Time for Turkeys

After spending 6 hours in Sister Bobbie Jackson's turkey classes, I think I'm ready for Thanksgiving.  For those of you who couldn't spend the time or didn't know about the classes, let me distill the basic idea for you.

Bobbie and Harold Jackson are living in Palmer, AK, for 6 months on a service mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.  They are serving in the Bishop's Storehouse, LDS Employment Center, and Sister Jackson is teaching classes on provident living.  

With 5 freezers filled with fruits, vegetables, cooked meals and meats, Sister Jackson could probably live for a year without going to the grocery store.  Her 3 power generators stand by for unexpected outages.  

Sister Jackson shares so many insights on how to save money on groceries, live within your means, teach your children and organize your life that the uncommitted bystander could become overwhelmed.  But her classes on preserving and freezing food can help even the most casual observer save money and eat better. 

I am committed to doing all those things, but like most people in my generation and many of my parents' generation, I really don't know how.

Lucky for all of us that Sister Jackson is committed to making her money-saving techniques and recipes available to everyone, and for free!  Lucky for you, I am going to help her do it.  The trouble is that her 1,000 turkey recipes will not be uploaded in time to make the most of your Thanksgiving leftovers.  Sorry to say, these blog posts are all you get--for now.

With 2 days left before Thanksgiving, I wanted to review some of Sister Jackson's turkey basics, hopefully to inspire you to take advantage of the sales and get a few extra birds, and, if nothing else, help you to get the most out of Thursday's turkey. 

So what is the big deal about turkey?

Turkeys are grown for this time of year.  You can buy them for as little as $0.49/lb, or get them free if you spend the requisite amount on other groceries.  If you stock up on turkeys the week before Thanksgiving every year, you won't have to buy skinless boneless chicken at $4 per pound.  Turkey can be substituted in any chicken recipe, you just need to know how to preserve them for future use.  Turkey drippings and bone broth are full of essential nutrients and make excellent gravies and soup bases.

How many turkeys should you buy?

Sister Jackson would get 15 or so.  But don't be afraid.  Get as many turkeys as you can fit in your freezer.  Few of us have much freezer space, even if we have an extra freezer or two they are probably full this year's catch, (at best), or freezer-burned bargains and that ground caribou your coworker gave you 3 years ago, (at worst).  If you learn how to take care of your turkey "leftovers," they'll last longer and taste better.

Easy Freezey

Sister Jackson preserves all of her turkey in the freezer, either cooked or raw.  We'll post more on freezers and freezing later.  We'll upload detailed information on what to do with all those frozen turkeys you are buying.  Keep them frozen and have patience.  Sister Jackson will teach more classes in January, but the classes and turkey tips won't help you unless you buy extra cheap turkeys while you can.

For now, you need to know that the key to preserving food in the freezer is to get rid of the air in your bags (and you don't need to run out and buy a vacuum sealer to do it).  If you aren't going to eat all your Thanksgiving turkey within a few days and plan to freeze it, make a few preparations first.  Get some resealable sandwich bags for the meat and make your own broth from your turkey bones (instructions to follow).  Fill the bags with turkey and broth, then sqeeze out all the air.  With a little effort, your leftovers will still taste good through next November.