Traditional New England Thanksgivings are being recreated in Southern New England.

The Denison Society of Mystic, Connecticut recently held a demonstration of early 18th century cooking and life at the Denison Homestead.  While it appears many across the country have forgotten about the origins of Thanksgiving local groups look to showcase a taste of what it was like in early America times. The Denison Society will open up for tours again during the weeks leading to Christmas. The Hempstead House in New London also held a demonstration of open hearth cooking which is cooking in a traditional colonial fireplace. Everything from fish, meat, soup and bread was cooked this way an art that seems to be fading away especially with this years closure of Randall's Ordinary an open hearth restaurant in North Stonington.

While the Hempstead House featured open hearth cooking the Denison Society featured open pit/open fire cooking which is even more challenging for the cook. Pits are dug, coals are wraked and tended to while meats and vegetables are prepared. The complete article can be viewed by clicking on the link below.

With the very first Thanksgiving meals celebrated in Colonial New England Turkey was only a part of the offering. Root vegetable (carrots, turnips & more) along with Venison, dried cod and other fish as well as eel were common. Today historic towns from the NY border to the Canadian border try to re-enact those first thanksgivings but it is truly an art that is fading. Check your local listings for traditional thanksgivings and open hearth cooking- nothing tastes better!


http://theday.com/re.aspx?re=a77a4839-a08d-4324-b397-270d84238ff0  (Denison Society Thanksgiving)
http://theday.com/re.aspx?re=386518d3-b8be-4077-b731-a977ced980dc  (Hempstead House Open Hearth)

Hempstead House-New London, Conn.