n THE CARILLON STEINBACH, MAN. C8
n www.thecarillon.com THURSDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2026
Carillon FAMILY
Use grasses, seed pods for fall crafts by DORIS PENNER O ne of the pleasures of fall is hiking along country roads looking for dried grasses, interesting seed heads and leaves that have turned var- ious shades of red, brown and gold. These natural objects keep the landscape interesting after flowers have faded and leaves are starting to drop, as well as supply the components of beautiful ar- rangements for the harvest table. Often you need look no fur- ther than your own back yard. Flax, wheat and oat stems left over after threshing, golden corn tassels, dried garden herbs and vegetable seeds lend themselves well to crafting decorative items. Items from nature can be craft- ed into napkin rings (using twine for example), arranged in bas- kets with candles for side tables or for the dinner table, and craft- ed into large and small wreaths. Take a walk among the au- tumn leaves with a bag or basket. Collect any interesting objects that catch your fancy. Look for contrasts in colour and texture. For example, think of a prickly burr put together with a golden wheat stem and a shiny oblong seed pod. Pull out natural objects you may have collected at other times and places such as pine cones, whole nuts or plumes of dried grasses or plants. You will enjoy the walk in crisp autumn weather and bring sea- sonal beauty into the home.
How should we celebrate Thanksgiving?
In view of the poor Doris Longacre in Living More With Less puts it this way: “God’s people should often gather to eat and be joy- ful, but in view of the poor and our so- ciety’s dissipation, simplicity must be the mark.” There should be a conscious effort to pare down the extravagance of the meal. A simple meal, well-pre- pared and served with care is a thing of beauty. Let Thanksgiving be the time you commit yourself to help create a world, as much as you are able, where the hungry are fed, the homeless provided with shelter and the unloved given care and compassion. Perhaps you might begin by inviting to your own dinner an individual or family who might be alone (or feel alone) on Thanksgiving Day. Another way to practically help those who might lack three meals a day, is to volunteer in a soup kitchen occasionally or on a regular basis. This could well open your eyes to what’s happening on the street and might lead to forming valuable relationships. Let this Thanksgiving be a time when you reflect on your theology of food— why you eat, why you eat as you do and how you can share.
and starving are too much with us. Television, Internet and magazine pic- tures and reports make us aware that millions of people in developing coun- tries are living stunted lives because of malnutrition which often ends in death. Let’s face it—thousands of people in our own country lack resources to provide a nutritionally adequate diet for their families. Children go to school hungry, and soup kitchens and food This is in sharp contrast to the abun- dance of food that the privileged enjoy. Since Thanksgiving revolves around the ritual of consumption, it is an ideal time to face the situation and decide what we can do about the stark prob- lem of hunger. banks abound. Sharp contrast First of all it must be recognized that harvest festivals have been celebrated since the beginning of history. With the crops safely in storage for the win- ter after a season of hard work, there was cause for a communal celebration performed in the spirit of thankfulness and merriment. There was always a deep recognition that the natural ele- ments of sun and rain and other forces beyond their control, made the harvest
possible.This was the very spirit that motivated the first “official” Thanks- giving in North America when the Pil- grims in the eastern states brought in their first abundant harvest. The gover- nor declared a three-day feast; indeed, it seemed appropriate to celebrate af- ter a year of scarcity. Celebrations to mark the passage of time are good—they nourish rela- tionships and the human spirit. Today as in the past, feasting—even in the poorest of countries—has always been part of milestone events that bring folk together on birthdays, weddings and holy days. To celebrate at Thanksgiving is prop- er. The question is: if celebrations give voice to the ideals by which we are trying to live, how should we observe Thanksgiving? There should be no guilt. Rather, it should be a day of true thankfulness. Thanksgiving is the time to “count our blessings” with deep gratitude—and to remember with great humility that the source of all goodness is God. It is also a fine thing to gather with family and friends on that day to fos- ter relationships and to introduce new members to traditions. And it is fine to eat together.
