We Are Living Among Them
By Anne Mitchell, Chuck Shuman, Suzanne King and Benjamin Kohen | November 23, 2025
The four of us recently purchased 26 acres in southwest Michigan. The land is mostly wooded with a little more than two acres of mowed lawn and a stream bisects the property. We purchased the property in order to protect the land, the trees and all the beings who already live here.
We live with a large community of Wild Turkeys. Over the last few months, we have watched four adult moms raising their combined eighteen children. During the summer it was much easier to see who the kids were but now that it is November, they are much closer in size to their moms making it more difficult to distinguish the young from the more mature. Watching them is like watching human moms with their kids, perhaps out for a field trip or maybe a group of home-schoolers. In this case, however, it is not an elective field trip but a beautiful and serious introduction to the young Turkeys’ “bigger world” in which they must learn to understand and live. Whenever they are traveling, the four moms space themselves so that one mom is in the lead, two moms are in the middle with the kids and one mom brings up the rear. We watched them one day come out of the woods, forage in the backyard, quite near the house — maybe 30 feet away. When the kids got too rambunctious or tried to wander off, one of the moms was right there to redirect them. We could see the love and caring those moms have for their kids. They walked slowly, deliberately looking for seeds and insects in the grass. They seemed very content.
When the flock was done foraging, the whole group filed by the side of the house and came across the areas in front of our house. We were concerned they would cross the road, but instead, they crossed the driveway and reentered the woods on the other side, which includes a ravine of about twelve feet. As the leading mom got to the driveway, her pace quickened and the other moms started talking more loudly to the kids, the whole group became alert, walked faster and then started trotting to get across the driveway as quickly as possible. The lead mom kept looking over her shoulder to make sure they were all moving quickly and paying attention. The middle two moms shared the responsibility of keeping the kids in line with one on each side of the kids, encouraging them to move along. The last mom made sure every young Turkey was safely across the drive before she entered the woods.
Watching all of this, I was dumbstruck with how much the scene appeared like a school crossing when class lets out for the day. Or what moms and their kids look like when going on a museum trip in the city. The care and concern of the moms for their kids, the education the kids were receiving and the fun they were all having was so clear. Their understanding of the various terrains and potential threats was clear. I have not lived with Wild Turkeys before and this was awesome to watch. I have deep gratitude for being allowed to witness this.
I went to the grocery store yesterday afternoon and was confronted with dozens of dead Turkeys, killed, wrapped and frozen, ready for humans to eat in celebration and gratitude for this land, country and other humans. The cognitive dissonance was stunning. I reflected on what I had seen about Turkeys, their sentience, parental care and wisdom in nuanced understanding of life and the land. I had a difficult moment witnessing our cultural blindness to the lives of the Turkeys with our desire to “give thanks.” Gratitude should extend to the other Animals with whom we share this land and country, and especially to Turkeys this time of year.
The domestic Turkeys of whom I saw dead and packaged are direct descendents of Wild Turkeys. Through human domestication of them — through colonizing their bodies and minds — modified Turkeys so they can no longer fly and are burdened with profound life-limiting heart defects and legs which cannot support the weight that they are bred to grow and bear. Their breasts are so large that their bodies have a hard time supporting their fast growth. They live indoors in very crowded conditions. They reproduce via artificial insemination which is sexual abuse to both males and females. They do not get to raise their children or live in community. They are slaughtered as infants. They are babies when they are killed for human consumption.
Many people worry about how much they have to sacrifice in order to stop eating Animals. Our experience has been the opposite – we have never felt constrained by being vegan — in fact, our repertoire of recipes and flavors has expanded greatly since we stopped eating Animal flesh and secretions. We also eat whole food, with little oil or processed sugars and our health has improved greatly, including reversing type 2 diabetes and an autoimmune disease. But our main concern is to honor the Animals who are our neighbors; the rest has been a bonus.
Thanksgiving is now a joyful experience as we know that the food we eat honors the Animals, the land and our own bodies. There is no conflict in eating well when you know that your food choices are good for everyone. Our gratitude feels real and genuine for the first time in our lives. We invite you to join us this Thanksgiving and see what it feels like for you. We offer the following recipes and a link to a full vegan menu for the holiday. Thank you for reading this and for thinking about the impact of the food you eat on yourself, the other Animals and the land.
Some of Our Favorite Thanksgiving Recipes
Starter: Butternut Squash and Kale Salad
(makes 6-8 starter servings)
Ingredients:
DRESSING:
1/2 cup tahini
1/3 of a cup of lemon juice
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 cup water
salt and pepper to taste
SALAD:
1 medium butternut squash (about 1.5 pounds) peeled, halved, seeded and cut into 3/4 inch cubes
1 red onion halved and thinly sliced
salt and black pepper
2 bunches kale of choice, washed and cut into very small pieces
1/4 cup (or more to taste) pine nuts, toasted
Directions:
DRESSING:
Add all ingredients to a jar with a tight fitting lid and shake well.
