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Happy (early) Thanksgiving!! Canadians have been celebrating Thanksgiving Day every year since 1879, but I was surprised to find that the date was initially a Thursday in November. The date of the celebration has changed several times since then until, in 1957, it was officially declared to be the second Monday in October.


Who's celebrating the made in Canada way? Local turkeys, veggies, and pies are a great way to celebrate while supporting Canadian farmers and businesses.


Before we headed to one family celebration Saturday, we hit up another Canadian tradition - apple picking!! Did you know that apples are Canada's largest fruit crop in terms of weight of food produced, and that the McIntosh, which is the only variety grown in all apple-growing regions of Canada, makes up half of all Canadian apple production? We didn't get any McIntosh though; we stuck with my boys' favourite Galas, and my favourite, Mutsus. After picking, we stopped in the bakery for a pumpkin praline pie - it was delicious! If you're in the area, one great place to visit is Buy Canadian First member Wagner Orchards and Estate Winery . Not only do they have apple picking but also horse drawn wagon rides, a bakery and winery open for tasting and purchases - the perfect way to spend a fall day.

Speaking of apples, we enjoyed a great treat during another family thanksgiving get-together this weekend (yes, we had a couple to go to), apple cider! It's the perfect drink for a Thanksgiving celebration. Buy Canadian First member, Growers Cider , makes a fantastic line of cider including Granny Smith, Gala Apple Strawberry, and White Cranberry. It was a fun treat for everyone and brought back some great memories of crisp fall days of old.


As a young family, we are enjoying keeping up our family traditions and creating new ones. What are some Thanksgiving traditions in your family?

Images courtesy of Buy Canadian First members Wagner Orchards and Estate Winery and Growers Cider.

We had a lovely Thanksgiving and I hope you did, too. My skills as a hostess improve with each passing holiday and I have been dubbed the chef of all family get-togethers. I am thankful for each and every day that is presented to me and for my family, my children, all the blessed moments of the past year and the wonderful people that surround me, both near and far. It has been nearly a week after the feast and I am still working through the leftovers.

 

 

I have been summoning memories of my grandmother; a frugal woman and an envromentalist before it was hip. She would wash her freezer bags and hand them on the line, gather bread ends and stale buns for crumbs and always saved bones for soup. As a single mom of three, we live by the old idiom "waste not want not". So, my turkey leftovers have been transformed into saucy turkey and rice, roast veggie poutine and turkey stock, which was used in a squash soup. My homemade cranberry sauce has become jam, ice cream topping and blended with plain yoghurt. The most important thing about leftovers is ensuring that they are handled safely and with the Christmas season soon upon us it wouldn't hurt to look at Health Canada's safety tips . 

The worst part about cooking holiday dinner is nibbling on leftovers in the wee hours of the night, as I am often up late with my studies or preparing my curriculum. To my dismay, I have gained some weight and in essence need to get rid of some leftovers. I have found just the way to do it, with Buy Candian First member Now That's Lingerie's Seamless unitard long leg convertible shapewear .

 

It's not quite getting rid of the extra weight but that's what New Year resolutions are for, right?

What do you with all your thanksgiving leftovers??

 

Photocredit: Andrea Willowcat and Buy Canadian First member Now That's Lingirie 

October is a demanding month, chock full of seasonal activities and to-do lists! I think its Nature's way of distracting us from the coming SNOW! We have Thanksgiving and Hallowe'en to think about, both of which call for at least a bit of pre-planning. Family get-togethers, big meals, making or choosing costumes, buying candy, decorating the house for Fall ... it's a good thing that we have 31 days in this month!

 

October also means the coming of cooler  weather, garden and yard duties, leaf raking and bagging and bulb planting. Then inside, there is the pulling out of "woolies", the removal and storing of air conditioners and fans, the sealing of windows and doors against drafts. Wow, Summer holidays are really over! *sniffs*

 

 It may be getting colder, but my family isn't ready to put the canoe away and stay onshore every weekend yet! Our new blogger,  Beth McKay-Smith, from Northern Ontario, and her family, like to take it outside in the Fall, too. Beth will have some Autumn camping tales to share this month, as well as some insights into Thanksgiving with the in-laws and lining the kids' stomachs before they go out for Hallowe'en! You can win cool things by reading and commenting on Beth's posts this month!

 

 

Drea has some delightful perspectives into October and buying Canadian first in Manitoba to share with us, as always. Drea will also be giving you the opportunity, each week, to win something wonderful from some of our Buy Canadian First members! 

 

Which brings me to our contest! All month,  you can win new prizes from our wonderful Buy Canadian First members! It is so easy to enter! Just leave a comment on each of three weekly blog posts for your chance to win! Next Monday morning we will pick this week's winner and then start all over again with a new prize for that week! I think that you will love what Shoal Lake , El Peto and Martin Munchies have for you!

 

We really do love your comments and we pay attention to what you are interested in! That's why you can look forward, for example, to an upcoming review of the iPad and a wonderful, Canadian, alternative! We would also be thrilled to hear about your experiences in buying Canadian first! We know you East and West coasters have stories to share!

 

You can comment on Facebook and Twitter , too! How is your October shaping up? Did anyone Run for the Cure? October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month! Are you celebrating Oktoberfest or going trick or treating this year? We'd love to hear about it!

:: images courtesy of Buy Canadian First members