Thanksgiving: a traditional time for families to gather together, eat turkey or nut loaf and pumpkin pie, and be thankful.  For the pilgrims who were taught how to plant and grow corn and squash, and how to hunt and fish in an unfamiliar environment, by the Native Americans, the first Thanksgiving was a three-day harvest festival to celebrate the bounty of the new world.  Harvest festivals have been around a long time.  The harvest has been celebrated in many cultures, ancient and new — the Greeks honored Demeter, the Goddess of Agriculture, and the Romans celebrated the Goddess of vegetation, Cerelia.  The Hindus celebrated Gauri, Goddess of the Harvest, and the Hebrews have the Feast of the Tabernacles, or Sukkot.

But it’s no surprise that  Thanksgiving today has become divorced from the harvest, though not from food.  Most of us no longer depend on our own harvest to eat, it’s only a matter of whether the store is open and if we have some money in our pockets to purchase our desired edibles and condiments.  But just because we no longer harvest our own food, doesn’t mean that farming and the agrarian lifestyle is not of deep interest to many people.

Witness the popularity of Farmville, a game played on Facebook, where people grow virtual crops on their  virtual farms.  NPR featured an interesting interview with Dean Takahashi of VentureBeat the other day about the immense popularity of this game — over 63 million people play each month.  In one sense, people are using the game to connect with friends, an excuse to communicate (and something to communicate about).  And in another sense, people regard farming as a fanciful and fun activity, and are yearning themselves to return to simpler times.

Youtube is filled with videos about Farmville and the farms created on them:

The popularity of the game points to the fact that people are interested in farming and in where their food comes from, even if they are unable to grow it themselves.  People are interested in organic food, biodynamic food,  and eating seasonally and locally, both for health reasons and for environmental reasons.

Most of us do not farm our own food, but even if you live in an urban area, it might still be possible to grow a little something for your family.  Many cities have programs that encourage and promote backyard gardening.  In Austin, Gardens, and Resolution Gardens are just two companies willing to help backyard gardeners.  Needless to say, gardening is a wonderful activity for children.

Unfortunately, I will not have grown any of the harvest bounty that will bless my Thanksgiving table.  Not this year, anyway.  But I hope to get a garden started, in my small urban back yard.  And next year, I hope to have my own harvest to celebrate.

What about you?  Will you serve any home-grown food this Thanksgiving?