Any other turkey hoarders here? I had 3 last year, have 2 in the freezer

[old mark]

now, and will probably get another shortly before Thanksgiving. They are very cheap now, and won't be as cheap till next year - they go up shortly after Thanksgiving, and there are only very large ones left by then.

I am getting them for for around 80 cents a pound, which is a real bargain. I love roast turkey, and we will have one for Thanksgiving, the others later in the winter. The leftovers make great soup, of course, so we get many meals from each turkey.

My wife complains when I buy them, but she loves to eat them and she loves the homemade soup, too.

Anyone else do this?

mark

[The empressof all]

1. They're 29 a lb here with a 50 dollar purchase

The closer you get to the holiday the cheaper they get. I usually buy a spare or two for the freezer....But I wouldn't keep them as long as a year. You gotta use those guys up!

[grasswire]

2. I would if I had the freezer space.

I love turkey. And just a few years ago once Christmas was over there wasn't a frozen or fresh turkey to be found in the stores until the following year. I noticed over this past year that turkeys were more available all year long.

Charities encourage people to get the free turkeys when they can and donate them to soup kitchens. Not a bad idea.

[flamin lib]

3. .29 a pound here.

My third one is in the fridge thawing enough to butcher and I'll get another this weekend.

I break them down into serving sizes and shrink wrap them w the Foodsaver. I don't let them thaw completely and bone the thighs for mini roasts, cut the breast into cutlets wrapped in bacon and convert the carcass into stock. I've got ground turkey, turkey sausage and drum sticks/wings for smoking to flavor beans & soups.

There's about a 40% loss in bones so the actual cost of meat is about .59/lb. Damn cheap!

[old mark]

4. I have a hard time thinking of anything else I'd want to eat at that price!

We will use them up before spring, and by mid summer, I'll be ready for another one.


mark

[noamnety]

5. hahaha I thought I was the only one who did that!

I got 5 of them last year at 29 cents a pound when I bought $10 additional groceries. By the 5th day I was struggling to figure out how to blow 10 dollars on more groceries I could store or use. The husband is STILL harassing me about that, and I found out he was laughing to his coworkers about it.

I plan to do it again this year.

[noamnety]

9. Well, it's a week since I posted that

and I am back up to having 4 turkeys again (one from last year defrosting, three news ones now.)

Meijer had a good sale this year, spend $20 get the turkey for about 25 cents a pound, depending on the size. I worked the sales, getting up to $20 without really spending 20. ($3 of coffee creamer, but using $2 in coupons, $17.97 in coffee, which gave me an immediate $5 discount plus $7.50 in register coupons off my next order, two skippy peanut butters for $3.33, but using $3 in coupons).

My extra $20 purchase actually cost $14.50 out of pocket (plus about $5 for the 18lb turkey) and I walked away with %10.50 off my next order (which was another turkey scenario).

[old mark]

6. Picked up #3 today - labels on all of mine say to "use before 2012",

so I guess they are OK to keep for a while...we will have one for Thanksgiving (the day after-we are going out for the day iteslf to relatives...) the other 2 for over the winter...


mark

[noel711]

7. We stock the church freezer this time of year..

with lots of turkeys. we cook meals for the clients of a local agency
that feeds the homeless, mentally ill and addicts.

It's a project that really took off;
our folks love doing it,
and people come out of the woodwork donating
baked goods, etc, for these meals.

And we have a great time with the clients.

People bitch about the churches being doctrinaire
and prejudiced, but working together with the
community to break bread with these folks
has taken down walls, and built relationships.

Food is a great bridge builder.

[csziggy]

8. They got them for 59 cents a pound here.

I'll buy one and roast it Friday, then cut it up and freeze portions to use later. I don't have a lot of free space in the freezer, so one will be pushing it. After I get all the meat off the bones, I put all the bones, skin and neck in a pot and make a bunch of stock to use to make gravy and stuffing when I re-heat leftover turkey. I freeze stock in 2 cup batches so I have just the right amount to make small portions for the two of us.

I usually also buy a spiral sliced ham during the holiday season and do the same thing. Often I don't even bake the ham, since they come fully cooked, just cut it off the bone and divide up into packets. The spiral sliced costs more, but it certainly makes it easier and gives more even slices than I can do myself. Tonight we had some ham left over from last year's ham. I think it was from Easter, not this time of year. These were some of the big chunks since the pretty slices went a long time ago.