Thanksgiving Is Turkey Time
Gary Moore
November 27, 2025
Linda and I will not be eating wild turkey at camp this year. I never found time to hunt during either the spring or fall turkey seasons and Linda can take nothing by mouth so going to camp doesn’t appeal. Instead we will be joining friends at their home for domestic turkey and all the fixings while enjoying the company of several friends.
Native wild turkeys historically played an important role on Thanksgiving Day.
Originally found only in the wild, turkeys now exist as meat-producing domesticated varieties, the broad breasted white, broad breasted bronze, white Holland, bourbon red, and a host of other breeds, all of them descended from our native wild turkey.
Wild turkeys exist throughout Vermont today, but that was not always the case. Wild turkeys disappeared from Vermont in the mid-to-late 1800s due to habitat destruction when land was cleared for farming and only 25 percent of the state was covered by forest.
The wild turkeys we see in Vermont today originated from just 31 wild turkeys stocked in Southwestern Vermont by the then Vermont Fish and Game Department in 1969 and 1970 when Vermont’s forest habitat was once again capable of supporting turkeys. State wildlife biologists moved groups of these birds northward, and today Vermont’s population of turkeys is estimated at close to 50,000.
Inn to Inn Cookie Tour is December 13 and 14
Regular readers know that Linda and I always enjoy the Mount Washington Valley’s Inn to Inn Cookie Tour. We plan to participate this year as well.
Now in its 28th year, the self-guided tour invites guests to step inside beautifully decorated inns, sample holiday treats, and get ideas and inspiration for baking, decorating, and gift-giving. The tour encompasses the towns of Tamworth, Madison, Eaton, North Conway, and Jackson.
Each of the eleven inns on the tour will showcase signature cookie recipes plus eye-catching seasonal décor.
Tour-goers receive a keepsake holiday recipe collection and enjoy special touches that vary by property, from crafts to carolers to live music and holiday markets.
The Inn to Inn Cookie Tour supports a meaningful cause. Each year, participating inns donate a portion of tour proceeds to End 68 Hours of Hunger, a local nonprofit that fights food insecurity by providing meals to school children who might otherwise go without over the weekend.
In past years we have stayed at a different one of the inns so we could enjoy two days of relaxing and feasting. This year we will only be able to make it for one day so we will have to pick which inns we want to visit during the time available.
For full details about the tour, participating inns, and lodging packages, visit: www.countryinnsinthewhitemountains.com.
A limited number of single-day tickets will be available online from December 2–8, for $35 per person at cookietour.square.site.
Perhaps we will see you at one of the inns. I may not talk much as I will be stuffing my mouth with delicious fresh baked treats.
Bits and Pieces
Mark Breen reports in the Fairbanks Museum's Skywatch Almanac that on
November 30, 1835: “Mercury dropped to -24 at Franconia, NH, the beginning of one of the coldest winters of the 19th century.”
***
Mark also supplied the November Records and Averages
Warmest: 42.6°F in 1948 Coldest: 27.2°F in 1904
Wettest: 9.34 inches in 1927 Snowiest: 26.4 inches in 1921
Parting Shots
Linda, Oak and I hope you have an enjoyable and relaxing Thanksgiving. Friends and family are important.
Syndicated columnist Gary W. Moore may be reached by e-mail at gwmoore1946@icloud.com or at Box 454, Bradford, VT 05033.
copyright 2025 Gary W. Moore
Native wild turkeys historically played an important role on Thanksgiving Day.
Originally found only in the wild, turkeys now exist as meat-producing domesticated varieties, the broad breasted white, broad breasted bronze, white Holland, bourbon red, and a host of other breeds, all of them descended from our native wild turkey.
Wild turkeys exist throughout Vermont today, but that was not always the case. Wild turkeys disappeared from Vermont in the mid-to-late 1800s due to habitat destruction when land was cleared for farming and only 25 percent of the state was covered by forest.
The wild turkeys we see in Vermont today originated from just 31 wild turkeys stocked in Southwestern Vermont by the then Vermont Fish and Game Department in 1969 and 1970 when Vermont’s forest habitat was once again capable of supporting turkeys. State wildlife biologists moved groups of these birds northward, and today Vermont’s population of turkeys is estimated at close to 50,000.
Inn to Inn Cookie Tour is December 13 and 14
Regular readers know that Linda and I always enjoy the Mount Washington Valley’s Inn to Inn Cookie Tour. We plan to participate this year as well.
Now in its 28th year, the self-guided tour invites guests to step inside beautifully decorated inns, sample holiday treats, and get ideas and inspiration for baking, decorating, and gift-giving. The tour encompasses the towns of Tamworth, Madison, Eaton, North Conway, and Jackson.
Each of the eleven inns on the tour will showcase signature cookie recipes plus eye-catching seasonal décor.
Tour-goers receive a keepsake holiday recipe collection and enjoy special touches that vary by property, from crafts to carolers to live music and holiday markets.
The Inn to Inn Cookie Tour supports a meaningful cause. Each year, participating inns donate a portion of tour proceeds to End 68 Hours of Hunger, a local nonprofit that fights food insecurity by providing meals to school children who might otherwise go without over the weekend.
In past years we have stayed at a different one of the inns so we could enjoy two days of relaxing and feasting. This year we will only be able to make it for one day so we will have to pick which inns we want to visit during the time available.
For full details about the tour, participating inns, and lodging packages, visit: www.countryinnsinthewhitemountains.com.
A limited number of single-day tickets will be available online from December 2–8, for $35 per person at cookietour.square.site.
Perhaps we will see you at one of the inns. I may not talk much as I will be stuffing my mouth with delicious fresh baked treats.
Bits and Pieces
Mark Breen reports in the Fairbanks Museum's Skywatch Almanac that on
November 30, 1835: “Mercury dropped to -24 at Franconia, NH, the beginning of one of the coldest winters of the 19th century.”
***
Mark also supplied the November Records and Averages
Warmest: 42.6°F in 1948 Coldest: 27.2°F in 1904
Wettest: 9.34 inches in 1927 Snowiest: 26.4 inches in 1921
Parting Shots
Linda, Oak and I hope you have an enjoyable and relaxing Thanksgiving. Friends and family are important.
Syndicated columnist Gary W. Moore may be reached by e-mail at gwmoore1946@icloud.com or at Box 454, Bradford, VT 05033.
copyright 2025 Gary W. Moore
Two Vermont Gobblers In Display
Have a story?
Let's hear it!
(802) 757-2773
(603) 787-2444
news@thebridgeweekly.com
