One of my earliest Thanksgiving memories is sitting outside a principal's office, waiting for my Mom.
We had recently moved back from South America and, as part of a history
assignment, I had written about what we had been taught about
Thanksgiving, which had a heavy emphasis on the role of Native Americans
and corn.
This was the late 1960s. Although I'm not "that old", I'm going to risk
saying "in those days" US Thanksgiving history was all about adventurous
swash-buckling Englishmen single-handedly leaping across the ocean and
in
one fell swoop conquering new wild and un-chartered frontiers.
Today we know Pilgrims were more like today's occupy Wall Street gang,
dissidents from the Church of England who first spent years in Holland;
then after two months at sea, getting lost, and having to spend winter
mostly sick on board, those who survived finally disembarked March 1621
to be greeted by a number of Native Americans who had lived in the area
for thousands of years including Squanto, an English-speaking Native
American Indian who had earlier been enslaved by English pirates and
found his way back home.
Lucky for the settlers because it was Squanto who helped them survive.
He taught them how to fish and use fish to fertilize fields; how to
identify poisonous plants, and how to grow native vegetables including
maize, or corn, after their carefully-packed European wheat seeds didn't sprout.
This was not the familiar sweet corn on the cob we have today but a hard
Indian corn which dried naturally and could be ground into cornmeal, to
be used in cornbread and to thicken stew. It was also the main
component of Indian corn pudding, similar in versatility to "farofa," a toasted flour
made out of manioc used in a number of traditional Brazilian dishes.
Numbers vary but I recently read there were 15 settlers and 90 Native
Americans at that first 1621 Thanksgiving; the party lasted three days.
There is no written account of the "first" Thanksgiving menu but there
are enough historical references confirming the gathering was to
celebrate a successful growing season, with the majority of the meal
featuring seafood. There was also wild "fowl" including ducks, swans - possibly
wild turkey; Wampanoag tribe members brought five deer; there are also
references to barley, dried peas and beans, onions, squash and pumpkins.
No pie; there were no ovens then, and little if any sugar or honey.
Dessert was most probably nuts, or maybe a concoction of maize with
local berries.
No sweet potatoes, either, although when the history teacher told the
principal I had "claimed" to have eaten purple potatoes (when we lived
in Peru), I remember my mother gently shaking her head at me trying not
to smile.
Regardless of who's at your table, and what's on your menu, here's to
you and yours having a delicious, and grateful, Thanksgiving!
Charlotte is a Master Gardener and writes about her garden, honeybees and mice, at her blog Gardening to Distraction.
Copyright 2011, all rights reserved.
Recently in Signs of Fall in Missouri Category
Tim Moloney, University of Missouri landscaper, will be teaching 10 advanced landscape design classes in Rolla, Missouri.
The classes are sponsored by Phelps County Master Gardeners and Phelps County University of Missouri Extension.
To register, call or stop by Phelps County Extension at 200 North Main Street, Rolla, call 573-458-6260 or email Laura Faherty at fahertyl@missouri.edu.
Classes are $20 each or $135 for the series.
Deadline for registration is Wednesday, July 20.
Classes will be held at Ridgeview Christian Church, 806 Ridgeview Road, corner of S. Walker and Ridgeview past Walgreens, on Saturdays.
Here's a rundown of what the classes will cover:
Classes 1 & 2:The rest of these same day classes can be taken individually:
Principles of Landscape Design (must take this two-part class together) August 20, 9 am - noon and 1 - 4 pm ($40) There are rules, or principles, that need to be followed when designing outdoor space. This course will take a fast paced and in-depth look at each of landscape design's six principles and show how to apply them to outdoor rooms.
Class 3: September 17, 9 am -noon. Learn a detailed, step-by-step process for better initial site analysis. Students will look closely at site issues such as drainage, slope and exposure, and how these ultimately affect design. Students will need to be prepared to conduct a site
analysis exercise where they will receive hands-on training in observing and recording information. Bring a 100' measuring tape, directional compass, pad and paper, and a pen or pencil.
