... Harvest time had come now, and then instead of famine, God gave them plenty, and the face of things was changed, to the rejoicing of the hearts of many for which they blessed God. And the effect of their particular planting was well seen, for all had, one way or another, pretty well to bring the year about, and some of the abler and more industrious had to spare, and sell to others-- in fact, no general want of famine has been among them since, to this day.William Bradford in Of Plymouth Colony, Chapter IV: 1623. [my emphasis]
(From A Modern English Version with an Introduction, George F. Willison, Walter J. Black, Inc., 1948)
My parents were both born in Massachusetts. Our traditional Thanksgiving dinner was always the same: turkey (of course), mashed potatoes, stuffing (Pepperidge Farms, as long as I can remember), butternut squash, boiled onions and rutabagas. And cranberry sauce, of course.
ReplyDeleteAnd every year, I had some hassle - "why do we eat these funny vegetables", "why can't we have salad", "how come we never have green beans". And every year I explained once again that in that place, in that climate, that's what they had. Frosts had long since killed off the lettuce and green beans, and the only vegetables they had were the ones that stored until the new plantings were ready the next spring/summer.
We are _so_ lucky to live when we do!
Of course, in sunny (most of the time) Southern California, the vegetation is entirely different. The fields now are full of chard, artichokes, cabbage, broccoli and believe it or not...strawberries! My regular veggie stand had them for the first time this new crop year! amazing! They used to be available first in January/February. They've started tenting the strawberries, and I suspect that's a factor, though I don't know how - they're open about 3 feet off the ground. Very material and labor intensive - I can hardly believe it's worth it, but I guess they wouldn't do it if it weren't!