It's always so much fun to see how others celebrate Thanksgiving.
Every year I send out an email to all our employees, business partners, and friends extending my very best wishes for a safe and lovely holiday. In my note, I share my own plans and talk about the dishes I am making for the gatherings I attend or those I host myself. I also urge everyone to take photos of their table settings, their feasts, their families and their friends, so I could post them on a blog to share with readers. This year, I opened it up to my Instagram followers - asking all to send in their holiday table photos. I am so thrilled with all the responses and excited to see the pictures and the stories that accompany them.
Here is the first gallery, enjoy.
This beautiful photo was the first to come in from Tyler Caleb Harper in New York. He writes, “I saw your Instagram post and wanted to submit a photo I took of the Thanksgiving spread I made for my parents back home in Mississippi.”
This submission is from James and Heather Lura. They celebrated Thanksgiving in their Wayzata, Minnesota home with all the traditional Thanksgiving foods and desserts.
Cassie Welsh from Winchester, Tennessee says, “Hi Martha! I’m hosting Thanksgiving for the second year and I’m so excited. Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday and I love decorating the table in a bountiful harvest way.”
Cassie also says, “I use pumpkins from local nurseries, turkey candy dishes found while thrifting, and postcards from an antique store in Salem, Massachusetts.”
Here is a closer image of Cassie’s fun turkey plates. Do you know the history behind turkey patterns? When President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed Thanksgiving official in 1863, English potters began making holiday themed dinner plates and platters to take advantage of the growing market for these pieces. Manufacturers have been producing them ever since.
Here is one of the antique post cards Cassie used for her decorative centerpiece.
And some of Cassie’s locally bought pumpkins.
Katie Alvarez sent me this photo. She says, “hoping this table inspires others to enjoy the simple beauty of beeswax candles at their holiday gatherings this season. On this table is an antique Wilton Armetale pewter and folk art runner with beeswax tapers by Appalachian Wax Works handcrafted in Maryland.”
Happy Thanksgiving from Ashley Andrews in Sacramento, California. This is a photo of her beautiful table. The China is Tiffany & Co., barware is William Sonoma, and the silver is a sterling set from her great grandmother. The florals are from a local florist, Twiggs, and I served prime rib, macaroni and cheese, and spinach salad. Dessert was carrot cake!
Another Instagram follower, Linda Farrington, sent in this photo of her table. Linda writes, “I have always loved Martha’s recipes and entertaining style… she inspires me. I prefer a formal setting with soup tureens, heirloom silverware, china, and crystal. I host holidays in my 1927 revival Normandy Tudor house in Westchester County.
I used Martha’s recipe for creamed onions.”
Linda also prints out a menu for all her guests.
This pie was baked by Instagram follower, Anthony Pena. He says, “your book, Pies & Tarts, helped me along the way.” My original Pies & Tarts book continues to be a source for me also. This year, I made brown sugar pumpkin pies and cranberry tarts using my recipes in that book.
Anthony also made this pecan pie – the decorative turkey cookie is so pretty.
Cindy Syracuse and her family “celebrate Thanksgiving the night before so we can sleep in on Thanksgiving Day, watch football and enjoy the leftovers!”
Cindy writes, “I use my wedding Lenox China, Williams-Sonoma napkins and pumpkin glasses, flatware from Target, and a table runner from Amazon.”
Tracie Stoll sent me the following three photos. She says, “I was so happy to see the Instagram post and wanted to share my pictures. My husband passed away in February after a very brief battle with bile duct cancer. He was just 49 years old. This is my first Thanksgiving without him. We were married 27 years, together since 1992. Thanksgiving was his most favorite holiday. We have hosted our whole married life.”
Tracie adds, “I always give a favor for people to take home and this year I had some coasters made with some of his old shirts, some of his favorite button downs from years past. Here are a few pictures. Happy Thanksgiving.”
I am sure all Tracie’s guests loved these special favors.
Jackie Johnson McBride shares four images. She says, “I decided we needed some colorful cheer with all going on in the world, so my food and tables reflected that with pops of citrus and color.”
Here’s a view of one of her place settings. Jackie adds, “I did a citrus thyme butter turkey with cheesecloth as well. My Mom passed earlier this year; we were always the biggest fans of Martha.”
Everyone at Jackie’s table filled their plates. I bet they also went back for seconds and even thirds.
Jackie also shared a toast to all.
This table was set by Catherine Sharkey Steinberg from Riverwoods, Illionois. She writes, it includes “transferware plates I collected 25-years ago. I used some blankets set on the diagonal instead of tablecloths.”
Here is a look at Catherine’s lovely centerpiece.
