Turkey Time Thanksgiving Trivia
Thanksgiving is quickly approaching and
it is time once again to start preparing for the fall season.
Besides dreaming of succulent turkey and the trimmings, this
means readying holiday dinnerware, organizing cookware,
polishing silver, and searching for new and exciting recipes
and great holiday trivia! Liven up your Thanksgiving holiday
with Turkey Trivia #1 - Turkey Facts, and Turkey Trivia #2 -
Cranberry Facts.
Turkey Trivia #1 - Turkey Facts
Did you know...
- The first American Thanksgiving was celebrated in 1621
between the Pilgrims and the Native Americans who taught
the Pilgrims how to survive off the environment.
- There are many thoughts how the turkey got its name.
One such theory was that Christopher Columbus thought the
bird looked like a peacock and since the East Indian word
for peacock was “tuka,” this bird’s name transitioned from
“tuka” to “turkey.” Makes sense. And on the other hand,
when a turkey is scared, instead of saying “gobble,
gobble,” it makes a “turk, turk, turk” sound. No brainer
here. Take your choice.
- Wild turkeys occasionally spend the night up in a
tree.
- A female turkey is called a hen while the male is
called a tom.
- A hen does not say gobble, gobble. Instead, they say
click, click. That must be some sound fest when both sexes
are simultaneously striving for attention.
- A mature turkey has approximately 3,500 feathers.
- Wild turkeys can run 25 miles per hour and fly up to 55
miles per hour. However, commercially raised turkeys cannot
run at all, or fly.
- The heaviest turkey ever weighed toppled the scales at
86 pounds.
- A turkey can have a heart attack if it becomes overly
startled; turkeys living near an area where the sound
barrier was broken dropped dead from the shock.
- Turkeys have a fantastic sense of hearing but have no
external ears. Hmm! Are the ear holes hiding somewhere
under those 3,500 feathers? Only the turkey knows for sure
but he is not telling.
Turkey Trivia #2 - Cranberry Facts
Did you know...
- The Pilgrims called today’s cranberry a “craneberry”
because its blossoms looked like the head and bill of a
Sandhill crane.
- Cranberries were carried aboard American whaler and
mariner sea crossings in an attempt to prevent scurvy.
- Many people believe cranberries live on water alone,
but fascinatingly enough, they are grown on vines in bogs
originally created by glacial deposits. A fence is
installed around the entire growing area of a bog, in an
attempt to prevent the cranberries from drifting away. They
are covered with a layer of sand which acts like a blanket.
Cranberries can survive only in these stringent
conditions.
- If undamaged, a cranberry vine can survive more than
150 years.
- If you drop a load of cranberries on a declining slope,
the firmest and freshest berries can bounce as high as 4
inches while going downhill. Soft and bruised berries will
not bounce, therefore separating themselves from the
quality fruit.
- Fruit nibblers beware! Raw cranberries are sour and
bitter. Be sure to stir in some sort of sweetener; mixing
in sugar or honey should help considerably.
- As well as bouncing, cranberries can float using the
same internal air pockets that help propel ripe cranberries
off the ground.
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