The First Thanksgiving

The first colonists often celebrated days of thanksgiving as it was a big part of their religious beliefs. Thanksgiving days for the early colonists were quiet days of prayer - not feasts as we think of them today. However, in 1621 the pilgrims had their first big harvest and the reason why this harvest was successful was in part due to the support they received from the local Wampanoag Indians.

To celebrate the first large harvest as well as the cooperation and interaction between the English colonists and the Native Americans, a feast was held in Plymouth in the fall of 1621 - this is by many to be considered the first Thanksgiving. Since Plymouth is just a few miles from where I live, this time of year brings added meaning as we think about this historical event that took place hundreds of years ago right out our back door.

The legacy of thanks, and particularly of the feast, have survived the centuries as people throughout the United States gather with family, friends, and enormous amounts of food for their yearly Thanksgiving meal.


So, what foods were on the table during that first historical meal? Although we can't be certain as to exactly what they ate, we do know that this meal did not have mashed potatoes since potatoes were not available to the colonists during that time. Based on historical writings we can be certain that venison and wild fowl, probably wild turkey since it's so common to this area, was most definitely on the menu.

Although our modern Thanksgiving menu includes lots of vegetables, the colonists' menu was centered around many different meats since vegetables did not traditionally play a large part of any meal. Back then colonists needed lots of protein since they were more active and needed to survive long cold winters.

It's also interesting to note that pilgrims did not use forks to eat since they had yet to be invented. Instead they ate with spoons, knives, and their fingers. Salt also would have been at the table, but pepper would not have been.

Above - Traditional Wampanoag Indian place setting included a spoon, turtle shell, and knife.

Above - Traditional Colonial English Setting Table from early 1600's

Here's a list of foods that were probably on the menu. This list has been obtained from Plimoth Plantation.

Foods That May Have Been on the Menu

Seafood: Cod, Eel, Clams, Lobster
Wild Fowl: Wild Turkey, Goose, Duck, Crane, Swan, Partridge, Eagles
Meat: Venison, Seal
Grain: Wheat Flour, Indian Corn
Vegetables: Pumpkin, Peas, Beans, Onions, Lettuce, Radishes, Carrots
Fruit: Plums, Grapes
Nuts: 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 pilgrims' 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.


So, as you prepare for your Thanksgiving meal think about what the early colonist may have eaten and how different things are today. But one thing that has not changed throughout the years is our gratitude for the blessings we have received and for the family and friends that are so close to our hearts.

Thankful for Nie Nie

I'm sure many of you know Stephanie Nelson from her blog the Nie Nie Dialogues. If you don't you really must check out her very inspirational blog here. I've been following Stephanie's blog since before her plane accident. She was inspirational back then with her amazing exuberance, incredible style, and stories of being a Mom, but after the tragic accident back in August 2008 that almost killed her and her husband, Stephanie's faith, hope, and perseverance amazes me even more.

Not only has Stephanie endured incredible pain from the burns of the plane crash fire, the accident left her so disfigured that it took her own children months to not be afraid of her. It's now been well over a year since the accident and Stephanie is back home raising her children and trying to lead a normal life. She still has many months--even years of surgeries and therapy a head of her, but her faith in God, personal strength, and love of her family keep her focused on the future. Stephanie has shown us what true beauty really is - it's not what we see on the outside but what is on the inside that matters. I'm thankful for having the opportunity to read her blog. She makes my problems seem so irrelevant and she reminds me to be thankful for everything I have. Stephanie inspires me to be a better person by the example that she sets. With more surgeries scheduled for Stephanie in January, please remember to think of her in your prayers.

Click here too see an interview of Stephanie and her husband Christian.

You Know Thanksgiving is Coming When...

....A bunch of wild turkeys cross the street in front of your house (sorry the pics are blurry, but these guys were moving fast!).

Swine Flu Yuk!

