The Aromatic Brined Turkey

Thanksgiving is one of our most cherished holidays. It’s a time to gather with family and friends, and celebrate the gracious bounty and blessings that have been bestowed upon us over the past year. It is also the time of year when many folks struggle to prepare a juicy turkey ;)

Brining a turkey is one of the best ways to give you a moist, tasty, tender, satisfying holiday bird. The turkey absorbs moisture and flavor in this overnight preparation process. It also cuts down on the amount of work while cooking as it does not require basting and the constant attention that an un-brined bird does.

It is important to pick a turkey that has not been injected with a “solution” or a Kosher Turkey (which already has been soaked and salted). A fresh turkey over a frozen turkey is generally preferred for flavor and is less likely to be “adulterated” in any way.

NOTE: You may also use this brining method for a goose

Ingredients

1 14 to 16 pound whole Turkey

Brine Mixture
3/4 cup fresh orange juice
1 drop orange essential oil
1 cup fresh lemon juice
1 drop lemon essential oil
2 cups chopped yellow onions
1 &1/2 cup brown sugar
2 cups Kosher salt or coarse Celtic Sea salt
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley leaves
8 chopped garlic cloves
1 tablespoon black peppercorns
½ tablespoon allspice berries
1 drop cumin essential oil
1 drop oregano essential oil
2 tablespoons vegetable oil

Aromatics Mixture
1 apple, sliced
1 small onion, sliced
1 cinnamon stick
1 cup water
4 sprigs fresh rosemary
6 fresh sage leaves
1 bay leaf

Yield:10 to 12 servings

Directions for Turkey
1. Rinse the turkey under cold running water.
Pat dry with paper towels and set aside.

2. To make the brining liquid, combine the brine mixture ingredients above
with 2 gallons of cold water in a large glass or stainless steel pot. Stir to dissolve the sugar and salt.

3. Place the turkey in the pot with the brining liquid. Refrigerate at least 12 hours, and up to 24 hours. Turn the turkey periodically to ensure that the turkey is evenly marinated.

4. Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F. Remove the turkey from the brine and put it in a large, heavy roasting pan, on a rack, breast side up. Lightly rinse the turkey (to prevent it from being too salty). Pat dry with paper towels. Discard brine.

5. Rub the turkey with vegetable oil (preferably a good quality olive oil).

6. Gently tuck the wings in under themselves to prevent burning
(this is preferable to trussing the bird, which will only prolong cooking time).

7. Microwave the apples, onion, cinnamon, bay leaf and water from the aromatic stuffing mixture on high for 4-5 minutes, or simmer on stove for 5 minutes. Lightly stuff bird with steeped aromatics mixture along with the rosemary and sage.* Add aromatic water to bottom of the roasting pan.

*This is not a traditional edible stuffing, it will be discarded after cooking (see stuffing note below).

8. Roast the turkey uncovered at 500 degrees F for 30 minutes. Then reduce heat to 350 degrees F, cover the breast area with foil and roast until meat reaches an internal temperature of 165-170 degrees F. on an instant-read meat thermometer (about 2-2&1/2 hours).

9. Remove from the oven and let stand in the roasting pan or on a serving platter for 20 minutes before carving.

*Stuffing Note:
If you are going to make a traditional accompaniment stuffing side dish, it is strongly recommended you cook it separately from the bird and not stuff it in the bird itself, especially if the bird is over 15 lbs. This is because a large bird like a turkey requires several hours to heat through to the center. A bread (or rice) stuffing provides an ideal environment for bacterial growth.

One way to solve this problem in birds under 15 lbs is by preheating the stuffing (a microwave is the easiest, quickest method) to 120 to 130 degrees. This gives the stuffing a head start on the cooking process so that the turkey does not overcook as it waits for the stuffing to reach the proper internal temperature of 165 degrees.

Happy, safe, holiday blessings to all!