And these photos are from Danielle Dickson. It’s a “Thanksgiving table scape I spent weeks planning and thrifting to bring to fruition two years ago. It’s still one of my favorites! Our daughter came home from New York City and complained that I always do elaborate table scapes for company and not for our intimate family meals. I had to go all out! I think I successfully channeled my inner Martha.”
Here’s one of the place settings at Danielle’s table. Everyone’s tables look so gorgeous. Thanks for sending in these photos. And tune in again tomorrow for more of your Thanksgiving memories.
The last of our spring-flowering bulbs are now planted. This latest batch - 1200 gorgeous and colorful tulips!
If you like spring flowers in your garden, autumn is the time to plant the bulbs because they require a sustained dormant period of cold temperatures in order to stimulate root development. Here at my Bedford, New York farm, we plant thousands of bulbs every year - daffodils, Puschkinia, Chionodoxa, Dutch Iris, Camassia, alliums, etc. It’s so exciting to see the swaths of color in the garden beds after a cold, dreary winter. Our tulips are from The Flower Hat - a floral design studio and farm in Bozeman, Montana dedicated to floral services and floral industry education. Last week, just before the holiday, we planted all of our tulip bulbs in a handful of raised beds in the vegetable garden. They will look marvelous come spring.
Enjoy these photos. And be sure to check in all this week for Thanksgiving images!
We were so excited to receive all these bulbs from The Flower Hat. We received a great variety of different tulip bulbs, all in excellent condition. All tulips are planted in the fall and bloom in the spring. They grow best in zones 3 to 8 where they can get eight to 12 weeks of cold temperatures while under the soil.
Among the tulip bulbs we received, this is ‘Spryng Break.’ It has huge flowers that open in white with intense fuchsia-red flames. (Photo courtesy of theflowerhat.com)
‘Foxy Foxtrot’ is a double tulip with shades of apricot and yellow and hints of rose orange.(Photo courtesy of theflowerhat.com)
‘Queensland’ is a double fringed tulip with rose-red petals accented with light pink ruffles and serrated edges. This tulip opens with five-inch large blooms and grows up to 12 to 14 inches tall. (Photo courtesy of theflowerhat.com)
This big red and white peony-like tulip is called ‘Drumline.’ (Photo courtesy of theflowerhat.com)
And this one is ‘Double Sugar’ – with pink petals and a round, white center. (Photo courtesy of theflowerhat.com)
‘Estella Rijnveld’ is a bicolor heirloom with red and white flames that vary in width. When it opens, it has a yellow cast that fades to white as the flowers mature.
(Photo courtesy of theflowerhat.com)
‘Flaming Parrot’ has bright buttercup-yellow blooms with red flames. It is among the most popular for cut-flower arrangements. (Photo courtesy of theflowerhat.com)
This gorgeous double tulip is ‘Sugar Crystal.’ It has huge, feathery blooms with many layers of frilly petals in shades of silvery baby pink. (Photo courtesy of theflowerhat.com)
And ‘Sanne’ has large, tapered flowers that open in deep rose-pink with creamy-pink edges and mature to lilac-pink with pink-ivory edges. (Photo courtesy of theflowerhat.com)
Brian starts by making the rows using the bed preparation rake from Johnny’s Selected Seeds. This tool allows him to easily create shallow furrows in the soil. Hard plastic red tubes slide onto selected teeth of the rake to mark the rows. All the beds were already well-fertilized.
Then he goes over the same furrows with the Row Pro™ from Johnny’s Selected Seeds. It’s great for making deeper trenches in the soil.
Meanwhile, Ryan sorts out the bulbs and decides what will be planted in which bed. They will look so pretty when in bloom. And they will be done blooming before it is time to plant our vegetables.
Ryan places the bulbs next to the bed in which they will be planted – all like varieties together.
To plant these tulip bulbs, Brian and Phurba use these dibbers. A dibber or dibble or dibbler is a pointed wooden stick for making holes in the ground so seeds, seedlings or bulbs can be planted. Dibbers come in a variety of designs including the straight dibber, T-handled dibber, trowel dibber, and an L-shaped dibber. These are T-handled dibbers.
One by one, Brian places each bulb into the trench. Tulip bulbs are medium sized, so they should be buried at least six to eight-inches deep. As a rule of thumb, bulbs should be planted about three times the height of the actual bulb.
These tulip bulbs look so healthy. Any kind of bulb should be firm and free of soft spots or visible rot. Check for signs of disease, cracking or other damage, which may cause the bulb to rot in the ground. The brown tunic, or outer skin protects each bulb’s bottom or basil plate. One can peel it off, or plant as is.
Once all the bulbs are in their designated rows, Phurba follows behind and pushes the dibber into the soil making a hole where the bulb will be planted.
Phurba is careful to place each bulb with the pointed end faced up. This is important for all bulbs. If the pointed end is not obvious, look for the flat side of the bulb, which is the bottom.
