Sounds delicious? So, after a Thanksgiving feast, you have a bony, nasty looking turkey carcass. The average cost of a turkey this season is around $25. No wise cook wants to let anything go to waste. We use leftovers creatively and make sure guests go home with goodies. 

The turkey carcass is an organic gift that can keep on giving. Native peoples and pioneers never wasted a morsel of hard hunted and earned wild game. Upland game birds, waterfowl, and turkeys were used to add flavor and protein for future meals. Throwing out a carcass was such a waste, especially when there is so much goodness left in the leftover bird. 

The first step is to boil the carcass. It does not have to be whole. Cut the carcass to fit into the pot that you have. I use a big turkey frying pot to make my stock.

Remove the skin and fatty parts. 

Add one large onion, peeled and quartered. Throw in 2 stalks of celery, and 2 carrots. They can just be chunked. Leafy tops add great flavor.

For spice add a tbsp of pepper corn, 3-5 bay leaves, fresh parsley, and 5-6 garlic bulbs. 2-3 tbsp of salt is also needed to draw out the flavors. 

Cover the carcass with water. Now bring to a boil then turn it down to a simmer. Allow the pot to simmer for 3-4 hours. The broth will be cloudy, and the meat will fall off the bone.

Strain the liquid and separate the bones from any meat pieces. The liquid will be golden and cloudy. 

STOCK CHOICES

Freeze the stock for future Turkey soup or gravies. You can freeze or can the Stock in amounts for your needs. If you prefer a thicker Stock, allow the pot to simmer. This will make the flavor stronger. I have seen folks freeze reduced Stock cubes that were frozen in an ice cube or cup cake tray, then frozen in small plastic bags. These could be added to flavor any recipe you like. 

TURKEY NOODLE SOUP

• 1 cup of diced onion
• 4-5 large carrots, diced or cut into thin slices
• 3-4 whole stalks of celery diced. The leafy tops can be cut and added into the soup.
• 2 tbsp of butter
• 2 tsp of poultry seasonings. Add some thyme to taste
• 8-10 cups of Turkey Stock
• 2 cups of noodles. Farfalle looks nice but egg noodles will do fine.
• 2 chicken Boullion cubes. Optional. You could also add some small tomato pieces or cabbage chunks. 

Make the soup your own. Flavor and spice with what you like or have. Rice works well if you prefer over noodles. 

Once the soup is to your liking, serve and enjoy. If you want to can the soup, add it to a mason jar and place a tsp of salt on top. Now place the lid and ring onto the jar. Turn the warm jar/soup upside down and let cool. This will seal the soup. Once cooled, store in a dark closet for later. You can also freeze the soup.

A thermos of warm soup can be a real treat when ice fishing or snowmobiling. 

Soup is a great gift or Care Package when someone gets sick. Had you thrown out the Turkey Carcass, none of these delicious organic options would be available. The Carcass would just be wasted and in the trash. Once you use and enjoy Carcass Soup, you will wonder why you have never done this before. 

Souper Duper Soup!

Montana Grant