Redlands, 8 November, sunny & abnormally cool….
In my book, there is no better time to cook with nearly every herb in my garden than Thanksgiving.
From the main course, a turkey infused with both gray and purple sage, rosemary, French & just a pinch of lemon thyme to the hors d’oeuvres of deviled eggs sprinkled with finely chopped Italian flat-leaf parsley, it is hard to find a dish on our holiday table that has not perfected by the addition of herbs. And if you are like me, you wouldn’t have it any other way!
Today, we are going to focus on the center piece of many holiday tables – the herb roasted turkey [Dear vegetarian and vegan friends, the blog posts to follow will showcase some of our families favorite holiday dishes - each one featuring fresh, local produce and lots of ways to showcase herbs!]
Growing up, my experience of roasted turkey was that stuffing was cooked in the bird [gross!] and that it took nearly a day to roast the darn turkey – something about roasting it on low FOREVER. The aroma of the turkey was always a better experience than actually eating it. I vowed that when I grew up, my turkey would taste as good as it smelled and that we would not have to have someone at the holiday table certified in CPR because of the turkey being a choking hazard.
Flash forward 30 years [or so]. Long before the turkey is purchased [may we suggest a Sheltons free range from Gerrards Market, a hertitage turkey from Flip Flop Ranch in the High Desert or a kosher turkey from Trader Joes] , I begin the basis of what makes the best roasted turkey [if I do say so myself].
About a week before the big day, I begin harvesting sprigs of rosemary, sage & thyme. Freely, I roam between the golden sage, the purple sage and the grey sage, harvesting the most beautiful of the leaves from each shrub [avoid brown spotted leaves]. If the shrub has limbs that appear too heavy, too worn or woody looking, this is a great time to get some pruning and maintenance in while saving all that you can for cooking.
As for using thyme in I love the French variety with a hint of the lemon thyme when roasting a turkey. I cut off the greenest portions of the thyme, which is more towards the top of the low growing shrub. Harvesting thyme near the base is not really needed since there is less usable herb there and you will be left with a woody looking plant. [remember, in all cases, do not remove more than 1/3 of your plant - especially now when it is cold and plants are a bit stressed to begin with].
And rosemary? This is the herb I use the most of for roasting a turkey. There are two ways I harvest this one. The first is to remove branches that are not uniform with the growth on the plant as a whole [low branches hitting the ground, sidewalk]. Secondly, I love to use new growth. The branches are more pliable, the herb just a bit more sharp in flavor.
After harvesting, washing and towel drying the herbs, I strip the fresh herbs from the stems by holding onto the stem with one hand and stripping the leaves into a bowl using the other hand. Next, transfer herbs to a cutting board and chop herbs – not too fine, just enough to release their essential oils. I like to have one full cup of both chopped rosemary & sage – 1/2 cup of French thyme and several tablespoons of chopped lemon thyme. Next, fill a glass mason jar [large one] with minced, chopped garlic [I use a lot - 4 whole heads ] 2-3 cubed Meyer lemons and now fill jar to the rim with cold pressed extra virgin olive oil [being sure to cover all ingredients with the oil]. Refrigerate your herbed olive oil, taking it out once a day [if you skip a day or two, don't worry] and roll the jar so that you see things getting stirred about.
If you have extra fresh herbs on hand after preparing your herbed oil, tie them up at the base with a rubberband and hang upside down to dry. You will be using them here before long, promise!
Lets flash forward now to 2-3 days before Thanksgiving. Take the herbed oil and strain it, separating herbs from oil. I place the herbs & garlic between the skin and flesh of the bird [on the breast], in crevices [between the wings and body] lemons inside the cavity. Place the whole turkey inside a cooking bag [they are on the isle with aluminum foil in the grocery ] – then inside a large roasting pan. To roast the turkey in the roasting bag, you will need to follow the directions on the cooking bag when the times comes [adding flour, piercing the bag, tying the bag closed, etc]. Return the herb oil to the jar and once again, refrigerate.
Return the turkey to the refrigerator until time to roast. Just before roasting, you can do a few more things. I like to add more fresh, chopped herbs both on the turkey itself and inside the cavity, rub generous amounts of French sea salt on the turkey and then drizzle the herbed oil over the bird. I roast my turkey breast down.
Not sure you have enough herbs in the garden for Thanksgiving? Look for us to have plenty of fresh cut herbs on hand at the Saturday Morning Downtown farmers market in Redlands the weekend prior to Thanksgiving. [Please email us ahead so we can be sure to have enough on hand!] To keep herbs fresh, simply stand them in a jar of water in side the refrigerator. Want to pick up some herbs earlier so that you can get this herb oil started? Email us and we can have your herbs waiting for you on our self serve produce stand.
And yes, just in time for the Holidays, our Herbed Sea Salt [full of our naturally grown rosemary, sage, & thyme] is once again available. Look for this seasonal favorite at Olive Avenue Market and at the farmers market on Saturday’s during the holiday season [or until sold out]
