Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1909-06-24
OLD TINE TURKEY EAT
A Once Popular Feast In the
Pennsylvania Mountains.
GONE WITH TIE WOODSMEM.
The People. Traditions and Associa-
tions Tha. Made 1t Possible Are No
Mere, and It Joins In Oblivion .he
Apple Cut and Quilting Bee.


Mere, and It Joins In Oblivion The
Apple Cut and Quilting Bee.
ut isn't because there is no more
material In the Glue mountain region
of Pennsylvania TO provide Il turkey
eat that we have had the last of those
famous festivities" said former
dweller OF the district described, for
there are still wild turkeys a-plcnty.
"Thc turkey eat has gone out with
the passing Of the people whose homes,
traditions and manner Of life made it
possible and with the occupation that
was once theirs.
"In the days when the turkey cat
was the great winter fcstivity in the
mountain districts between The Schuy!-
kill and the Junata watersheds the
spare population was chiefly of rude
and rugged woodmcn and their fanli-
lies, many Of them descendants of
pure Pc dnsylvania Dutch stock Scores
of them depended almost entirely on
their skill with gun and trap FOR their
food supply
"The cabins of these mountainecrs
were built OF logs. the chinks between
which were filed In with clay. A
huge ston. chimney rose Mt one end
Of the cabin outside, covering that on
tire end. while on the inside it opened
on a broad fireplace across that end
Of the room
THE cabin was banked all around
with earth against which hemloc, and
pine boughs were heaped. Sometimes
rows of cord wood We're piled up al
most to the caves, the better to keep
out the cold which is always intense
during winter or those wind swept
hills.
"Thete was rarei'- a ca bin with moro
than one rooir. The walls were dari.
and smoky. and from rafter or be-
hung plentirully strips Of jcrkcd veni
son and chunks of smoked bear meat
along with hams and bacon from the
family pigs fattened Ia the woods and
almos: as wild as the bear and the
deer But the choicest and best he
loved thing Of the cabins larder was
the fat and we'll frozen Wild turkey.
while the woodSman's cabin was al
ways prepared for a turkey eat, it
never knew when 1t was coming. A
turkey eat began with the making up
Of a party In a neighborinG village or
settlement. Taking along fiddler
they would appear at this that or tho
other woodsman's cabin Of n winter
evening. and the woodsman and his
family did the rest.
Instantly the birch wood Pail Of CT
der came forth. While the cabins
guests drank cider the host prepared
and spitted the turkey over the hick-
DRY Goals in the fireplace TO roast for
the feast. When 1t was ready for the
table 1t was placed before the guests
on big tin platter. Each one carved
for himself, the plates being squares
of birch bark
1.-THE turkey eat was not complete,
though. without a liberal supply Of
'paan haas and head cheese, and with
It went the sweetest Of rye bread and
butter. Pam haas IS n strictly Penn
sylvania Dutch creation.
at is made from the rich Juices left
nfter boiling the ingredients for head
cheese. these being thlckened to n stiff
paste with buckwheat -four. This paste
is pressed in forms until cold and is
served In slices. It is a dull blue in
color. very rich and very good.
after the feast the turkey eat was
rounded out by night of jollity super
induced by the fiddle md maintained
by It in its music for the old fashioned
cotillon fgurei and reels which were
danced unit, the gray of morning.
But most Of thosn old time woods
men have passed away. and on these
who are still. dwelers in the mountains
the game laws have forced situation
tho: leaves them with their ancient &C.
cupation gone. and the hun: being no
longer source Of maintenance its ira
ditlons have departed with It. The
newer generation of these people is of
other tastes and associations, so while
the Wild turkey IS yet in proximity in
that Blue mountain region TO supply
the material for the festive turkey eat
the traditions and associa ions that
made 1t possible are no more, and It is
gone, like the apple cut. the quilting
bee, the pig killing frolic and others Of
the old time rural pastimea that are
now but memory York Sun.