THANKSGIVING

The First Thanksgiving was celebrated by the Pilgrims in 1621. They were celebrating surviving the hard 1st winter. They ate a very different feast than we do now, and comparing what we ate today with what they might have eaten, I'll choose our menu.

The Pilgrims' Menu
Foods That May Have Been on the Menu
Seafood: Cod, Eel, Clams, Lobster
Wild Fowl: Wild Turkey, Goose, Duck, Crane, Swan, Partridge, Eagle
Meat: Venison, Seal
Grain: Wheat Flour, Indian Corn
Vegetables: Pumpkin, Peas, Beans, Onions, Lettuce, Radishes, Carrots
Fruit: Plums, GrapesNuts: Walnuts, Chestnuts, Acorns
Herbs and Seasonings: Olive Oil, Liverwort, Leeks, Dried Currants, Parsnips
What Was Not on the Menu
Surprisingly, the following foods, all considered staples of the modern Thanksgiving meal, didn't appear on the pilgrim's first feast table:
Ham: There is no evidence that the colonists had butchered a pig by this time, though they had brought pigs with them from England
Sweet Potatoes/Potatoes: These were not common.
Corn on the Cob: Corn was kept dried out at this time of year.
Cranberry Sauce: The colonists had cranberries but no sugar at this time.
Pumpkin Pie: It's not a recipe that exists at this point, though the pilgrims had recipes for stewed pumpkin.
Chicken/Eggs: We know that the colonists brought hens with them from England, but it's unknown how many they had left at this point or whether the hens were still laying.
Milk: No cows had been aboard the Mayflower, though it's possible that the colonists used goat milk to make cheese.
Source: Kathleen Curtin, Food Historian at Plymouth Plantation.

Thanksgiving dinner was hosted this year by Uncle Max & Aunt Karen as it has been for several years. Aunt Karen makes a Turkey, Stuffing and mashed potatoes, the rest of us contribute a side dish and a pie or 2. This year we ate Turkey, stuffing,mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, green bean casserole, Pink Salad, raw veggies, pickles & Olives, & lots of yummy homemade rolls. We had less pies this year than in some years, but we had no shortage of pies.

After dinner was cleaned up those who wanted to played games. This year we also added our November Birthday party. We were celebrating Birthday's for Trevor, Jasmine, Kelsey and Jared.

Alicia is very a very creative cake decorator. She did a fun cake for the birthday party today. Unfortunately everyone was so stuffed that we couldn't eat it. There were a few nibbles taken out of the Drum stick.












After the birthday celebration most of the adults retired to the living room for the annual Black Friday war council, where they create a strategy to get as many early Morning sale items at as many stores as they can.


I have yet to participate in the war council. There has never been anything I wanted badly enough to buy before the sun comes up.