| Extension programs serve people of all ages regardless of socioeconomic level, race, color, sex, religion, disability or national origin.
The Texas A&M University System, U.S. Department of Agriculture, and the County Commissioners Courts of Texas CooperatingExtension programs serve people of all ages regardless of socioeconomic level, race, color, sex, religion, disability or national origin. The Texas A&M University System, U.S. Department of Agriculture, and the County Commissioners Courts of Texas Cooperating Milam County Extension Office 100 E. 1st St . Cameron, Texas 76520 254 697-7045 Fax 254 697-7046 email milam-tx@tamu.edu November 16, 2009 Comments From Cheryl By: Cheryl Walker County Extension Agent Family and Consumer Sciences Countdown to the Thanksgiving Holiday Thanksgiving and Christmas are just around the corner and that usually means it is time to cook turkey. If you are not a seasoned turkey cooker, you probably have a few questions about preparing the holiday meal. First, you may wonder how much turkey you need for the meal. Here is a guide to help plan your turkey needs. if cooking a whole turkey buy 1 pound per person if cooking boneless breast of turkey buy « pound per person if cooking breast of turkey buy 3/4 pound per person Next, do you want a frozen or fresh turkey. If you select fresh turkey, you can only store it for 1 - 2 days prior to cooking. The frozen turkey can be purchased any time as long as you have adequate storage. Do not buy a prestuffed fresh turkey. If you select the frozen turkey, plan ahead for thawing time in the refrigerator. Make sure you place your frozen turkey on a pan so that the moisture from the turkey cannot contaminate other foods in the refrigerator. Place the turkey on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator and keep it wrapped. Remember that you can only keep a thawed turkey 1 - 2 days in the refrigerator prior to cooking. Here is the estimated thawing time in the refrigerator. 4 to 12 pounds of turkey takes 1 to 3 days to thaw 12 to 16 pounds of turkey takes 3 to 4 days to thaw 16 to 20 pounds of turkey takes 4 to 5 days to thaw 20 to 24 pounds of turkey takes 5 to 6 days to thaw Plan ahead and make sure you have the equipment to hold your turkey during cooking. Check out your seasoning recipe and make sure you have the ingredients you need. To reduce the risk of making someone sick, cook your dressing or stuffing in a casserole dish. Stuffing cooked in the turkey needs special care to create a safe dinner. It is not recommended. When you are roasting your turkey in the oven, have your oven temperature at 325 degrees F. The time listed are approximate times, so you need to check the internal temperature of the turkey with a thermometer. Check the internal temperature in the thickest part of the breast and thigh. The temperature should be 165 degrees F. After your turkey has reached the proper temperature, remove it from the oven and let is stand for 20 minutes covered prior to cutting. Here is the approximate cooking times for unstuffed turkey: 8 to 12 pounds of turkey cooks 2 3/4 to 3 hours 12 to 14 pounds of turkey cooks 3 to 3 3/4 hours 14 to 18 pounds of turkey cooks 3 3/4 - 4 1/4 hours 18 to 20 pounds of turkey cooks 4 1/4 to 4 « hours 20 to 24 pounds of turkey cooks 4 « to 5 hours If you have leftovers, make sure you care for them properly so they will be safe to eat. First, cut the turkey into small pieces. Refrigerate the stuffing/dressing separate from the turkey. Leftovers need to be refrigerated within 2 hours of cooking. Leftover turkey and dressing/stuffing can be refrigerated for 3 to 4 days. After that you need to freeze the leftovers for later use. If you reheat leftovers, make sure you thoroughly reheat to 165 degrees F. (hot and steaming). Enjoy your holiday meals by playing it safe with your turkey and other food items. If you have a question, contact the Texas AgriLife Extension Service - Milam County office at 254-697-7045 or call the USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline at 1-888-674-6854 or the FSIS website www.fsis.usda.gov. Christmas Tour We still have space available for the Christmas Tour on December 3. The tour will start at the Homestead Traditional Craft Village near Elm Mott. We will see a variety of demonstrations and have time to purchase crafts made at the