Each year, I order my turkey from the Creamery as they get their birds locally and they are amazing. I went to pick mine up yesterday and got a wonderful surprise. I had ordered a 16 pound turkey but all that the farm had left were giant birds, all over 20 pounds so I got a 21 pound turkey but only had to pay for 16 pounds. Then, it turned out that three extra turkeys had been delivered and the store had no place to store them and no one who wanted such big birds. I was able to get all three for costs. I walked out with four huge, organically grown, free range birds for $100.00. I put one in the oven before bed last night and got up at 3:30am to get it out of the oven. By the time I got up for the day at 5:00, it had cooled enough to pull the meat off the bone. It is beautiful! I put eight meals of meat in the freezer and have two big pots of soup and stock simmering on the back of the stove. It looks as though I will get at least 10 substantial meals out of each bird.
I have a busy weekend ahead. I had my permaculture group meeting last night. I learn so much each week. I can’t wait for spring. On Friday, Sharon Astyk is coming by for a visit and on Saturday, I will be spending the day at our Potlatch. The used gifts are already coming in. Somehow, I need to pull a couple of hours away from the Potlatch to go to a class on making medicinal herbal infusions and tinctures. Fortunately, all of things I go to are withing a mile of my house. If I had to travel, there is a lot I wouldn’t do.
I hope for a wonderful holiday for you all. We have much to be grateful for. Near the top of my list will be the friends I have met through this site. I am the last person I ever thought would have internet friends but there it is.
My best wishes to you and yours.
Peace,
Kathy
November 25, 2009 at 9:06 am
I generally dislike the holidays now…because of the rushing around trying to please parents, in-laws, relatives and anyone else who feels entitled to a chunk of our time…but you hit on one of my favorite holiday memories. The night before a holiday, my mom would pop a turkey in the oven and let it bake really slow all night. That smell would permeate the house while we slept and I’d literally dream about turkey. And when we’d wake up, the house would be warm and steamy and smell soooo incredible. Then my brother and I would watch the various parades and wait for family to arrive. Sigh. Thanks for the memory!
We have a fairly low-key weekend planned following the initial running-around-to-please-everyone. I’m meeting a friend for coffee on Friday, then we normally put up our holiday decorations and go to a nearby tree-lighting. The whole holiday experience has left me a little jaded, but I love the decorations and lights! And the food isn’t bad either
November 25, 2009 at 9:19 am
Wow! What a great deal – and aren’t you glad you have room in your freezer. I’d be embarrassed to tell you what I paid for my local, organic, free range turkey. But I see a little overpayment now as an investment in local food and farms in the longer term.
Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours, Kathy. I’m thankful for your inspiration and example.
November 25, 2009 at 9:55 am
Yum ! you have been very lucky !
I wish you a very happy Thanksgiving !
November 25, 2009 at 10:04 am
We all have much to be thankful for. I hope you all have a great Thanksgiving.
November 25, 2009 at 10:14 am
Great deals on those birds! I’m NEVER in “theright place at the right time”. lol
November 25, 2009 at 10:36 am
I’m thrilled for you to meet Sharon Astyk!!! I’ve read her blog for years and have learned so much from her. But I must say, I’d be equally as thrilled to meet you! Thanks to both of you for continually inspiring me.
November 25, 2009 at 2:21 pm
Aren’t those naturally raised birds soooo good? We get ours from a Mennonite family who raise them plus chickens and natural beef. Trying to make a living on their farm. Yeah, cost more than a Walmart turkey but worth it…we do ours indirect heat in the Weber grill and it is beyond tasty. You sure got a great deal. Our friends sold out as another organic grower had dogs get into their flock and lost alot of birds so our friends sold out supplying these customers,too. They said alot of people didn’t order or cancelled their orders d/t the much higher cost of their birds so someones’ loss was their good fortune, I guess. DEE
November 25, 2009 at 4:57 pm
Happy Thanksgiving to everyone. We raised our three birds, and my son and I butchered Monday, and cooked two today. The last one will be cooked tomorrow…we have a very large family. My husband likes to snack while carving
) Amy
November 26, 2009 at 4:08 pm
Happy Thanksgiving, Kathy! What a sweet deal on the turkeys!
We’re having a very quiet day at home before going over to our friends’ house for the big event. They always join us for Christmas (that would make it a Buddhist/Jewish event at out house) and we join them for Thanksgiving. So we get to relax today and contemplate what we are grateful for. I am grateful for your common-sense, politics-free blog. I have given up on many internet news sources and some prep sites because I feel assaulted by the rhetoric. Your blog is still a mainstay, so I thank you. Have a wonderful day!
November 27, 2009 at 5:13 pm
Did you have a nice visit with Sharon Astyk today? Lucky you!
I thought about both of you, my preparedness gurus, as I worked for hours today with my husband on sheet mulching our proposed garden for the spring. At first everything was beautifully neat, and all the big rocks and sticks carefully removed from our piles of mulch, and the newspaper carefully laid in rows . . . when we realized that we had been working almost all day and had only about 1/4 of the area finished, it became a bit more frantic and haphazard. I’m guessing you can’t really do any more once the frost comes . . . is that right? The weather has been so oddly warm, though, I wonder if it will ever freeze.
Enjoy the rest of your holiday weekend. We are observing the annual “Buy Nothing Day,” so I am scrounging around for dinner possibilities in the cupboards. So much for preparedness today!
Kate in NY