We can’t make a turkey from scratch, but we can make everything that comes after it. This From Scratch post covers how to read a turkey label (and why you may be paying for water), where to find a local pasture-raised bird, and the science of dry brining. It also turns the leftovers into gravy, bone broth, turkey pot hand pies and a week of meals, with make-or-buy verdicts and storage times for each.

You can’t make an apple from scratch, but you can learn what happens to one between the orchard and your kitchen. Discover which varieties make the best pie and sauce, what that shiny grocery-store wax is and how to remove it, and what we paid at the farm stand, the farmers market and the grocery store. Plus, a simple peel-on applesauce recipe and an invitation to this Thursday’s Apple Hand Pie class.

What’s really inside a can of pumpkin? Just cooked squash. In this From Scratch guide, we roast and purée our own kabocha and honeynut, compare the real cost against canned, share how to store it for months, and visit our local farms to learn which pumpkins are worth eating.