Spoiler alert: When the newly arrived Pilgrims and the Wampanoag Indians native to the Plymouth area first gathered for an autumn harvest celebration, there was no cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes, or other now-familiar fare. Here’s what they really ate, and how they hunted, gathered, and prepared their potluck. [History]
Yes, the hunters who bagged the first Thanksgiving meal bagged some wild turkeys and other fowl. But the Wampanoag Indians brought five deer they'd hunted and dressed. Dana Benner shows you step-by-step how to prepare a deer carcass, as well as smaller game.
The folks prepping the first Thanksgiving didn’t have Stovetop Stuffing and there wasn’t any bread, but they likely dressed their fowl and game with stuffing made from tasty nuts and berries. Christopher Nyerges shows you how to find and harvest walnuts, pine nuts, elderberries, mulberries & more.
Aw, Shucks: Harvest Your Own Oysters With an Expert Forager
The first Thanksgiving meal almost certainly included mussels, which were plentiful in New England, and probably lobster, bass, clams, oysters, and eels. Here’s how to find a good oystering spot. [Rewire]
As opposed to actively fishing, a fish basket trap is, for the most part, a one-time calorie and time expenditure. Aside from checking the trap a few times a day, the occasional repair, and adding more bait when needed, a basket trap is like having a buddy that fishes for you 24 hours a day.
Time is of the essence when preparing and eating a freshly-caught fish. It’s best to keep it in cold water just after catching it, and move it to even colder, ice water if you’re not going to immediately prepare it.
Experienced anglers look forward to the commencement of what is known as the “fall feeding frenzy.” Autumn means fish are preparing for the approaching winter, moving to new water and beginning to feed aggressively. How to find bass, panfish, and walleye.
Enough about fish already. Here’s everything you want to know about hunting wild turkeys. This helpful guide teaches you how to identify their age and sex, how to gear up for the hunt, and how identify the sounds they make in the wild. Spoiler alert: It’s more than gobbling. [National Wild Turkey Federation]
