Table Talk Tuesday - November 18, 2025

Let's talk turkey!

Welcome to Table Talk Tuesday — your weekly seat at the farm table.

Each Tuesday, we share a recipe inspired by life on the land, along with a story from the people who make it possible. Whether it’s Grandma’s field-hand biscuits or a modern twist on homegrown produce, we’re here to celebrate food that connects us — from the farmyard to your kitchen.

10 Fun Facts About Turkeys

What do you really know about turkey, other than it goes well with cranberry sauce?

By Jodi Henke and Chelsea Dinterman Updated on November 17, 2023

Agri-Pulse Newsmakers November 14, 2025

Photo: Penn State University

In most families, the so-called “turkey expert” is the person who gets to carve the roasted bird, and the rest of us are only concerned with choosing dark or white meat. But here are a few tidbits about turkeys that could make you the conversation expert between forkfuls.

Turkey Fun Facts

1. For instance, did you know that you can tell the mental state of a turkey by the color of its head and neck? When a turkey gets mad, excited, or defensive, its head and neck turns white. The more extreme the emotion, the whiter the color.

   
   

2. Turkeys can see in color, but have poor night vision. They can see movement almost a-hundred yards away and also have a wide field of vision, which makes sneaking up on them difficult. Good luck trying to catch a wild turkey. They can run at speeds of up to 25 miles-per-hour, and fly for short distances at up to 55 miles-per-hour. Wild turkeys spend the night in trees, and are particularly fond of oak trees.

   
   

3. Hens are typically sold whole, while toms are further processed into cutlets and deli meats.

   
   

4. Even if you can’t see them, you can probably hear them. The wild turkey can make at least 30 different calls. In the spring, the adult male makes a call known as a gobble to attract females. Humans can hear gobbles from a mile away. Hens don’t gobble; they make a clicking noise.

   
   

5. Around 46 million turkeys are consumed every Thanksgiving.

   
   

6. If Benjamin Franklin would have had his way, you’d be eating our national bird. The Smithsonian says Franklin wrote a letter to his daughter, praising the turkey as a much more respectable bird than the bald eagle. He wrote, “For the Truth the Turkey is in Comparison a much more respectable Bird, and withal a true original Native of America . . . He is besides, though a little vain & silly, a Bird of Courage, and would not hesitate to attack a Grenadier of the British Guards who should presume to invade his Farm Yard with a red Coat on.”

   
   

7. Mature turkeys have 3,500 feathers.

   
   

8. Toms typically take 18 weeks to reach maturity and weigh 38 pounds.

   
   

9. On average, it takes 75-80 pounds of feed to raise a 38-pound tom turkey.

   
   

10. Minnesota is ranked No. 1 in U.S. turkey production, raising more than 40 million turkeys each year.

RELATED: Agriculture at the Thanksgiving Table

Apple, Rhubarb, and Raspberry Pie With Almond Star Crust

By Successful Farming Staff Updated on October 20, 2025

There’s nothing quite like the smell of a homemade pie baking on a crisp fall day. This pie mixes tart rhubarb and raspberries with sweet apples for a perfect balance of sweet and tangy, tucked inside a flaky almond-flavored crust. Add the pastry stars on top and it’s a pie that’s as pretty as it is comforting. 

Ingredients

• 1-1/4 cups granulated sugar

  
  

• 2 tablespoons cornstarch

  
  

• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

  
  

• 1/2 teaspoon apple pie spice or ground cinnamon

  
  

• 2-1/2 cups thinly sliced, peeled apples

  
  

• 2-1/2 cups frozen unsweetened sliced rhubarb

  
  

• 1 cup frozen red raspberries

  
  

• 1 recipe almond star crust (see below)

  
  

• Water or milk

  
  

• Coarse sugar (optional)

Directions

1. In a large bowl stir together granulated sugar, cornstarch, flour, and apple pie spice. Add apples, frozen rhubarb, and frozen raspberries; toss gently to coat. Let stand about 45 minutes or until frozen fruit is partially thawed but still icy.

   
   

2. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 375°F. Prepare almond star crust. On a lightly floured surface roll one pastry ball into a 12-inch circle. Ease pastry circle into a 9-inch pie plate without stretching it. Stir fruit mixture; transfer to pastry-lined pie plate. Trim pastry even with pie plate rim.

   
   

3. Roll remaining pastry ball into a 12-inch circle. Using a 1/2- to 1-inch star-shape cutter, cut out pastry to make 28 to 30 tiny stars; set aside. Using 2- and 3-inch star-shape cutters, cut remaining pastry into stars. Reroll scraps to cut additional stars.

