turkey and stuffing, you need fluffy mashed potatoes and gravy! Michigan potato producers grew nearly 1.4 BILLION pounds of potatoes in 2002, placing us tenth in the nation and making potatoes Michigan's largest vegetable crop.

Did you know we grow cranberries in Michigan? The state's climate, soil and water resources make our state an excellent location for cranberry production. Think of Michigan cranberries not only for your traditional sauce or relish, but also as a tasty addition to holiday breads and cookies.

Time for dessert! Pumpkin pie is an all-time favorite. Michigan comes in strong here, too, ranking fifth in the nation for pumpkin production. In 2002, the state's growers produced 60 million pounds of pumpkins. That's a lot of pie!

If you prefer apple pie, you're in luck! Michigan ranks third nationally in apple production, growing 500 million pounds in 2002, making apples the largest fruit crop in the state.

Don't forget to pick up a bottle of Michigan wine to complement your meal. There are 40 licensed wineries in the state, and they all use predominantly Michigan-grown grapes. The state has 1,500 acres of wine grape vineyards, making us eighth in wine grape production nationally.

So, there you have it. All of the essential ingredients for a delicious Thanksgiving feast are grown right here in Michigan. You can support your state's agricultural economy by choosing Michigan-grown foods at your local grocery or farmer's market, not just for the holiday, but year-round.

Take a look at the Michigan "Mitten of Plenty" to find out more about many of the commodities grown in the state.

In addition to all of the great food and fiber that is harvested in Michigan, the state also has an abundance of specialty food producers that create delicious and unique products using Michigan's agriculture. The Agriculture Department has published a directory of specialty and processed foods available in Michigan. Click here to search online for items of interest to you.

World-Bound

Michigan's growers provide delicious, nutritious foods for the state's residents, but Michigan is also an important exporter of agricultural products — more than one-third of the state's total agricultural products are exported each year.

Agricultural exports help boost farm prices and income, while supporting about 11,000 jobs both on the farm and off the farm in food processing, storage and transportation. Exports are important to Michigan's agricultural and statewide economy.

The top five destinations for Michigan's high-quality food products in 2002 were: Canada, Mexico, Italy, Japan and France. The top five agricultural exports were:

1. Soybeans and soybean products
2. Feed grains and feed grain products
3. Vegetables
4. Fruits
5. Live animals and meat

For more information about the role Michigan plays in the world market, contact the Michigan Department of Agriculture's International and New Market Development Program at (517) 241-2178, or learn more about the program online at www.michigan.gov/mda.