Cooking, Eating Is Strong Tradition During Holiday

By Editor | November 25, 2009 |

Tim Churchill (left) and John Selby purchased food for their Thanksgiving in the woods to be held at their hunting camp near the center of the county. Churchill said the feast would be like the first one, with a few modern touches such as the desserts. – Photo by Jack Gurner

Shoppers at Larson’s Piggly Wiggly load up for Thanksgiving. The grocery store had almost sold out of the 660 turkeys they stocked for the holiday by Saturday afternoon.

By Jack Gurner
Reporter

WATER VALLEY – Yalobusha County folks still believe there is plenty to celebrate this Thanksgiving in spite of the tough economy.

An informal survey of shoppers shows that family, friends, and food are uppermost on their minds as they prepare for the upcoming holiday.

“I’m just thankful to be able to get together with family,” said Glenda Griffith as she pushed a shopping cart through Larson’s Piggly Wiggly.

Her cart wasn’t as full this year as it has been in the past since she is going to her granddaughter’s home for the Thanksgiving feast. “This is the first time in years I haven’t been doing the cooking.”

Cheryl Harris said that she wouldn’t be cooking this year, either. The Harris family will be having the traditional turkey and dressing with her Mom, Betty Odom.

Harris said that among the things she had to be thankful for was that her sons, Danny and Larry, would be home from the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York.

Someone who will be doing the cooking is Viola Morgan, who was shopping Saturday afternoon with the help of granddaughter, Danielle Shaw. When asked how long she had been preparing the Thanksgiving meal, the octogenarian would only say, “a long time.”

Morgan will be cooking for 30 to 40 people, according to her granddaughter who reeled off a long list of menu items including six sweet potato pies. “She won’t let anybody help her cook,” Shaw added.

On the other hand, everybody will be helping out at the Thanksgiving in the woods being held at a leased hunting camp about eight miles southwest of Water Valley.

Desoto County residents Tim Churchill and John Selby said that the gathering of about 30 people will be like the first Thanksgiving. The menu will include wild game, yams, corn, and some deserts he described as “modern conveniences.”

Everyone who shows up will be bringing dishes of food, he added.

Churchill expressed surprise at prices in Water Valley. “How can food here be a third of what it is in Memphis? Seems like everything is cheaper.”

Sherry Gray said that all of her family was getting together for the traditional meal that would include a hen and a ham along with the turkey.

She said she even had help from her husband, Alderman Donald Gray, who handled the difficult task of peeling sweet potatoes.

Judy Perkins said she also would be cooking this year, but there would be fewer people than the usual 18 or so. “This is the first year I haven’t cooked for all my kids and grandkids,” she said.

Somebody who won’t have to worry about preparing the meal is Robert Reid. “I’ve got somebody else doing the cooking,” he said referring to his niece, Becky Jones.

Reid grinned and added, “If it is like it has been in the past, It’ll be pretty good.”

Although the Thanksgiving meal is considered very formal in some parts, Danielle Shaw summed up the feeling of many local folks who believe in family over formality.

She said that at the Morgan Thanksgiving meal, ” Wherever you can find a seat is where you eat.”

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WASHINGTON, D.C. – Menu items for a classic Thanksgiving dinner including turkey, stuffing, cranberries, pumpkin pie and all the basic trimmings dropped 4 percent in price this year, according to the American Farm Bureau Federation.

AFBF’s 24th annual informal price survey of classic items found on the Thanksgiving Day dinner table indicates the average cost of this year’s feast for 10 is $42.91, a $1.70 price decrease from last year’s average of $44.61.

“As we gather this Thanksgiving for food and fellowship, it’s fitting to take a moment to recognize and give thanks, not only for the abundant food we enjoy as Americans, but for the hard-working farm and ranch families across our nation who produce it,” said AFBF President Bob Stallman.

The AFBF survey shopping list includes turkey, bread stuffing, sweet potatoes, rolls with butter, peas, cranberries, a relish tray of carrots and celery, pumpkin pie with whipped cream, and beverages of coffee and milk, all in quantities sufficient to serve a family of 10.

The cost of a 16-pound turkey, at $18.65 or roughly $1.16 per pound, reflects a decrease of 3 cents per pound, or a total of $.44 per turkey compared to 2008.

Milk, at $2.86 per gallon, dropped $.92 and was the largest contributor to the overall decrease in the cost of the 2009 Thanksgiving dinner.

“Consistent with the retail food price declines seen throughout the year, consumers will pay just a bit less for their Thanksgiving feast this year,” said Jim Sartwelle, an AFBF economist. “Consumers are benefiting at the grocery store from significantly lower energy prices and the effects of the economic slowdown. Again this year, the cost per person for this special meal is less than a typical ‘value meal’ at a fast-food outlet,” Sartwelle said.

Other items showing a price decrease this year were: a 1/2 pint of whipping cream, $1.55; a dozen brown-n-serve rolls, $2.08; a 1-pound relish tray of carrots and celery, $.72; and a 12-oz. package of fresh cranberries, $2.41. A combined group of miscellaneous items, including coffee and ingredients necessary to prepare the meal (onions, eggs, sugar, flour, evaporated milk and butter) also dropped in price, to $2.50.

Items that increased slightly (less than 5 percent) in price this year were: a 14-oz. package of cubed bread stuffing, $2.65; two 9-inch pie shells, $2.34; and a 30-oz. can of pumpkin pie mix, $2.45.

Two items, green peas and sweet potatoes, stayed the same in price at $1.58 for one pound and $3.12 for three pounds, respectively.

Sartwelle said despite retail price increases during the last year or so, American consumers have enjoyed relatively stable food costs over the years, particularly when adjusted for inflation.

The 4 percent decrease in the national average cost reported this year by Farm Bureau for a classic Thanksgiving dinner tracks closely with the organization’s 2009 quarterly marketbasket food surveys (available online at http://newsroom.fb.org) and the federal government’s Consumer Price Index (available online at http://data.bls.gov/), Sartwelle noted.

Farm Bureau volunteer shoppers are asked to look for the best possible prices, without taking advantage of special promotional coupons or purchase deals, such as spending $50 and receiving a free turkey. Shoppers with an eye for bargains in all areas of the country should be able to purchase individual menu items at prices comparable to the Farm Bureau survey averages. Another option for busy families without a lot of time to cook is ready-to-eat Thanksgiving meals for up to 10 people, with all the trimmings, which are available at many supermarkets and take-out restaurants for around $50 to $75.

The AFBF survey was first conducted in 1986. While Farm Bureau does not make any statistical claims about the data, it is an informal gauge of price trends around the nation.

More than 200 volunteer shoppers from 35 states participated in this year’s survey. Farm Bureau’s survey menu has remained unchanged since 1986 to allow for consistent price comparisons.

Yearly Averages

1986 – $28.74

1987 – $24.51

1988 – $26.61

1989 – $24.70

1990 – $28.85

1991 – $25.95

1992 – $26.39

1993 – $27.49

1994 – $28.40

1995 – $29.64

1996 – $31.66