By the time you are reading this another Thanksgiving dinner will be just a memory, photos posted on Facebook and a sad looking turkey carcass chilling out in the refrigerator.

It’s best to get as much of the meat off the turkey carcass as soon as possible. If you don’t have time to make broth or soup now, wrap the turkey bones and freeze them. You can pull the packet out in January and you’ve got the start for homemade turkey broth.

Making your own broth is a very is a good thing! A can of low-sodium turkey/chicken broth can cost close to $2 and it’s easy to make yourself with the leftover bones, drippings and meat—and you’re in control of the ingredients. Judy suggests adding onions, celery and carrots when cooking the bones, along with bay leaves, garlic, black pepper, thyme and rosemary will round out the flavors. For details on how to make your own broth check out this recipe.

Home-made broth can be refrigerated for 3-4 day or frozen for 3  months.  Use it as the start for a hearty turkey soup.

Cheryle Jones Syracuse, MS
Professor Emeritus,
The Ohio State Univeristy