Thanksgiving truly kicks off the winter holidays and spending time with families. We wanted to take a moment to share some cool facts about some of the more popular foods that are consumed around the holidays.
*Historically, this holiday has taken advantage of the Native American community. To honor their traditions, we want to share some Native American dishes that you could cook this Thanksgiving! You can download your recipe cards here.
Turkeys:
Broad-breasted White is most common domesticated breed. Other breeds used in niche markets
They are usually raised in environmentally controlled barns that have these characteristics:
- Size of football fields
- Windows to let light and fresh air in
- Fans to move air
- Protection from weather and predators
They are fed corn and soybean with supplemental vitamins and minerals. It takes 75-80lbs of feed to raise a 38lb tom turkey! You can see how feed is largest cost in raising these birds. They will reach maturity at 14-18 weeks and then can be processed for our consumption. Usually, the whole bird is a hen and toms make cutlets, tenderloins, turkey sausage, turkey franks, deli meats.
Hens have an approximately 25 week laying cycle of laying eggs and incubating until hatching. In her lifetime, a hen lays 80-100 eggs.
In order to raise healthy and hardy turkeys, farmers rely on vaccinations, strong biosecurity methods, good hygiene, following best management practices, and regularly inspect birds for infections.
A study in 2021 found that the US consumed 5.1billion pounds of turkey annually. Turkey farms are largely located in the Midwest, but other states such as North Carolina, Virginia, and California also have high production numbers.
The recipe card which uses turkey: Turkey green chili tamale pie
Pumpkins:
While commonly associated with fall harvest, pumpkins are planted in the summer. It takes them approx. 80-130 days to reach maturity and be ready to harvest in the fall. Pumpkins are related to watermelons, squash, cucumbers, and cantaloupes in the Cucurbitaceae family (cucurbits). They originate from southern North America and northern South America. If you wish to consume your pumpkins, you can choose mature and immature fruit. However, the largest use for pumpkins is for decoration.
They are also related to gourds which were used as tools as early as 2400BC, but have been domesticated much longer. Some of these uses include:
- Long-handled dipper
- Containers to bury food
- Masks to protect from the sun
- Bowls, pipes, musical instruments
- Today birdhouses and luffa as natural sponge
The recipe card which uses pumpkins: Savory pumpkin
Sweet Potatoes
Like pumpkins, sweet potatoes must be planted in summer for use in the fall. They are ideal for growing in Georgia’s hot summer climate which helps potatoes mature faster. They are high in calcium, potassium, and vitamin A and C. Rich in fiber and contain small amounts of iron. This is a healthier option as opposed to white potatoes. Sweet potatoes metabolize at a slower rate which eases digestion.
Produced from plants called “slips.” These are small rooted pieces of tuberous root from last season’s crop. They can be ready to harvest in 90-120 days. A good sign to look out for is the tops (leaves and stem) begin to die. Following the harvest, air dry for several days after harvest in shady area 80-85°.Final storage should be above 55° and you can store up to 6 months.
Just like white potatoes, there are endless possibilities for preparing sweet potatoes. You can grill, bake, cook, microwave whole, and sub for white potatoes. You can also find them candied. What people are most familiar with are sweet potato fries as this has been on trend the last several years.
Our Master Gardener Volunteers do research with mycorrhizal fungi. This fungi has a symbiotic relationship with the plant meaning that both the fungi and plant benefit from this relationship. Last season they applied this to the sweet potatoes. They harvested nearly double the weight of regular fertilizer from the mycorrhizal bed. Consider applying this to your garden for a more robust harvest!
The recipe card which uses Sweet Potatoes: Roasted sweet potatoes, squash, and apples
Corn
Corn is the most widely grown crop in Georgia. Farmers grow it mainly for animal feed and not human consumption using field corn. The largest growing area is within the southern counties.
Sweet corn (which is grown for human’s to eat) has three distinct genetic backgrounds:
- Normal sugary – best eaten soon after harvest, they don’t store well as the starch converts rapidly
- Sugary enhanced – high sugar content with same tenderness and creamy texture. Superior in eating quality
- Supersweet – delays conversion of sugar to starch to stay sweet longer. They have crispy, tough-skinned texture with low creamy texture and lacking “corn” flavor. Affects frozen and canned corn
- Or a combination of any of the above (synergistic or augmented supersweet)
This crop matures in 60-100 days from planting. To determine if you corn is ready to harvest look at the top of the ear. When the silks are dry and brown, you are ready to take the ear. An alternative test is if the kernels pop open when punctured by thumbnail.
Corn is used for just about everything!
- Antibiotics
- Foods
- Drinks
- Glues
- Soaps
- Insulation
- Corn starch
- Oil
- High fructose corn syrup
- and more!
There is a Mayan story that tells us people come from yellow and white corn. We were made by the 6 creator deities after they failed when making mud people and wood people (which supposedly are now monkeys).
Smut is a Fungal disease (Ustilago maydis). It appears as a fleshy tumor-like how galls develop on various plant parts. Newly formed smut is white. Brown fungal growth is older and filled with spores and should not be consumed. This fungus overwinters in the soil, so if you see it in one crop rotation, you can expect to see it in the future. Don’t fret though! You can still cook it. Smut reportedly tastes like black truffles. It is a Mexican delicacy called huitlacoche (wee-tlah-koh-cheh). Smut is high in amino acids, fiber, and protein.
The recipe cards which use corn: Masa polenta and Blue corn stuffing
Cranberries
When you think of cranberries, you probably picture the cranberry bogs of the OceanSpray commercials. However, they are not only submerged in water for harvest. A flooded field is used to protect from winter winds, sub-zero temps, and control insect pests. The bog will be drained in spring.
Cranberries are low growing, woody, perennial vine. They’re native in the temperate climate of east-central US and Canada. Growing zones tend to stop at Appalachians as you move south geographically.
The same family of blueberries, azaleas, and rhododendrons also contain cranberries. They and their relatives are acid loving, meaning that the soil pH should be lower than typical plants need. They will need 3 months of 32-45° weather consistently to produce. Native varieties produce smaller fruit which is actually what we are most familiar with. All varieties can be used for jam, sauce, and muffins. Following suit with other fruit bearing plants, you shouldn’t expect to see good fruit production on new vines until at least the second year from planting.
Cranberries are high in vitamin C, flavonoids, and tannins (keep bacteria from binding to cells to prevent infections.) This is the reason it helps prevent UTIs. Note that I said prevent. When you have a UTI, drinking cranberry juice won’t help to rid your body of the infection, so you should still consult your doctor. Research also shows them helping with gingivitis. If you are looking for those helpful tannins, you can receive comparable amounts in dried fruit, sauces, and when cooked.
The recipe card which uses cranberries: Cranberry compote (use with the blue corn pumpkin bread and sweet corn maple ice cream)
