Thanksgiving has long been my favorite
holiday. On this day we celebrate nothing
more than family, food, and friends. The
tradition of eating native foods like turkey, Cranberries (Oxycoccus spp.), and
others explicitly recognizes the ecological communities that nourish us. These lessons solidified in my mind about 12
years ago when my best friend Sam (www.foragersharvest.com)
began hosting a completely wild food Thanksgiving. The venison roast, mashed Wapato, and Wild Rice were not only incredibly delicious—as we ate, we listened to Sam tell us where
he had harvested each food and we honored the land with our conversation—they nourished
us in a much more profound way.
For many people, the food element of
Thanksgiving has become abstracted with store bought, industrially produced,
agricultural commodities, which have little connection to land, a particular
ecosystem, or the sacred act of human harvest.
While I always long to be back at Sam’s table for Thanksgiving, this will
be the first year in several that I am able to spend the Holiday with my own family. I will bring some of my best wild edibles to
the table and in the spirit of Sam, share some calories for the soul.