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georgia schweyer
- Female
- Great Falls, MT
- United States
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georgia schweyer's Page
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- What Kind of HOMEGROWN are You?
- Earth Mama
- Fill in the blank:
- country girl living in town
- A bit about me:
- Love and live to garden
- Latest greatest meal cooked at home:
- Brazed~baked rabbit, baked Turban squash with butter and brown sugar and ofcourse... a fresh green salad.
- Currently reading
- countryside & Mother Earth Magazine
- Currently listening to:
- Old Rock and Roll and some country music here and there.
- My latest DIY project:
- Collecting leaves, grass clippings and putting together compost piles for next year.
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Latest from FARM AID
Staff Recipes: Roasted Heritage Breed Turkey
Even though my Thanksgiving will be a party of two, I like to prepare for the possibility of ten! When I heard Wendy was getting a Lilac turkey from Wells Tavern Farm in Shelburne, Massachusetts I jumped on board for a bird.Wells Tavern has raised about 30 of their turkeys for fresh Thanksgiving birds. They are selling heritage breed birds that have had access to pasture throughout the spring and summer, eating natural Vermont grain and scratch feeds – with no antibiotics or added hormones. The turkeys are kept in large fenced pastures, which allows them to naturally scratch and forage, and provides them with protection from predators.
Wendy has been talking about her delicious turkey for a while now, and I am excited to see if I can find success with my first attempt at making Thanksgiving dinner.
Here is her recipe from last year:
Whether fresh or frozen, bring the bird to room temperature before cooking.
Cover the breast with a piece of brown paper cut from a shopping bag, rub it with cooking oil, and tie it in place with cotton string. Alternatively, soak a piece of cotton cloth in unsalted oil, such as corn oil. Remove the covering about 30 minutes before the turkey is done so the breast will brown.Roast heritage turkeys in a hot oven pre-heated to 425F-450F and cook until an internal thigh temperature of 140F-150F is reached. Don't let the tip of the thermometer touch the bone. (Note: The USDA recommends turkeys be cooked to 160F-180F, but these temperature will dry out a heritage turkey. Heritage birds are much more free of disease and bacteria, unlike commercially-raised birds, and do not need extreme temperatures to make them safe for consumption).
Truly the thought of cooking at such a high heat terrified me but it worked out great. We had a 17lb turkey that cooked in 1 1/2 hours.
Cook any stuffing first and put inside the heritage turkey before roasting. Due to the reduced cooking time, stuffing won't become fully cooked. Alternatively, try adding a quartered orange, apple and/or pear inside the cavity instead of stuffing.
Let the roasted bird rest 10-15 minutes before carving.
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SO sorry to hear about your son's arm break. Bummer. Kids are resilient, fortunately.
It sounds like you've put the summer season to bed right. Some day, with any luck, I'll have a place where I have space to can stuff and the time to do it. I've lived in a small apartment for the past 6+ years. I'm lucky to have a yard, though, and a landlord who pretty much lets me do anything I want with it. And you raise rabbits, it sounds like? Any other livestock or pets? Do you hunt anything in particular? Are you able to provide a large part of your meat and produce without having to buy lots of groceries?
Things are winding down a tad bit with school. I'm considering doing a ten quarter program rather than six. It's way too much for me. I need more life! Ah, but it's friday...
happy weekend!
Sorry it's taken me so long to write back. Nursing school is kicking my butt. I haven't had a lot of time to do much gardening. I still have beans that I've been harvesting, although they're almost done. Had my last cuke last week. Still a few strawberries, tomatoes and peppers trickling in. Fall spinach about ready to harvest. Didn't have much time to do a winter garden, just some lettuce, spinach, beets, and herbs. The beets are extremely slow-growers that I planted in the spring. Weird. I envy your butternut squash! I really wanted some, but nothing. A few babies that never got fertilized and died. Maybe next summer. It sounds like you have a busy fall. And it sounds cold! Thirty degrees a month ago! We had daytime highs in 60's here until a week or two ago. Hope your fall projects are keeping you occupied and providing some fun. And think of how envious I am of you while I have my nose in a textbook!
Tracey
Good to hear that your gardening has been fruitful. I've been harvesting a variety of tomatoes, peppers, cukes, strawberries, grapes, and beans lately. The sad news is no butternut squash. I had some babies, but think nobody got fertilized. Maybe next year. I'm also gonna try a winter garden this year. Hopefully we wont' get too much snow! I've been crazy busy. One month into a new relationship (he's a gardener, too), and getting ready to start nursing school on tuesday. And can't believe all they expect us to read before classes even start!
How's the weather out there in Montana? It's been really warm and sunny here this week, but in the mornings you can tell that fall is upon us. It makes me sad. I live for spring and summer.
Happy gradening,
Tracey