Let's Talk Turkey
November 2008
The traditions, sights and aromas of Thanksgiving are upon us once again. Sit back and imagine the sweet smell of potatoes, corn, rolls and pumpkin pie baking in the oven as you cheer on your favorite football team or admire the giant balloons making their way down the streets of New York. But before you say your prayer of thanksgiving and indulge in that perfectly prepared dinner with your family and friends, let’s take a journey together uncovering the history of the most important part of the meal and what impact it has on Iowa’s economy. The turkey!
Though there is no real evidence that turkey was served at the Pilgrim's first Thanksgiving, Pilgrim's were already familiar with raising and eating turkey in Europe. Through the ages it become the main course at most Thanksgiving meals. Fossils have proven that wild turkeys have been a part of North America for more than 10 million years. Beginning in the 16th century, turkeys were domesticated. Today over 46 million turkeys are consumed during the Thanksgiving weekend in America, making it truly the most recognized icon of this traditional holiday. (Compare this to 22 million eaten at Christmas and 19 million at Easter.) Enjoy this holiday season and be sure to remember the huge effort Iowa's turkey producers make to get that delcious turkey to your table each year.
Be Iowa Proud
Iowa Turkey Presented at White House
For the first time in many years, the National Thanksgiving Turkey will be coming from central Iowa. Since 1947, the National Turkey Federation has presented the President of the United States with a live turkey and two dressed turkeys in celebration of Thanksgiving. This has also become the unofficial start of the holiday season for our nation.
This is a great accomplishment for Paul and Mary Hill from Ellsworth, Iowa. Their son Nathan, his wife Betsy and children Collin and Conner, are also helping to raise the turkey. The Hill family will be traveling "first class" with their prized turkey to our nation's capital. They will be escorted from the airport to the White House for the dedication ceremony and will then fly to Disneyland, where the turkey will be the grand marshal of “Disney’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.” After the parade, he will be a part of the holiday display and will stay there the remainder of his natural life.
Congratulations to the Hill family! Another chance for us to be Iowa Proud!
History of the National Thanksgiving Turkey
Even though live turkeys have been presented to presidents since the Lincoln administration, the present dedication ceremony started in 1947 when the first National Thanksgiving Turkey was presented to President Harry Truman. Visit www.whitehouse.gov/holiday/thanksgiving for pictures from many of the traditional holiday celebrations. Want to be a part of this year’s National Thanksgiving Turkey? You can vote to name the Thanksgiving Turkey from Iowa.
Iowa’s Turkey Industry
The turkey industry is an important agricultural value-added activity for rural areas:
- 8.54 million turkeys produced each year
- 207 full-time employees
- 1,750 employees work at the four processing facilities
- Accounts for over $810 million in total sales and $253 million in value-added activities
- 9.7 million bushels of corn and 108,000 tons of soybean meal were used
- Iowa currently imports nearly 6 million turkeys a year from surrounding states to support the processing facilities
The U.S. turkey industry is geographically concentrated with five states producing nearly 60 percent of the total national output (Minnesota is the top production state)
Learn more about the turkey
- A newly hatched turkey is called a poult
- A female turkey is called a hen and a male turkey is called a tom
- Only the tom turkeys gobble, hens make a clicking noise
- A group of turkeys is called a flock
- A hen can lay 90-110 eggs in their 25 week production cycle. One tom turkey can father as many as 1,500 poults during a 6 month production cycle
- Toms and hens are raised separately. A turkey grower will raise one or the other
- It takes about 14 weeks for a hen and 18 weeks for a tom to grow to market weight
- The average weight of a tom is 35 pounds and a hen is 23 pounds
- It is estimated that turkeys have approximately 3,500 feathers at maturity
- Hormones are not used to raise turkeys. It is illegal. Their use for any turkey production was banned in the 1950’s
- Turkey sandwiches account for 48% of all turkey consumption
The anatomy of a turkey:
Snood – red, violet, blue covering on top of the head and hanging off the beak
Wattle – the colored appendage on the neck
Beard – a black lock of hair found on the chest of a male turkey
Turkey Marinade Recipes from Iowans
Steve’s Turkey Marinade-
Combine 1/3 cup lemon juice, ¼ cup soy sauce, ¼ c vegetable oil, 2 tablespoons brown sugar, 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger, ¼ teaspoon black pepper, 3 tablespoons ketchup and 1 teaspoon minced garlic.
RECIPE FROM: Steven Burrows, Sumner, IA
Tex-Mex Marinade-
Combine ½ cup lime juice, ½ cup orange juice, 2 tablespoons snipped fresh cilantro, 6 tablespoons olive oil OR vegetable oil, 2 tablespoons chili powder,1 tablespoon cumin, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon bottled hot pepper sauce, and 4 cloves garlic, minced.
RECIPE FROM: Shirley Schermer, Wayland, IA
Marinade Tips:
- Prepare approximately ½ cup of marinade per pound of turkey
- Refrigerate turkey in the marinade. NEVER leave at room temperature.
- Refer to recipe for length of time, usually for 2 to 24 hours.
- Remove turkey from marinade before cooking. Discard the marinade.
Order your “Cooking With Turkey” cookbook today from the Iowa Turkey Federation. This cookbook is free with a shipping charge of $3.00 per cookbook.
Go to www.iowaturkey.com for more recipe ideas and to order your cookbook.
Sources for the turkey article: National & Iowa Turkey Federations, Department of Economics Iowa State University and www.theholidayspot.com)
KIDS KORNER Link
Kids....Help mom get the turkey to her family with this Thanksgiving maze.
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