Announcing the "Eat Local for Thanksgiving" Farmers Market Thanksgiving Dinner Contest!

Grand Prize: A gourmet meal cooked in your home by award-winning Chef Tamara Murphy of Brasa Restaurant for you and up to 5 guests!!

Second place prize: $100 shopping spree at any of our seven Seattle Neighborhood Farmers Markets, plus two bottles of wine from market farmers, and a Farmers Market apron!

Third place prize: $75 Farmers Market gift certificate, one bottle of wine and a Farmers Market apron!

Complete details on the contest, and to take the pledge to eat local this holiday, go to: http://www.pugetsoundfresh.org/eatlocal/harvest-feast-contest.htm or http://www.seattlefarmersmarkets.org.

This contest is sponsored by the Neighborhood Farmers Market Alliance to draw attention to the importance of eating local for the holidays, and to generate additional support for the hard-working farmers at the year-round University District and West Seattle Farmers Markets, and Broadway Sunday Market (which is open through Dec. 20).

The Grand Prize will be awarded to the host/cook who makes the most delicious, unique and beautifully presented meal using ingredients from the Broadway, U-District, and/or West Seattle farmers markets. Don't be intimidated! This contest is for amateur cooks, and "delicious" does not necessarily mean complex or elaborate. However, as much as possible, everything from the wine to the centerpiece should be sourced directly from local farms at the Broadway, U-District and/or West Seattle Farmers Markets.

This is a fabulous opportunity for you (and your cohorts) to get creative in the kitchen and support local farmers in the process — and inspire others to think about what it means to "eat local." This is also a great opportunity for you to help your friends, family and neighbors to remember your local farmers markets throughout the holidays and the chilly months ahead. Our seven markets support over 100 family farms, and are an essential component in the sustainability of our local agriculture.

Also, don't forget to take the pledge to eat local at www.eatlocalforthanksgiving.org!