November 20, 2018 Kim’s Weekly Garden Blog

"Over the river and through the woods
Trot fast my dapple gray.
Spring over the ground
Like a hunting hound
On this Thanksgiving Day, Hey!
Over the river and through the woods
Now Grandmother's face I spy.
Hurrah for the fun,
Is the pudding done?
Hurrah for the pumpkin pie."
-   English folksong, It's Raining, It's Pouring 

Hi Gardeners

It snowed a couple inches here last night and at midday it’s still below freezing with a wicked wind chill.  But the sun is shining for a change, so I won’t complain too much.

Of course, there is nothing in bloom outside.  I have a Thanksgiving cactus in nice bloom inside as well as many other things.  I am thankful I can have flowers and greenery all year round.

This week’s blog is full of shorter articles because a lot of people won’t have time to read during the holidays.  It’s a hodgepodge of this and that and a lot of food-based things because that’s what this holiday is about.

Feasts commemorating things like a good harvest that bring together many types of people are important. When people of various cultures mingle, new foods and methods of producing food are exchanged.  This is a significant help to both cultures.  Even today the mingling of cultures opens our minds and mouths to new ways of thinking and eating.

That first Thanksgiving meal brought together two cultures, one that had been on the land for a long time and one newly arrived.  While both parties would go on to commit many wrongs against each other at that time the original occupants were willing to help and feed the immigrants.  At that first meal partners across the globe and through time contributed to the meal.

As we sit down to a bountiful feast or even a meager meal this Thanksgiving, we should be thankful for the migration and immigration of species, both plants, animals and humans. We should be thankful for the opportunity to try new foods and learn new things from people that come from far places.  Change, assimilation, sharing information, tolerance and empathy serve to advance civilization.  Be thankful that so many cultures and civilizations contributed to your meal and the country we live in.

What foods in the typical Thanksgiving menu were actually part of the first Thanksgiving?

Thanksgiving menus vary a bit in different parts of the country and in different households. But how close is your menu to the first Thanksgiving? We have written accounts of the first “harvest celebration” meal that occurred between Europeans and the First People. It was a collaborate effort combining foods of both cultures.  Many of the foods we associate with Thanksgiving probably weren’t at the first celebration.

Food historians tell us that turkey probably wasn’t on that first menu.  Yes, there were turkeys in the Eastern woodlands at that time.  But just as they are hard to hunt today, they were probably equally hard to hunt then and not as common as other “fowls” in the area – such as ducks and geese and passenger pigeons. 

The fowl described on the menu by early writers was most likely waterfowl of some sort and since passenger pigeons were so abundant and so easy to kill, they were probably part of the meal.  And we do know that the Wampanoag residents of the area brought 5 deer to the feast so “fowl” was probably only a small part of that first Thanksgiving meal in 1621.  Fish and shellfish were also part of the feast. 

Some Eastern woodland First People cultivated corn and they showed the early settlers how to plant and harvest it.  Corn was at the first Thanksgiving, probably in the form of a coarse meal made into cakes or as parched corn.  If you are enjoying corn, either as cornbread stuffing or sweet corn on Thanksgiving you are closer to enjoying a native food than many other items on the menu.

The settlers raised some wheat that first year and some wheat breads may have been at the feast.  It’s possible they may have had some sugar left in their stores to combine with flour.  They had brought some chickens and may have had eggs to make things like cakes.  They also had goats, so they may have had some goats milk or cheese at the feast.

Green beans and beans such as navy, lima and kidney beans come to us from Central and South America.  The tribes of the northeast had obtained beans from trading by the time of the first Thanksgiving and they may have been part of the feast. But I am sure there wasn’t any green bean casseroles served at the first Thanksgiving.

Sweet potatoes or yams would not have been around to be served. Pumpkins or squash originated in Mexico and what is the southwestern part of the United States.  They were spread by trade to northern America and the First People the early settlers knew would have had them. At the first Thanksgiving these would not have been sweetened with sugar, unless a Native American offered the cooks some maple sugar or they had sugar to spare from their stores. (Honey wasn’t a product found in North America until Europeans brought honeybees here.)  Pumpkins and squash were usually roasted and made into soups.

