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Although we raise between 100,000 and 120,000 turkeys per year on our farm, we buy a turkey at the grocery store for Thanksgiving. Our turkeys are too big to be Thanksgiving birds. They are processed for ground turkey, lunch meat, and other tasty turkey options.
Thankfully, I’m not in charge of buying or cooking the Thanksgiving turkey, but in case YOU are, here are some tips for you (all info is from the Iowa Turkey Federation and/or Cook’s Country magazine.)
Buying a Turkey
It is best to plan on one pound of whole turkey per person, which will allow for some leftovers.
Fresh: A fresh turkey will keep for one to two days in the refrigerator, so only purchase it a day or two in advance. Store the turkey on a tray to catch any juices. DO NOT buy pre-stuffed fresh turkeys.
Frozen: A turkey may be stored in the freezer up to one year. Depending on the size of the turkey, begin thawing it up to five days in advance.
Thawing a Turkey
Thaw turkey in its original wrapper. It is best to thaw turkey in the refrigerator or in a cold water bath. NEVER thaw turkey at room temperature.
Refrigerator: Allow approximately one day for every four to five pounds of turkey. Make sure the refrigerator is set at 40 degrees Fahrenheit.
Cold Water: Allow approximately 30 minutes per one pound of turkey. Change the water every half hour.
Weight of Turkey
Refrigerator Thawing Time
Cold Water Thawing Time
8 to 12 pounds
2 to 2 1/2 days
4 to 6 hours
12 to 16 pounds
2 1/2 days to 4 days
6 to 8 hours
16 to 20 pounds
4 to 5 days
8 to 10 hours
20 to 24 pounds
5 to 6 days
10 to 12 hours
Example: Say you’re cooking a 12-pound turkey. The frozen bird should be placed in the refrigerator on Monday so that it’s defrosted and ready to cook on Thanksgiving Day.
We have a flock of turkeys that’s almost full grown, which means it’s time to test for food safety. Two weeks before a flock goes to market, we “sacrifice” several birds and send chunks of fat to be tested for pesticide, herbicide and antibiotic residues.Food safety is one of our highest priorities, so this is a standard practice that happens with every single flock we send to market.
Since we just have to send in small samples, the rest of the meat ends up in our freezer. Right now, I’m fully stocked with fresh, lean turkey breast, so I thought I’d make a list of some great turkey breast recipes I’ve gathered from around the blogosphere.
Buffalo Turkey Breast
This buffalo turkey breast is so versatile. Slice it for sandwiches, use it for buffalo pizza, or make buffalo flavored turkey wraps!
Award Winning Grilled Turkey Tenderloin
This is THE marinade/grilling recipe to use. We used this recipe at our big open house when we built our turkey barns.
Herbed Turkey and Rice Pilaf
Even looking at this recipe is comforting. Looks like a great meal for a cold winter night.
There you have it – 15 turkey breast recipes. There’s sure to be something for everyone, and no excuse not to eat more turkey!
(Maybe you should pin this blog post so you can keep track of the recipes?)
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Updated December, 2014
I've added a bunch MORE recipes to my blog since originally publishing this post...check them out, too!
I worked on a lot of different furniture projects this summer, but didn’t take time to post them, so now it’s time to play catch up!
I bought this desk at a garage sale several years ago. It was sturdy, but not really cute.
But now, after a little TLC, I think it’s much better looking!
I started by filling the drawer pull holes with wood filler, and then painting it with a Valspar Spray Paint.
Finally, I modpodged pages from a vintage atlas to the top. (I found the atlas at Antiques Iowa, a nearby antique mall where you can find almost ANYTHING you want!) New white knobs and it was done!
The desk was at The HomeShed’s first sale, but it didn’t sell, so it’s still available!
since I wrote a blog post, I almost don’t remember how to do it.
September (remember? the overbooked month) is over. And we’re halfway through October, and I’m still not back into the swing of things. You know when you’re insanely busy, and then it ends, and you’re not really sure what to do with yourself? Like, “There’s nothing that HAS to be done in the next 15 minutes, or 4 hours, or before tomorrow, so I’ll just sit here and do nothing.” That’s me, for the past two weeks.
The house remodeling continues – it’s been 7 or 8 weeks now. Everything is *mostly* done, but things still aren’t back where they belong, and it’s slowly making me crazy. When it IS done, I’ll do before/after posts for every area that has been changed in the past couple of months.
Adam is doing great at preschool. It seems like he’s gone from a little boy to a big boy BOOM! overnight. He wants to learn to read really badly, and is making great progress. Momma’s proud of her firstborn. :)
And Isaac? Isaac’s still a hurricane, but an adorably funny,18 month old one. He’s learning a few more words, but his favorite is, “uh-ooh-uh?” with intonations and gestures that show that he means, “Where is it?” He’s managed to terrify his kindermusik classmate, leaving me to apologize constantly throughout the class. He’s also managed to somehow develop an anemia problem. Iron supplements + chronic constipation = lots of Miralax for this baby.
On top of that, the house renovation projects we’ve been hemming and hawing over all summer started a couple of weeks ago, and my house is currently a DISASTER! Missing walls, bathroom gutted, boxes piled everywhere, dust on every surface…It has to get worse before it gets better, right? To keep up with our progress, and help me make major decisions, follow my blog’s facebook page (www.facebook.com/OnTheBanksofSquawCreek) where we’ll be choosing paint colors for the exterior soon!
I’m also helping to organize a benefit for a friend of mine with cancer. She and I grew up together and spent every birthday together for over a decade. She is 28 and was diagnosed with Crohn’s Disease in 2008, Rheumatoid Arthritis in 2010, and leukemia earlier this summer. Right now, the doctors have stopped her chemo in order to concentrate on an aggressive fungal infection in her abdomen. Her family has missed a lot of work and has been staying in Rochester, MN at the Mayo Clinic with her (and her boyfriend dumped her because of the stress.) She is the toughest chick I know (seriously!) but she could still use your prayers.
Finally, CommonGround is coming to shoot a video tomorrow on antibiotic use on our farm. I’ve been reading up on antibiotics again, and referring back to all of the info I collected before writing this blog post.
Now, time to get back to work! See you in October!
Katie Olthoff is a working mom of three who lives on a farm in Iowa. She is a former teacher and current communications professional who enjoys studying ways that moms can simplify and improve their lives. Katie is also the author of several children’s books about farm life and the host of the School at Home podcast.
