Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving!
Originally uploaded by linfrye

Though the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth Rock on December 11, 1620, an earlier celebration of thanks was offered by the members of the Berkeley plantation, near present-day Charles City, Virginia on December 4, 1619. This thanksgiving was strictly religious in nature. After the loss of 46 members of the original 102 who sailed on the Mayflower, the harvest of 1621 was a bountiful one. The remaining colonists decided to celebrate with a feast of thanksgiving that included the 91 Native Americans who helped them survive the winter. The celebration lasted three days.

Many of the foods we typically eat at our Thanksgiving celebration remain those that were growing in the Americas at the time of the Pilgrims’ settlement: corn, rice, peppers, squashes, and pumpkin. Nuts such as black walnuts, butternuts, hickory nuts and pecans; beans such as snap, lima, green and yellow; and berries such as blueberry, cranberry, raspberry, strawberry, cherries, and grapes were all native crops and were being consumed by indigenous populations. In addition, native peoples enjoyed passion fruit, pawpaw, persimmon, plums, pineapple, potatoes, sweet potatoes, Jerusalem artichokes, tomatoes, and may have even flavored their foods with such spices as allspice, chili and cayenne peppers, cocoa, maple syrup, spicebush leaves, vanilla and sassafras.

(To read the complete article - click here: http://www.johnstoncc.edu/arboretum/blog/ ).

We've been experiencing computer issues at the Arboretum, so the painting above, which was supposed to accompany the article, won't show -- but the article is there with a few hints at some 'Leftover Gardens' you can create with Thanksgiving remainders.

There are so many holidays I thoroughy enjoy, but Thanksgiving, perhaps, is one that I really take to heart. The idea of a day spent with family and friends giving THANKS for the bounties given, where food and fun are shared, where people come together to remember the gifts of this blessed earth -- well, for me, that spirit of gratitude is what 'it's all about.'

With a full heart of appreciation, especially as we begin our preparations for tomorrow's day of Thanks, my heartfelt wish is a blessed Thanksgiving to you and yours -- and more, a resounding THANK YOU for your kindest remarks, support, and friendships through life's journey.

May we all continue share our bountious gifts and remember the blessings we have been given -- and do whatever we can pass them on ...