turkey soup

Turkey Soup the Ultimate in Recycling

Turkey Soup the Ultimate in Recycling

Think about it – you make the turkey on Thanksgiving, clean off the extra meat and throw out the carcass.  Or do you decide to throw said carcass in a pot of water the next day and simmer it all day?  For many years the carcass went in the garbage.  Now I love spending Friday (when most people are out shopping smelling Thanksgiving smells on repeat.  Our bird was purchased from a friend who let him wander around all summer so he was happy until the day he met his doom.  This also meant that he was pretty healthy and had lots of nutrients in those bones and joints.  After simmering all day on the pot I removed the carcass and cleaned the rest of the meat off — it comes off much easier after this.  Then I strained the broth into another pot to cool.  I cooled it on my enclosed porch overnight and since I wasn’t prepared to deal with it on Saturday I put it in the freezer.  This really solidifies the fat and makes it so easy to remove and discard.

frozen turkey broth

I reheated the broth after skimming the fat off.  Then I chopped up celery, carrots, onions and the meat (mostly dark since this was a heritage breed turkey).

celery carrots turkey meat

 In the pot it all went.  Now I have a food processor, but sometimes I like the therapy of chopping by hand and I don’t care if pieces are uniform for my soups.  I like the rustic look of it.

turkey soup simmering Then I threw in a handful of parsley, garlic, salt, pepper, sage, and chili powder to taste.  You could add rice or pasta to this also, but I was making oat and millet flour biscuits to go with it so mostly I just wanted a veggie soup.

 turkey veggie soup and biscuit

Just so you can get an idea of how rich and healthy this soup is I have also attached a picture of it before reheating to day for lunch.  It is really thick and full of gelatin.  And I have to say it is soooo delicious!

turkey gelatin  There is nothing better than homemade soup on a chilly day.  And the best part is you can control what goes into it.  No waste or additives in this one.  🙂  

 

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