What the heck is that stuff?

Pete McMiller

Pete McMiller

Well-known member
Every year that I have gotten a turkey I ask myself the same question. "What the heck is that gelatinous mass surrounding the crop." That has got to be the nastiest stuff I have ever seen in anything I have ever cleaned. It's almost as bad as an infected wound and in fact that's what I thought was years ago with my first turkey. What is it and why is it there? Anyone have any theories?

Oh yeah, the reason I am thinking about it now - 5 pm yesterday, 22 #'s, 9" beard, spurs weren't significant. The last day of my season in between rain showers. Almost need hip boots to get my spot with all the rain the past couple of days.

No pics - they're on my phone ........................... I still have one of the dumb ones.


Ta - Da
View attachment turkey2010.jpg
 
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If you want to text me that picture I'll email it to you so you have it off the phone.

Way to go on the gobbler by the way.
 
Nice job on the gobbler!

I just figured out if I type my email address into the phone instead of selecting a person to text, it sends the pic to my email. I dont think it costs anymore than a normal pic-text, but I could be wrong.

Bill
 
I didn't know I could do that. I guess my old dumb phone is still smarter than I am. I'll edit my post.

Thanks Bill
 
Bill, I told my kids that I can't believe all the stuff I've learned since I turned 60..................either that or I'm just relearning all the stuff I already knew and forgot. Either way it's still fun.
 
Congrats on the turkey Pete.

I don't know what that stuff is.. I guess I 'll have to get a turkey to find out. Produces steam hummmm...
 
I think it's called the sponge. I was told it's an accumulation of fat that the gobbler uses for energy during breeding season. Eating isn't the highest priority in the spring, kind of like when we were young and in love.
 
Hmmmm I guess that sounds reasonable. If you think about it, where else would they store reserves? It's not like they have a fat layer anywhere else. Ok, I'll go with that.
 
Nice job....11th hour birds are always the best in my opinion! Maybe its a fat deposit but it isn't fat really is it? Its more like a mucous pad(that could be the new official name actually). When they gobble it must put a tremendous amount of stress on them...I've always thought it was gelatinous protective layer so they didn't explode their crops. It seems to also cause the sound the resonate more. You know when they're close and they have the thumpy rattle....I believe it eminates from the mucous pad. The one I killed the other day was gobbling so hard he gagged himself. He hacked a couple of times and I heard him gag right before I helped him out by draining his head.
 
Just picturing a tom gobbling so hard he gags hahaha. You're right it really doesn't feel like fat more like gelatinous snot. Mucous Pad sounds way to benign, civilized and PC. We need a name that accurately describes that crap. With all the biologists on here I figured we'd get some scientific explanation, apparently they don't know either. Wait, wait, I see a govt. grant in my future haha.
 
Pete,

Sorry for not weighing in on this, but all the info is here. It is the breast "sponge" as "JEG" said and it is the energy storage organ as many have said. It is composed of connective tissue (I think properly "loose connective tissue") with embeded fat. I've seen the sponge diminish over time as birds shot late in the year (late may) can be dried up like a big buck in rut.

What hasn't been said is that you should eat it. It was considered by old timers as the best part, I've read it several times in my readings of early works in the 1700's and 1800's. It is considered a part to be left in to baste the roasted bird or to be left on a breast when steaks are cooked in the pan to keep them moist. If you blister the breast they get really nasty with blood spots as you know. I've never cooked a blistered one to see how they look when done.

T
 
Tod,

You yourself have actually eaten it?

I've eaten a lot of stuff in my life but the thought of eating that stuff makes me want to gag on my gobble, so-to-speak. Just because they ate it 2-300 years ago doesn't make it as far as I'm concerned. All trappers have heard stories about eating the tail of a beaver as in "it's the best part". My old trapping buddy tried beaver tail and said it was like eating cold snot on Wonder bread. I'm usually up for trying anything anyone else will eat but I think I need more validity before trying this "delicacy".

The stored fat idea certain seems the most logical.
 
Tod,

You yourself have actually eaten it?

I've eaten a lot of stuff in my life but the thought of eating that stuff makes me want to gag on my gobble, so-to-speak. Just because they ate it 2-300 years ago doesn't make it as far as I'm concerned. All trappers have heard stories about eating the tail of a beaver as in "it's the best part". My old trapping buddy tried beaver tail and said it was like eating cold snot on Wonder bread. I'm usually up for trying anything anyone else will eat but I think I need more validity before trying this "delicacy".

The stored fat idea certain seems the most logical.
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I leave it in my my roasters if I can. I try to roast at least 1 bird per year, usually the first 2 year old I shoot (that I don't blister the breast on, that is). When you roast one it pretty much renders away other than a few little streaks (veins under the skin). I've never roasted an old gobbler that had fistfulls of sponge or I've never cubed/sliced it up and ate it, but I will this year as a test if I remember.

It is tough to deal with as you know and grabs every feather and speck of dirt.
 
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