Here is the bulb in the soil. Phurba plants all the bulbs before backfilling, so he can keep track of the planted holes and rows.
Bulbs are alive, but dormant, so they prefer to be in the soil. If they cannot be planted promptly, store them in a dark, dry location with good air circulation and temperatures averaging about 50 to 65-degrees Fahrenheit.
Once the bulbs are in their designated trenches, it’s time to rake the bed. Phurba carefully uses the back of a soft rake so he doesn’t disturb the bulb placements.
Most bulbs prefer full sun and average moisture. This day was quite cloudy, with showers in the forecast – perfect for our newly planted bulbs. We’ll have a beautiful cutting garden of colorful tulips come spring – I’ll be sure to share the photos.
Happy Thanksgiving! I hope you all have a very safe and enjoyable holiday!
This morning I am busy cooking in my kitchen like all of you. I am preparing a stuffed and roasted 20-pound organic heritage turkey to add to my friend's buffet table. And of course, I am also making a big bowl of my mother's, "Big Martha," delicious mashed potatoes! Yesterday, I was busy baking 30-pies! I love baking pies and every Thanksgiving, I bake one for every member of my staff here at the farm to thank them for all their hard work during the year.
Here are some photos.
Here I am rolling out one of the pâte brisée discs. When rolling, make sure there are no cracks. To fit a nine-inch pie plate, roll out an 11-inch round that’s about 1/8-inch thick. I have been making this pâte brisée for many years and have perfected this recipe. It calls for two-and-a-half cups all-purpose flour, one teaspoon kosher salt, one teaspoon granulated sugar, two sticks unsalted butter, and a quarter to a half cup of ice water.
Every year, I pull out lots of my own pie plates, but I remind all the recipients that they must come back after the holiday. I like to use glass pie dishes most, so it is easy to see when the pie’s bottom crust is sufficiently browned.
Here are several chilled pâte brisée discs. Pâte brisée is the French version of classic pie or tart pastry. It is a versatile all-butter dough for both sweet and savory recipes—from apple pie to quiche.
I blind bake my pie crusts. This is the process of baking a pie crust without the filling. To blind bake a chilled pie crust, just line it with parchment paper in the pie dish and fill it with pie weights or dried beans. After about 20 minutes at 375-degrees Fahrenheit, carefully remove the parchment and the weights. Then bake it until the crust is dry but not brown, about five minutes more.
Here is one pie crust baked and ready to empty of its bean weights. I’ve been using the same dried beans for more than 25-years. I reuse them time after time and store them in a big glass jar in my kitchen.
Using kitchen shears, I just trim the edge to one inch and fold under, so it all looks neat and tidy.
Next, using my fingers I decoratively crimp the crust. Crimping is not only decorative, but it makes it less likely the sides of the pie will fall or shrink during baking.
I also prick the bottom of the crust a few times with the tines of a fork. This is called docking, the culinary term for poking holes in a pie crust. The holes allow steam to escape, so the crust should stay flat against the baking dish when it isn’t held down by pie weights or a filling. Otherwise the crust can puff up, ruin its appearance, and leave less space for whatever filling is planned.
Meanwhile, on the stove cooking are two large pots of beautiful cranberries.
I worked in an assembly line fashion to get all the pies ready on time. Once cooked, they are left to cool – on the counter, on the stovetop, near my sink – anywhere there is room.
I also make lots of small decorations for the pies. The decorations are baked separately and then placed on the pie at the end – this allows for pieces to be moved onto each individual piece of pie when served.
After they are all done and slightly cooled, the pies are brought outside to the terrace to cool some more. The crew was given several choices, and I made all the pies and tarts “to order.” With a couple for me too, of course.
And a cranberry tart. This recipe is from my original “Martha Stewart’s Pies & Tarts” book.
All the pies for gifting were wrapped carefully in cellophane, tied with ribbon, and labeled for each recipient.
Then they were displayed on the tables by type.
Just before I personally distributed a pie to each staff member, I stopped for a quick photo – it’s all in a day’s work.
My beautiful Chow Chows, Emperor Han and Empress Qin, watched all the activity from the steps of my kitchen – and hoping for a crumb of crust to fall their way.
Here’s my business manager, JC Roberts, with his cranberry tart.
My property manager, Doug White, selected a lemon curd pie.
Carlos Restrepo from my housecleaning team wanted a classic brown sugar pumpkin pie.
Phurba Sherpa, a member of my outdoor grounds crew, asked for a pecan pie.
And my longtime helper here at the farm, Fernando Ferrari, took home a chocolate pecan pie.
I am always so happy to make pies for my hardworking team. I hope you are all having a wonderful time preparing for today’s big feast. Have a safe and wonderful holiday. And please share some of your memories with me in the comments section below.
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