Class 4: September 17, 1-4 pm. In afternoon, during Class 4, students will also learn skills necessary to convert site analysis measurements and sketches into working scale drawings and hands-on experience in drawing working landscape plans. Details will be given on landscape symbolism and how to effectively use a drawing to produce aesthetic landscapes. Bring engineering or architect's scale, ruler, eraser, lined paper for drawing, and a means to draw circles of different sizes (either templates or drafting compass).
Class 5: Low Maintenance Design - October 15, 9 am - noon One of the most often requested requirements of landscape design is that it be low maintenance. Students will be given instruction on methods that can be taken at the design stage to help reduce overall maintenance without reducing aesthetics and function.
Class 6: Contemporary Landscape Design October 15, 1 - 4 pm As time moves forward, landscape designers have built upon the experience and design styles of those who have come before. Students will take a detailed look at some of the more classic styles of landscape architecture; at how older styles influence what we now call contemporary design, and how to achieve these in a functionally aesthetic way.
Class 7: Patio Design and Installation November 19, 9 am - noon. Blurring lines between indoor and outdoor living is one of the key elements in contemporary landscape design. One of the ways in which we can accomplish this is by building outdoor rooms. This class takes a detailed look at specifically the floor of these rooms. We will examine design basics for size, shape and function. We will also look at materials and methods for solid patio construction.
Class 8: Retaining Wall Design and Installation: November 19, 1 - 4 pm A site is defined as a parcel of land suitable for development. With the aid of modern excavation practices and retaining wall construction, any parcel of land can be made suitable for development. With the materials available for retention today, we do not have to sacrifice aesthetics forengineering. We will take a close look at situations requiring retaining walls, methods of construction, materials available for construction, and pros and cons to building each type of wall.
Class 9: Water Falls and Features - December 17, 9 am - noon This class takes a close look at benefits, and pitfalls, to having various types of garden water features.
Class 10: Landscape Lighting - December 17, 1 - 4 pm Most of our adult lives are spent away from homes. Why allow our landscape investment be enjoyed mostly by others as they pass by during daylight hours? Adding lighting can change the way in which we view landscapes. Students will look closely at different types of lighting systems and how they can help increase the amount of time spent in outdoor spaces.
For more information about the classes, contact Marilyn Fox at foxmar@centurylink.net or 573-368-3007.
Charlotte is a Master Gardener writing her blog, and a weekly newspaper column, on a Missouri hill gardening to distraction.
Contact Charlotte at charlotte@bluebirdgardens.com.
Hi, I'm Charlotte Ekker Wiggins and I write Gardening to Distraction an online blog and weekly newspaper column.
The name comes from a local newspaper writer who wrote a profile and noticed all my many green friends.
I've been playing with plants since I was 2 yrs old and poked coffee beans into my mother's favorite orchid.
I can blame it only partly on genetics.
Our family goes back 600 yrs to farming in Hungary, then immigrated to Louisiana to grow strawberries and make strawberry wine.
It does explain why my brother once said baking a strawberry pie was a waste of a perfectly good pie crust - we inhale strawberries!
Over the years, my chemical-free, 1-acre Missouri garden has become not only inspiration for a business and a weekly newspaper column, but a sanctuary for Missouri nature.
I'll confess, I have a messy garden; vegetables planted among flowers, Missouri wildflowers allowed to take over without being invited, birds and birdhouses everywhere; several small ponds full of wildlife, including snakes. Two honeybee hives keep my garden company, and I don't believe in grass. Nothing personal, I just prefer spending my time in the garden doing something other than mowing.
I became a Phelps County Master Gardener in 2010 so I now have more people I can share my passion for gardening and ask for help!
In this blog, I also share personal gardening experience focused on USDA Zone 5, recently-changed to zone 6; Missouri nature adventures; occasional trips to area gardens, as well as my adventure with a Missouri traditional - I call it a toy - vegetable garden.
