thanksgiving harvest

[bobm]

This too qualifies as Thanksgiving harvest ! Yesterday , my wife had to go to the grocery store to get some spices and flour that she ran out of to make more pies. While there, she saw a sale sign in the freezer section that she had to go by ... she came home with a 19.9 lb turkey for $ 0.45/lb. = $ 8.96. That store ( open on Thanksgiving day ) was selling the same turkeys for $1.19 / lb. if one bought $50 worth of other things the day before. S C O R E !!! After the gang stuffed themselves with the former 22.4 lb. ( $0.69 / lb. with a $50 purchase of other items at a different store) Thanksgiving bird, I cut up the leftovers and sent them to freezer camp. This new bird is currently in the refrigerator being thawed so that it can be roasted for our grandson's 6th birthday dinner with mmmmmmmm pie ( his name for grandma's pumpkin pie since he started to talk ) on Monday .

 

[ninnymary]

bobm, I have 2 turkeys in my freezer that I bought for .59/lb but you had to purchase $25 worth of groceries. Well I don't know anyone who spends $25 a week! My score wasn't as good as yours but I'm happy. A third one at that price was eaten on Thanksgiving.

Mary

 

[TheSeedObsesser]

$25 dollars a week? We probably spend at least that much sometimes. We had goose for thanksgiving, so it only costs a bit of feed and labor. I have to say though, goose isn't that great. Duck, chicken, turkey, and guinea fowl are definitely higher on my favorites list. No wonder not many people raise them.

 

[bobm]

Goose can taste GREAT if one first fattens them the old European way. My Grandmother produced Christmas goose the way it should be. Leave it to the bleeding hearts who managed to pass a law that one is no longer able to do that, so we are now stuck with not so tasty goose.

 

[seedcorn]

First what is the European way?

Used to raise them, no cheaper meat to raise. We always thought it tasted like beef-if you took the mindset it was goose off of your mind.

Quit raising them because tired of the poop everywhere. No matter that they had 5 acres, creek, pond, seclusion if they wanted it, they had to stay by back door. They had to GO. & they did.

 

[Jared77]

I wonder if you could tractor them like chickens, turkeys and/or rabbits? That way they develop a reasonable amount of fat but your not dealing with goose poop EVERYWHERE.

 

[digitS']

I really used to think that I'd like to have geese. I'm not sure if my kitchen experience from hunting trips had a thing to do with it. We had a couple geese on the farm and that wasn't encouragement. No, I knew they were grass eaters and thought they could be a poultry version of grass-fed beef. (That Bob still around? Marinade, I tell you, marinade!)

Anyway, I have zero desire to raise geese now. For several years, my "spot" to park the pickup at one garden was 100 yards out in a farm field beside the goose pen. I don't know why the property-owner wanted them either if she couldn't stand to have them closer to the house . . . anyway, what really did it for me was taking a "gander" at their personality! Shoot.

I keep suggesting duck for dinner around here but DW shrugs. DD says, "I don't really like duuuck." You know, I probably shouldn't feel safer using duck fat than other animal fats but for some reason, I do. Two breast fillets, just about all the remainder for duck stock . . . cup of rendered fat .

Steve

 

[897tgigvib]

Awesome sprouts Major!

did the one that branched make more?

 

[so lucky]

I'm not sure, but I think the "European Way" is to force feed the goose. I read that the French used to force feed geese to make the best goose liver pate, until that got outlawed, as being inhumane. Of course, the food industry still does lots of things to animals that is inhumane, but this must have been pretty gruesome.

 

[majorcatfish]

Awesome sprouts Major!

did the one that branched make more?

Yes it did... That one was infested with cabbage worms in the crown
So after spraying it looked at the damage they did deceided to top it

Well it forked into 3 stalks but it was not a big producer.
The stalks on them were so thick none of my shears would cut
Them so had to use a small hand saw, those stalks are very stout
Just like cutting a small tree