Early last week I was sick with what I thought was a bad cold, but as things progressed from bad to worse it was apparent that I wasn't dealing with any normal cold. To help me feel better and to reduce the severity of the virus, my doctor put me on a course of Tamiflu. Let me tell ya folks that stuff works wonders! Within 24 hours of taking it I felt better and within 48 hours I could actually get dressed and do things around the house. The only draw back is that the medicine does have a side effect of nausea so you really have to take it with food.

I'm thankful that I have a great family physician as well as a wonderful DH who took care of me over the past week. We took every precaution to make sure that the virus didn't spread to Andy but only time will tell... I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

Now that I'm back to the land of the living I need to catch up on my blogging and take care of all the things I've neglected around the house. Last night I put up a few Thanksgiving decorations. I never decorate for Christmas before Thanksgiving - no reason to rush the season since all the retail stores do that for us.



While I was recovering I didn't get a chance to do any posts for the 30 Days of Thanksgiving so here are the things I've been thankful for these past few days:

I'm so grateful for having Andy in my life. He kept my spirits up, made all of my meals, and generally took care of anything I needed.

On Demand cable. It may seem frivolous but when you're sick the TV is your friend. My eyes hurt too much to read a book so the only activities I could do was sleep and watch TV. Thankfully we have On Demand cable so I was able to watch a ton of great movies.

A nice warm fire. Andy kept the fireplace going the entire time I was sick and the warmth of that fireplace was so comforting and soothing.

Chicken Soup. Need I say more.

Ginger ale. For me this is the best stuff for nausea.

The warm sun and a gorgeous day on the first day you are really feeling better. Ahhhh.... so wonderful!

Home Sick But Thankful

It's Day 3 of the 30 Days of Thanksgiving and I woke up today feeling really awful. Thankfully it doesn't feel like the flu, but my raw scratchy throat, cough, and stuffy nose is no fun either. On days like these I'm thankful for being a telecommuter. There's nothing fun about dragging yourself into work when you are feeling under the weather, and using up time from my sick bank is something I'd rather save for something a bit more serious than a bad cold.



A few months ago our corporate headquarters announced they were shutting down the local branch that I worked at. At first I was told that I'd be laid off, but after a few months they reconsidered and decided to let me keep my job as a telecommuter. I was thrilled at this decision because working from home meant I'd be able to spend more time with my family and more time in my garden.

In my life I've found that whenever something really bad happens something better is always around the corner. Sometimes the good that comes out of bad situation isn't immediately evident and the lessons learned come hard, but with faith and patience the good never fails to happen.



Having our office close and getting laid off couldn't have come at a worse time as our country was experiencing the worse economic recession since the Great Depression and finding a new job would a long journey. But, without our office closing I would have never had the opportunity to telecommute, which is something I've been wanting to do for many years. Of course, I feel awful for my co-workers who didn't get that opportunity, but I have enough faith in God to know that something good is also coming to them -- just in a different way.

A Month of Thankfulness

For the month of November I'm celebrating the 30 Days of Thanksgiving with one post of gratitude for every day of the month. I can't think of a better way to kick off the holiday season than to give thanks for all of our blessings both large and small. If you want to join me, please visit Karla over at her blog Karla's Korner and sign up. As Karla says you can devote an entire post each day to something you're grateful for or just end each post with a simple comment such as "Today I'm thankful for my children."

Of course I'm thankful for my family (both immediate and extended - Andy and Ellie included - goes without saying), my friends both near and far - including the blogging community, my home, my job, my health, and my relationship with God. But, since my life tends to be so busy I often overlook the small things I should be grateful for so for the next 30 days I'm going to concentrate on being thankful for them.

Since I didn't post yesterday I'm devoting this post to 2 things I'm grateful for:

Eyes to see the beautiful colors this time of year even when it's raining, cold, and gets dark early now that the clocks have turned back. This reminds there is beauty and light in all situations even when things seem dark and gray.




A sense of humor and patience as I realize I'll never win the war with the squirrels who keep snacking at our bird feeder so I might as well just let them eat. After all, humor and patience can help get me through the most difficult moments in life with grace and love.

Just look at this deviant little, fat, fellow!