It’s November, and we all know what that means: The holidays will be here any day now! Last year we followed the Thanksgiving turkey recipe below with our own homegrown bird, and we’ll do it again this year because it’s that good: super moist, flavorful, and sure to please your guests. It takes some preparation, but in the end, it’s more than worth the effort!

This recipe will work for a 16- to 25-pound turkey. Make sure the bird is completely thawed the day before you plan to cook it, because brining it requires at least 12 hours. It’s even better if you can brine it longer. We’re doing ours a full 48 hours.

INGREDIENTS

FOR THE BRINE:
» 1 gallon unsweetened apple juice
» 6 to 8 thin slices of fresh ginger
» 2 Tbsp peppercorns
» 2 Tbsp allspice berries
» 2 Tbsp whole cloves
» 2 bay leaves
» 3/4 cup salt
» 3/4 cup granulated sugar

Combine the apple juice, ginger, and spices in a large sauce pan. Stir in the salt and sugar. Bring to a boil for 3 minutes then allow to cool completely. We’ve designated a large water cooler, similar to the one pictured at left, for brining our bird.

Unwrap the thawed turkey, remove the giblets, and place the bird in the cooler, neck end down. Pour your cooled brining liquid over the bird. Add water until the bird is completely submerged then add a bunch of ice on top to keep cool. Put the lid on the cooler and leave it undisturbed for at least 12 and up to 48 hours. (Just make sure it’s staying cold.)

FOR ROASTING:
» olive oil
» 2 Tbsp chopped fresh rosemary
»  2 Tbsp chopped fresh thyme
» 2 Tbsp chopped fresh oregano
» 1/4 lb butter (1 stick), cut into pats
» 2 cups chicken broth

1. Preheat the oven to 350F. Remove the bird from the brine, letting the brine drain out of the cavity. Don’t rinse the bird.

2. Coat a roasting pan with olive oil and place the bird in it, breast-side up.

3. Using your hands, separate the bird’s skin from the breast and legs. Rub the chopped herbs into the meat.

4. Place the pats of butter under the skin in various locations, including on the legs. Pour the chicken broth over the bird.

5. Cover the bird with the pan lid or foil and put the pan in the oven.

6. Roast for two hours, basting every hour. Then remove the foil and allow the bird to brown, basting every 20 minutes.

7. Continue to roast the bird until the interior temperature reaches 165F. This can take an additional 1 to 2 hours, depending on whether the bird is stuffed. When taking the temperature, make sure the thermometer is through the thickest part of the breast and not touching bone.

You’ll end up with an incredibly moist, flavorful, and tender bird. Happy Thanksgiving!

My friends in college used to call me a Renaissance woman. I was always doing something crafty, creative, or utilitarian. I still am. Instead of arts and crafts, my focus these days has been farming as much of my urban quarter-acre as humanly possible. Along with my husband, I run Dog Island Farm, in the San Francisco Bay Area. We raise chickens, goats, rabbits, dogs, cats, and a kid. We’re always keeping busy. If I’m not out in the yard, I’m in the kitchen making something from scratch. Homemade always tastes better!

This is my first year growing Florence fennel, the bulbing kind. Fennel grows wild around here, so I figured it would do well in our yard. Boy, has it! This is definitely something we’ll continue to grow—and eat. The recipe below, for cream of roasted fennel soup, is one of my family’s favorite ways to prepare it.

WHAT YOU’LL NEED:

• 2 fennel bulbs, bottoms and stalks trimmed off; reserve the leafy tops
• 1 onion, coarsely chopped
• olive oil
• salt
• 1/4 lb bacon slices
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp caraway seeds
• 4 cups chicken broth
• 2 large Yukon gold potatoes
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/2 cup half and half

WHAT TO DO:

1. Preheat the oven to 375 F.

2. Cut the fennel bulbs into 1/2-inch slices. Place the fennel and the chopped onion on a cookie sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Roast for 25 minutes or until tender and slightly browned.

5. Add the chicken broth, potatoes, fennel, and onions. Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer. Cook on medium high until the potatoes are tender. Add the bacon chunks, milk, and half and half, and use an immersion blender or food processor to purée the soup until smooth.

6. Serve with a garnish of bacon slices and fennel leaves. Enjoy!

MORE HOMEGROWN MEALS FOR HUNGRY BELLIES:

• Don’t miss Emily’s awesome Soup Jazz Sunday, featuring a new recipe and playlist in every installment.
• Find more winter-repelling recipes and farm-share-friendly meal plans in the CSA Cookoff.

Rachel’s friends in college used to call her a Renaissance woman. She was always doing something crafty, creative, or utilitarian. She still is. Instead of crafts, her focus these days has been farming as much of her urban quarter-acre as humanly possible. Along with her husband, she runs Dog Island Farm, in the San Francisco Bay Area. They raise chickens, goats, rabbits, dogs, cats, and a kid. They’re always keeping busy. If Rachel isn’t out in the yard, she’s in the kitchen making something from scratch. Homemade always tastes better!

PHOTOS: RACHEL

Don’t worry. We understand if you didn’t spend every waking minute of 2014 hunched over the computer, drumming your fingers and waiting for the next HOMEGROWN 101 to post. You’re busy! You’ve got actual stuff to do, from tending the garden (not to mention the kids, pets, and livestock) to making breakfast to fashioning bird feeders from Mason jars. We get it. Your get-it-doneness is why we love you!

But just in case you were wondering what your fellow DIYers were reading while you were off crafting, baking, and planting, we’ve rounded up the top five HOMEGROWN posts from 2014 in a few different categories—plus some fun stuff to look forward to. Here’s to finding inspiration for a whole new year of doing in 2015!

Top 5 shiny new 101s of 2014:

1. Sue’s Pallet Wood Chicken Coop 101
2. Andrea’s Wine Bottle Wind Chimes 101
3. Joe’s Fermented Chili Paste 101
4. Cynthia’s Homemade Bone Broth 101
5. Jessie’s Common Garden Pests 101—and how to fight ’em!

Oldies but goodies! Top 5 archived 101s in 2014:

1. Jennifer’s Drying Chili Peppers 101
2. Camas’s Buying a Whole Pig 101
3. Back to basics: Hoop Houses 101
4. Lauren’s Duck House 101 (Don’t miss her Raising Ducks 101!)
5. Lucy’s Growing Lettuce 101

Top 5 HOMEGROWN blog posts of 2014:

1. Rachel’s pros and cons of tiny house living
2. The Skills Tent Schedule at Farm Aid 2014—now with photos!
3. The United States of Thanksgiving, HOMEGROWN-Style, with apologies to The New York Times
4. Rachel’s big-batch granola recipe (This woman is a HOMEGROWN machine!)
5. Dyan’s ode to fall cooking—and eating

Coming up next: a few inspiring—and totally doable—food resolutions for 2015. Stay tuned to HOMEGROWN.org! And happy HOMEGROWN New Year, you guys!