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30 Days till Thanksgiving: Plan your menu now

With food and supply shortages, these are the items to buy now for Thanksgiving

FLORIDA, USA — We're 30 days away from Thanksgiving and now is the time to start planning your menu for your turkey day dinner.

If you're the cook for the big day, this is not the time to try new recipes. 

With shortages of all kinds of items and foods, there are a few Thanksgiving staples you can buy now and keep in the pantry or freezer until turkey day. 

Danielle Egger with Florida Food Safety Systems says these are the items you can purchase up to three weeks in advance and refrigerate:

  • Carrots
  • Hearty herbs like rosemary or thyme
  • Brussels sprouts (store in a loose plastic bag)
  • Beets
  • Eggs
  • Butter
  • Heavy Cream
  • Bacon
  • Celery
  • Cranberries
  • Cream Cheese (may also be frozen)
  • Whipped Cream

Produce items that you can purchase now and store unrefrigerated include:

  • Onions
  • Potatoes
  • Squash
  • Apples

Freezer items to purchase anytime between now and Thanksgiving:

  • Puff pastries 
  • Pie crusts 
  • Bay leaves 
  • Frozen vegetables

Canned goods, crackers and spices are all ok to buy now. Egger adds Sterno fluid and pans are helpful items to your shopping list as well.

 "These Sterno's, you can actually light these and they'll keep a pan warm during service for Thanksgiving. You can pick these up at the dollar store, get some of these disposable pans and you'll be able to keep your food out longer and hotter on Thanksgiving Day," Egger said.

As for the turkey, if you're buying fresh, Egger suggests purchasing within two days of preparation. A frozen turkey can be purchased anytime between now and Thanksgiving but Egger said you'll want to allow about 24 hours for every 4-5lbs of turkey to thaw under refrigeration. 

Once your turkey is thawed, it should be cooked within 1-2 days.

Eggs may be purchased and refrigerated for three to five weeks. Egger said cooked eggs may be stored for a week in the refrigerator.

Stuffing can be prepared a couple of days in advance.

One more important tip- Egger says now is the time to throw out any old or expired food to make room for the holiday food.

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