Happy Halloween! I hope you gals and ghouls have a sweet and safe All Hallows Eve. And now, just as how Labor Day suddenly becomes New Year’s Day, it is time for all of the Thanksgiving turkey talk! I have been fortified with years of cooking, yes, but also with a workshop I attended in July 2023. Now, the time is right to share it with you.
During my great hiatus from this page there were many fun and informative food–related events. One of those events was a hands-on Thanksgiving turkey workshop from Diestel Turkey Farm at My Cooking Party. Led by fourth-generation turkey farmer Heidi Diestel, we learned about the farm and what they produce, how to prep and stuff turkeys, and ate a food coma-worth of food.
Diestel Family Farm is a 75-year-old turkey farm in Sonora, California. With over 90 products to their name, Diestel raises their turkeys by using regenerative, modern, and sustainable practices to benefit everything from the soil and the animal and to the consumer. In a time when American farming is difficult, Diestel continues to forge ahead with their honorable mission for thoughtful quality.
Back to this amazing Thanksgiving in July workshop …
Before we began cooking, Heidi whet our appetites with a taste test of a flight of some of Diestel’s most popular turkeys — organic young turkey, oven roasted whole turkey, organic American heirloom turkey (rare turkey breeds), regenerative raised, and pecan-smoked turkey (my turkey bae). This was a redemptive moment for all of the bad, underseasoned, overcooked turkeys I have eaten in my life.
We then moved to the lesson. In teams of two, we prepared a traditional herbed stuffing for the cavity and a simple rub of butter, paprika, salt, and pepper to paint the bird. Some of the best tips Heidi offered us are:
-roast the turkey in a 325 degree preheated oven only (no starting high and lowering the temp)
-measure the internal temperature of the bird accurately by inserting a thermometer until bone is hit then retracting it to the center of the flesh
-pull the turkey from the oven before it hits the internal temperature of 165 degrees as it will continue cooking as it rests outside of the oven for up to one hour
You can find more helpful turkey roasting instructions and all of their turkey offerings on their website.
We did not have to wait for the turkeys we prepared to be roasted for us to have our July Thanksgiving feast; those were roasted and delivered to a NYC food bank. We dined on our selection of roasted Diestel turkeys with salad, cranberry chutney, stuffing, creamy mashed potatoes, and Diestel’s rich turkey gravy product.
Over a year later, this event remains one of the more memorable Thanksgivings I have had. It was a delicious meal I did not need to prepare, free of the seasonal entertaining pressures plus “leftovers” that keep giving.
Thank you Heidi and the whole Diestel Family Farm for a fun and informative afternoon.
Happy eating and thanks for reading!
Kysha Harris is a chef, food writer and editor, culinary producer, consultant and owner of SCHOP!, a personalized food service in NYC for over 22 years. Follow her on Instagram, @SCHOPnyc and on Facebook, @SCHOPnyc. Questions, comments, requests, feedback, invitations! Email us at AmNewsFOOD@SCHOPnyc.com. Follow us on Instagram and Facebook @NYAmNewsFOOD.
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