Turkey  Wings  in  the  Crockpot 

A simple, hardy meal for your weeknights.

Ingredients:
4 Turkey wings from Nightfall Farm (about 5lbs)
Salt and pepper, olive oil
Veggies: onion, celery, carrots
Cream of chicken soup (BUT: here's a GREAT and simple substitute with real ingredients)

Directions:
Full recipe here.

Tips  for  Roasting  Your  Turkey

Note: pasture-raised turkeys can cook up to 30 minutes faster than store-bought ones (likely because they have a healthier balance of fats!). Be sure to check the internal temperature starting about 30 minutes earlier than the recipe suggests.

our  new  turkey rule :  Keep  It  Simple

This year, we skipped the brine, we didn't bother starting the turkey breast side down and then flipping, and we certainly didn't use a plastic roasting bag. If you want to be fancy, go for it! (Alton Brown's brine and recipe are below!). But if you want to keep it simple like we did, check out these tips from another small farmer who raises turkeys on pasture. We've never met her, but we're impressed with her tips!

Pasture Raised Turkey Cooking Tips


Alton  Brown's  Turkey Plan... with  or  without  A  Brine

Alton Brown's recipe for success on turkey day. This has been our go-to brine for our Thanksgiving turkey plan for years:

Ingredients:
​Whole Nightfall Farm Turkey
Calls for canola oil to rub down the turkey BUT we use butter under the breast skin instead, and sprinkle the turkey with salt and pepper

Directions:
Roasting a turkey is as simple as this!
More on the Brine:
​
Each year, we say "It's time to brine the turkey!" and then "What do we need, again?"

Ingredients: 
Whole Nightfall Farm Turkey
Salt, brown sugar, peppercorns, ginger, etc...
We substitute our Nightfall Farm chicken broth for their veggie broth. :)

Directions:
Add turkey and brine to a bucket. Let sit. Well, it's a bit more complicated - but not much! Check out the full recipe here.

How  to  freeze  your  turkey  leftovers

Freezing your leftovers is 100% worth it! There are a million ways to use leftover turkey. Put in this 45 minutes of work, and you’ll have a nice supply of meat that’s ready for quick and easy dinners this winter. You’ll just thaw it and warm the leftovers in a skillet, and add this pasture-raise protein to dishes like tacos, curry dishes, pot pie, enchiladas, quesadillas...the list goes one! This how-to is a little detailed, but it's actually quite easy!
  1. ​Plan when you’ll freeze your leftovers. We like to roast our turkey on Thanksgiving, relax and enjoy our meal, and then freeze leftovers on Friday. Keep out what you want for Friday and Saturday, but the sooner you freeze your leftovers, the better they will be.
  2. Gather what you need: 30-45 minutes;  A big cutting board; A clean(ish) counter space; your cooked turkey; Whatever you’ll be freezing in: We use reused zip-lock baggies, or new ones. You could also try Pyrex / pyrex-like tupperware dishes, mason jars, etc. Whatever you’re going to use, be sure that you don’t mind it being out of rotation and in the freezer for 2-3 months; and a marker to label your containers of turkey.
  3. Freeze big pieces intact if you want: We usually keep the drumsticks and big portions of the breast intact if we have those leftover. Nate’s mom, Jean, likes to wrap these pieces in aluminum foil and then put them in a ziplock baggie. We usually forget this step and just put the pieces right in a baggie. I’m happy to report (from my experience) that either way works!
  4. Pull the leftover meat from the bone. It’s not scary - just go to town on that turkey! We just use our fingers. :) A few notes: Wait until the turkey has cooled down (after your meal). For this step, I pull out a big cutting board and two mixing bowls - one for meat and one for bones. You’ll want the bones for making broth! Last: It’s fine if you don’t get every bit of meat off of the bones because we also have (very easy!) instructions for making broth. When you boil or crock-pot the turkey “frame” (that’s the bones), any meat that was still on the bones will cook and fall right off. It will cook in the turkey broth and be oh-so-tender.
  5. Dice up the meat. No need to be particular here: I just use a large knife and just chop from a few different directions, to get roughly ½” chunks. This is perfect for all sorts of recipes.
  6. Mix it up a smidge if you want - that way you’ve got a nice mixture of white and dark meat.
  7. Put the meat into your containers. Nate’s mom, Jean, is a pro, and she puts 1 or 2 cups in her baggies (and notes the amount on the baggie) so that she can thaw the right amount for whatever recipe she’s using this winter. We usually just fill the container and make a lot of food at once. We’re farmers. We eat a lot. :)
  8. Label the containers and note the date (we’ll put “Turkey Nov 2020” on ours).
  9. Put them in the freezer and rest easy, knowing that you’ve just made meal prep a cinch for lots of future dinners!
  10. Plan to use the meat yet this winter. We think leftover turkey is best within 3-6 months. When you’re ready to thaw the meat, just pull it from the freezer and put it in the fridge 1-2 days before you want to use it.

