The Mayflower officially departed England for America on September 6th, 1620. The Mayflower’s voyage lasted 66 days. The Pilgrims first landed on the American shores of Provincetown, MA. Though the Mayflower initially landed off the coast of Cape Cod, the Pilgrims ultimately settled in Plymouth, Massachusetts. In November of 1621, after the Pilgrim’s first corn harvest proved successful, Governor William Bradford organized a celebratory feast and invited The Native American tribe The Wampanoags and their Chief, Massasoit, to join and participate in the first Thanksgiving with the Pilgrim settlers. The first Thanksgiving lasted for 3 days. Pilgrim chronicler Edward Winslow wrote, “And although it be not always so plentiful, as it was at this time with us, yet by the goodness of God, we are so far from want, that we often wish you partakers of our plenty.” During the Revolutionary War, in 1777, General George Washington called for the troops observe a day of Thanksgiving as a victory celebration for the colonial army’s win at The Battle of Saratoga. One of Our Nation’s Founding Fathers, Alexander Hamilton proclaimed, “No citizen of the U.S. shall refrain from turkey on Thanksgiving Day.” President Abraham Lincoln made Thanksgiving a permanent national holiday on October 3rd, 1863, with his proclamation declaring that the last Thursday in November be a “A DAY OF THANKSGIVING.” The first President of The USA to receive a ceremonial “Thanksgiving Turkey” was Harry S. Truman. In the historical November 16th, 1949 photo by Abbie Rowe, from The National Park Service, pictured below, President Truman offers a turkey, presented to him by the National Egg and Poultry Board, “A Reprieve,” in the White House Rose Garden. You can find further fascinating facts at www.whitehousehistory.org
On average, 4,500 calories PER PERSON are consumed at Thanksgiving dinner. Approximately 50 MILLION pumpkin pies are devoured every Thanksgiving. The average Thanksgiving turkey weighs 15 pounds. In 1912, Marcus L. Urann, a lawyer from Massachusetts, purchased a cranberry bog and canned cranberries for the first time. He branded the canned cranberries “Ocean Spray,” and by 1941, jellied cranberry sauce became commercially available nationwide, creating an indelible Thanksgiving tradition. Each year, The Ocean Spray Cranberry Cooperative produces 70 million cans of cranberry sauce, utilizing approximately 200 cranberries per can. www.foodandwine.com offers tips on how to “upgrade” your canned cranberry sauce, with articles such as “11 Ways to Riff on Cranberry Sauce; From Chutney to Relish.” Food and Wine Magazine also features informational articles and recipes, for instance, “Our 34 Best Thanksgiving Desserts,” showcasing seasonal flavors such as apples, pears, and quince in “Tarte Tatin,” cranberries in “Roasted Spiced Cranberry Pie,” pumpkin spice in “Pumpkin Spice Conchas,” and for chocolate and orange lovers, “Almond Cardamom Budapest Roll.” Of course, a multitude of recipes for the traditional Thanksgiving dessert favorites are readily available, as well.
According to www.housebeautiful.com approximately 80% of Americans say that they prefer Thanksgiving leftovers to Thanksgiving dinner! Statistically, Americans’ favorite Thanksgiving side dish is stuffing. At www.americastestkitchen.com you will find a collection of stuffing recipes to “create the perfect Thanksgiving stuffing to take your holiday meals from good to truly great.” America’s Test Kitchen’s compilation of stuffing recipes is sure to provide you with a myriad of options offering delectable flavors and textures to compliment your turkey centerpiece dish and guaranteed to tickle the fancy of your guests.
Gimbels department store was the first retailer to host a Thanksgiving Day Parade in Philadelphia, PA in 1920- four years before Macy’s held its first parade. Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade added balloons to its parade in 1928. On average, 3.5 million people attend the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade each year, and approximately 8,000 people participate in the parade each year. www.macys.com is chock full of Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade tidbits and information, including the parade line-up, the parade route map, and GENIUS links to “watch some of our balloons and floats come to life on Thanksgiving Eve!” What’s more, there is also a “Parade Shop,” link to purchase souvenirs of your favorite Parade characters. The 2024 Parade is being celebrated live in NYC on Thursday, November 28th from 8:30 AM- 12 Noon and televised on NBC and Peacock networks.