Onions were probably grown for that first harvest by Europeans and used abundantly. Turnips or rutabaga may have been grown by Europeans and present at the feast. Some native greens, or greens grown by Europeans may have been included in the first Thanksgiving but in earlier times greens weren’t often served at feasts that were primarily for men. 

Cranberries are a true North American native food you can be thankful for.  They would not have been sweetened with sugar and its unknown if they were present at the first Thanksgiving meal.  Nuts like black walnuts, chestnuts, and hickories, which are eastern North American natives, may have been eaten in various dishes.  Blueberries are also native and may have been eaten at the meal, they would probably have been dried from earlier harvests.

If you wanted to replicate a true North American Thanksgiving meal it should include venison, pigeon, wild goose, fish and clams.  There can be some squash and pumpkin but not in pies.  Some cornbread or parched corn can be included, sweet corn or green corn as they would have called it, would probably not have been served so late in the season. You might include some whole wheat bread.  Onions, turnips, rutabagas and beans could be served.  Dessert should consist of nuts and berries, maybe some goat cheese.  Happy eating.

First Thanksgiving by Brownscombe

The difference between sweet potatoes and yams

At Thanksgiving some people say they are eating yams and others say they are eating sweet potatoes. The two terms should not be interchangeable as they do refer to different plants.  But in America people often call deep orange colored sweet potatoes yams.  Chances are very good that the “yams” you think you are eating at Thanksgiving are actually sweet potatoes.

True yams are the fleshy tubers of plants from the Dioscorea genus, and native to Africa and Asia. They are related to lilies and grasses.  They aren’t seen too often in US supermarkets.  They are starchier, less sweet and drier in texture than sweet potatoes although some think they taste similar. They have a rougher dark skin and don’t have as much beta carotene and other nutrients as sweet potatoes.

Sweet Potatoes (Ipomoea batatas) are in the morning glory family.  They are native to Central and South America and widely grown and available in the US. We eat the swollen roots of these plants.  Sweet potatoes come in a wide range of flesh colors from creamy white to red orange but generally have a thin golden tan skin.  The orange varieties have the most beta carotene.  Sweet potatoes have less calories than yams. Sweet potatoes are not related to the white “irish” potato either. 

Sweet Potato

Yam

For some reason early in US settlement people began to refer to orange fleshed sweet potatoes as Yams, probably because they looked similar in shape to yams, which some cultures were familiar with. The term yam also distinguished a type of sweet potato, one that was softer, sweeter and darker colored in the flesh than other varieties.  The US government now requires that sweet potato packaging be labeled as sweet potato, even if the label also mentions the word “Yam”.

By the way, the many varieties of ornamental sweet potatoes also produce those swollen edible roots the way commercial crop varieties do.  However, the roots are not nearly as large, sweet, or numerous as those of crop types and you probably won’t want to raid the flower pots for dinner.

"The last seed
falls from the sunflower-
empty pond.

The long awaited
rattle of rain on rooftops-
Thanksgiving Day."
-  Michael P. Garofalo, Cuttings  

Keeping a live Christmas tree alive

If you are intending to buy a live tree for Christmas to plant outside after the holiday here are some ways to keep it alive until you plant it. Make sure you select an evergreen that is hardy for your planting zone, or nothing will help keep it alive.

Choose smaller trees for best results and don’t bring them inside until a few days before Christmas.  Trees do better waiting outside than being held indoors until the holidays.  Keep them watered while they wait.  Trees in pots or with burlap balls should be kept out of direct sunlight if the temperature is above 45 degrees. You can hold trees in the shade of a building, on a porch or under larger evergreens.  You don’t want a really dark spot like a shed without a window.

For the short wait until the holidays most areas won’t get too cold to damage the trees sitting in pots or burlap balls.  If your temperatures will be below 20 degrees F you may want to protect the roots by setting the pots or burlap balls in the holes described below or covering the pots or balls with a thick mulch layer.  The top parts of evergreens hardy in your area should not need protection. 

