Ahead of the holidays, Vermont Edition brings you some cooking inspiration in the form of a three part — or three course — food series. Last week we focused on appetizers, next week we'll talk desserts, and this week is main courses.
Christine Scales of Billings Farm Museum in Woodstock tells us what Vermonters in the 1890s would've served at Thanksgiving. Fritz Halbedl of the Derby Line Village Inn shares some of his favorite Austrian-inspired recipes. And Paul Stone of Stonewood Farms in Orwell pulls back the curtain on his family's turkey operation.
Here are some ideas for holiday cooking from our guests and listeners.
19th century traditions
- Oyster stew: Oysters were plentiful and relatively cheap in the late 1800s. Scales said they were often used in stews as a "cheap, easy protein — kind of how we think about eggs or something today."
- Mince pie: 19th century Americans loved a mince pie, despite the dish’s reputation for being hard to digest. Cooks would throw a wide variety of ingredients into their pies, like apples, molasses, currants, suet and brandy.
- Celery: Yep, just celery. Victorians would put celery stalks in special vases on their holiday tables as both decoration and dish. "It was very trendy and cool," Scales said.
Local meat
- Your classic Vermont turkey: Stone feeds his turkeys a simple mixture of corn and soybean meal, with no added preservatives, animal products or hormones. "That makes a big difference in that the turkeys grow a little bit slower than the commercial turkeys, where they add high amounts of fat," he explained. "Any one of our turkeys is going to be nice and plump for Thanksgiving."
- Tur-bear-key: Halbedl always stuffs his turkey with another meat, and recently he tried out bear meat. He's also experimented with elk and bison.
- Venison: Always marinate your venison, Halbedl instructs. His favorite marinade includes juniper berries, garlic, fresh thyme and rosemary. "You have those items, and your whole venison dish ahs a different character," he said.
Vegetarian options
- Mac 'n' cheese: "It was really a fixture on a lot of Victorian-era tables," Scales said. Cooks in the late 1800s loved any excuse to use heavy cream to their dishes, she added.
- Mixed mashed potatoes: Paul in Warren mixes mashed potatoes and sweet potatoes with butter and garlic. "Learned it from a Canadian acquaintance," he wrote.
- Leftover pie: Thanksgiving is all about the leftovers for Dave, a listener in Jamaica. His family takes all their leftover sides and bakes them into a pie crust. "It's potentially better than Thanksgiving itself," he said.
- Braised red cabbage: Halbedl braises his Austrian-style red cabbage with 16 spices, including cinnamon, clove, orange and sugar.
Broadcast live on Thursday, Nov. 13, 2025, at noon; rebroadcast at 7 p.m.
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