Celebrating the old-fashioned way

Thanksgiving wouldn't be the same at our house when the family gathers for Thanksgiving dinner unless there is a wild turkey as the centerpiece.

We celebrate a truly American Thanksgiving holiday with a feast headlining a wild turkey that fell to a hunter's gun. Also on the table will be other wild food gathered from the Missouri outdoors including wild plum and wild grape jelly, persimmons bread, quail in a pears nest, venison stew in a pumpkin shell, wild grape wine, hickory nut pie and blackberry cobbler.

In addition to the food on the table, fall decor like bittersweet and colorful wild grape wreaths with feathers from some of our game birds will add to the scene and bring back memories of earlier outings in the Missouri woods and fields.

One big change from the days of the pilgrims is the fact that the wild bird on the table was taken by the woman in the family. The chef is also the huntress.

In this land of plenty, Thanksgiving brings out just how good we have it. With clean clear water to fish and lots of wild game to hunt, its a good time to give thanks for all the Missouri outdoors has to offer.

During the recent deer season I was reminded of why our outdoor heritage is so strong.

An eight point buck worked his way to the trees in front of me and ate some acorns under a big oak tree. A flock of wild turkeys started talking behind me as they cautiously moved into the woods. A flock of snow geese passed overhead adding to the fall picture.

Missourians take up a shotgun and go into the turkey and deer woods, not only to put food on the table, but because it is the one true way to remember who we are and from whence we came.

As we shaped the American wilderness, it also shaped us in some inexplicable lasting way.

The pull is great and after our recent outings, its easy to see why.

My hunting buddy and wife Donna said, "If you enjoy picking wild fruits, edible spores, nuts, gathering bittersweet, grapevines, colorful leaves for decorating your home or sharing a hunt for game and if you love watching brilliant sunsets, listening to the sound of wild geese honking that cuts the crisp cool air, or waking up to the noisy, chattering squirrels or the rustling of leaves and the faint sound of deer snorting, then you appreciate autumn at its best.

"Though I am thankful all year for a wonderful life and lifestyle, Thanksgiving is a reverent time for us to bring together families and friends and feast in celebration of the year and harvest."

For us, Thanksgiving dinner is a memorial feast as we celebrate in the old fashioned way.