Days of Barbecued Peach Pie & Cobbler

Here is an old blog post I found that was never published! And yes, once again, tis the season to have pumpkin chai spice soap curing! :)

~~~~~~~~~~

Summer is officially unofficially over. Labor day weekend, that age old line of demarcation signifying that yet another summer has come to an end and wearing of white has passed with it (which doesn't really affect me since I personally rarely wear white any time of the year).

This holiday weekend I was blessed with a wonderful deal on organic peaches that needed to be used immediately (there was a reason they were such a great deal). One could not ask for more juicy sweet peaches to make pie and cobbler with - but my oven died upon arriving home from my holiday away with family (the new oven arrives Saturday - Yay!).

Well I really wanted that pie and cobbler, but the oven broke, so I decided to make them on the barbecue (I'll have to find the photo). They came out so well that I've gained 6 lbs (add that to the weight I gained on holiday with mom feeding me - Oi!). They were the best barbecued pastries I've ever had.

With that note marking the end of my summer, I say its time to get ready for the holidays, darlings! Today I'm making my annual batch of our most popular seasonal favorite - Organic Pumpkin Chai Spice Soap which should be ready to go for the true arrival of Autumn! :)

Blossoming Pineapple & Olive Clay Mask

Pineapple & Olive Clay Mask

Pineapple contains protein digestive enzymes and fruit acids that help
remove dead skin cells and dirt, as well as leaving skin smooth and
soft. It has anti-inflammatory properties and is mildly astringent.

Olive oil has vitamin E which is very nourishing to the skin, and it has other wonderful healing properties.

The occasional use of clays such as kaolin, green clay
or betonite can be very good for drawing dirt and toxins
out of the skin.

Combined they make a wonderful mask for the face and the rest of the
body - it is a super treat if you can get someone to give you a body
wrap with it.

This mask is simple to make and deliciously effective -and it smells
yummy too! ... I hope you enjoy my little "spa recipe" as much as I do.

Recipe:

In a food processor puree about 1/2 cup of pineapple, 2 Tbsp of neroli hydrosol (use rose hydrosol if your skin is dry or sensitive) add 2-3 Tbsp olive oil, add a few Tbsp of clay - starting with 2 Tbsp and adding more as you blend to get it to the paste consistency you'd like. Spread over skin, massaging gently and leave on for about 15-20 minutes (it will not fully dry - it'll be kinda sticky). Rinse with warm water. Pat dry. Tone skin with a spritz of rose or neroli hydrosol. Enjoy having baby soft skin :)

This recipe will make enough to do a face and some body parts - or a
couple of facials. You can freeze the leftovers to use later that week.
It might change color slightly, but the enzyme activity will still be
effective, as freezing slows enzyme activity but does not stop it, and
once warm again the enzymes will return to being fully active.Do not
re-freeze after thawing.

Saliva and aromatic chemicals

I remember in elementary school learning about Helen Keller. Someone posed the question to the class "which one of your senses would you give up if you had to?". Unlike everyone else, my answer was NOT taste or smell, and I suppose it is not coincidental that in my adult life I use my nose professionally and I almost chose a career as a chef.

This morning I was reading about how bacteria in saliva can turn odourless sulphur-containing compounds from fruit and vegetables into aromatic chemicals called thiols and how they plan on using this bacterial action to flavor foods.

See the NewScientist article: For tastier food, just add bacteria

Have a gastronomical weekend!

Recycling is an art - Part II

The family of creatures made from 100% trash and hot glue has grown considerably in the past week. I had several pipettes with a few residual drops of aromatic oils in them and scented the garden scrap portions of these miniature sculptures, so they are wonderful smelling too! All are going to new homes for Samhain!

Aloe Vera - Flora From Eden

Last night I was reminded of two things;
one - hot glue is called hot for a good reason &
two - Aloe Vera is indispensable to have in every home. Obviously they were related thoughts!

I burnt my thumb with hot glue. After cooling it under cold water I broke off a piece of my Aloe Vera plant, sliced it legthwise, wrapped it around the already forming blister and lightly secured the leaf to my finger. I changed the dressing before bed, making a poultice of fresh Aloe Vera Gel, German Chamomile essential oil and High Altitude Lavender Essential oil. Today I do still have a blister, but it doesn't hurt one little bit even.

Ancient Lore says that the Aloe Vera plant grew in the Garden of Eden. I don't doubt it one bit!

Ginger and Rebellious Stomach Qi

The other day I awoke feeling nauseated (and before anyone asks, no, I am not currently with child ;).

My many years of exposure to, and training with, herbs has taught me that fresh ginger (生姜 sheng jiang) is absolutely one of the best remedies for such matters.

Sniffing fresh ginger essential oil, sipping warm fresh ginger tea and getting some extra rest greatly improved how I was feeling.

Let's hear it for ginger and its ability to, in the stomach, sink what Traditional Chinese Medicine refers to as rebellious Qi (he wei jiang ni) a.k.a. vomiting!

Yay!

Nocturnal Olfactory Stimulation Influences Dreams