by DORIS PENNER T here are few of us who do not feel a tinge of guilt when we sit down at our tables on Thanksgiving Day and feast on an ample array of tur- key, stuffing, vegetables, breads and desserts. Why am I so blessed when thou- sands of people in the world go to bed hungry each night and wake up to face another day of scarcity in a cycle of malnutrition and starvation? Is it even right for me to eat until I am full—not to speak of overfull? This is a fleeting thought which usually vanishes five minutes into the meal as the soup course finishes. We manage to push the problems of world hunger into the back of our minds— how could we otherwise enjoy the cream-topped pumpkin pie or choco- late cheesecake? Perhaps we even feel somewhat smug—now that we’ve giv- en starving children our token thought for the day. After all, if we pursued our line of meditation, we might have to give up the Thanksgiving meal. And that would never do. But the problem doesn’t—and shouldn’t—so easily go away. The poor
Heritage dinner suitable for Thanksgiving festivity
Pumpkin harvest soup 1 medium onion, finely chopped 1 large potato, peeled and chopped 1/4 cup finely chopped celery 2 tablespoons butter 4 1/2 cups chicken broth 2 cups pumpkin puree 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg Salt and pepper to taste 1/2 cup cream (half and half) Toasted pumpkin seeds and parsle for garnish Saute onions, potato and celery in butter in a saucepan over medi- um heat. Cook and stir until onions have softened, about 6 minutes. Add chicken broth and stir to blend. Bring to boil, then reduce heat and simmer until potatoes are tender, about 8 min- utes. Stir in pumpkin puree, then with immersion blender, puree soup un- til smooth. Add nutmeg, salt, pepper and cream and heat through (do not boil). To serve, garnish with toasted pumpkin seeds and a spring of parsley. Makes 6 servings. Greens with pear and lime dressing Mixed greens for 8 servings 1/4 cup chopped onion greens 4 red pears, sliced in thin wedges 1 tablespoon lemon juice 2 cups seedless green and/or red grapes
Lime poppyseed dressing: 1/4 cup lime juice 3 tablespoons liquid honey 2 teaspoons poppyseeds 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons vegetable oil Line 8 salad plates with lettuce/ spinach greens and sprinkle on on- ion greens. Dip pear slices in lemon juice (to keep them from discolouring) and arrange on greens. Garnish with grapes as desired. Drizzle with dress- ing. To make dressing stir together lime juice, honey and poppyseeds in a small bowl. Pour in vegetable oil slow- ly, beating to incorporate. Dressing will thicken. Makes 8 servings. Note: The salad can be arranged on a platter instead of individual plates. Creamed onions and broccoli 16 small onions (or 8 medium) 4 cups broccoli flowerets 3 tablespoons butter or margarine
served. Corn, beans and squash in- cluding pumpkin were commonly cul- tivated although the strains have grad- ually improved to become much less tough and stringy. Pumpkin was com- monly served as a vegetable, while for Canadians today pumpkin at Thanks- giving comes in pie. Corn and beans (lima, navy or pea) were often combined to make a dish called succotash; alternately these vegetables as well as turnips were added to chunks of meat to make a hearty stew. Turnips were also includ- ed in soups or cooked separately and mashed. Other root crops important to the colonists were beets, both for their leaves and the root itself, as well as carrots which is one vegetable that has likely seen the most improvement from early times. Following is a Thanksgiving dinner menu that recalls the days of the set- tlers and yet celebrates our own har- vest. If you want to be more elaborate, add a wild rice dish and a squash cas- serole. Thanksgiving dinner menu Pumpkin harvest soup Roast turkey with mushroom bread stuffing Mashed potatoes with gravy Greens with pear and lime dressing Creamed onions and broccoli Cranberry sauce Apple crumb cheesecake Start your dinner with this light soup, and since it in- cludes pumpkin, it gives you an opportunity to include fall orchard fruit in the dessert.
Stir in carrots and heat through. Pour sauce over onions and broccoli. Makes 8 to 10 servings. This fine dessert showcases apples— an orchard fruit that does well on the prairies. Apple crumb cheesecake Crust: 2 cups flour 1/4 cup icing sugar 1 cup cold butter, cubed Filling: 3 packages (8-ounce) cream cheese, softened 2/3 cup sugar 1 cup sour cream 4 eggs 1 teaspoon vanilla Topping – see below To make crust combine flour and icing sugar in a bowl and work in but- ter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Press evenly into bottom and up the side of a 10-inch springform pan. Refrigerate for 1 hour, prick bot- tom crust all over with fork and bake at 350F until golden brown, 15 to 18 minutes. Cool. For filling, beat cream cheese with sugar until fluffy. Next beat in sour cream, then eggs (one at a time) and vanilla until well combined. Pour into cooled crust and bake at 325F for 45 minutes or until set around edges (still jiggly in the middle). Ar- range prepared apples (see below) decoratively on crust, and sprinkle with crumb topping. Bake at 350F until topping is golden brown, 10 to 15 min- utes. Makes 12 servings. Apple crumb topping : combine 1/2 cup packed brown sugar, 1/3 cup oat- meal, 1/3 cup flour and 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon . Cut in 3 tablespoons but- ter until mixture is crumbly. Set aside. Peel 3 large ap-
by DORIS PENNER N ot many of us would wish to du- plicate the exact conditions un- der which the Pilgrims cooked their first Thanksgiving dinner. Although the tiny farming com- munity of Plymouth had established a firm foothold in the new land evi- denced by full granaries, warm homes to shelter them from the elements and the friendship and trust of Indigenous neighbours, times were still difficult and would be for many years to come as they sought to survive. However, their hearts were filled with gratitude for the blessings that were theirs in the autumn of 1621, and this overflowed into a thanksgiving service of prayer, and concluded with a bountiful feast of foods gathered from the fields and forests. Today we also have full granaries, we have shelter and the blessing of love from family and friends. It is indeed appropriate for us to set aside a day for giving thanks as the Pilgrims did. Thanksgiving celebrations have, of course, been practised in Canada for hundreds of years, originating with a thanks offering by early settlers. It has since become a harvest festival which is marked by large family reunions and bountiful dinners. As we can’t duplicate the conditions of the first Thanksgiving, neither can we duplicate the feast. But it seems fit- ting to celebrate our own abundance, our freedom and our family ties with foods harvested from our farms and gardens, and indeed, to give a nod to tradition. Turkey was on the menu There is evidence that turkey was on the menu of the feast in 1621—the bird was wild of course, while ours is domesticated. Cranberries, too,
3 1/2 tablespoons flour Salt and pepper to taste 2 1/2 cups light cream or milk 2 cups shredded carrots
Boil whole onions in salted water. When almost tender add broccoli and boil until broccoli is tender-crisp. Drain well. Meanwhile melt butter in saucepan and stir in flour and season- ings. Cook over low heat until bubbly. Gradually stir in cream or milk; boil and stir until thickened.
ples and cut into slim wedges. In skillet melt 1 tablespoon butter and saute
are a heritage food which we normally serve in a sauce or salad. Although many of
apple wedges until slightly softened.
the vegetable vari- eties that existed in North America when Columbus first landed on our shores have become
extinct, we still enjoy some of the very vegeta- bles the colonists would have
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