Article by: Suzanne Carreker-Voigt, Saratoga Farmers’ Market Coordinator
Pies, puddings!, and TURKEYS!, Chicks, raisins, and nuts!!!!
Come forward and taste them; without if’s or buts;
Bring none of your slim, little appetites here-
Thanksgiving Day comes only once a year!!!!
And so we would begin every Thanksgiving Day in our house—the holiday, the dinner most cherished by all in our clan. Sometime in the 1910s my grandfather, Burgess Johnson, who had a rhyme for everything, wrote these words on the large annual illustrated Thanksgiving menu that was produced by my Aunt Mary and him. My mother framed two of those menus, and they adorned the walls of her house for every Thanksgiving of her married life. This year the menus pass on to hang at my house.
I would like to say that we keep to those menus, but our tastes and desires have changed over the years to embrace spousal and child preferences. We still have turkey, (except for the two vegetarians amongst us), the potatoes, the sweet potatoes, squash, pumpkin bread, cranberries, the fresh cut carrots and celery, apple pie, pecan pie (in deference to my father’s southern roots) and pumpkin pie. We’ve added creamed spinach and corn, and green beans. Gone however are the creamed onions, turnips and mince pies of yester-year. But no matter how you cook your feast, Thanksgiving Day is a time for guilt-free indulgences in culinary delights, for which we celebrate life, prosperity, friendship and Family. Can there be a better day than Thanksgiving Day?
November brings with it the indoor Saratoga Farmers’ Market and the lead-up to Thanksgiving. The first week is the last chance to order a fresh turkey. The next week clients start keeping a careful watch over the supplies of their favorite root vegetables and squash, and begin to order the sweet potato rolls from Effies, pumpkin pies from the Village Market and apple pies from Bowman’s Orchards. Rick Green, our bee-keeper, is sure to have extra bees’ wax candles and Barbara Jefts’ (Native Farm Flowers) table arrangements are gorgeous. By this weekend Sheldon’s potatoes and maple syrup will be setting record sales, as will be the cider from Saratoga Apple. Battenkill Creamery and our cheese and yogurt vendors are smiling as folks get those last minute, must-be-fresh items. Customers planning to make pumpkin and pecan pies or rich turkey stuffing stock up on eggs. Don’t forget the cranberry jams for the turkey! Even Saratoga Suds has the perfect soap to softly remove the aroma of onions from the cook’s hands before dinner. And if you’re speedy, you can crochet a placemat or center piece with Foster Farm’s hand-dyed yarns. All the talk is about Thanksgiving, family and friends that are coming, what will be on the table…….and who will cook what.
John Sconzo, president of Slow Food Saratoga, speaks of the Thanksgiving meal, and its day as the ultimate Slow Food experience, chock full of American culinary and family traditions. Like so many, he gets together with family and friends over a dinner of turkey with all the trimmings. For a number of years John has been getting wonderful, local turkeys, and tells me he is looking forward to a local 25-pounder this year! The meal will be filled out with variations on typical fall fare, most of which will come from area farms and the Farmers’ Markets, and everyone helps out with the cooking. Typically at the Sconzo’s there are roasted or shaved Brussels sprouts, yams or sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes with gravy, stuffing, squash, another green vegetable depending upon what looks good at the market and cranberry chutneys. apple pies from scratch. They complete the celebration with home made pumpkin pie and everyone sleeps well that night! Amen.
Originally published in the Nov. 21st edition of Saratoga Today. Republished with permission.
Happy Thanksgiving!
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