Preparation for planting after the holiday

You’ll want to dig the hole outside for the tree before the ground freezes. Do this soon after you purchase the tree.  If the ground appears to be frozen already, look for a spot by the house or under a deep layer of leaves or some other spot where you can find softer soil.  The tree can be left in a pot or burlap ball and be put in these spots even if you don’t want to plant it there permanently.  Just remember you need to dig it up early in spring, remove the pot or burlap and re-plant it where you want it to grow.

Make a hole big enough for the root system of the tree you bought and save all the soil you removed in buckets or on a tarp. If you can, store the removed soil in a shed or garage so it won’t get wet and freeze solid.  Fill the hole with straw or leaves and/or cover it with something like plywood. Hopefully you won’t have to shovel snow away to plant the tree.

If you cannot dig a hole where the tree is to be planted and you can’t dig one in another spot, you can place the tree in its pot or burlap ball in a sheltered spot such as against a building or fence.  Cover the pot or root ball with a deep layer of mulch or place bales of straw around them.  If you have a cool (below 50 degrees), but brightly lit room or greenhouse and you remember to water it during the holding time you can keep the tree there.

Care while the tree is inside

When the trees are inside for the holiday keep them in the coolest place possible and away from direct sunlight, fireplaces and heating vents.  Decorate lightly and if you must use lights, use tiny, cool burning lights sparingly.  Trees will survive better if they are not kept inside more than 7-10 days.

Keep the root ball or pot moist while they are inside but these trees should not be in something that prevents drainage.  You do not want the roots to get too wet. Put a tray under the pot that can be emptied if it collects water. Do not use fertilizer or preservatives meant for cut trees on live trees.  Take the tree outside to plant or to its holding spot immediately after Christmas. 

Planting outside

Uncover your hole and remove any straw or leaves. Remove the pot, any burlap or strings and wire before planting (if you are planting the tree in its permanent spot).  Look for the top horizontal root.  You may need to gently remove soil from the root system to find it.  Settle the tree in the hole so that horizontal root will be just barely covered at the surface level.  Fill with the soil you removed, research says you should not add peat or topsoil. 

If you are leaving the tree in a pot or burlap until spring, put it in the hole and cover the pot or ball with some soil and a deep layer of straw or leaves. You must remove it in early spring and remove the pot or burlap.

Water deeply with warm water when planting and as long as the soil remains unfrozen, water weekly.  This is recommended for both trees in their final planting space and those being held until spring.  In a windy location new evergreens planted in their permanent location may need to be staked until they establish new roots.

"Give me the end of the year an' its fun
When most of the plannin' an' toilin' is done;
Bring all the wanderers home to the nest,
Let me sit down with the ones I love best,
Hear the old voices still ringin' with song,
See the old faces unblemished by wrong,
See the old table with all of its chairs
An' I'll put soul in my Thanksgivin' prayers."
-  Edgar A. Guest, Thanksgiving

Holiday Centerpiece with a potato

Here’s a clever way to make a centerpiece for the Thanksgiving table.  A large potato can be the base for a centerpiece or even a swag or wreath.  It will help keep fresh greens from wilting if the stems are stuck in a fresh potato, as they will take moisture from the potato.  And a potato will anchor dried plant material if you don’t have florist foam blocks.

To use a potato to make a centerpiece you need to slice off a thin section of the potato on one side so that it sits flat.  It works best if you let this cut area dry for a day or so before finishing the centerpiece.  You may want to add a piece of felt or cardboard to the cut side after it has dried a bit.

Cut evergreens or woody plants like Sweet Annie and lavender in a V shape so that the ends have sharp points and insert them into the potato.  For some pieces you may need to make a starter hole with an ice or nut pick.  Usually the potato itself will not show much in the finished decoration but if the thought of a bit of skin peeking through bothers you paint the potato or cover it in cloth or colored foil.

To make a swag or wreath with a potato first drill a hole in one end or the center, depending on your desired finished product, to insert a hanger if you are going to hang the item.  Use a small paring knife or a screw driver and slowly carve a small hole through the spud.  Insert a ribbon or soft rope for a hanging loop, not wire as it will cut through the potato.  You then add the dried plant material or evergreens.

