Please list your favorite Thanksgiving Meal and Gathering
I realize that Thanksgiving is not celebrated worldwide, but for those persons who do honor the Day, regardless of the date, please recap your favorite Thanksgiving type meal and gathering plans. Please include recipes and cooking methods if you wish.
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Last year we were planning on a very special day, but due to an open air fire ban in the National Forest just a bit north of us, we were unable to accomplish our goals. However, this year, barring new complications, we are going to try again.
So, we are planning on being outdoors in a wilderness area in Northern Wisconsin near our Cathedral of the Pines location. This area is so remote and unpopulated that on a still day, we can hear chainsaws from 20 miles away. We will have three or four Oak, Birch and Maple cooking fires going with cast iron cooking pot racks and holders along with a temporary firebrick oven that we construct for the day.
We will be cooking wild game turkeys harvested locally and already in the freezer, sweet potatoes, Russett mashed potatoes, cranberries harvested by hand about a mile from our location, freshly baked wheat bread, fresh peas, stewed tomatoes, turkey gravy, several pumpkin pies made from pumpkins grown by one of our volunteers locally and some freshly baked Granny Smith apples.
We do this once every 5 years or so and have to dress warmly because the temperatures have been averaging 22 to 25 degrees F. It is a nice gathering of friends and family and we enjoy the crisp late autumn winds in the towering White Pines high above, the smells and crackling sounds from the cooking fires, a little snow in the air, the sounds of the forest animals, the sounds of the geese flying south for the winter and the friendly, happy voices of our group rejoicing in the location and rejoicing while we work in God's kitchen. It is reminiscent of some of the very first Thanksgiving celebrations held in the eastern USA over 500 years ago.
The last time that we did this celebration, we were fortunate enough to see a doe white tail deer and her yearling fawn come down to the lakeshore for a drink about 30 yards from our group. We also had several grey squirrels and chipmunks 'help' us clean up the bread crumbs at days end. We are always grateful to gather in God's country and honor Him in this celebration of friendship and Thanksgiving.
May God bless.
I realize that Thanksgiving is not celebrated worldwide, but for those persons who do honor the Day, regardless of the date, please recap your favorite Thanksgiving type meal and gathering plans. Please include recipes and cooking methods if you wish.
______________________________________________________________
Last year we were planning on a very special day, but due to an open air fire ban in the National Forest just a bit north of us, we were unable to accomplish our goals. However, this year, barring new complications, we are going to try again.
So, we are planning on being outdoors in a wilderness area in Northern Wisconsin near our Cathedral of the Pines location. This area is so remote and unpopulated that on a still day, we can hear chainsaws from 20 miles away. We will have three or four Oak, Birch and Maple cooking fires going with cast iron cooking pot racks and holders along with a temporary firebrick oven that we construct for the day.
We will be cooking wild game turkeys harvested locally and already in the freezer, sweet potatoes, Russett mashed potatoes, cranberries harvested by hand about a mile from our location, freshly baked wheat bread, fresh peas, stewed tomatoes, turkey gravy, several pumpkin pies made from pumpkins grown by one of our volunteers locally and some freshly baked Granny Smith apples.
We do this once every 5 years or so and have to dress warmly because the temperatures have been averaging 22 to 25 degrees F. It is a nice gathering of friends and family and we enjoy the crisp late autumn winds in the towering White Pines high above, the smells and crackling sounds from the cooking fires, a little snow in the air, the sounds of the forest animals, the sounds of the geese flying south for the winter and the friendly, happy voices of our group rejoicing in the location and rejoicing while we work in God's kitchen. It is reminiscent of some of the very first Thanksgiving celebrations held in the eastern USA over 500 years ago.
The last time that we did this celebration, we were fortunate enough to see a doe white tail deer and her yearling fawn come down to the lakeshore for a drink about 30 yards from our group. We also had several grey squirrels and chipmunks 'help' us clean up the bread crumbs at days end. We are always grateful to gather in God's country and honor Him in this celebration of friendship and Thanksgiving.
May God bless.
