The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1912-11-25
Our First Thanksgiving

Game, from grouse to venison. was
brought in from the forest in abund-
ance. and there was a great store"
Of Wild turkeys. Barley loaf and cakes
of corr meal were highly priced by
the %colonists and played their part in
the feast. For vegetables the Pill
srims had much the I'M as they had
in England. Gov. Bradfcrd's list nam
ing beans. pease, parsnips. carrots.
radishes. "skirets." beets. coleworts.
and cahbages. in addition to wheat.
rye. barley and oats. Besides these
they had in the indigeous squash and
pumpkin. and it may be taken for
granted that a careful Pilgrim house
wife had preserved during the sum-
mel by drying a quantity of straw
berries. ~sooseberries and "raspis."
Take 1t altogether. the food basis of
the harvest Thanksgiving day celebra-
ton in America was much the same
Is today,
But if the good housewife of today
was obliged to prepare the t~hanksgiv-
ing feast with the utensils and incon-
veniences of the kitchen Of three CEN
turtles ago she probably would throw
up her hands in hopeless despair. The
kitchen with its great glowing fire.
place was the housewives domain and
the general living room Of the entire
family. The walls and the floor we're
bare and the furniture meager and
comfortless. while the kitchen furnish
ines were odd and strange. It was in
this great cavernous chimney that the
Pilgrim wife cooked her thanksgiving
dinner. Placed high up in the yawn-
or lug-hole, of green wood. afterwards
displaced by the great iron crane. It
was beyond reach of the flames. and
from it hung a motley collection Of
hooks of various lengths and weights.
They had many different names. such
as pot-hooks. ~pot-hangles. p%ot-claws.
pot-cleps. trammels. crooks. hakes.
gallow-balke. words that would puz-
zle a housewife of today to define.
From these were suspended the pots
and kettles in which the food was
cooked. At both sides of the fire.
place were large in which bak-
ing and roasting We're done.
There were no tin utensils in those
old days and brass kettles were worth
! SIS a piece. The utensils We're most
ly iron. wood. pewter OF lattern ware.
Glassware was practically unknown.
n bottles were made of leather.
Wood played a great part in kitchen
n tableware. Wooden trenchers
from which two ate We're used on the
table for a century after the settle
ment at Plymouth. Wood was also
used for pans and bread troughs and
a host Of other things displaced by
tin in the modern Kitchen. OF wood
We're made butter paddles, salt cellars,
noggins. keelerS, rundlets, and many
kinds of drinking bowls which were
known under the names of mazers,
whiskins. piggins. tankards and kan
mes, words many of which have dis
. appeared from use.
The dining table of these old days
was the old Anglo-Saxon board placed
or trestles. and the tablecloth wae
known as the board CLOTH" Thu.
We have the origin of the time-worn
phrase: Gather around the festive
board" And the furnishings Of the
board" We're simple, inventories OF
that period mentioning only cups,
chatting dishes. chargers, threnchers
salt cellars, knives and spoons. The
table fork was an innovation not ye,
in general use: the fingers Of the eat.
er were used to thrust the food into
the mouth. The spoons were OF wood
and pewter mostly. Silver spoons
were rare. There was no chinaware
on the tables of the early thanksgiv.
ing feasts; for no chinaware came
over on the Mayhower. That and the
lack of glassware and silver would
make a Thanksgiving table Of the sew.
enteenth century ooh impossible t.
a housewife Of today. Complete the
%picturing by imagining large trench.
ers. square blocks Of wood followed
out by hand. placed around the
board" from each Of which two PEG.
pie dig their food out with their fing,
ers. and Q have an idea of the man.
ner in which u ancestors celebrated
Thanksgiving three centuries ago.
But II the kitchen and table furni