Carl Gustav Jung said "The dream is the small hidden door in the deepest and most intimate sanctum of the soul, which opens to that primeval cosmic night that was soul long before there was conscious ego and will be soul far beyond what a conscious ego could ever reach."

Dreams fascinate me. I have found that burning certain incense can influence the intensity and general theme of my dreams, so I was quite interested to read about the research below.

German researchers have used specific volatile odorants with a negative or a positive smell ("rotten eggs" versus "roses") to stimulate subjects during sleep ... this is the first valid study that documents the impact of olfactory function on dreams ...

The outcome, not too surprisingly, was that people tend to have more pleasant dreams when smelling the more pleasant odor.

Read the full story here: Science Daily

I look forward to diffusing a variety of oils in my sleeping quarters and see what I dream up! I personally, at times, experience very vivid dreams with all my senses involved, including scent. It'll be neat to observe whether or not the scents I diffuse will affect the scents I perceive in my dreams.

Scent and Studying

As I mentioned in my previous blog, I've recently taken up a new challenge and that is learning Mandarin Chinese. I have been using scent to help me study and recall what I have been studying.

It has been long known that our olfactory sense has powerful ties to memory. For example, I have a bottle of Guerlain's Samsara perfume that I purchased while on one of my trips to Turkey. Whenever I smell it I am immediately transported, very vividly, to a moment in time where I'm eating kesari and mezes while overlooking the Bosphorus. I can even recall what I was wearing and feel the warmth of the sunshine on my face.

I have found this works for studying as well with Rosemary being a particularly good scent, as it stimulates circulation, which brings oxygen to the brain, hence improving its function. But this isn't limited to Rosemary. The big part of the trick is less the scent chosen (Samsara is a far cry from Rosemary ;) , and more sniffing the scent not only when studying, but also when recalling!

'What if you can't carry it in a bottle to your tests?' you ask. Scent your pen or pencil, wear a dab on your shirt sleeve, scent your hair, wear it well diluted as a perfume, etc ...

The nose knows and can help us remember what we know!

Tea Tree - The Wonder from Down Under

Have you got your bottle of Tea Tree oil?

While rummaging through the medicine cabinet for my vitamins this morning I noticed the little bottle of Tea Tree oil that I keep in there and was reminded of just how wonderful this oil is and how essential it is in my home’s medicine cabinet!

Tea Tree oil is steam distilled from the leaves of Australia’s Melaleuca alternifolia plant. It has a strong, rather medicinal smell, but it is not malodorous, and once you get past that, its all good from there!

It has properties of being antiseptic, anti-bacterial and anti-fungal. There are quite a few scientific studies that back up the claims of tea tree oil being effective at fighting a variety of infections. Many folks use Tea Tree oil for many reasons, including acne, dandruff, toe nail fungus, athlete’s foot, insect bites, scrapes, etc .. I also use it in house cleaning formulas.

Contrary to what some say, be sure to always dilute Tea Tree oil properly before applying it to the skin! When it comes to using essential oils, especially on the skin, less is more and always diluting your essential oils is a smart practice and safer choice than using them "neat" (which means undiluted)! Commonly available carriers are sweet almond oil, fractionated coconut oil, olive oil & jojoba.

Recycling for a future! Artesanìas La Hormiga

Today we present to you the story behind the handmade paper gift box that we are using as part of some gift sets this holiday season. Made exclusively for CZ LUXE by Artesanìas La Hormiga, here is the wonderful story of how recycling is helping a group of librarians in Honduras build better lives for their community:

Our paper making business was created to ensure the sustainability of our community’s library. The funds generated by the business helps the librarians provide more enriching activities for the youth through the purchase of didactic materials such as paint, construction paper, crayons, and table games.

Our business has also served as a recycling program for our community. The recycled paper we make comes from used paper from the local high school and kindergarten as well as the library. Instead of burning great amounts of paper on a regular basis, we now turn what was once trash into beautiful works of art.

The name of our business is Artesanìas La Hormiga because of the ant’s reputation as hard-working and persevering. It is our hope that the youth of our community will one day exemplify these qualities.

We thank you for your purchase and the opportunities it provides for our children and the entire community. - Artesanìas La Hormiga

Making it our business to build better communities

One of the things I strongly believe is that my business can impact many lives in wonderful ways and that it is my responsibility as a business owner to make choices that improve our world and our communities!

This holiday season we are offering our customers the opportunity to directly help build better communities around the globe with their holiday gift purchases.

Over the course of the next couple of weeks I will post here about each of A Little Ol'Factory's
