BY LORRAINE BERTAN,
CULTURAL COMMITTEE
Thanksgiving Day became an
official holiday during the
time of Abraham Lincoln,
as a result of the work of popular
novelist Sarah Hale, who devoted
an entire chapter of her 1827 nov-el
“Northwood” to describing in
enticing detail the dishes accom-panying
a New England Thanks-giving.
On November 25, 1691, the
Plymouth Rock colony shared a
feast with the Wampanoag Native
Americans to celebrate their first
successful corn harvest, a time
of abundance and careful provi-sioning
for the winter. Although
no record exists of the exact menu,
the Pilgrim chronicler Edward
Winslow described five deer and
fowl, which may have included
ducks and possibly wild turkey,
In addition, cod, bass and other
fish were included, as well as
corn and cornbread, which were
from the Wampanoag local tribe,
since the colonists had no ovens.
Pumpkins and squash were plen-tiful
and probably were included.
The colonists had used up their
sugar and had only the maple
syrup indigenous to the area, so
there were no sweet desserts or
pies. Cranberries, a native plant,
were a significant part of the New
England Native American diet
since they were used to preserve
deer meat, known as pemmican.
Food preservation was an import-ant
part of survival. Cranberries
are rich in Vitamin C and are
relatively easy to grow in the New
England area.
How did the turkey figure so
prominently in the New England
diet? The domestic turkey is a
farmed descendant of the wild
turkey, Meleagros gallopardo,
Meleagros gallopardo is a large
ground feeding bird that can be
quite aggressive. It is also native
to Mexico and figures prominently
in Aztec sculpture and history. The
male is vividly colored, has spurs,
and makes gobble noises and has a
characteristic red wattle suspend-ed
from its chin. There are two
species of wild turkeys in North
America; the North American and
Ocellated. The North American
species have five subspecies: the
Eastern, Florida, Rio Grande,
Merriam’s and Gould’s, and are
interesting because they are the
targets of bow hunters. Bow
hunting turkeys is a popular sport
which requires the participation
of turkey callers, a group that has
mastered the behavior of turkeys,
mimicking the gobble sound.
Since the five subspecies occupy
different geographic areas, turkey
hunters enjoy visiting the various
locations to test their skills.
The domestic turkey has exist-ed
for over 1,000 years. Since it
is not used for egg laying, like
chickens, it was easy to increase
in size and provide protein. There
are several breeds of turkey raised
for consumption: Beltsville
Small White, Black Turkey, Blue
Slate, Bourbon Red, Broad
Breasted White, Midget White,
Narragansett, and Standard
Bronze. The most popular breed
is the Broad Breasted White, since
it produces large white meat, but
its immense size makes it difficult
to reproduce and it must be artifi-cially
inseminated.
The most expensive turkeys are
the Heritage turkeys, which can
cost more than $8.00 per pound.
Heritage turkeys are raised in a
manner similar to the wild, are
not artificially inseminated, grow
more slowly and retain some of the
characteristics present in the wild
turkey. Consumers can choose
among fresh or frozen turkeys,
self-basting or brined turkeys,
organic or free range turkeys and
kosher turkeys. Frozen turkeys
must be thawed in the refrigera-tor,
so large turkeys will require
several days.
The United States produces 5.9
billion pounds of turkeys per year,
with “Butterball” being the largest
producer and most familiar. The
top state for turkey production
is Minnesota, followed by North
Carolina, Arkansas, Missouri,
Virginia and Indiana. The United
States leads the world in export-ing
frozen turkeys, totaling $259
million, although the export of
United States frozen chickens is
$15.5 billion. The most popular
turkeys, 14-16 pounds, may be
more expensive this year as a
result of the following factors: a
decline in the rural population in
the turkey processing centers due
to aging and Covid, higher grain
costs, and increased refrigeration
and transportation costs.
Cranberries are traditional at
Thanksgiving, and are one of
the three fruits native to North
America, the others being Concord
grapes and blueberries. The
American cranberry, a member
of the Heath family, grows wild
from Georgia to the Canadian
Maritimes and extends far west
to Minnesota and was introduced
to New Jersey and the Pacific
Northwest. In the mature plant,
the berries are very large and
must be pollinated by honey bees.
Cranberries are high in antioxi-dants
and are considered a health
food. The “Ocean Spray” label on
cans of cranberry sauce, juice and
“Craisins” represent a cooperative
of 750 grower families who started
with three families in 1930. Ocean
Spray posted $2 billion in revenue
this year, with 30% sold outside
of the United States. Ocean Spray
is not a public company, but a
cooperative that purchases cans,
bottles, etc. in large amounts to
share costs and ultimately prof-its.
Their most successful product
is “Craisins,” which are actually
the hulls of the cranberry that
had previously been discarded.
Experimenting with the addition
of cranberry juice, the reconsti-tuted
hulls developed a pleasant
tart and somewhat sweet flavor
to become a substitute for raisins.
The newest products from Ocean
Spray are “Chocolate Covered
Craisins.”
Enjoy the Thanksgiving Holiday!
Turkeys
and Cranberries
November 2021 ¢ NORTH SHORE TOWERS COURIER 29