The first collegiate Thanksgiving Day Football Game took place between Princeton University and Yale University in 1876 and continued until 1881. However, according to the November 17th, 1869 edition of the “Evening Telegraph” newspaper, the first Thanksgiving Day Football Game was played in Philadelphia, “between 22 players of The Young American Cricket Club and The Germantown Cricket Club,” taking place at “12 ½ o’clock” on Thanksgiving Day. www.theculturetrip states that “this game was played 2 weeks after Rutgers University defeated Princeton University on November 6th 1869, in New Brunswick, NJ- in what is considered to be the first ever football game.” The tradition developed and grew as many high schools began playing football games on Thanksgiving Day. The oldest school in the US, the Boston Latin School, (Boston, Massachusetts) established on April 23rd, 1635, began playing Thanksgiving Day football games against English High School of Boston, at Harvard University in 1887. It continues to be the longest-continuous Thanksgiving Day rivalry in the country! The first professional football games on Thanksgiving were played on November 25th, 1920, during the league’s inaugural season. The Rochester Jeffersons vs The All-Tonawanda Lumbermen AKA The Tonawanda Lumberjacks: “The Jeffersons, a semi-pro team that helped found the NFL lost 14-3” against the Lumberjacks, the game being played in a baseball park in Rochester, NY; and at The Elyria Athletics vs The Columbus Panhandles Thanksgiving Day Football Game “the 2 teams played to a scoreless tie.” In the NFL, the Detroit Lions and the Dallas Cowboys football teams “have been Thanksgiving Day staples.” The NFL Thanksgiving Day Football Games “became a bonafide institution” in 1934 when The Detroit Lions hosted the Chicago Bears. The NFL has since expanded what used to be “Detroit Vs.” and “Dallas vs.” to a three-game slate on Thanksgiving Day; the game times on each Thanksgiving are: 12:30 PM EST, 4:40 PM EST, and 8:20 PM EST. Because, according to Sports Editor Michael LoRe, “AS WITH FOOD, NO ONE CAN EVER GET ENOUGH FOOTBALL ON THANKSGIVING!” www.nfl.com has published that “The NFL will feature showstopping performances at this year’s Thanksgiving games, with 3 renowned artists performing live during the holiday halftime shows.” “On November 28th, 2024, country
music’s hottest rising star and 6X Grammy nominated artist Shaboozey” will take the stage as part of the Detroit Lions vs Chicago Bears Thanksgiving Day Football Game Halftime Show. Lainey Wilson, “Grammy Award winner and reigning ACM and CMA Entertainer of the Year will perform during the Dallas Cowboys vs the New York Giants” game, and violinist Lindsey Stirling will play “live at the Green Bay Packers game against the Miami Dolphins.” Seth Dudowsky, head of music at the NFL says, “As Thanksgiving brings loved ones together for a day of family, food, and football, we’re proud to work with our clubs and broadcast partners to showcase extraordinary artists across our three games.” Further details can be found at the aforementioned website, www.nfl.com Additionally, www.sikids.com -Sports Illustrated Kids, has a list of “The 5 Most Memorable NFL Thanksgiving Moments.”
www.napoleon.com Napoleon Grills is offering up suggestions and tips on “HOW TO COOK YOUR ENTIRE THANKSGIVING DINNER ON THE BBQ!” including recipes for Charcoal Roasted Turkey, Smoked Turkey Thighs, Smoked French Onion Soup, Stuffed Acorn Squash, Plank Smoked Mashed Potatoes, and an absolute plethora of other unique, appetizing and mouth-watering recipes!
There are a veritable smorgasbord of options for Smoking and Brining your turkeys…
www.tacticalories.com sells a “Gobbler Hollow Turkey Brine Kit,” and the company has “handcrafted the Gobbler Hollow Brine Kit with maximum attention to quality with flavor, aroma, and juiciness with ease of use in mind.” www.kosmosq.com says that “the secret to the perfect turkey lies here…these recipe kits will pack your poultry full of unbelievable moisture and flavor, changing the way you think about turkey forever.” www.williams-sonoma.com has a Seasoning Brine Kit and touts, “Whether you are roasting, deep frying, or grilling, the juiciest, most flavorful turkeys begin with our all- in-one brining kit.” www.traeger.com insists that “Brining a turkey is the secret to nailing your Thanksgiving dinner. Whether you’re smoking it low and slow or roasting it to crispy golden perfection, a good brine locks in moisture while adding flavor to every bite of the meat.” TRAEGER gives you step-by-step instructions on their website and also answers many frequently asked questions, for a WEALTH of information regarding both wet and dry brining, smoking, roasting, and “How-To Tips!!!”
The Butterball Turkey Talk-Line is available to help with turkey cooking questions by calling:
1-800-BUTTERBALL — 1-800-288-8372
You may also text your questions to: 1-844-877-3456
The Butterball Turkey Talk-Line offers cooking tips and tricks, and can help with last minute questions in order to avoid any Thanksgiving Turkey Related Disasters!
The Butterball Turkey Talk-Line started in 1981 when 6 Home Economists answered about 11,000 turkey cooking related questions! Since then, the Turkey Talk-Line has grown both in number of calls answered and experts responding. “Open every November and December, our more than 50 experts answer more than 100,000 questions from households across the United States and Canada.” On the www.butterball.com website you can find Prep and Cooking Calculators, Answers to “What is the right size of turkey to buy for my # of guests?”; thaw times, cook times, planning the perfect portions per guest, adding in turkey poundage to include your desire for leftovers, and A “Where To Buy Products” Geo-Locator Map link by adding in the items you are looking for into the SEARCH bar along with your zip code!
The Smoking Meat Forums are www.smokingmeatforums.com “THANKSGVINGING CENTRAL!” when it comes to doling out information, Turkey Discussions, where to find “How-To” videos, collecting “The Best Of Recipes,” Tips from Professional Chefs, and answers to a million and one Thanksgiving Food Preparation Questions.
How To BBQ Right www.howtobbqright.com is “THE ONLINE RESOURCE FOR SERIOUS BBQ FROM PIT MASTER MALCOLM REED,” and Malcolm Reed shares his “72 Hour Smoked Turkey Method,” with a tutorial video, necessary ingredients list, a printable and “pin-able” Recipe Guide, and once more, literal STEP-BY-STEP INSTRUCTIONS. Malcolm also has a HowToBBQRight YouTube Channel.
Malcolm Reed’s Turkey
Whatever way you define and celebrate Thanksgiving, our annual national holiday marked by observances and a traditional meal shared among family and friends, commemorating a harvest festival as an expression of gratitude, MAY YOUR BLESSINGS BE ABUNDANT. MAY YOUR JOURNEYS BE SAFE. MAY YOUR GATHERINGS SYMBOLIZE THE SANCTITY OF HOME AND FAMILY. AND MAY YOUR THANKSGIVING BE FULL OF BOUNTIFUL ACTS OF GOODWILL, KINDNESS AND GENEROSITY.
