by Joe Dennis, Nostalgia Farms
One holiday down three to go! November is the start of a long and strenuous holiday season of friends, family and great food.
Amazingly, we are still harvesting! Late plantings of beets and carrots should produce a much appreciated late fall crop for Thanksgiving. Several beds of spinach are coming on nicely, and will certainly give us several pickings usually right through the New Year. We are still picking strawberries well into the second week of November, all under cover of plastic.
I am saving a nice row of parsnips for Christmas; I want it to get hit with a few sub-zero nights, turning the starch into sugar for a truly sweet treat. Even though we have been hit with a few frosts at the farm, much of the late outside plantings of ‘Broccoli Raab’, ‘Pak Choi’, collards, and kale all have toughed it through.
My biggest hint to a great tasting Thanksgiving is fresh herbs, a simple ingredient like chopped parsley added at the end of a lump-free gravy adds a taste of homemade. Thyme and sage are needed herbs for a great stuffing and are easy to keep growing right through November, even dried bundles from late cuttings are better than most herbs sitting on a shelf in the store.
I plan on using all three herbs in a butter compound that will be slid under the skin of the turkey before roasting. Proceed as normal, roasting your bird at 350 degrees until done. We raise Heritage free-range turkeys so I tend to drop the temperature in the oven by 25 degrees, but for most 350 degrees will work fine, basting occasionally until a thermometer registers 165 when inserted in the thigh. The bird is nestled over a bed of carrots, celery and leeks. The turkey stock is made with the neck and giblets saved to mix with the pan drippings for the gravy.
Plans are being finalized with my family on who is bringing what for Thanksgiving dinner. My list will include the turkey (obviously), stuffing, gravy, sweet potatoes and pumpkin cheesecake. I love my Mom but she can’t hold a candle to my gravy (family consensus not mine, sorry Mom). My stuffing is filled with apples, sausage, pecans, leftover homemade bread and lots of fresh sage and thyme.
Check out two of my favorite Thanksgiving Day Recipes:
Nostalgia Farms Easy Sweet Potato Casserole
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Joe Dennis is a farmer at Nostalgia Farms in Walcott, Iowa. Together with his partner, Ed Kraklio, they sell locally-grown, organic produce at the Freight House Farmer’s Market in downtown Davenport, IA near LeClaire Park, every Tuesday (3-6 pm) and Saturday (8 am -1 pm). You can visit the farm’s website at: www.nostalgiafarms.com. Read more of Farmer Joe’s blog posts on MVHNews, or try any of the Nostalgia Farms recipes on this website. |
