Wild Turkeys On the Move-Happy Thanksgiving 2007

The last few years I’ve noticed a flock of wild turkeys clustered on Albany, Oregon street corners like wayward youth. I half expect to see cigarettes dangling from their beaks. Local news recently filmed wild turkeys in Eugene, OR, perching on roofs, digging in gardens, and lending a touch of wildlife. In general they are [...]

Des Moines Garden 11/23/06 - Chickens Give Thanks

After my front yard garden was literally cleaned out (see post “Divide and Conquer 10/8/06″), I sowed Tyfon seeds, which Rose Marie had sent me, as a winter cover crop. I confess that I did not keep up with the watering, and we were in a drought. Some seeds sprouted and the first set (cotyledon) [...]

Yacon Pineapple Slaw

This is a recipe that we’ve made since first growing yacon and we keep returning to it. An easy fresh and unusual winter salad.
1 medium fresh pineapple
1 pound fresh yacon, 1-2 tubers
¼ cup lime juice
¼ cup sweet red pepper, rings or diced
Peel and slice the pineapple into eight sections making longitudinal cuts. Remove the core [...]

Happy Thanksgiving

All of us at Nichols Garden Nursery wish you a happy Thanksgiving. I’ve stopped posting recipes for Thanksgiving dinner and hope you’ve found useful recipes and menu ideas. Much of our dinner is already prepared because of this blog. In coming weeks I will be working on recipe development for Yacon. This plant of the [...]

Thanksgiving-Cornbread & Sunflower Seed Stuffing

Our traditional stuffing. For Thanksgiving we use cornbread, the grain of America. Stuffing needs to be tasted and seasoned as you prepare, a reason to not use raw eggs. Hold back on the salt as the natural juices of the bird and sausage add sodium. This recipe makes 4-5 quarts of stuffing. The rule of [...]

Thanksgiving - Corn Sticks

Corn Sticks
The best cornmeal for this recipe is medium grind stone ground. It will give you a combination of floury particles and larger ones with a bit of crunch. If you can’t find it use regular yellow corn meal. This recipe will also bake in a 9” cast iron skillet or baking dish. The corn [...]

Thanksgiving - Chocolate Pecan Pie

Zesty Chocolate Pecan Pie
This rich and decadent pie combines some of the great flavors of the Southern US and Central America. Pecans are the state trees of Texas and native to the US, chocolate and vanilla come from Mexico. We use the classic Karo corn syrup which is not high fructose. A hint of hot [...]

Thankgiving Squash

Winter Squash with Maple Syrup
Squash is historically a staple crop throughout most of the Western hemisphere. Indeed intercropping of squash, beans and corn formed the fabled “Three Sisters”of the South West. These three plants grow harmoniously together, store well and when eaten together are nutritionally complete. Native Americans in the North East were collecting maple [...]

Thanksgiving - Tomato Aspic

Tomato Aspic With Shrimp and Avocado
Aspics are a rather old-fashioned dish and thus perfect for a festive meal. This combination of ingredients is a family favorite. Sometimes we add in a ½ cup of chopped cucumber or a ½ cup of salsa. Here is the basic recipe and it’s quite satisfactory. There are several steps [...]

All America Thanksgiving Menu 2006

Our family Thanksgiving dinner is a celebration of foods of the New World. When Europeans first arrived they quickly took seeds and plants to Europe and these were soon in wide distribution. In fifteen years, hot peppers had circled the globe. Beans became household staples in Italy and sailors carried pineapples around the world as [...]