The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1909-01-15
OLD TIME TURKEY EAT
A Once Popular Feast In the
Pennsylvania Mountains.
GONE WITH THE WooDsMEN.

The People, Traditions and Assoeia-
tions That Made II Possible Are No
More, and II Joins In Oblivion the
Apple Cut and Quilting Bee.
ut isn't because there Is no more
material in the Blue mountain region
Of Pennsylvania to provide a turkey
eat that we have had the last Of those
famous festivities" said a former
dweller of the district described. "for
there are still wild turkeys a-plenty.
The turkey eat has gone out with
the passing Of the people whose homes,
traditions and manner Of life made 1t
possible and with the occupation that
was once theirs.
I'm the days when the turkey eat
was the great winter festivity in the
mountain districts between the Schuyl-
kill and the Juniata watersheds the
sparse population was chiefly Of rude
and rugged woodmen and their fami-
lies, many of them descendants OF
pure Pennsylvania Dutch stock. Scores
of them depended almost entirely on
their skill with gun and trap for their
food supply.
'The cabins Of these mountaineers
were built Of logs. the chinks between
which were filed in with clay. A
huge stone chimney rose at one end
of the cabin outside. covering that en-
tire end, while on the inside 1t opened
on a broad fireplace across that end
Of the room.
1.-The cabin was banked all around
with earth, against which hemlock and
pine boughs were heaped. Sometimes
rows Of cord wood were piled up al
most to the caves. the better to keep
out the cold. which is always intense
during winter on those wind swept
hills.
There was rarely q cabin with more
than one room. The walls were dark
and smoky, and from rafter or beam
hung plentifully strips Of jerked vent
son and chunks Of smoked bear meat.
along with hams and bacon from the
family pigs fattened in the woods and
almost as wild as the bear and the
deer But the choicest and best be-
loved thing Of the cabins larder was
the fat and well frozen wild turkey.
wv bile the woodsman's cabin was al
ways prepared for q turkey eat. il
never knew when 1t was coming. A
turkey eat began with the making up
Of a party IN a neighboring village OF
settlement. Taking along a fiddler
they would appear at this, that or the
other woodsman's cabin of winter
evening and the woodsman and his
family did the rest
''Irstantlv ne birch weed e.s, ~ ci
der came Ssgth- While the cabin.
guests drafk cider tla eest ensr@ti
and shifted the turkey over the hiek-
DRY COATS In the fireplace to roasf fol
the feast When IT was ready for the
on big tin platter. Each one .arved
for himself. the plates being squares
Of birch bark
1.-THE turkey eat was not cosupiete
though. without liberal snrily OF
paan haas ard head cheese. and Wit.
1t went the sweetest Of rye bread and
butter Paan haas Is a strictly Penn
sylvania Dutch creation.
1T Is made from the rich Juices lef
after boiling the ingredients for head
cheese. these being thickened to stiff
paste with buckwheat nour. This last'
| II pressed IN forms until cold and !.
served In slices- 1t il q dull blue II
color very rich and very good
After the feast the turkey eat Wal
rounded out b; a night Of jollity super
induced by the fiddle and maintaine<
hW & q Ii uuGic 1De the old faahto0A(
esouaa ncuscs xa1d BssiA Khich wef,