Thanksgiving, one of the most celebrated holidays in the United States, is just around the corner. Originating with pilgrim colonists, Thanksgiving now largely revolves around food, family and gratitude. Familiar Thanksgiving foods include turkey, cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes, and more— many of these staples are made with ingredients grown, harvested and produced right here in Wisconsin. 

Turkey is the leading Thanksgiving dish often accompanied by stuffing made of bread, vegetables and butter. Although it is less commonly eaten today, wild turkey has an interesting and often unknown history. The turkey population was even eradicated at one point in Wisconsin’s history.

Alissa Kakatsch, Assistant Turkey and Pheasant Ecologist at the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR), said “the Eastern Wild Turkey is a great conservation success story here in Wisconsin.” 

In the late 1800s, due to unregulated hunting and deforestation, the eastern wild turkey died out in Wisconsin and was not fully reestablished until 1976. 

“Within the first few decades of the 1900’s wild turkey restoration efforts took place, but ultimately we were not successful,” Kakatsch said. “The successful wild turkey restoration effort began in the 1970’s when Wisconsin made an agreement with Missouri to trade wild turkeys from MO for ruffed grouse from WI.” 

For about nine years, Missouri gave Wisconsin over 300 turkeys, and there are now self-sustaining turkey populations in every Wisconsin county.

Turkeys can now be found in every county in Wisconsin and 49 states in the U.S. and, as wild turkeys do not migrate, they are in Wisconsin year-round. 

“ [There are] spring and fall turkey hunting opportunities throughout the entire state” Kakatsch said.

Continuous conservation efforts include the wild turkey stamp program, which requires all hunters to purchase wild turkey stamps.  Anyone who would like to support the wild turkeys in Wisconsin can also purchase the stamp. 

“All of the funds generated from the turkey stamp are used directly for WI turkey conservation such as habitat projects, research and education efforts, and their overall species management here in WI,” said Kakatsch.

 Butter is also a staple in the Thanksgiving feast and in addition to being eaten with rolls,    is used in many Thanksgiving recipes including mashed potatoes, stuffing, gravy. Wisconsin is the only state in the U.S. that requires a butter-making license. The tradition of  making butter dates back over 12,000 years to the Neolithic era and originated with the camel butter of the Tuareg nomads of the Algerian Sahara, who relied on camel milk as a large part of their diet. However, in Wisconsin,  most butter is made using cow milk, as there are over 3.5 million cows in Wisconsin alone and many more in the United States (DATCP). 

The process of making butter starts with the milk and cream. All butter in the U.S. is required to be made of this; Congress passed an act in 1923 that states butter must be “made exclusively from milk or cream or both,.” The Center for Dairy Research explains the process of making butter. Butter making is a large part of Wisconsin culture so how does it work?

‒Milk is separated to isolate the cream from the skim milk using a milk fat separator.

‒Then it is pasteurized; Heat is used to kill harmful bacteria and inactivate enzymes like lipases that could cause off-flavors..

‒Culturing is an optional process where bacterial cultures (e.g., Streptococcus cremoris, Leuconostoc) are added to the cream. This creates a tangier flavor and lower pH.

‒The butter is then tempered. Gradually warming the pasteurized (and cultured, if applicable) cream to control the cooling rate. This helps achieve the correct balance of solid and liquid milk fats which controls the softness.

‒Churning the cream to transform it from cream to butter. This is when the solid butter is separated from the liquid buttermilk..

‒The butter is then kneaded to remove the remaining buttermilk and create a solid piece of butter.

‒Butter is then packaged and gradually chilled. Rapid chilling can result in a brittle texture, while slower cooling helps achieve a smoother, spreadable consistency.

According to the Wisconsin State Cranberry Growers Association, cranberries,  were once called “craneberry” by settlers because its blossom resembled the sandhill crane, but the plant name was shortened to become the one we now know. It has become an important part  of the Thanksgiving feast. Wisconsin cranberry growers annually lead the globe in cranberry production and outgrow the next largest growing region by more than 1 million barrels. Cranberries are freshest during the holidays,  so sales see a spike around this time; fresh cranberries are harvested and are a widely used ingredient in traditional holiday dishes like sauces, stuffings and desserts.

“The work that Wisconsin’s growers do to produce cranberries plays a significant role in Thanksgiving celebrations both locally and across the country,” Grant Holley, the Wisconsin State Cranberry Grower Association Executive Director, said“As a fruit native to North America,  Cranberries have long been a staple tradition in Thanksgiving celebrations.”

Holley states that cranberry farming is so prevalent in Wisconsin  because of the abundance of natural marshes, wetlands and sandy, acidic soil that allows cranberry vines to grow easily and thrive. 

Surprisingly, the  Wisconsin winters can support cranberries since they allow the berries to develop, ensuring high quality. The moderate growing season in Wisconsin also helps cranberries fully develop before being harvested. Bees pollinate cranberries.

“In the fall, cranberries are mostly ‘wet harvested’ by flooding the beds and using equipment to dislodge the berries, which then float for easy collection.” Holley said.

Wisconsin has laws that allow for sustainable harvesting, as well as an abundance of researchers finding new and innovative ways to bring cranberries to the table year-round and during the holidays. 

“Wisconsin’s cranberry industry adds a special, homegrown element to Thanksgiving, highlighting the state’s unique agricultural contributions and connecting Wisconsin growers to Thanksgiving tables nationwide,” Holley said.