As we enter the final months of 2025 we invite you to #GatherAroundBCTurkey. It’s our invitation to share a meal with loved ones this harvest season, celebrating the individuals who make it possible as our province turns golden and crisp.
With the weather turning cooler and the nights longer, now is the perfect time to place turkey at the centre of your table. Whether it’s cherished holiday feasts or simple weeknight dinners, turkey’s raised right here in BC are handled with care, rooted in community, and crafted into meals that bring comfort, nourishment, and joy. By choosing British Columbia Turkey, you honour the farmers who dedicate themselves year-round to providing safe, high-quality products.
This cherished holiday season, we want to introduce you to Thanksgiving Traditions, Reimagined. We are so lucky to live in a province—and country—that is as diverse geographically as it is culturally. We have so many multicultural communities with spices, herbs, and recipes rooted in traditions we all can partake in, especially when it comes to this Canadian holiday. Whatever your Thanksgiving looks like, we have five stellar recipes that bring a bounty of flavour to your table.
Read on to discover new ways to elevate your Thanksgiving table with seasonal flare. Whether it’s hosting a small get-together with coworkers, a Friendsgiving dinner, or something more traditional, let’s all learn new ways to #GatherAroundBCTurkey!
Recipe 1: Maple and Cider Brined Whole Roasted Turkey with Apple Thyme Chutney
This recipe is loaded with the perfect blend of harvest spices: apple cider, brown sugar, maple syrup, black peppercorns, orange slices, bay leaves, thyme, sage, and more to create the perfect brine! Cooked down and submerged overnight, the flavours soak into your turkey for the perfect seasonal feast day-of! While cooking, your turkey soaks in even more of that apple cider flavour, leaving it fall-off-the-bone delicious when you finally sit down together at dinnertime.
Recipe 2: Miso Orange Glazed Turkey
Loaded with classic seasonal notes like orange, nutmeg, cloves and brown sugar, the miso in this recipe adds a touch of savoury, umami-richness to your Thanksgiving table. As the brine settles over 24-hours ahead of your feast, it seeps into the skin and meat, leaving each bite a flavourful exploration. After you rinse off the brine, you leave shallots and orange slices within the cavity for citrus and spice, leaving comforting aromas within the home as it slowly cooks all afternoon.
Recipe 3: Mushroom and Herb Rubbed Turkey with Mushroom Gravy
Do you have a mushroom lover in your family or friend group? Then this is the recipe for you. Choose your favourite dried mushroom: shiitake, oyster, porcini, morels, etc., and then pop them in the spice mill along with garlic salt, peppercorns, rosemary, and more. Fun tip? Reserve some of the powder as a gift for foodie lovers! It’s a beautiful way to share a taste of BC’s harvest at this time of year.
Recipe 4: Maple Whisky Smoked Turkey
This is for all the whisky aficionados out there, because why not glaze your turkey with a combination of Canadian whisky, butter, dijon mustard, and a touch of maple syrup? And for the best crispy skin, after you brine it overnight, place your turkey uncovered on a rack and refrigerate for up to 24-hours so the skin is dried out while the meat remains tender and flavourful.
Recipe 5: Pumpkin Spice Turkey
Latté’s aren’t the only seasonal items full of comforting pumpkin spice, especially when you bring those flavours to your table. You can add even more pumpkin flavour to your turkey by making a rub combining purée, cinnamon, nutmeg, ground cloves, ground ginger, brown sugar, and more prior to roasting. And the stuffing for this recipe? Full of harvest happiness with seasonal squashes, melted butter, and cubed brioche buns.
However you celebrate this holiday season, we wish you a lovely Thanksgiving full of good company, delicious BC-raised turkey, and cherished memories for years to come. There are so many ways to reimagine your Thanksgiving traditions with recipes, spices, rubs, brines, and more, and we hope that your tables are bountiful and full of flavour.
Happy Thanksgiving, BC!