Why yes, I do like to garden!
Gardening to Distraction on a MO Hill
A couple of years ago, I planted a tray of blue ageratum in a shady spot outside my living room window.
They're supposed to be annuals so every time they pop up, usually blooming late summer into fall, they startle and delight me.
This year, they were one of the last flowers blooming along with tall l tickseed wildflowers, and a blue one at a time when there's little blue still in the garden.
Since we've moved from zone 5 to zone 6 in mid-Missouri, maybe that explains why Ageratum, usually annuals, are now perennials?
Ageratum plants are about 2 feet tall, leaves resembling catnip leaves.
Ageratum flowers last a long time in cut bouquets, assuming a cat doesn't mistake the leaves. (I have a far sighted cat)
Here they are after snow, sleet and temps hit single digits over Thanksgiving 2010 weekend. 
Ageratums are a surprising garden perennial in Missouri, and much appreciated!
Charlotte
Gardening to Distraction on a MO Hill
She stopped by the house to apologize for missing dinner, and there next to her foot was this little pink geranium, still blooming.
We've had a couple of frosts in mid-Missouri, and yet this little plant was forging ahead as if no temperatures had dipped below 30F.
After a lively discussion about whether or not to follow the prevailing gardening advice, which is to remove the geranium flowers and store this plant, bare-rooted, over winter, in a brown bag stored in a cool place, I scooped the plant up and took it into the kitchen.
It's still sitting there, in a plastic container, happily blooming away.
Would you have the heart to dust off the soil and stick this lovely flower in a dark brown bag??
That's what I thought.
Charlotte
Gardening to Distraction on a MO Hill
For many years I've had lovely spring blooms but not much else - until this fall, when standing at my deck railing I picked literally dozens of pears.
Now the pear tree is turning stunning fall peachy colors.
Charlotte
Gardening to Distraction on a MO Hill
I found him close to my car tire, either a gift from my cat or the loser in a head butt with several inches of formed rubber.
He was fine; a bit restless being held but also curious about his surroundings so he kept moving around in my hand. See his tiny eyes and paws?
Now what really got me smiling was his tail.
He was incredibly soft and easy to hold.I placed him back in the closest mole run. Who knows, maybe next spring I'll be using one of his runs for a new planting area.
Charlotte
Gardening to Distraction on a MO Hill
Growing roses on the side of a limestone hill is a challenge, regardless of the weather.
Missouri's known for maybe 4" of topsoil - less on hilly inclines, but I nevertheless persevere with my roses, hoping a hardy strain will develop that can withstand poor soil, high winds and periodic boot prints.
A friend recently told me to feed roses banana peels. Another one swears by coffee grounds. I'm looking forward to serving my roses their "breakfast" next year.
In the meantime, I was thrilled to find one rose still blooming on the south side of the house.
CharlotteI can't remember when I first planted the compact pear tree but it's been by my driveway for a long time, a good perch for birds in the winter waiting in line to stop by one of my bird feeders.
On one of the first cool but sunny days in October, I found the most amazing sight down the hill from the pear tree.
Do you recognize all those butterfly wings? I count at least five sets - no, six. There's one sideways - see it?
There were dozens of comma butterflies on rotting pears, all moving around the fruit with the precision of a marching band.
I love the way their wings have curves all over them. These were my first comma butterflies of this season.Charlotte
Gardening to Distraction on a MO Hill
I wasn't sure whether this beautiful lime-colored bird was injured or not but it's not every day I find a bird sitting on the ground outside my front door - and not moving when I come close.
After watching it for a few minutes, I picked it up and put it in my empty birdbath, filled with leaves. I thought that would be a safer spot than sitting on the ground.
Once the sun hit the bird bath, the bird started to move.
As I approached the bird bath, the bird flew away.
I'm guessed, incorrectly, this was a female painted bunting. Mike Doyen identified it as a orange crested warbler.
