Rocky Mountain ... oysters and the like

last year

Well, most of us may have heard of the non-seafood country 'delight' ... but have you heard of turkey oysters?

Iowa is a very large producer of turkeys. And like many other ag animals, special things need to be done to young male fauna. The grocery stores have lots of them. Ask your meat market guy [make sure there are no other customers within earshot] ... fairly inexpensive and cheaper than chicken wings.

Do you partake? Do you have a special recipe? I treat them like morel mushrooms ... long soak in salt water; slice them and dip them in egg and seasoned flour and fry them in butter ...

Yes, you may have scrolled away by now ... but on the slimest chance you haven't, any thoughts.

Due to the rona, one of the longest lasting RMO festivals curtailed operations a couple of years ago.

They would fry up tons of these for adventurous culinary visitors.

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linda campbell

last year

They are called "Tom toms" and the Ikes here ( not far from where you are ) used to have a "feed" every year. never had them....not anxious to try....but mention shad roe and I will come running.

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Comments (14)

carolb_w_fl_coastal_9b
last year
Interesting - and I thought those nuggets of meat found on poultry pelvic bones were known as oysters...?
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CA Kate z9
last year
I have eaten the former and never heard of the later. Sorry, no recipes.
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colleenoz
last year
My mother called those little nuggets on the pelvic bones the oysters.
bragu_DSM 5 thanked colleenoz
plllog
last year
last modified: last year
Carol is right about the chicken oysters, but I get Dave's analogy to Rocky Mountain Oysters. Huevos means eggs, so the hen lays one kind and the rooster has the loss of a different kind caponing him. One could go on and on with the analogies/euphemisms. Most of the butchers here get their wares at least partially broken down, already. I've never seen buckets of balls outside of a golf course. Maybe the Asian grocers have them, seeing as they're more likely to have birds with the heads and feet on. There are a few independents who break down their own sides, but I think they still get their birds plucked and cleaned. Some stores do sell piles of cleaned feet, however. Those come in a bag from the grower. I'm sure you could order chicken mollusks the same way. My icky sense come from an acculturation to that which is kosher, though I don't keep kosher myself. I can't help the feeling that they're not food. ;)
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bragu_DSM 5
Original Author
last year
last modified: last year
heh heh what about gizzards ... or just treat them all like giblets for a well-rounded dressing [see what I did there]. They are really elongated ovals ... some were well-endowed, and likely barnyard menaces
party_music50
last year
Omg, plllog, I have a new vision for ’a bucket of balls‘ now. lol! I agree… there are no real butchers around here now. I‘ve never seen/tried RM oysters and such, but I do miss finding the occasional beef kidney!
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claudia valentine
last year
I have had mountian oysters and I remember them being delightful fried up. An aunt of mine fixed them for us.
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User
last year
I grew up in Calgary. The ranchers always had a big cookout on bull calf castration day. They fried them on a big open air griddle. It was a big picnic and a lot of fun for everyone (well, maybe not quite everyone) We called them Prairie Oysters.
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Gooster
last year
last modified: last year
I had to see the real thing, and came across two videos...

A news report - quote from the reporter "I'm glad they are not juicy"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CNf9t8R-ZWo

And one with a thumbnail that tells you everything you need to know about this part of a tom turkey

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Ecs6ZNCMZA

Somehow I think the scale is more offputting than the Rocky Mountain version....
LoneJack Zn 6a, KC
last year
last modified: last year
Roxsol - Nowdays the ranchers just band them off so they don't get any blood flow. They shrivel up and fall off in a few weeks. Less trauma for the bull calves. Gotta keep an eye on them to make sure there is no infection.

We had three bull calves born in August that we still need to band off unless they get frozen off this winter :-)
bragu_DSM 5 thanked LoneJack Zn 6a, KC
User
last year
frozen off this winter

Which reminds me, lonejack, did you ever make it to Calgary this year before the snow fell?
LoneJack Zn 6a, KC
last year
Roxsol - not yet. So-far the CP folks that I have been working with have come to KC for all of the face-to-face meetings. I did go to CP's US headquarters in Minneapolis for a 3 day meeting in October.

I think they are waiting for late January to send me to Calgary...not cold enough just yet. LOL
User
last year
Lonejack, maybe you will be lucky and it will be chinooking when you get there.

Rocky Mountain ... oysters and the like

linda campbell

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carolb_w_fl_coastal_9b

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Rocky Mountain ... oysters and the like

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