The background for our Thanksgiving in Descanso

Several years ago, my brother-in-law Albert and his wife Lydia fled the confines of San Diego proper and now they are setting up a remote homestead in Descanso which is about an hour east of downtown. Actually, Descanso is downright urban compared to where they live in Sherilton Valley, a small community of families tucked into a hidden nook of the San Diego backcountry. Albert and Lydia own 25 acres that back up against national forest. There’s never been a house or a road built on their property. They’re in the process of securing permits from the county so that they can buy a pre-fab home and grade dirt roads on their amazing beautiful property which is full of live oaks, two creeks, and an artesian well. They’ll use solar energy exclusively and connect with the outside world through satellite phones. Albert and Lydia own goats, chickens, sheep, and dogs. They’re on their way to getting a couple mules.

The table was festively set for an early dinner

Lydia’s mom, Carol, owns a home on 10 acres adjacent to their property and that’s where we had Thanksgiving this year. Lydia and Albert are living in Carol’s house temporarily while they work on their own property. With our amazing southern California heat wave the past couple weeks, it seemed like a perfect idea to celebrate autumn in the backcountry where temperatures quickly drop and the world is as silent as can be.

Carol’s friends and family lovingly worked for days on the amazing dinner we all enjoyed. I admittedly didn’t do much. I contributed a cheese plate that guests could nibble on as the last minute meal preparations were finished up. Don’t worry… we also did a “Second Thanksgiving” on Sunday that I did a lot more work for. I’ll report on that later this week with recipes and all.

The hit of the party (or at least what I heard the most Ooohhs and Aaahhhs over) was the Butternut Squash soup. I am going to work on getting the recipe. The flavors were complex and rich and infinitely fascinating. I think there were pears and cloves and cinnamon involved. Once I get the recipe, I’ll definitely post it.

The turkey was free-range from Whole Foods. We also enjoyed a choice between vegetarian stuffing and turkey stuffing. Other sides included fresh kale with garlic and anchovies, yams, sweet potatoes, traditional mashed potatoes, salad, roasted root vegetables, wild rice, and a trio of pies for dessert. Nobody went hungry… that’s for sure.

Thank you to Carol, Albert, and Lydia for opening your home to all of us and thank you to the wide array of friends who put together our luscious and bountiful spread of food. I think that the Backcountry Thanksgiving is a new tradition for our family.

I hope you all enjoyed a lovely holiday as well. Now it’s time to look towards the December holidays and New Year’s!