Thanksgiving grocery list from local makers

Pasta Lab's Dried Pasta Box of 4 ($32.00) holds four 12 oz bags made in Philadelphia: Radiatori and Campanelle made with red spring wheat, plus Gemelli and Vesuvio made with spelt. The page says the Radiatori is a 2024 Good Food Award winner and that the pasta needs no refrigeration and is best used within 6 months.

Ridged, curly shapes like Radiatori and Campanelle hold a cheese sauce well, which makes this box a natural for a baked mac and cheese side. Save a bag for the weekend, when a pot of pasta is the easiest way to use leftover turkey.

Not every table wants three kinds of potato. Amac's Easy N' Tasty Jollof Rice ($7.99) is a jasmine rice premix of the West African dish, which the page says cooks on the stovetop in 35 minutes. It comes in a mild bag and a spicy bag, both $7.99, and both bags carry a Vegan badge.

That makes it an easy side for a guest who skips the turkey and the buttered rolls. Amac is run by Maryland-based Dr. Kwamena Atta Cudjoe and his wife, Penelope.

Vesta Kitchen's Sunday Kind of Love ($12.00, 16 fl oz) is a tomato sauce the maker calls great for pastas, pizzas and meatballs. On the Thanksgiving dinner side of the list it does nothing. On the leftovers side it does a lot: roll leftover turkey into meatballs, or layer it with pasta and cheese and bake it.

Vesta Kitchen is in Pottstown, PA, and also makes the two spice blends and the hot sauce further down this list, so ordering all four from one maker keeps the shipping to one charge.

Caulfield Provision Company's Smoky Red Pepper Chipotle Sauce ($6.50, 6 oz) gets its heat from red jalapenos and chipotle powder, and the maker suggests it for tacos, eggs, fish and chili. Shredded turkey warmed in a few spoonfuls of it makes a quick taco filling the day after.

Caulfield is a woman-owned, family-run business in Potomac, MD.

Hot pepper jelly spooned over a cold block of cream cheese is the classic starter that needs no oven. The jar here is Loudounberry pepper jam, sold as Hotter 'N' Hell Pepper Jam ($4.99, 10 oz), whose label lists vinegar, sugar, pectin, mixed peppers, spices and citric acid.

Set it out with sturdy crackers. Cream cheese is perishable, and the FDA's 2-hour rule says to discard perishable food left out more than 2 hours, so put out half a block and refill it from the fridge.

A board needs something sweet next to the aged cheddar and the salty meat. Loudounberry's Huckleberry Jelly ($5.99, 10 oz) lists huckleberry juice, sugar, pectin and citric acid. For a bigger jar, its Muscadine Jam ($4.99) shows a 19 oz jar labeled Muscadine Jelly, made with muscadine juice and cane sugar.

Give each jar its own small spoon. Once open, both labels say to refrigerate, and the National Center for Home Food Preservation advises keeping opened jams and jellies at 40°F or lower.

Loudounberry's Smoked Pickled Eggs ($5.99) come in a 32 fl oz jar. Halve them and add a pinch of salt and paprika, and they take the spot deviled eggs usually fill, with no boiling or peeling on a busy morning.

Treat them like any egg dish on the table and keep them cold until serving, then follow the same 2-hour limit as the cheese.

Floral Elixir's The Botanist ($32.00) is a kit of five 2 oz flower syrups (Lemon Verbena, Jasmine, Rose Hip, Juniper Berry and Prickly Pear) with at least 20 servings and recipes on the back of each box. The box says the syrups are non-alcoholic and made for spirits, champagne or sodas.

That covers both sides of the table: a splash in sparkling wine for some guests, a splash in seltzer for the kids and the drivers. Floral Elixir is a woman-owned maker in Cleveland, OH.

Vesta Kitchen's Sugar & Spice ($10.00, 2.5 oz) lists brown sugar, onion powder, cumin, kosher salt, black pepper, paprika, chili powder, garlic powder and cayenne. The maker calls it a rub for pork, chicken and grilled vegetables.

Toss sweet potato or carrot wedges in oil and a spoonful of the rub, then roast until the edges caramelize. The label says Gluten Free and Vegan.

Vesta's Brand New Funk ($10.00, 2.5 oz) is a furikake-style blend of bonito flakes, sesame, nori, almond, fermented chile powder and salt. Shake it over roasted green beans or Brussels sprouts right before serving so it stays crisp.

Check your guest list first: bonito is a fish and almond is a tree nut, so it does not suit a vegetarian or nut-free plate.

A few dashes of hot sauce are a common finish for braised greens. Vesta's Garlic Blues Fermented Hot Sauce ($12.00, 5 fl oz) is fermented with a lot of garlic and, in the maker's words, a bit less spicy, very aromatic and smooth.

Put the bottle on the table rather than in the pot, so each guest sets their own heat.

Molasses cookies are the dessert-table cookie that keeps for days. McCutcheon's Blackstrap Molasses ($3.45, 21 oz) is made in Frederick, MD, and its label calls it crude, unsulphured and strong in flavor, and says it is perfect for baking.

Check what your recipe asks for before you swap it in. Wikipedia's molasses overview explains that blackstrap comes from a third boiling of the sugar syrup and that its bitterness is much greater than that of regular molasses. If the recipe just says molasses, blackstrap will give a darker, less sweet and more bitter cookie, so bake a test batch first.