Oberle Botanical

Preparing turkey can be intimidating. Expectations run high, and let’s face it, as far as birds go, it’s big. There will be leftovers. If it wasn’t great on Thanksgiving, it’s not going to get better with age. We’ve all had the dry, mediocre turkey. Never again. What follows is simply the best method for producing a flawless roasted holiday fowl. Period. This is a turkey that friends and family will rave about and guarantees everyone will ask you to prepare for years to come. Of course, you can share the recipe, but if you choose to, lots of folks will look at you in surprise. Could this be true?

This is not so much a recipe as it is a cooking method that I first came across in Cook’s Illustrated magazine. The secret: brine the bird. That’s right, salt…and not just a little bit (don’t stop reading, it is completely rinsed before roasting).

Illustration by Joyce Leach

The idea seemed odd, but as a Cook’s Illustrated addict I decided to give it a try. It’s wonderful. I can’t help but think that in some very distant day, it will turn up pressed between the pages of a journal or cookbook found in an antique shop. It will be splattered with cooking debris (as really good recipes are). Across the top will be a handwritten note: “excellent.”

Please read the entire recipe through before beginning:

• One 12-15 pound fresh or defrosted turkey. Remove anything found within the body cavity. Rinse the bird inside and out completely. If your turkey is larger, double the amounts or use the alternative salting method in the directions below.
• 2 cups Kosher or 1 cup table salt.
• Olive oil for brushing the breast.
• A roasting pan (preferably a V-rack).
• The basting sauce of your choice (I use half butter & olive oil infused with garlic, sage and thyme).

1. Prepare the brine. Mix the salt in 2 gallons of cold water in a large, clean container. If you’re fond of herbs, adding a bouquet of thyme and bay leaf along with a few cloves of crushed garlic can be done at this time. Add the turkey and refrigerate or place in a very cool spot (40º F or less) for eight to 12 hours. My experience says the longer, the better. Alternately, rub the turkey inside and out with salt. Be exceptionally generous with the amount. Lift the skin where you can and rub salt underneath. Place a container large enough to hold the bird and cover with water. Cool as directed above.
2. When the allotted time has passed, remove the turkey from the brining solution. Wash it out as though your life depended on it. In my experience a clean bath tub is the easiest place to do this.
3. Cook stuffing in a separate pan.
4. Preheat oven to 325º F and place the oven rack as low as possible.
5. Tie the turkey legs together and brush with oil; Place breast side down on V-rack inside a roasting pan. No V-rack? Use oven-proof bowls or wadded aluminum foil to keep the turkey from toppling over. Add 2/3 cup of water to the roasting pan, or place a water filled pie pan on the bottom of the oven during cooking. Refill as needed.
6. Roast 2 hours for 18 pounds or less; 2½ hours for weights between 18-21 pounds and 3 hours if the weight is greater. Baste as desired through the “upside down” stage.
7. Remove turkey from oven. Find someone to help you flip the bird so that it is now breast up (easiest done with well protected hands).
8. Continue roasting until breast temperature registers 160º F and the thickest portion of the thigh registers 175-180º F on an instant read thermometer. This will be about 45 minutes to 1¼ hours longer depending on the size. If the breast isn’t browned enough to suit you as the thigh temperature nears the recommended temperature, turn the oven to 400º F during the last few moments of cooking. Watch carefully until the desired level of browning is reached.
9. Remove from oven a let stand for at least 20 minutes before carving.
10. Enjoy the juiciest, moistest turkey you’ve ever had!

Download this MasterCook electronic recipe

Visit LocalHarvest.org for information on locally raised turkeys.

Sue Oberle’s article in the Fall 1999 issue of Real Life Magazine

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While I write this, August marches on, full heat, ripening eggplant and juicy tomatoes. Crocus, tulips and the like seem so far off as I look through my kitchen window at the taller zinnias I grow to use as cut flowers. These are hedged in by a wall of Italian sunflowers; the ground hidden by unruly zucchini vines. Undoubtedly, one or two monstrous sized fruits lie somewhere within, waiting for discovery having been missed during earlier harvest sessions.

I try to imagine this colorful mass of vegetation passing away. Following our first hard frost it will become a sorry, wilted sight indeed. I try to see my garden in heaps upon the compost pile, my now green view taking on the shades of brown and gray common to winter months. This is not something I’m good at. I know though that in due time my garden will die, just as the icy cold mornings sure to follow will eventually fade into spring. I begin to fantasize about future gardens. I see new combinations of color, shape and form and dream of tastier tomatoes, longer standing spinach and find myself once again at springs door.

