With Thanksgiving just around the corner, there are many great ways to incorporate fresh, delicious Ontario beverages and foods - including locally raised turkey - into your festivities.
Here are some important tips to ensure your turkey is cooked properly:
- Buy a fresh, local turkey or choose a frozen bird, unstuffed or stuffed
- Remove the giblets and refrigerate the whole fresh turkey, covered, for up to 2 days
- Never thaw a frozen turkey at room temperature. Leave it in the original package and use one of the following methods:
- Frozen unstuffed turkey: Place turkey on a tray in the refrigerator, allowing 5 hours per pound (10 hr/kg)
- Frozen stuffed turkey: Do not thaw a frozen pre-stuffed turkey before cooking
- After removing the giblets and neck, rinse a fresh turkey or thawed turkey inside and out with cold water and pat dry with paper towels
- You can roast, barbecue or fry a whole turkey. For cooking times and more information visit the Turkey Farmers of Ontario's makesitsuper.ca website
While turkey can be used to make a variety of delicious appetizers, soups, side-dishes and mains, there are many other ways to include locally grown and raised food into your Thanksgiving meal:
- Get the best Ontario has to offer by visiting one of the many farmers' markets across the province; most run until late October
- Go straight to the source by visiting an on-farm market, pick-your-own farm, or farmgate producer which you can find by visiting Harvest Ontario or Ontario Farm
- Start a new Thanksgiving tradition by making an entire meal using local, seasonal recipes featured by Foodland Ontario
- Pair your meal with Ontario wine, beer or cider
- Find out which nearby restaurants and businesses support local food at FeastON
To help give all Ontarians the opportunity to enjoy a Thanksgiving meal this year, please consider donating food items, money or time to the Daily Bread Food Bank and their member agencies, the Salvation Army or another charitable organization.
Source: OMAFRA