Moonstruck Farms

been busy around here....let us know if you are interested.  for a full shopping list just go to www.moonstruckfarmscsa.webs.com.

Spicy Turkey sausage $6.00/pound (1 pound bulk packages)  (same recipe was chicken)

Ground turkey $5.50/pound bulk

Turkey thighs on bone (2/pack) $3.50/pound.

turkey legs (2/pack) $3.50/pound

turkey leg/thigh (1 pack) $3.50/pound

boneless turkey breasts $4.50/pound.

(no preservatives or additives...just turkey :))

boneless breasts and thighs are vacuum packed.

Whole turkeys $2.50/pound

Sorry it took me so long!! Happy Thanksgiving!!

Basic Vegetable Stock

For Turkey Brine or Soup

(You need a double recipe for the brine)

(You can buy vegetable stock if you want too, but this is really good).

1 tablespoon olive oil8 sprigs of fresh parsley (3-4 tsp dried)

1 large onion6 sprigs fresh thyme (1-2 tsp dried)

2 stalks celery, including some leaves2 bay leaves

2 large carrots1 teaspoon salt

1 bunch green onions, chopped8 cups water

8 cloves garlic, minced

Directions

1. Chop scrubbed vegetables into 1-inch chunks.Remember the greater the surface area, the more quickly vegetables will yield their flavor.
2. Heat oil in a soup pot.Add onion, celery, carrots, scallions, garlic, parsley, thyme, and bay leaves.Cook over high heat for 5 to 10 minutes, stirring frequently.
3. Add salt and water and bring to a boil.Lower heat and simmer, uncovered, for 30 minutes.Strain.Discard vegetables.
4. Other ingredients to consider:mushrooms, eggplant, asparagus (butt ends), corn cobs, fennel (stalks and trimmings), bell peppers, pea pods, chard (stems and leaves), celery root parings, marjoram (stems and leaves), basil, potato parings…Get the idea?

Good Eats Roast Turkey

Recipe Courtesy Alton Brown (My Husbands calls him “my boyfriend”).

For the brine:For the aromatics:

1 cup kosher salt1 red apple, sliced

1/ cup light brown sugar½ onion, sliced

1 gallon vegetable stock (double of the1 cinnamon stick

provided recipe)1 cup water

1 tablespoon black peppercorns4 sprigs rosemary

½ tablespoon allspice berries6 leaves of sage

½ tablespoon candied ginger Canola oil

(I rarely use the ginger)

1 gallon iced water

Combine all brine ingredients, except ice water, in a stock pot and bring to a boil.Stir to dissolve solids, then remove from the heat, cool to room temperature, refrigerate until thoroughly chilled (on day like today I just put in the garage).Early on the day of cooking (or late the night before…I always do the night before) combine the brine and ice water in a clean 5 gallon bucket or ice chest.(You can get food grade buckets from donut shops and bakeries).Place thawed turkey breast side down in a brine, cover and refrigerate or set in cool area (like a basement or garage) for 6 hours.Turn turkey over once, half way through brining.

A few minutes before roasting heat oven to 500 degrees.Combine the apple, onion, cinnamon stick and cup of water in a microwave safe dish and microwave on high for 5 minutes.

Remove bird from brine and rinse inside and out with cold water.Discard brine.Place bird on roasting rack inside wide, low pan and pat dry with paper towels.Add steeped aromatics to cavity along with rosemary and sage.Tuck back wings and coat whole bird liberally with canola (or other neutral) oil.Roast on lowest level of the oven at 500 degrees for 30 minutes.Remove from oven and cover breast with double layer of aluminum foil, insert probe thermometer into thickest part of the breast and return to oven, reducing temperature to 350 degrees.Set thermometer alarm (if available) to 161 degrees.A 14 to 16 pound bird should require a total of 2 to 2 ½ hours of roasting.(Remember fresh turkey speeds this up quite a bit, watch your temperature, loose leg and clear juices).Let turkey rest, loosely covered for 15 minutes before carving.

Turkeys are sold out for now, but we always leave 10% in case of broken legs, broken wings during harvesting.  If you still need a turkey just drop me an email at moonstruckfarms@verizon.net  this weekend and I can let you know if they "all came through with flying colors" and we have a few extras. 

Thank you for your phenomenal support of the Bashaws and look for Moonstruck turkeys next year!!  Happy Thanksgiving!!

Thanks to working so closely with the Bashaws I have learned a number of things over the last year and a half.  I now know that my freezer will hold just around 275 pounds of turkeys!!  I now know that my back is very strong thanks to my gardening work, and I can lift a lot of weight in one given day. I know that the legs love to pop out of the bags.  I know that when working in the harvesting room to not be anywhere near Ann when she has the spray nozzle in her hands because she will accidentally hit you every time!!  I now know to look for the radio cord that Sam stretched across the aisle way because on your first day you will come into the dark from the sun and you and the radio will go crashing across the hallway...quite an entrance for my first day.  I now know to never ever let a turkey get over 50 pounds!!  I now know not to send Danny on a 5 minute errand because if it is gutting, sorry eviscerating time, he will disappear for at least 30 minutes and I now know that I love the business.  I know it must seem strange, but it does bring me closer to nature, to the gifts of protein that the Lord has provided us, and that they should be respected.  Once again thank you for your support.  The Bashaws have one slot for fresh turkeys for pick up next week, and there are some in the 18-19.5 lb. range in the freezer.  Just drop me a line at moonstruckfarms@verizon.net if you still need a turkey...I promise you it will be the best you have ever tried.  Happy Thanksgiving everyone!!  

The Bashaws are just a few days from retirement and only a few turkeys remain in the freezer.  I am very happy for them.  I can't think of anyone who deserves retirement more after all their years serving their community and not only in the meat department but with their service to the community in a hundred different ways throughout the years.  Moonstruck is scramblng to take over, and pork and beef are on their way.  We have found the designs for the scalder and plucker we are going to build, but the facility is the big step.  The Bashaws have made it easy for me.  They had a wonderful facility and I will just follow their lead.  A building with drains, shower walls, concrete floors, a water line at each station; all that can be hosed down and santized in a matter of minutes.  but it will take a little while to get set up.  This is a major undertaking.  Ca. Dept of Agriculture says we can process up to 1,000 birds a year, which is plenty, but the Dr. in charge was very kind in encouraging us to get inspection so that we can sell to stores and sell a lot more birds.  He said "you should do it"....it is a great product to provide farm fresh.  I thanked him and said maybe in a few years.   Once again thank you for all your support, and if you still need a turkey give me a shout at moonstruckfarms@verizon.net. 

http://www.rodaleinstitute.org/2010_nf_Multifarm_CSAs_More-farms-are-better

More farms are better...thanks to your support we are proving it, and we have barely begun!!  Thought you might enjoy reading some material I have read through the years, and see what we are working towards.  We have the skeleton structure now, and we need to definitely get a working website going, and still need more product, but we are getting there!!  Moonstruck signing out!