A reminder to #ThankAFarmworker for harvesting your Thanksgiving meal

Where do Thanksgiving foods come from? No, not the grocery store.

Well, thanks to a Twitter campaign by United Farm Workers (UFW), you can now learn what it takes to supply America’s grocery stores ahead of Thanksgiving. The nation’s largest farm workers union asked its followers to share their favorite Thanksgiving dishes, and in return, UFW tweeted back how farmers harvest our favorite holiday ingredients. 

Founded in 1962 by activists Cesar Chavez and Dolores Huerta, the union has advocated for stronger workplace protections, unionization, and education for the nation’s farm workers. This week they are encouraging people to #ThankAFarmworker ahead of the holidays.

Twitter users shared their favorite Thanksgiving staples, from cornbread stuffing to cranberry sauce and sweet potatoes, and United Farm Workers shared real-life stories and footage from the fields, with explanations of harvesting methods, pay rates, and workplace hazards. 

Some of the most common Thanksgiving ingredients —  squash, carrots, and celery — come with dangers you might not know about. Carrots and celery, for example, contain “photoreactive” juices that can irritate sun-exposed skin, while squash vines are notoriously abrasive on hands and limbs. 

Other popular Thanksgiving veggies are picked at a piece rate, forcing many farm workers to work at dangerously quick speeds.

And others, like the hearty brussel sprout, require quick, dangerous harvesting methods. Across the Thanksgiving table, a whole lot of work goes into picking your family’s meal.

As you sit down for this year’s (hopefully virtual) Thanksgiving meal, consider adding a farmworker to your list of thanks. You can also help the advocacy and farmer support efforts of United Farm Workers by donating online.