Once again, this may have to be stretched a bit to qualify as an outdoor column, but it does involve the Thanksgiving Turkey (note that I assign enough importance to upper case it). Furthermore, this recipe for turkey bones soup can be adapted to the bones of other game birds, and even some game animals.

With some outdoors folks, the bones of birds and animals have been double-dipped by cooking them for yet a second dish by simply covering them with water, covering the pan, and simmering them slowly for extended periods. Water may be added.

The practice can even be adopted for fish, if old fishing boat captains know their onions. They tell me the bones of a fish should be cooked in the fish if the dish is to offer maximum food qualities.

So there you have it. The recipe (I prefer procedure) is simple. Place the backbones (you probably will want to break it into two pieces, front and back) and cover it with water or chicken broth. Add salt and pepper, even some dried sage or other herbs of your choice. But don’t add too much seasoning until it has cooked for a while. The bones, stuffing, and meat will do a lot of seasoning.

Then start with one or two potatoes before you clean the refrigerator, all veggies joining the diced potato. I like some carrot rings, corn or peas or both, some crumpled dried hen-of-the-woods mushrooms, and finally a flat of my grandmother's rolled dumplings (recipe on www.bayoubill.com ). Actually, this should all be dealer's (cook's) choice.

Skin can be added and ditched, or eaten, later. Turkey skin--like the skin of other birds and animals--is very tasty. I like it baked crispy best.

One can, of course, cook the bones in a cheesecloth bag if the lights, and other items found attached to the bones, are not desired in the soup. Actually, they are very tasty although they are not pretty.

Then, let the soup simmer for as long as you like--at least a few hours.

Remove the bones before they break up and they will be easier to find. Refrigerate it to save.