Thanksgiving to go

Give yourself the gift of time this year.

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A cranberry sage sugar pie and pecan pie from 7a Foods. —Stacey Rupolo

If you want to be prepared for Thanksgiving, perhaps there’s no better way, and it’s a great deal easier, if you preorder prepared food for your feast. For a small Island, there are many options available to suit every taste bud, from the traditional to the exotic.
Every place has the classic choices of turkey, stuffing, fixings in some variation, and, of course, pumpkin pie. Quite a few have sirloins, too. But each seems to have something a little different as well.

The Vineyard Grocer, which can be reached at 693-2000, or at vineyardgrocer@gmail.com, offers a stress-free holiday with combo options that serve from 12 to 15 people, such as whole roasted pork shank or whole roasted chicken, both with stuffing. Among the accompaniments is a vegetable casserole made with green beans, broccoli, cauliflower, and carrots, all baked with mozzarella sauce. I’d love to know the secret ingredients in the chocolate bonbon and flan pudding. According to owner Elio Silva, the sooner you put in your order, the better, but they’ll try to accommodate everyone.

The Scottish Bakehouse can start you out with their Island butternut squash or paprika-spiced cauliflower soup. Among the enticing salads are the holiday fruit salad made with clementines, pears, apples, kiwi, and pomegranate seeds with a lemon poppyseed dressing. There’s also a kale and Brussels sprouts salad with hazelnuts and pecorino. There is a Portuguese-accented linguica, apple, and corn stuffing alongside the classic one, both of which can be made gluten-free. And just in case you want a little more bread, there are cheddar and scallion biscuits, as well as cornbread and focaccia slices. How about their chocolate cream, lemon meringue, or bing cherry lattice pie for dessert? Gluten-free choices include a paleo pumpkin pie made with date almond crust, or you could go with the unexpected and serve cheesecake with an almond crust. The deadline is Monday, Nov. 25, with pickup any time until Thursday, Nov. 28, at 11 am. You can view the menu and order online at scottishbakehousemv.com/#sect-catering or reach them at 508-693-6633 or scottishbakehouse@gmail.com.

A bit farther up-Island is 7a, with the regular or signature cheddar jalapeño biscuits to add a little spice to your meal. For dessert they have, in addition to pumpkin, lemon, and cranberry apple pie with streusel topping, a blueberry crumble, along with their usual selection of cookies, scones, and brownies. They take special requests, so make sure to ask. You can reach 7a at 508-693-4636 or 7afoods@gmail.com, and put your orders in as soon as possible.

Perhaps you want to add food from the sea to your meal. Check out the Fish House at thefishhousemv.com or call 508-693-0055 to check out their unusual Thanksgiving menu. There are seafood-stuffed mushrooms, Vineyard bay scallops wrapped in bacon or as a casserole, smoked salmon layer dip, smoked bluefish spread, and hot smoked salmon spread (which includes hummus, onion, dill, and capers), along with other seafood enticements. There are five varieties of caviar, and a wide variety of meat options, including rosemary veal demi-glace. Sides include corn pudding, quinoa stuffing, and gluten-free stuffed portobello mushrooms made with sweet potatoes, walnuts, and dried cranberries. Orders must be placed by Wednesday, Nov. 20, by 5 pm, and pickup is Tuesday, Nov. 26, from 3 to 6 pm, or Wednesday, Nov. 27, from 10 am to 6 pm.

Find Morning Glory Farm’s menu and order form at bit.ly/MGFMenu. Whole turkeys ranging from about 12 pounds to 30-plus pounds, as well as a bone-in turkey breast option, are available. One of the stuffings is cranberry sage, and the snappy little fruit is also in the cranberry bean succotash with cream and saffron, just one among many vegetable dishes. If you want to break from tradition, try serving up one of Morning Glory’s quiches, with a veggie option with kale, chard, leek, and Cheddar. There are zucchini and banana bread, yeast rolls, and a range of yeast variations, including cranberry walnut bread. You can customize some of the pies to be topped by your choice of crust or crumb, including the harvest, which is a mixture of apples, cranberries, walnuts, golden sultana raisins, and orange zest. There are also a maple custard with sweet potato streusel and gluten-free fruit pies. They have beautiful pumpkin and flower centerpieces, featuring their own flowers. The deadline for ordering turkey and gravy is 5 pm on Thursday, Nov. 21. Turkey and gravy orders may be picked up from 4 to 6 pm on Tuesday, Nov. 26, and from 9 am to 5 pm on Wednesday, Nov. 27. Bakery items may be picked up Monday through Wednesday, Nov. 25 to 27. Savory sides and quiches may be picked up Tuesday through Wednesday, Nov. 26 and 27 with an early closing at 5 pm.

Edgartown Meat and Fish has its usual meat and fish offerings, free-range Vermont turkey, shrimp cocktail, an assortment of pies from Pie Chicks, and aim to make any special request happen. You can reach them at 508-627-6200 or info@edgartownmeatandfish.com.

Speaking of Pie Chicks, they are delivering to their usual outlets during the holiday week at Cronig’s Market (both locations, but down-Island has the larger selection), as well as Ghost Island Farm, Alley’s General Store, and Tony’s Market. Their assortment includes in addition to regular fruit pies a key lime, lemon chess, and what sounds like an outrageously enticing chocolate bourbon pecan variation.

At the Black Dog Café you can preorder a traditional Thanksgiving meal as well as their usual tasty baked goods for from four to 15 people up to Saturday, Nov. 23, with pickup through Thanksgiving Day.

Finally, if you just don’t even want to do the dishes, or are visiting for the weekend and your pantry is empty, the Black Dog Tavern is an alluring option. But first, if you just want to start your day with breakfast there, they are open from 7 to 10:30 am. They have three seatings for the full Thanksgiving buffet — noon, 2, and 4 pm. Call as soon as possible for reservations at 508-693-9223.

So this year, enjoy a Thanksgiving that’s as easy as pie.