3 Turkeys

My goal this week is to buy 3 turkeys!

I will pull the big bag of brown rice and bags of bulk nuts out of my freezer and pack them into white buckets and store them in my garage (since weather is getting cold enough outside to keep them good). Now there is room for the turkeys in my chest freezer.

Why does anyone want 3 turkeys? Here's my reasons:

1) turkey is incredibly cheap right now.
You can even find it "free" at some stores (with the purchase of this or that, or with a coupon). I just bought turkey #1 at 38¢ per pound. You won't find meat that cheap anywhere all year! I got turkey #2 by saving coupons from a local grocery store and then buying a turkey breast for $7.50, the amount of my coupons: net cost, zero! I am still going out to buy turkey #3. That should be enough poultry to get us through the winter.

2) turkey is really a healthy food, high in nutrients.
It is an excellent source of quality protein, and low in fat. It is even leaner than chicken. If you did nothing more in your diet than replace beef in your recipes with turkey, you'd lose 5 lbs. a year. Turkey is an inexpensive source of iron, zinc, phosphorus, potassium and B vitamins.

3) turkey can be easily substituted for expensive chicken.
Many of us have fallen into the habit of buying the ultra-convenient frozen skinless, boneless chicken as a mainstay ingredient in our cooking. At anywhere from $1.99 to $3.99 per pound, chicken is pricey! We like the convenience of having meat that is easy-to-cook and doesn't require deboning. By cooking a big turkey, then packing the meat away in freezer containers (or recycled cottage cheese or yogurt containers), you have the same convenience at a fraction of the expense. You also have ready-to-go lunch meat without all the salt, sugar and nitrites.

I buy the biggest turkeys I can find, as the meat-to-bone ratio gets better as the size of the turkey increases. It also makes the cooking job easier: you just have to cook and cleanup once to create lots of future meals. After taking the meat from the bones, I put the bones and any drippings from cooking into a big soup pot and simmer it all day to create very rich turkey broth for future soups, gravy or sauces.

Have a Happy Thanksgiving!