"They began now to gather in the small harvest they had, and to fit up their houses and dwellings against winter, being all well recovered in health and strength and had all things in good plenty.  For as some were thus employed in affairs abroad, others were exercising in fishing, about cod and bass and other fish, of which they took good store, of which every family had their portion.  All the summer there was no want; and now began to come in store of fowl, as winter approached, of which this place did abound when they came first (but afterward decreased by degrees).  And besides waterfowl there was great store of wild turkeys, of which they took many, besides venison, etc.  Besides they had about a peck of meal a week to a person, or now since harvest, Indian corn to that proportion.  Which made many afterwards write so largely of their plenty here to their friends in England, which were not feigned but true reports.”
-   William Bradford, 1621 

 

These are the turkeys- Peas and Carrots- that will
be pardoned by the President this year

Help- the turkey is still frozen! 

Maybe you forgot to thaw the turkey and it’s the night before you want to serve it.  Or maybe you didn’t plan on cooking a traditional Thanksgiving feast and it’s suddenly sprung on you.  Either way you have a frozen, rock hard turkey that needs to be cooked soon - what can you do?

First realize that you cannot get a frozen turkey to the table much quicker than 8 hours even if it’s small.  (And if you are running out to buy the turkey you may want to choose the smallest one or buy two small ones if you are feeding lots of people.  You could also purchase just the breasts, which are smaller and defrost faster. Serve snacks all day or make it a late dinner until you can get the bird defrosted and cooked.

Turkeys do not defrost well in most microwaves.  Check your manual to see how many pounds of food can safely be thawed in your model.  But most home microwaves aren’t large enough for even the smallest turkeys.  Even if the microwave you own could defrost it, this way of thawing turkey often results in a dry, tough finished product.

There are two good ways to deal with the frozen turkey problem.  The first is cold water thawing.  Leave the turkey in its original wrapper or if that packaging isn’t a waterproof plastic wrapper, you’ll need to get it into a sealed, waterproof wrapper.  Some stores sell large zip close bags.  If you can’t find one a sturdy plastic trash bag can be used, one without any scent added.  If you use a trash bag keep the top out of the water and the turkey should be in a paper wrapper or something else inside the bag.  Tightly twist the top of a garbage bag and secure it.

Place the bagged turkey in a pan of cool water.  Do not use hot water.  Either let water trickle in the pan as it sits in a sink and overflow down the drain or dump the pan and add more cool water every 30 minutes.  This method will take at least an hour for every 3 pounds of bird.

The second method is to actually cook the bird from a frozen state.  First remove any wrappings.  Do not stuff this turkey- cook the stuffing separately.  Place the bird in a roasting pan with a cup or two of chicken broth or water and set your oven at 325 degrees.  Cover the turkey and place it in the oven.  It will take about 5 hours for a 10-pound turkey to cook from a frozen state and roughly 10 hours for a 20-pound turkey.  The times will vary, depending on how frozen the turkey was and other factors.  You may want to go the cool water way of defrosting for an hour or two then start cooking the half-frozen turkey in this way.

About half way through the expected cooking time you must check the bird and remove any giblet packages or the neck if they were tucked inside.  Be careful as they may be hot.  At this time if the turkey feels pretty defrosted you can set the oven temperature to 375 and shorten the remaining cooking time a bit.  You can begin basting the turkey with pan fluid or melted butter about half way through the cooking time.  Basting will add to the cooking time however and it’s not really needed.

About an hour before you expect the turkey to be done, remove any covering to let it brown.  It’s important to check these cooked from frozen birds with a meat thermometer, even if it had a pop-up timer.  The long cooking time may have made the pop-up timer inaccurate.  The temperature of the turkey should be 165 degrees internally. Insert the thermometer into the thickest part of the breast and at the thickest part of the inner thigh to test it for doneness.  

If you can start the night before your frozen turkey will still make it to dinner at a reasonable time.  And if you got up early maybe you can get Thanksgiving turkey on the table by evening.  If it’s just a few hours until dinner, you’ll probably want to get some sliced deli turkey and add hot gravy.