easy  dinners  from  frozen  turkey  leftovers

Dinner is easy when you have frozen turkey on hand. (We're proud of you for taking the time to freeze your extras!). Thaw it for 1-2 days in the fridge, and then add it to one of our tried and true recipes:

How  to  make  and  store  turkey  broth

Turkey broth is rich and delicious. It's also a great way to stretch your dollar. You paid for the whole turkey: why not put every bit to use? Use the broth in place of chicken broth in any recipe.
  1. Gather what you need: 30-45 minutes of time; a clean(ish) counter; and your cooking option: you can use a pot, a crockpot, or an instant pot. 
  2. Decide how you’ll keep the broth. Turkey “frames” (that’s the bones) can make a lot of broth! We put our broth in mason jars and freeze it, and freeze our meat for future easy meals.
  3. Key Note: almost all broth recipes say you need to add things: carrots, onions, seasonings. We disagree entirely. We just put the turkey frame in the  pot/instant pot/crockpot, add water until the bones are covered, and let it cook low and slow. It’s truly that easy. The broth will be rich and flavorful without any of the extra’s that the recipes call for. Why? Because this turkey was raised on pasture and so it’s got lots to give you. :)
  4. Cook the broth low and slow. We keep it simple: crock pot for 8-12 hours on low (or more if you want - but check it to make sure you still have enough water in the pot!).
  5. Let the broth cool. Take the lid off and give it at least 30 minutes to cool off.
  6. Separate the meat from the bones. When you make broth, any meat that was still on the bones will cook and fall right off. It will cook in the turkey broth and be oh-so-tender.
  7. Use tongs or a slotted spoon to pull out the bones and the meat that’s fallen off of the bones. For this step, I pull out a big cutting board and two mixing bowls - one for meat and one for bones. I pull bones out and let them cool off (they’re usually steaming) so that I don’t burn my fingers! 
  8. Once it’s cooled off, take a few minutes to separate the bones from the meat. We freeze the leftover meat for later, and compost the bones. Note on composting bones: We only put bones in the pile that has a lid - this keeps out dogs and raccoons and such that might be interested.  
  9. Store your broth. Mason jars are our container of choice, but you could also use zip lock bags or other glass containers. Last notes:
  • Let the broth cool before you transfer it into the containers - and before you put it into the freezer!
  • Be sure to leave at least an inch or two of “head space” (so that the expanding liquid doesn’t crack your jar!). If you fill it to three cups, you’ll know what you have for cooking up future recipes. 
  • Mark what’s in there (we’ll write “Turkey Broth” and “Nov 2020.”)

Need some more guidance? Try this set of directions!

Leftover  FAvorites:  Turkey  Tetrazzini

Recipe from CSA member Jean Brownlee

Ingredients:
1 medium onion, chopped                1 can cream of chicken soup 
1/4 c chopped celery                           2 ½ c turkey broth
3 T butter                                                   1 t lemon juice
¼ t pepper
2 c Nightfall Farm turkey, cooked and cubed          
6 oz uncooked spaghetti,     
   broken in pieces (about 1 1/2 cups)          
1 can or 4 oz sliced mushrooms, lightly sautéed
Parmesan Cheese

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350° F.
2. Sauté onion and celery in butter until tender.
3. Butter 9 x 9” casserole dish, then spread onion and celery in bottom. Layer turkey over the veggies.
4. Sprinkle spaghetti on top of turkey.
5. Combine soup, broth, juice and pepper. Pour over casserole dish (veggies/chicken/spaghetti), then sprinkle mushrooms on top. Liquid should be just covering the spaghetti.
6. Sprinkle parmesan cheese on top and bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes.
​7. Enjoy!

Leftover  favorites:  Homemade  Turkey  Noodle  Soup

From Liz and Nate's kitchen.

Ingredients:
Leftovers from Nightfall whole turkey
Broth
Noodles
Veggies

Directions are here!

leftover  Favorites: turkey  soup with  roasted  vegetables

Recipe from CSA member Heather Holland. Recipe calls for chicken, but she makes it with turkey, too!

Ingredients:
Leftovers from Nightfall whole turkey
Veggies, including butternut squash and sweet potato
Broth from your turkey
Seasonings
Spinach

Directions...full details and directions here.
1. Roast veggies.
2. Bring stock to boil, add turkey, herbs, salt and pepper.
3. Add half of the veggies to the stock mixture. Puree the rest.
4. Add puree and spinach.
5. Enjoy!

Ground  turkey  favorites

A pound of ground is the most versatile option around!

How about these...click for the full recipe!

Korean Turkey Bimimbap

Chinese Greens Beans with Ground Turkey

Chipotle Turkey Stuffed Bell Peppers

Hoisin Stir Fry Bowl with Spicy Peanut Sauce

Spinach Feta Turkey Burgers

Greek Turkey Meatball Gyro

Yum!