I’ve always been drawn to early spring settings where the gardener has worked cleverly with nature in creating a lush setting within a landscape newly emerging from winter’s rest. Bulbs are especially delightful at this time of year. Long before other plants break dormancy, many bulbs are in full flower. Most of us are familiar with crocus, tulips and daffodils as long awaited signs of spring. What many don’t realize though, is that there are some many other bulbs that are just plain under-utilized. Fritillaria meleagris, otherwise known as Guinea hen flower comes to mind. These have nodding, bell shaped heads, that are genuinely checkered in shades of maroon and white. Many other uncommon bulbs are members of the families we’re already familiar with, such as the species of tulips and iris.

I am particularly fond of the snow iris. These small plants begin flowering very early in the season, often peeking up through the snow. In my yard, bright yellow Iris danfordiae is the first to bloom. These are then followed by Iris reticulata. Mine are deep grape purple with yellow highlights, quite the show considering the time of year. They are also in crisp light and dark shades of blue. Species tulips are another of my favorites. These are recognizable as tulips, yet they are quite different from their later season cousins.

They are much smaller and daintier and tend to look best in rock gardens or where ‘naturalized’ by the gardener so as to appear wild.

In her book, The Undaunted Garden, Lauren Springer discusses many bulbs especially suited to the front range of Northern Colorado. Springer wrote the book while living and gardening in Windsor. She addresses things which tend to challenge gardeners in our area: drastic temperature fluctuations, drought and (that four letter, heart-chilling word) – hail!

Her “Bulb lawn” was one of my favorite ideas. It was planted with Buffalo grass, a drought tolerant native, then studded with 5,000 spring blooming bulbs. Buffalo grass is a warm season grass. It stays dormant until temperatures rise in late spring. Until then, the bulbs provide masses of color keeping an otherwise bland area vibrantly alive. By June, the old bulb foliage has died down as the lawn greens up. The old foliage is then easily raked away with old, dead grass from the previous season. All in all, very low maintenance and striking too!

As far as planting goes, bulbs will do best when our heavy clay soils are well amended with compost or peat to a depth of at least one foot. This makes it easier for young shoots to emerge in the spring and promotes good drainage (a must). They should be planted in mid-September through October to allow time for root growth and establishment before cold weather sets in. As a general rule of thumb, the depth of planting is four times the height of the bulb from soil surface to bulb tip. If your soil is still heavy after amendment, plant them 1-2 inches shallower than described above.

When thinking about how to use bulbs in your yard and garden, keep one thing in mind: like most flowers, bulbs look best in masses and not in straight lines. There is no more pitiful spring sight than a group of tulips (or crocus, daffodils, iris, etc.) lined up in a row like soldiers facing a firing squad.

I have been pleased to find many of the more unusual bulbs becoming available locally. Much of what I had to mail order in the past can now be found in local garden shops and nurseries. Another delight is price. Bulbs are generally not terribly expensive. I can buy several for the price of one good sized potted perennial. Many also multiply over the years, increasing populations, or allowing you to be generous with neighbors. Overall, a great deal for the pocket and winter weary soul.

Sue Oberle’s article in the Fall 1997 issue of Real Life Magazine

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Fall may mark an end to our growing season, but its a great time to start next year’s gardens. Here are a few suggestions to ensure that your garden will wake up on the right side of the new millennium.

• Plant spring bulbs from mid-September through October. For best results, amend the soil with organic matter to a depth of at least one foot. Plant bulbs in mass rather than strait lines for a natural look.
• Make a compost pile! Fallen leaves and lawn clippings will be accessible for some time, and kitchen scraps (eggshells, coffee grounds and produce trimmings) are also useful. Avoid woody materials. Turn the pile once or twice during the cold season, and you will most likely be rewarded with home “grown” compost for your spring planting.
• If your perennials are dying out in the center, it’s time to divide them. Cut them back, lift, divide and replant–or make someone’s day by sharing a piece of the favorite plant.
• Fall is an excellent time to plant perennials, trees and shrubs. By doing so, the plant becomes established and ready to burst forth next spring. You MUST commit to many long, deep watering sessions in the fall and winter. Use holidays to jog your memory: Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Groundhog Day. Mulch will help prevent evaporation and add to your efforts.
• For the adventurous kitchen gardener, plant cold tolerant greens such as spinach, kale, turnip greens and collards now. They will sprout over winter and resume growth at the first signs of warmth in early spring. This won’t work every year, but our recent mild winters have granted us crops for the past three years. Plant in a protected area to increase chances of success.

Sue Oberle’s article in the Fall 1999 issue of Real Life Magazine

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