This year I finally did something I have wanted to do for years: I attended the Harvest Dinner at Plimoth Plantation. For those not from this area, Plimoth Plantation is a living history village set in the year 1627. The interpreters each take on the role of one of the people that lived in the village in 1627 and do not break that role.

Plimoth Plantation offers Thanksgiving dinner as well as a harvest dinner. Since the harvest dinner is closest to what the Pilgrims would have eaten, and I wanted an authentic experience to bring me closer to my ancestors who lived during that time period, I chose the harvest dinner.

It was a bitterly cold day and I braved the village just to get myself in the mood and to have some sympathy for my ancestors who didn’t have the warm clothes that I have. The buildings were drafty.

The dinner was wonderful. Lots of meat and fish. My favorites were a rice pudding and a cabbage dish. I don’t usually like seafood, but the mussels were delicious. We even had some of the interpreters providing entertainment and conversing with us. The full menu can be found here. Recipes can be found in the Pilgrim Seasonings blog written by Kathleen Wall of Plimoth Plantation.

It was a wonderful experience and I am glad I was able to “walk” in the shoes of my ancestors. What experiences have you taken advantage of that allowed you to walk in the shoes of your ancestors?