November 23, 2006

Poultry Seasoning and Cranberries


My mom always used this seasoning for the stuffing in the turkey, and I always have too. I used to have to buy it in New England and bring it back, but now you can get it here. Probably the seasoning inside is no different than any other, but I love the graphic, which I don't think has changed a lot.

My turkey's stuffed, trussed and in the oven. I slept late, did some stitching and looked for the Thanksgiving sampler WIP I have tucked away somewhere while BF went off to the nursing home to give his mom some sherried cream of crab soup and applesauce, things you can eat without teeth. She always knows him, but she doesn't remember a lot otherwise. She's 89 and utterly immobile. I am thankful for my wonderful guy, who has bought his mother a fruity soda and chocolate pudding she shouldn't have, and is giving her a Thanksgiving dinner, one spoonful at a time.

As a former Cape Codder, I have more than a passing acquaintance with cranberries and cranberry bogs. Oddly, I have forgotten to buy either fresh or canned berries this Thanksgiving and have been debating running across the street to the grocery store, which is likely to be chaos on this day. I remember in high school, playing hooky with my friends to go skating on the frozen bogs in the winter. In the fall the bogs are flooded to harvest the berries and protect the plants, and the water, about a foot deep, freezes to make a perfect skating rink. I collect cranberry samplers; here's one of them:

It's by the Sampler House, by Eileen Bennett and is still in print I believe. It's to be stitched in DMC on 30 count linen. There's an information box on the sampler chart that says: "Although the cranberry wasn't cultivated to any extent until the early 19th Century, the berries were among the first fruits to be canned. Back 1828, cranberry jam was processed and sold for $1.50 a can!" I did the calculation--$1.50 in 1828 would be worth $31.88 in 2005!

No stitching progress to show. I have been working on Whale Hunting, but I haven't achieved anything remarkable. More on Sunday! Happy Thanksgiving to you all!!!

6 comments:

Annemarie said...

Happy Thanksgiving, Glenna!
That Cranberry Sampler is just amazing! And you have more, you say? I had no idea there was even one cranberry sampler, let alone two or more!

Carol said...

Happy Thanksgiving Glenna!

Wendy said...

I love cranberries and had no idea about how they are harvested. Very interesting!

And have a Happy Thanksgiving.

Your BF sounds like a sweetie...and a keeper!

Anna van Schurman said...

Once I told the dude that cranberries were harvested from the bog, he's refused to eat them. He's never really liked them, but in England "the bog" is the toilet.

Vonna Pfeiffer said...

Happy Thanksgiving Glenna, I hope you had a wonderful Holiday!
I also believe now with your confession of collecting cranberry samplers, I must bestow on you the title of the "true Sampler Girl".
Your dear BF makes me light of heart hoping that one of my kids will sneak in a fruity soda and chocolate pudding to me when I'm in a nursing home. How dear is that?! Give him a hug :D

LivnLaf said...

Glenna, I grew up in Fairhaven!!! No wonder why I relate to so much you say. Martha Stewart did a segment on Oceanspray in Middleboro and went out ot one of the bogs on Carver...brought back all kinds of good memories...it was wicked!!