Thanksgiving Meal

One day, over thirty years ago, I just decided to stop eating meat and I've never looked back. In the early days, I would enjoy all of a traditional Thanksgiving dinner but without the turkey. Not much changed for me. However, in the last 10-15 years, I started to recognize Thanksgiving in one of two more purposeful ways. I either fast, like I did last year, or I make a meal out of things that I've grown. The spirit of the holiday is sound, reflecting on things we are thankful for and spending time with family, while enjoying a meal together. However, if I think about this holiday too much, I can't help but feel like we are celebrating the beginning of the genocide against the indigenous people where we currently live. I prefer to spend this holiday alone, reflecting with my thoughts. In years when I fast, most of my thoughts stem around food. I am more appreciative that I have food for my meals on any given day. I

have the means to acquire food, as well as a refrigerator, freezer, and cold room in which to store my items. I feel fortunate and know that far too many in our world cannot say the same. Fasting helps me to be grateful for what I have.

In years when I eat only what I grow, I am appreciative of how much work it would be if I did that for every meal. Sure, the food is healthy and it tastes good but it takes work to process and preserve things for the coming months. I also find that without oils or salt, my meal doesn't taste quite the same.

This year, I had carnival and butternut squash topped with roasted squash seeds. I also had red and Yukon gold potatoes, topped with garlic and dried chives. I made a soup from tomatoes canned last year. To that I added what I picked in the garden this morning. Despite being 22

degrees, I still had kale, broccoli, chives and onion tops that were green in the garden. I chuckled as I picked it as it seemed no different than grabbing a bag of frozen vegetables out of the freezer. To this soup I added garlic, a small fresh green pepper and a small jalapeno pepper. I picked them before the first frost and just kept them in my garage.

To be honest, I bent the rules a bit this year. I also included a couple of items I didn't produce myself. The woman who gardens on part of our land gave me a big watermelon just before frost. I put that in the garage, knowing that I was going to try to keep it for this meal. While the color was not a deep red, the watermelon was in good shape and was still quite sweet. I had some dehydrated cherry tomatoes that had a delicious flavor along with it.

Another friend of mine kept a bee hive on our property this year. I was fascinated to learn about beekeeping at every step of the way. The bees seemed happy all season long with the flowering plants on our 3.5 acres and my plants were productive with thousands of pollinators flying about. At the end of the season, my friend gifted me with some honey. I put a teaspoon in my hot water for my beverage. I have some dried mint that would have made a fine tea but I forgot to include it.

For many of my friends at Dancing Rabbit, eating what you grow is a way of life. I learned so much when I was there and I recall one of the members describing her system. At the end of the season, she'll count up how many jars she has of each of the items she preserved. She'll then divide the lot into 4 to see what she has to work with for the winter months. As a mainstream society, we are far removed from that mentality and the skills needed to make that happen. I shudder to think of just how vulnerable our food source is would there be a natural disaster of some type that would put civilization in jeopardy. As an introvert, dining alone provides me with time to process and recharge. Of course, I miss my family too. And not just because there isn't anyone else to help me with the dishes! Ever thankful for my family and friends.... Deena