As we head into Thanksgiving, Y&H wants to help you eat like a pilgrim (a Native American, too, because we’re all about equal opportunity eating here). In other words, we want to help you eat locally for the holiday. Almost 400 years ago, the pilgrims had no choice but to eat local. These days, we do. But it’s not easy.

Hate to sound so gung-ho All-American here, but during (and after) Thanksgiving, I think we all get a little tired of pumpkin pie, which is why I’d go with another universally popular dessert — apple pie made with a buttery, homemade double crust. I mean, why not? Many orchards have atmosphere-controlled storage facilities, which prevent the fruit from ripening so you can enjoy quality apples long after the season passes. Empire and Jonagold varieties make for good fillings, and both can be found at farmers markets around the D.C. area.

To help you along, here are a few recipes:

• A classic from Gourmet
• “Perfect” apple pie from Food & Wine
• Paula Deen’s crunch-top apple pie

Photo by thebittenword via Flickr Creative Commons, Attribution License