   
   

4. Lightly brush edge of pastry in pie plate with water. Place tiny stars in a single layer on edge of pie. Place remaining stars on top of pie (some filling will show through). If desired, lightly brush cutouts with water and sprinkle with coarse sugar.

   
   

5. Cover edge of pie loosely with foil. Place pie on middle oven rack. Line a baking sheet with foil; place on bottom rack to catch any drips. Bake for 50 minutes. Remove foil from pie. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes more or until pastry is golden and filling is bubbly. Cool on a wire rack.

RELATED: 3 Lip-Smacking Apple Recipes

Almond Star Crust Ingredients

• 2-1/4 cups all-purpose flour

  
  

• 1/4 cup ground toasted almonds

  
  

• 1 teaspoon salt

  
  

• 1/2 cup shortening

  
  

• 1/4 cup butter, cut up, or shortening

  
  

• 1/4 teaspoon almond extract (optional)

  
  

• 1/2 to 2/3 cup ice water

Crust Directions

1. In a large bowl stir together flour, ground almonds, and salt.

   
   

2. Using a pastry blender, cut in shortening and butter until pieces are pea size. If desired, sprinkle with almond extract; toss gently with a fork.

   
   

3. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of the water over part of the flour mixture; toss gently with fork.

   
   

4. Push moistened pastry to side of bowl. Repeat moistening flour mixture, using 1 tablespoon of the water at a time, until all of the flour mixture is moistened.

   
   

5. Gather flour mixture into a ball, kneading gently until it holds together.

   
   

6. Divide pastry in half; form halves into balls.

Nutritional Information

Number of Servings: 8Nutrition Facts (per serving): 476 cal., 20 g Fat, total (7 g sat. fat), 15 mg chol., 71 g carb., 344 mg sodium, 4 g fiber, 36 g sugar, 5 g pro.

Stuffed Spaghetti Squash

• 1 spaghetti squash, halved and seeded

• 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided, or more as needed

• 1 clove garlic, diced, or more to taste

• 1 large red bell pepper, chopped

• 2 medium tomatoes, chopped

• 1 teaspoon dried basil

• ¾ cup feta or soft goat cheese, crumbled

• salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

• 3 tablespoons dry bread crumbs, or to taste

• 3 tablespoons butter, or to taste, cut into small cubes

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).

2. Brush the inside of the spaghetti squash with 1 tablespoon olive oil and place cut-side down on a baking sheet.

3. Bake in the preheated oven on the middle rack until squash is easily pierced with a fork, about 25 minutes.

4. Meanwhile, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a skillet over medium-low heat and cook garlic until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add bell pepper. Cook and stir until softened, about 3 minutes. Stir in tomatoes and basil, cover, and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft, about 10 minutes.

5. Remove spaghetti squash from oven, cool slightly, and shred the cooked squash into spaghetti-like strands. Place strands in a bowl. Add bell pepper mixture, crumbled cheese, salt, and black pepper and mix until well combined. Spoon mixture back into the squash halves. Sprinkle with bread crumbs and butter cubes.

6. Bake in the preheated oven until filling is bubbly and bread crumbs are browned, about 15 minutes.

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Bread

• 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese

• ½ cup white sugar

• 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

• 1 large egg

• 1 tablespoon orange zest

• 1 ⅔ cups all-purpose flour

• 1 teaspoon baking soda

• ½ teaspoon salt

• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

• ½ teaspoon ground cloves

• ½ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

• 1 cup pumpkin puree

• ½ cup vegetable oil

• 2 large eggs

• 1 ½ cups white sugar

1. Gather all ingredients. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Lightly grease two 8×4 inch loaf pans.

2. Combine cream cheese, 1/2 cup sugar, 1 tablespoon flour, 1 egg and orange zest in a medium bowl; beat until smooth. Set aside.

3. Sift together 1 ⅔ cups flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, cloves, and pumpkin pie spice; set aside.

4. Place pumpkin, vegetable oil, 2 eggs and 1 ½ cups sugar in a large bowl; beat well. Stir the pumpkin mixture into the flour mixture just until combined. Fold in the pecans if desired.

5. Pour 1/2 of the pumpkin batter into the loaf pans. Spoon cream cheese mixture on top of this layer and then pour on the remaining batter.

6. Bake in preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into center of the loaf comes out clean, about 60 to 70 minutes. Cool bread in pans briefly before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.