Like most of America here on the farm we enjoyed a traditional Hickery Holler Thanksgiving meal. Unlike most of the country we never ventured off of this land for the bulk of the ingredients. The little guy above was butchered the day before and prepared in a brine overnight.
He weighed in at 9 1/2 pounds and spent Thanksgiving morning in the smoker occasionally being injected with turkey broth and butter.
He was accompanied by the usual sides of cornbread stuffing made with homemade cornbread and green onions, garlic and onions grown right here on the farm along with farm fresh eggs, home canned turkey broth and turkey meat off the pantry shelf.
Add to that mashed potatoes from potatoes produced right here and turkey gravy made again with home canned broth out of the pantry.
Add some homegrown green beans and these tasty rolls to finish off the meal.
And for dessert a delectable pumpkin cake with brown sugar glaze made from those homegrown pumpkins and a hot apple pie made with home canned apple pie filling. The apples coming right off that tree behind the garden.
So while most of America was scrambling around their supermarket of choice fighting crowds and standing in line, Thanksgiving holiday dinner for us was just as far as the pantry door. The menu determined by the abundance of the last gardening season.
And when I do decide to venture to that supermarket it is usually for the staples that we do not produce such as flour, sugar, oil (although in a pinch I always have lard) and dairy. Even my corn meal and dairy I prefer to buy fresh from the local Amish families when available.
So for us here at Hickery Holler, like our forefathers before us, we really are celebrating the Harvest. Our table like our pantry overflows with healthy nutritious homegrown food. And we are thankful for another year of harvests, the health to sow and gather, the wisdom to preserve and plan for the cold winter ahead and the ability to rest until again it is time to sow a new year of bounty.
The work is hard and arduous but the rewards of our lifestyle are many.
What percentage of your holiday feast did you produce?
The work is hard and arduous but the rewards of our lifestyle are many.
What percentage of your holiday feast did you produce?
Blessings from The Holler
The Canned Quilter
Good for you guys!!! :) it looks yummy!
ReplyDeleteWe produced almost half of our Thanksgiving meal. Our goal, to produce the entire meal.
ReplyDeleteSounds like you had a beautiful Thanksgiving. Did all the grand kids come for the holiday?
We went to dinner the night before Thanksgiving with the grandkids at their house : )
DeleteHave a wonderful weekend!
ReplyDeleteLove your blog and that you are producing so much of what you need. We are working towards that on our small family farm in Georgia. Shout out for the Georgia gals! Although I have blogged for years, I recently began blogging about our farm adventures.
ReplyDeleteWe recently purchased a Jersey family milk cow and calf. LOVING the fresh milk!
Sherri
http://southernsunflowerseeds.blogspot.com/
Welcome : ) And indeed a big shout for us Georgia girls !!!
DeleteOh how wonderful . I was raised on a farm living off of our land and live stock but as a kid I never paid much attention to it all wish I had now. I am slowly trying to get back into all that again but it will take time $ and more land but we will get there ! Have a wonderful day !
ReplyDeleteCall me nuts, but I believe there is a lot more of Us out there than you think, that don't run to the supper market for any more / or less than you do. Weather it be out of shear determination or unable, for what ever reason. We do in deed survive, learning as we go.See our journey at gintin2@blogspot.com T
ReplyDelete