village. Pottery, weaving, metal works, furniture making and much more will fill our time at the village. We will also enjoy a great lunch. The next stop will be a supper break at the Temple Mall before heading out to the Nature of Lights on Lake Belton. During the drive through the lights, the bus will stop at Santa's Village. Hot chocolate, homemade cookies and seasonal crafts will be available for sale. Save your space on the charter bus tour by completing the registration form for meal choices and paying a $50 fee. The fee includes the bus cost, both tours, lunch and insurance. Supper and items you purchase are additional. Space is limited to 56 persons. For more information, contact the Texas AgriLife Extension Service - Milam County Office : 100 E. 1st Street - Cameron, Texas 76520 - phone: 254-697-7047 website information during events http://milam-tx.tamu.edu/ . Pecan Bake Show - November 24 If you grow your own pecans or just like to bake with pecans, you can enter the Milam County Pecan Bake Show on November 24 at the Texas AgriLife Extension Office - Milam County Office (100 E. 1st Street - Cameron). The Pecan Bake Show is open to youth and adults in Milam County. For bake show entries, participants are not required to grow their pecan, just use them in a recipe. Here are the Bake Show rules. - The recipe must accompany each entry. - Recipe must include pecans. - You do not have to grow your own pecans. - There will be two divisions: Youth (age 18 & under) and Adult (age 19 & older) - There will be six classes: Pies; Cakes; Cookies (6 to 8 pieces); Candies (6 to 8 pieces); Breads; Miscellaneous - You may enter up to two recipes in each class. - You may enter as many classes as you wish. - Bake show entries not picked up by 10:30 a.m. will become the property of the Horticulture Committee to pay for awards. - An entry form must be submitted with each entry (available at check-in). Pecan Show - Entries Due On November 23 Pecan growers need to select their best pecans and enter the sample by 9:00 a.m. Monday, November 23 at the Texas AgriLife Extension Service - Milam County Office (100 E. 1st Street - Cameron). You don't need to be a big pecan producers to enter the show. If you have one pecan tree, you can enter. Just gather up your pecans and bring them to the Milam County Extension Office by the deadline. If you are interested in learning what variety of pecans you have, bring a sample to the show and let them be identified. Here are the rules to follow: - The exhibitor must be the grower. - Pecans should be from the county or adjoining counties which do not have a show. In rare instances, samples can be entered from a distant county, but the county show entered by the distant entry should be the nearest county show. - Pecans must be from the 2009 crop. - Participants are limited to one entry of each named variety they grow. The grower may enter as many seedlings, known hybrids or natives as desired. - Sample entries from one orchard cannot be entered in two county shows. - A minimum of forty pecans (forty-two preferred) are necessary for each entry. This sample should represent the variety and be uniform in size and shell color. Mixed samples (more than one variety in sample) are disqualified. - A varietal entry may be composed of nuts from more than one tree. For example, if the grower has ten Choctaw trees, each tree could contribute nuts to one grower's Choctaw entry. - The growers may wish to select the heaviest pecans by weighing the individual nuts. - Nuts should be free of insect and disease damage. - The pecans should be free of dust, dirt and shuck remnants. They should not be rubbed to the extent that shape or color is altered. - Avoid discolored shells and kernels. This problem may result from peeling pecans from the shucks too early. - All entries not advancing to the regional pecan show become property of the Co. Horticulture Committee Pecan samples will be cracked by the Horticulture Committee at the Milam County Extension Office on November 23 starting at 9:00 a.m. The samples will be judged on November 24 at the Milam County Extension Office starting at 9:00 a.m. If you have questions or need additional information on the Pecan Bake Show or Pecan Show contact the Texas AgriLife Extension Service at 254-697-7045. |
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