Thanksgiving 2010

So the turkey weighed in at 36 pounds and boy was it tasty!  It was very moist (we brined it the night before).  It took 6 1/2 hours to cook it.  It turned out perfect!  Here's some video of dinner.  Oliver and Sam both fell asleep and missed out on the main dinner, but after waking up got to eat plenty of leftovers!
Click the image below for video....

From Family Videos

Butchering the turkey with Jacob

Warning - graphic descriptions in this post, so if you're an animal activist or have a sensitive stomach, you've been warned.

So tonight I got home and Jacob helped me tie down the turkey and then butcher it.  The turkey was very calm.  Jacob went out to the coop, and tied a rope around it's leg and led it along to the garage where it came on in.  Then we tied it's legs together and it's wings.  However with the turkey being so calm and relaxed, we realized after the ax fell, that those knots were not nearly tight enough.  It flailed all over the garage and blood was spurting everywhere! It was jumping all over and I tried to grab it quickly as it was spurting blood everywhere!  I finally got a hold of it and turned it upside down neck down into a big 5 gallon bucket.  It was kicking and it clawed me pretty good.  There was blood everywhere, and come to find out, some of it was mine.  That stupid turkey cut me open with its kicking, all without a head.

Then we filled up the garage sink with hot water and dipped it in there for a bit and then started pulling feathers out.  Man that turkey was huge!  It had thousands of feathers.  The part where I couldn't stomach it anymore was the cutting open the bottom area and gutting it.  Jacob was willing to do that and I wasn't about to argue with him.  He kept pulling things out.  "Dad what is this?"  "That looks like the gizzard."  Then he pulls out the heart.  It's still steaming.   Then he pulls out, yes the turkey balls.  He wasn't grossed out one bit, but me, I'm close to dry heaving the whole time.  The smell was terrible.  I don't get how he wasn't grossed out.  He was smelling it, and touching it.  I don't know what I'd do if he didn't help me.

We weighed Jacob (101.4 pounds), then Jacob while holding the turkey (138.2).  So that turkey, after being de-feathered and gutted weighs 36.8 pounds.  It felt heavier.  It's size is like that of a small child. I'm pretty sure we'll have to quarter the thing in order to cook it.

Then we filled up a large plastic storage tub with water and put 10 cups of sugar, 10 cups of salt and mixed it up.  Then put the turkey in there and weighed it down by putting a 5 gallon bucket full of water on top of the turkey so that it stays completely immersed in the brine mixture.  Jacob then cut off the feet and man those talons were sharp!  Jacob said he wanted to keep the chicken feet, which I'm OK with, but he also wants to keep the pair of chicken balls.  That seems a little weird.  What do you think?

Big Helen does it again!

Jacob brought in the biggest chicken egg I've ever seen in my life the other day.  Here's a couple pics to compare a normal chicken egg we get, and Big Helen's:

The most cherished blessing in my life is....

Cathi!

I'm so thankful I found her and that she picked me of all people!  What are the odds that I'd find the woman that makes me feel so complete and happy?  It's just one of those things where everything has fallen right into place and there isn't any explaining how it happened.  A miracle and a blessing which I am most grateful!

If I had everything taken from me except one, I'd keep Cathi.