giant brussels sprouts, tidbits about wild turkeys, and more (happy thanksgiving!)

My tiny family's giant tradition: Brussels sprouts! I bring over the homegrown, still-on-the-stalk, bigger-is-better sprouts to my sister's each Thanksgiving, and we have at them, assisted enthusiastically by my brother-in-law (and pushed around the plate by my niece).  

That's baby-sister Marion and a mock-terrified me showing off a recent holiday harvest -- just one image of many in another long family tradition: taking crazy photos.  Individual crustless pumpkin pies and pureed sweet-potato soup with greens might be on the menu, too! Find it all here.

birdnote q&a: in celebration of the wild turkey

Living where wild turkeys, once in decline, have been extra-successfully repopulated, I enjoy these comical big birds. Their crazy, descending gobble-gobble-gobble, and the occasional startling, loud beating of wings if a flock is spooked from their roost up in the trees are part of the local background music.  

And as dumpy as Meleagris gallopavo looks -- more dirigible than F-35 -- they are in fact sprinters, able to fly very short distances at up to 55 mph! Ellen Blackstone of BirdNote is serving up some other turkey tidbits -- facts and lore about this plus-sized American bird.

did you miss it last time?

• best trees for the home garden, with Dr. Kim Tripp