turkey day

Well Turkey Day started yesterday...when I got home from work and harvested Mr. Royal. So, first on my "thankful for" list is: I am thankful for the life that fed us tonight.

Mr. Royal is the black and white
(a Royal Palm Turkey)

We had a very simple dinner this year, just me and my brothers.  I was up until 2am processing Mr. Royal after getting my homework done.  I decided to breast and leg the turkey and use the back meat and everything else for "Trollie food" and not cook the turkey whole. This is what I usually do throughout the year.  It came out okay but it could have been better if I had basted more or kept whole.  I made a nice sauce that i had originally basted the breast and leg with but I think it needed a bit more basting throughout.  It was all good but the meat was a little dry.  The sauce ended up mostly on the bottom of the pan so I made a gravy and it was very tasty.  We also had my family Broccoli Casserole but instead of the canned cream of mushroom soup I made my own, instead of frozen boxed broccoli I used the local broccoli I had put in the freezer and instead of store bought mayonnaise, I made my own.  My brother made a home made stuffing and we had our traditional stuffed celery and stuffed dates for appetizers through the day.

The turkey sauce was a Blueberry, Apple and Sage.  I took one of my blueberry jams that was a little soft, put it in my cast iron pan, added 2 chopped up apples and sage from the garden.  When I scraped it from the pan after cooking the turkey, it was mixed with fat, so I sautee'd it in the cast iron pan again and reduced down with some mead. Quite tasty.

A small amount of each will be given to the landwights.  The rest leftovers in the fridge.

And for my being thankful:

For my health, my family - chosen and actual, friends, for having rewarding work, a chance to grow and have a career in the future, a place to live that enables me to continue my goals of homesteading while I continue in school. I am thankful for many things including all my furry and feather heads...they bring me joy, a feeling of hope and purpose and responsibility.  For all my blessings now and hopes into the future. I give thanks.

Hail the Gods, Hail the Ancestors and Hail the community.