Deep Fried Green Beans Instead of a Casserole

Most of the Thanksgiving meal should be traditional but here’s a new way to serve green beans instead of that green bean casserole with the mushroom soup and crispy onion rings everyone else serves. I don’t normally like green beans, even disguised in soup, nor does my husband but we both liked these. 

These deep-fried green beans are low calorie (compared to the casserole), high in vitamins and low carb.  You probably won’t have fresh green beans in your garden now, but most large groceries do.

Start with about a half pound of clean, dry fresh green beans with the ends removed.  Beat an egg white in a large bowl, add the beans and toss them until they are coated. 

Next add a three tablespoons of powdered parmesan cheese, a tablespoon of flour,1/4 teaspoon dried rosemary, 1/8 teaspoon each of onion powder, garlic powder, black pepper and seasoned salt (or to taste).  Toss the beans in the mixture until they are well coated, and seasonings distributed.

Heat some healthy oil like peanut oil (not soybean, corn or canola, these aren’t good for you!) or some lard to about 350 degrees in a deep pan or fryer.  Add the beans in small batches and stir a bit to separate them. Don’t crowd them in the pan.  Fry until the outside is golden and crispy, (about like potato fries) remove and drain on paper towels.  Eat while warm- yummy.

"Over the river and through the wood
Oh, how the wind does blow!
It stings the toes
And bites the nose,
As over the ground we go.

Over the river and through the wood
To have a first-rate play.
Hear the bells ring,
Ting-a-ling-ling!
Hurrah for Thanksgiving Day!"
-   Linda Maria Child, Over the River

Whitehouse Thanksgiving Kale Salad

This was a recipe released in 2012 that Whitehouse chef Cris Comerford was going to serve for Thanksgiving at the Whitehouse that year.  The vegetables were from the vegetable garden at the Whitehouse.  I checked, and the vegetable garden is still there, although the current first lady leaves the garden to staff to care for and harvest.

• 2 bunches young kale, washed and dried, cut into thin slices
• 1 bulb fennel (fronds, stems and outer layer removed) cored and thinly sliced
• 4 radishes, thinly sliced
• 2 jalapeno peppers, stemmed, seeded and thinly sliced
• 1 green onion, white and light-green parts, trimmed and thinly sliced
• 4 ounces Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, shaved or cut into slivers
• 4 ounces spiced Marcona almonds, about 1 Cup

Marcona almonds can be purchased in some stores or you can make them.  Combine 1 teaspoon of brown sugar, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon cumin and 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika in a bowl.  In another bowl beat an egg white add about a  cup of almonds and toss to coat.  Then toss the almonds in the bowl of spices to coat them.  Place on a cookie sheet and bake at 350 until lightly browned.  Cool before use in the salad.

Dressing for salad

·         1 Cup olive oil

·         1/4 Cup red wine vinegar

·         Juice of 2 medium lemons, about 6 Tablespoons

·         1 medium green onion, minced

·         Salt

·         Freshly ground black pepper

Mix the vinegar, lemon juice and onion together and gradually whisk in the oil.  Season with salt and pepper to taste. 

Put the kale in a bowl and pour the dressing over the greens about 10 minutes before you will be serving the salad and toss well to coat.  Just before serving add the rest of the salad ingredients and toss.  This recipe is enough for 6-8 servings.

T   hanks for time to be together, turkey, talk, and tangy weather.

H  for harvest stored away, home, and hearth, and holiday.

A  for autumn's frosty art, and abundance in the heart.

N  for neighbors, and November, nice things, new things to remember.

K  for kitchen, kettles' croon, kith and kin expected soon.

S  for sizzles, sights, and sounds, and something special that about.

    That spells THANKS for joy in living and a jolly good Thanksgiving.                  

-   Aileen Fisher, All in a Word

Have a happy and safe Thanksgiving

Kim Willis

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I write this because I love to share with other gardeners some of the things I come across in my research each week. It keeps me engaged with people and horticulture. It’s a hobby, basically. I hope you enjoy it. If you are on my mailing list and at any time you don’t wish to receive these emails just let me know. If you know anyone who would like to receive a notification by email when a new blog is published have them send their email address to me.  KimWillis151@gmail.com