The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1890-11-26
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WEDNESDAY, NOV. 26, 1890.
OF TURKEY AND FIXIN'S.
WITHOUT THEM WHAT WOULD
THANKSGIVING BET

A Writer of Most Blessed Experiences
Dwells Feelingly and Wisely Upon the
Glories of the Thanksgiving Day of
OIden Time.
Thanksgiving would not be Thanks
giving without its turkey and fxin's.
Who does not remember who can look
back to an old-fashioned Thanksgiving
at a New England homestead, with what
anxiety he awaited the opening of the
great brick oven? Very early in the day a
roaring fire of wood was built in the
oven. A couple of hours later the en-
bers and ashes would be removed and
the bottom of the oven carefully swept
with turkeys wing.
Then came the procession of good
things, the turkeys, the chicken pies,
the apple, mince and pumpkin pies and
all the rest, and disappeared in the
cavernous depths. Mysterious sounds
and fragrant odors came from those
same depths ever and anon, as some
matron approached and, opening the
iron door, peered in for moment.
The boys and girls could scarcely wait
for the slow process of baking to be per-
formed properly Driven at last from
the kitchen by their elders they took
refuge in the attic, where they rum
mayed to their hearts delight; or in the
outer air, where they passed the time in
playing those time honored games Of
''two-old-cat" or "barn tick" They were
never too diligently employed at either
of these occupations to hear the dinner
horn. They responded promptly when
its melodious tones burst upon the air
but paused decorously at the door of the
great kitchen.
What a scene burst upon their eyes
and what odors delighted their sensesi
The long table, formed of all the tables
in the house set in row, was covered
In the center huge turkey thrust his
crisped legs appealingly In the air. while
midway upon each side reposed great
chicken pie, with diamond shaped hole
cut carefully in the faky top Dishes Of
white potatoes, golden squash, pale yell
low turnips, fragrant onions and crimson
cranberry sauce held their appropriate
places, while bowls of gravy and great
branches Of celery filed the intervening
spaces.
THE SCIENTIFIC CARVER.
The curved outlines of those mammoth
gobblers were soon lost under the knife
of the carver. In every family there is
always one IL not more who prides him
self upon his skill at carving
always insert your fork with the
tines upon either side of the breast bone,
and, once inserted, do not remove it I'M
til the carving is completed Remove a
leg and a wing first, then carve the
breast upon the same side. Cut long,
thin, smooth slices, and do not mangle
the flesh. When one side is thoroughly
carved begin on the other, If the waiting
appetites will allow" These are the in
structions that the experienced carver
win always give between the strokes of
his keen blade
After the turkey and "fixin's" had
been disposed of, and everybody helped
twice, the dishes were removed and the
pies brought on.
THE GLORY OF THE NnNcE PIE.
Who can fifty describe the glories Of
the mince pie of our grandmothersp We
never have such snowstorms nowadays
as we used to have when we were boys
the woods are never so brilliant as they
were then, the fish never bite 30 quick
ly, and the chestnuts and shagbarks
are never so fat and luscious as when
we used to find them under the leaves,
So, too, the mince pie of today is thin.
fiat and insipid and bears no resemblance
to those which used to come out, smok-
ing and fragrant, from the old brick
oven. They needed no brandy ito make
them keep They were for the present
use only. But it cannot be denied that
the cider in the barrel in the shed was
slightly lowered when a batch of pies
was made ready for the baking.
As for the pumpkin pies, what q rich
golden color they had, so different from
the sickly yellow of the modern marrow
fat squash. How those pumpkins used
to glow as they lay in the field ripening
slowly in the late sunshine and growing
sweeter with the early frosts
%Aau ehS esppicot wv now We WduCueu
them as they grew redder and redder as
the autumn advanced, until they reached
just the exact tint of perfection How
we used to climb the trees and drop them
into the blue checked gingham aprons
that the girls held stretched below.
After the pies came the nuts gathered
In the woods and raisins from the gro
GERS cart. And then came the season of
meditation. Somehow it always hap
pened that the boys did not feel just like
finishing that game of 'two-old-cat" di-
rectly after dinner. They climbed to
the NOW and stretched themselves in
the fragrant hay or took walk in the
woods, soaring out rabbit or part
ridge, and coming home with handouts
of checkerberry leaves, or sassafras, or
birch bark
IN THE FIRELLGHT.
As night drew on formal supper was
dispensed with. Doughnuts and cheese
and pies would be spread upon the table
for those who wished But they We're
not in great demand. A little later the
family were all assembled in the parlor,
and there We're charades and character
sketches and songs by the young folks,
while their aIdars cot a,.o,,,d AZ, ....,.,, 4