© Photo Jo Ellen Meyers Sharp

As days darken and grow shorter, cold winds blow across the Midwestern plains. August harvest is over and fall color has fallen from the trees. On the surface, nature’s gone underground for the long, cold, dark winter.

But the surface deceives. In Indiana we find a bounty of meats, root vegetables, squashes, rich butters and creams, apple cider and native fruits. As families return home, and friends visit from afar, it’s time to light the candles, share our rich heritage and celebrate the holidays.

In a recent survey by the National Restaurant Association, chefs ranked serving local products second out of 194 “hot” trends and ranked serving organic produce third. “Additional research shows that 86 percent of fine dining restaurants use locally sourced items, and so do three out of five casual dining and family dining restaurants,” said Annika Stensson of the Restaurant Association.

Indiana consumers benefit, too, as chefs, restaurant owners, caterers, small delis and specialty food stores offer us more and more local options. Indiana consumers can purchase and prepare local dinners, eat at restaurants featuring local products or hire caterers who use and appreciate Hoosier foodstuffs.

“Indiana has always had farmers and producers,” says Steve Bonney, president of Sustainable Earth in Lafayette, a notfor- profit dedicated to the development of sustainable farming and food systems. “What we lacked were consumers to buy the products.”

However, until last year, Gunthorp Farms products weren’t sold in Indiana.

This holiday season, Goose the Market in Indianapolis is featuring Gunthorp Farm heritage turkeys and hams. Owned by Chris and Mollie Eley, Goose is in the vanguard in promoting local producers and purveyors.

“People want to know where their food comes from. They are asking how it is raised, what it is, how it is slaughtered or harvested,” Chris Eley said.

“They are, in particular, asking for foods that are wholesome, flavorful.”

Caterer Erin Edds of Indianapolis’ Country Mouse, City Mouse said, “Chris has opened so many eyes to what’s possible and what’s around us.”

If you don’t have time to cook a Gunthorp turkey or ham, but you want your guests to experience Hoosier holiday bounty, Edds and sister Katy Jones can cater your party. The sisters launched their business earlier this year with seasonal local sauces, vinaigrettes and flavored, or compound butters, quickly winning a following at farmers’ markets and specialty stores across central Indiana.

Zionsville natives, Edds and Jones worked alongside their mother, a caterer, when they were children. After high school, they left the state, but Indiana called them back to carry on the catering tradition started by their mother.

This holiday season, Country Mouse City Mouse will highlight local produce and meats and, above all else, taste. “Appetizers and finger foods serve as the main meal, but we are available to cater full-service dinners,” Edds said.

Customers can pick up their orders or have them delivered. Country Mouse, City Mouse uses only 100 percent biodegradable packaging and this holiday, they’ll use cloth napkins. Country Mouse, City Mouse will feature the rich, hardy, dulcet tones of pumpkin, sweet potato, celeriac, parsnips and other root vegetables in their sauces. After lavishing your guests with a heartland holiday meal, surprise them with a gift of Erin and Katy’s gourmet cheese balls, tortes or a trio of compound, butters.

To treat your guests to lunch or dinner at a restaurant featuring Indiana cuisine, head to Bloomington where serving local is a tradition, not a trend.  

Seasonal flavors — FARMBloomington’s owner and chef Daniel Orr creates persimmon tiramisu for dessert. Photo courtesy FARMBloomington

Down the street, is Finch’s Brasserie (formerly Trulli Flatbread), where you can huddle around a wood-burning stove while dining. Owners Jeff and Candace Finch serve local grass-fed meats and style the menu selections to reflect the smoky richness of meat slow-cooked in their signature stove.

As consumers turn away from rampant and mindless spending, the gift of time and fellowship is what we cherish at this time of year. Savor the holidays by spending it with loved ones enjoying meals created locally.

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