Wild Turkey Surprise

Oh, how my father loved to cook! Most memories I have are of him in the kitchen. He was most known for his ribs and smoked turkey but even more so for his birthday cakes. I must laugh looking back – my father made the most amazing tasting cakes but couldn’t decorate one to save his life. He tried hard though and there was no doubt about the love he had for you when he presented you with your cake. 

Feeding people was just a natural thing for him and my mother – growing up in an Italian home, he would tell me there was always food and large gatherings of family and neighbors. No one was turned away. And if there weren’t enough seats at the table, another table was squeezed into the room. 

Shortly after my first daughter Sarah was born, my dad, Gene was diagnosed with an aggressive form of cancer, and his life expectancy was drastically shortened. We spent a lot of time together while he was going through treatment, and even more time when his treatment ended, as his cancer continued to spread. I remember walking into my parents’ home one afternoon to find him at the head of the dining room table surrounded by papers and cookbooks writing down a bunch of things in a notebook. Sitting down next to him in my childhood seat, I knew exactly what he was up to – by this time his cancer had spread to his brain, starting to affect his memory and he was worried he’d forget his recipes and not be able to share them with me in time. I sat next to him talking through the recipes and in some cases, I wrote them for him. He told stories about being in a chili cook-off, the importance of a piece of spinach in the middle of his Italian rice balls, and the steps to making his smoked turkey, which he called Wild Turkey Surprise. He had no explanation for the name, other than it’s what he always called it.

It was a great milestone when he and I spent the day together making Sarah’s first birthday cake. It was a chocolate owl cake – while my dad handled the cake, I took care of the decorating. It was the last cake we’d make together.

He lived well past the timeframe the doctors had given him, but it was still far shorter than I had hoped. He passed away shortly before Thanksgiving in 2011, and we celebrated by having his smoked turkey that year – my husband Richard took on the task and he didn’t disappoint. As a Christmas gift for my mom, I created a cookbook with her favorite recipes of my father’s, along with photos of the handwritten portions of the recipes and notes from the day he and I sat at the dining room table so she could feel him with her when she was in the kitchen cooking up his recipes. 

As I sit here and type, my mind is full of comforting smells, laughter, and memories only these recipes can bring. And since I can’t invite you in for a meal at our table, I can share with you my dad’s Wild Turkey Surprise, smoked turkey recipe. I know he would share with you himself if he was here.

Gina writes about herself, “I’m a wife, mom of 3, and an accidental farmer. Although owning and running a farm was not where I imagined my life would take me, I’m right where God intended me to be… and loving it!

My focus for our farm is community.

A place where people can come, feel God’s love, and want to stay awhile. Truth be told, people come and shop with us weekly and although our products nourish physically, it’s me who’s filled spiritually and mentally on all levels by spending time and connecting with others. Every day I get the honor of witnessing God’s creation at work and it doesn’t get any better than that.”

For more of Gina and FreshORR Family Farms, head over to the website and follow her on Instagram.