FOR THE SQUASH:
Heat the oven to 425. Add squash with red onion slices to a parchment paper lined baking sheet and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast about 30 minutes, stirring once, until the squash starts to brown and the onion softens. Allow to cool slightly.
FOR THE SALAD:
Add the cut kale to a large bowl, sprinkle with a little salt and lemon juice and massage the leaves to soften them a bit.
TO SERVE:
Divide kale among bowls, top with slightly cooled squash and onion mixture, add dressing and toss to coat. Sprinkle with pine nuts. Enjoy!
Notes:
The dressing will thicken in the fridge so add a little water and shake well before serving. Store dressing and salad components separately for best results the next day. Will keep for several days covered in the fridge.
Main: Artichoke-Quinoa Stuffed Portobellos
(makes 4 main dish servings)
Ingredients:
2½ cups veggie broth
1 cup tricolor quinoa
1 cup chopped canned or frozen artichoke hearts
½ cup shredded radish
⅓ cup roasted, shelled pistachios, chopped
¼ cup chopped sun dried tomatoes (no oil)
2 TBSP chopped fresh parsley or 2 tsp dried
4 portobello mushroom caps, stems and gills removed
¼ cup sliced scallions
Black pepper
½ cup Lemon Aioli Dipping Sauce (see recipe below)
Toasted Baguette slices or whole wheat rolls for serving
Directions:
In a medium sauce pan bring broth to boiling, stir in quinoa. Return to boiling, reduce heat. Cover and simmer 15 minutes.
Stir in the next five ingredients (artichokes through parsley). Heat through and set aside while cleaning mushroom caps.
Place mushrooms, stem side up, on a parchment lined baking sheet. Spoon quinoa mixture into mushrooms. Bake at 375 for 20-40 minutes depending on the size of the mushroom caps. Simply cook until the portabellos are cooked through and the filling is hot.
LEMON AIOLI DIPPING SAUCE
Ingredients:
12.3 oz pkg extra firm silken tofu
¼ cup lightly packed fresh parsley or 1 TBSP dried
2 TBSP lemon juice
1 clove garlic (or more to taste)
Pinch of cayenne pepper (or more to taste)
Directions:
Combine all ingredients in a blender, cover and blend until smooth and creamy. Chill before serving.
TO SERVE:
Plate the mushroom caps, spoon Lemon Aioli Dipping Sauce over the top of the mushrooms, sprinkle with scallions and black pepper. Serve with baguette.
Notes:
This filling also works well as stuffing in other vegetables for those who do not like mushrooms, including bell peppers, zucchini or acorn squash. Simply wash the veggies, hollow out the centers and stuff with the filling. Cooking times may vary so check after about 20 minutes.
Dessert: Apple Cake
Ingredients:
1 ½ cup white whole wheat flour ((see notes for substitutions))
⅓ cup date or coconut sugar
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground ginger
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon ground cardamom
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
½ cup unsweetened applesauce
½ cup canned full fat coconut milk ((see notes for substitutions))
1 Tablespoon molasses
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350°F and line an 8-inch square baking pan with parchment paper, or use a non-stick pan.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, salt, cardamom and nutmeg.
In a smaller bowl, stir together the applesauce, coconut milk, molasses, and vanilla. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix until mostly combined. The batter will be very thick, and some dry spots are okay. Gently fold in the apples until they’re evenly distributed. Be careful not to overmix the batter. Dump the batter into the prepared pan and use the back of a spoon or a silicone spatula to spread it evenly to the edges of the pan so that it’s smooth and level.
Bake the cake for 28-32 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Cool the cake in the pan for 15 minutes before serving, or cool completely before covering and placing it in the refrigerator. Refrigerate the cake for up to 5 days.
TO SERVE:
Cake can be served warm or at room temperature. If refrigerated, bring the cake to room temperature before serving.
Notes:
Serve with vegan caramel ice cream for a decadent and rare treat.
White whole wheat flour can be replaced with an equal amount of oat flour, spelt flour or an all purpose gluten-free flour blend.
The coconut milk can be replaced with ⅓ cup non-dairy milk plus 2 tablespoons of your favorite smooth and unsalted/unsweetened nut or seed butter (I tested it with almond butter). I have not tried this with peanut butter, but I think it would be good! If using salted peanut butter, omit the salt in the dry ingredients.
More Resources for a Plant-Based Thanksgiving
A Vegan Thanksgiving Menu & Shopping List from Carleigh Bodrug’s Plant Cooking Club
Center for Nutrition Studies Whole Food Plant Based Thanksgiving Menu
Meet the Authors