& CZ Luxe's Fair Trade items, ingredients and the community projects that are directly benefit from our purchases of their materials and artistic creations.

**Added note .. since several folks have contacted me and asked .. the youngling in the image is the child of a rose picker I met in Isparta, Turkey. They were waiting at the weigh station to get the day's haul of rose petals logged in. They are paid a good (by local standards), living wage for their labor, as it should be!

The Great Pumpkin Pampering Part II

Halloween is just the beginning of some wonderful holidays, and a fabulous time of year to enjoy and taking full advantage of that brisk Autumn energy!

~Make It Yourself~

Sweet Pumpkin Blossom Puree Mask
16 oz fresh cooked pumpkin (or 1 15 oz can)
1 cup ripe papaya
1 Tbsp Bitter Orange Blossom Hydrosol
1 Tbsp Ground Oats
1 tsp Honey
1 egg

Combine all ingredients into a food processor. Puree until smooth. If thicker mask is desired, add more oats. If a thinner mask is desired, add a bit more hydrosol.

Sensitive skin may want to do a patch test before using on face.

The Scents of Autumn

Cool Autumn weather has arrived in many parts of the Northern Hemisphere. This is time of year when we celebrate the harvest and begin to prepare for the long winter nights.

One fabulously easy way to create a comforting, fragrant, Autumn atmosphere in your home is to make aromatic wax tarts. The tarts can be used as sachets to scent small spaces, such as drawers, closets and bathrooms. They can also be melted, in appropriate simmering style diffusers, to scent much larger living areas.

To prepare, simply melt together, and then mold, a little bit of beeswax, floral wax, a few drops of essential oils and voila! Instant olfactory gratification.

Traditional aromatics of this season, for both scenting and flavoring, include rich warm spices such as anise, cinnamon, clove and black peppercorn. Also fitting are woody notes such as cedarwood and copaiba balsam. Certain florals, such as jasmine and rose, can help round out and bring dimension to your Autumn blend.

Keep natural aromatics accessable!

Before you read the latest message from Cropwatch below, I cannot stress enough the importance of what Tony Burfield and his Cropwatch organization are doing FOR US ALL.

If you enjoy aromatherapy, naturally scented toiletries, natural body care and natural perfumes, you'll want to pay attention to this issue very closely as your access to natural aromatics is in danger!

Let's put the power and beauty of our numbers to work! Please volunteer to help him if you have any expertise in the areas he's asking for assistance with, or perhaps you're just a great researcher and can track down the information despite not having these issues in your area of expertise.

If you're shy, you can still contribute to the natural perfumery world, so
please contact Tony at tony@tonyburfield.co.uk

His latest message:

Dear All,

As we approach critical mass, we have some choices to make.

Perfumery used to be about history, art & culture. Now it seems to be
mainly about the (often nonsensical) regulation of ingredients driven
by a form of imposed & unchallengeable legislatory 'Toxicological
Imperialism'.

This itself is held in place by fear-culture amongst perfume buyers, who are terrified of media exposure/litigation over supposedly harmful fragrance ingredients. Interest in herbal medicine used to include your right to self-dosing, using traditional active plant extracts. A program of their removal from shop-shelves is the result of back-door lobbying, via pharmaceutical concerns.

Our age-old usage of aromatic plants & essential oils for their useful properties - as biocides, antiseptics etc. etc., is similarly curtailed by this flawed system of Hyperbureaucratic Technocracy within Europe, which is being carbon-copied by authorities in Canada, the US and other countries.

How much longer do we have to put up with this sorry state of affairs where natural ingredient use is often so affected by negligible &* *unquantified risk, before everyone sees that in reality this is an "Emperors New Clothes" situation? The revolution for common sense in aromatic regulation starts here. We are getting ever bigger! Join us!

Please read Cropwatch's August 2007 Newsletter.
http://naturalperfumersguild.com/news.htm

Tony Burfield of Cropwatch
http://www.cropwatch.org

P.S. Volunteers are needed to help examine the following areas...

1. Furanocoumarins. Academics & industrialists are helping us construct
a massive data-base, which we will make publicly available, so we can
all see the issues for ourselves. But we need more help.

2. Methyl eugenol carcinogenicity - challenges to the present accepted &
outdated view.

3. Dimethyl & diethyl phthalates - ignored data & any associated
industry conspiracy issues (thanks to the Perfume Foundation for this lead).

4. Sensitisers - ignored contrary evidence to the '26 Sensitisers' issue
& new policy initiatives.

5. Issues of transparency & secrecy, freedom of information & the
withholding of safety data from the public domain within professional
trade & research organisations. This area includes how regulatory
bodies have processed scientific evidence, & examining records of how
scientific decisions were made.

We have limited evidence from a number of academics that an 'expert' EU advisory committee has not properly dealt with (or perhaps have not properly understood) submitted evidence in particular cases; these need public exposure, & we need to establish a more robust code of practice.