Happy Thanksgiving, ya’ll! We hope this week’s newsletter finds you happily fed and full, both of belly and heart. This year we’re especially grateful for the abundance that our farm provides, not only for our employees who work here, but also for our Central Texas community. If you’re lucky enough to have some Turkey-day leftovers, we thought we’d share with you our three favorite ways to enjoy the extra abundance over the weekend.

Leftover turkey? We've got some ideas. Photo by Allison Marras.

Make a Sandwich.

If you’re hosting Thanksgiving, chances are you will have to make that inevitable last store-run before the big day. Make sure to snag a good loaf of bread, preferably something with some heft. Mashed sweet potatoes and cranberry sauce will play the part of condiments, and leftover turkey and ham the protagonist. Is there anything more classic than a turkey sandwich the day after Thanksgiving? The Turkey flavors you know and love, sandwiched between bread for a meal that comes together in a mere fraction of the time it took to brine, cook, and carve your turkey.

Photo via Bon Appetit - https://www.bonappetit.com/recipes/article/15-best-ever-leftover-turkey-sandwiches

Bon Appetit put together a list of 15 Best-Ever Leftover Turkey Sandwich recipes, and although you can probably mange without a recipe for a sandwich, these deserve a gander.  . If burritos are a sandwich, then we’ll mention those here, too.

Put it in a pocket.

One of our recipe developers, Mackenzie Smith, first turned us onto the power of the pocket for transforming leftovers into something new and exciting via her blog World in a Pocket. But, we digress. Use frozen dumpling wrappers or make a quick (and easy!) empanada dough to pocket-up thanksgiving leftovers. Really, sky is the limit, but possible combinations could include stuffing + turkey dumplings or cranberry sauce and mashed potato pirogies . Here is recipe for Thanksgiving Leftover pop-tarts . How about green bean empanadas? Yes, please!

Photo by Mackenzie Smith from her collard, sweet potato, and black bean hand pies. Recipe on the JBG blog!

We know turkey leftovers can sometimes get gobbled up quickly, leaving only sad corners of casseroles, devoid of the crunch and pizzazz that once made them shine. Using these leftovers as simply a filling in a dish that is altogether new will help you love them all over again. To further freshen things up, add a few chopped herbs to your pocket filling or make a dipping sauce with some new flavors - maybe a soy-based sauce for dumplings or a lemony-yogurt sauce for empanadas.

Photo by Mackenzie Smith.

Gumbo

Several of our office staff hail from the gulf coast where the weekend after Thanksgiving is reserved for turkey gumbo. Even after the turkey has been picked clean and pile of bones is all that remain, there is still a bounty of flavor to be had from your bird. Make stock! And then use this stock to make gumbo!

For an speedy and fuss-free gumbo (we know you’ve been cooking all week) skip the homemade roux and buy the widely available jarred roux, instead. The best part about using jarred roux, aside from the fact that it shaves off hours of your cook time, is that it’s perfect every time and is never burnt. As far as what direction to go with your gumbo, there are many options. But again, because you’ve likely been kitchen bound all week, we say to keep it simple with a turkey and sausage gumbo. Here is a great base recipe.

Leftover turkey gumbo for the win. https://www.emerils.com/122684/turkey-bone-gumbo

If the thought of making a gumbo, specifically, intimidates you, making a soup or stew of any kind is the perfect way to put that turkey carcass to use. Make a quick and easy turkey udon noodle soup or a classic turkey noodle soup, good for the soul.

And maybe all these leftover transformations seem unnecessary. If that’s the case, just enjoy your leftovers exactly as they are. Happy thanksgiving from the farm! As always, we’re incredibly grateful for our wonderful Central Texas community. ‘Till next week!