My idea was not to use the ice as a heat source but as a protective barrier to prevent the drying/freezing of the branches with the frigid temperatures and high winds. The ice would in this model seal in the moisture. It would only be needed for about 15 hours - still I would worry that the drying winds would evaporate the coat of ice before that ,so I'm thinking that the coat would need to be relatively thick, though not thick enough to damage the trees from its weight.

Well it turned out great. Tuesday night I took a 11 pound turkey, and combined two two tablespoons of salt, with some ground pepper and thyme, and rubbed all over the inside and out of the turkey with the mixture, put in a two gallon ziplock bag, squeezed as much air out as possible, then into the fridge breast side up. Wednesday morning I turned it breast side down, there was about a quarter cup of liquid in the bag. Wednesday night right before bed I took the turkey out of the bag and let it sit in the pan in the fridge uncovered. There was about a half cup or more of juice, I was really worried I just sucked all the juice out and made turkey jerkey. Thursday, I took it out about an hour before cooking, and cut the backbone out (which I commonly do to poultry, because it cooks so much more evenly and faster). I put some butter under the skin, I used salted butter because that was all I had and I was worried it would be too salty. I cooked it at 400 on convection roast on the very bottomost of the oven. I did consider the caution about fithifying my oven, but, the oven was very dirty to begin with. After 45 minutes I was suprised to find the breast meat was already 122 degrees, so I knocked it down to 375 and let it finish that way. I guess it was a small bird. I pulled it out when done and let it rest for 15 minutes before carving. The skin was brown and crispy. There was very very little drippings in the pan, but they were concentrated, (and oddly, very little fat) and while the drippings were way salty, the gravy was perfect (I use homemade unsalted broth). The turkey turned out great. Neither the meat nor the skin was salty, but nicely flavored, and the meat was firm but juicy.

Word of caution: check your turkey before brining. Make sure it hasn't already had salt added in some form. We always brine our turkey and this year we are using the following recipe, minus the star anise pods. Cider-Brined Turkey with Star Anise and Cinnamon "Brining the turkey overnight keeps it moist and seasons the interior of the meat," says Lo. "The ingredients, except the cider, are classic 'red-cooking' flavorings used in Chinese cooking to braise and glaze meats like pork or duck." Tent the turkey�especially the wings�with foil if it darkens too quickly while roasting. For carving tips, see How to Carve a Turkey. 10�12 Servings Recipe by Anita Lo November 2011 Bon Appetit Ingredients 2 quarts plus 1 cup apple cider 1 cup kosher salt plus more 1 cup soy sauce 1/2 cup (packed) light brown sugar 16 whole black peppercorns 8 whole star anise pods plus more for garnish 6 garlic cloves, smashed 6 scallions, white parts only, trimmed, split lengthwise 6 1/4"-thick slices unpeeled ginger 5 dried shitake mushrooms 2 3"-4" cinnamon sticks plus more for garnish 2 sprigs cilantro 1 12 to 14-lb. turkey Freshly ground black pepper 2 Granny Smith apples, cut into sixths Melted unsalted butter or vegetable oil (for basting) Preparation �Bring 2 quarts cider, 1 cup salt, and the next 10 ingredients to a boil in a very large (16-qt.) pot, stirring to dissolve salt and sugar. Let cool to room temperature. Stir in 1 1/2 gallons cold water. Add turkey to brine and press down to submerge. Cover; refrigerate overnight. �Remove turkey from brine and pat dry with paper towels; discard brine. Season lightly inside and out with salt and pepper. Place turkey, breast side up, on a rack set in a large heavy roasting pan and tie legs together with kitchen twine. Let stand at room temperature for 1 hour. Preheat oven to 375�. Combine the remaining 1 cup of cider and 3 cups water in roasting pan. Scatter apples around. Brush turkey with butter. Flip breast side down. Roast turkey, breast side down, basting occasionally, for 1 hour. Using paper towels, flip turkey. Roast, basting occasionally, until an instant-read thermometer inserted into thickest part of thigh registers 165�, 1�1 1/2 hours longer. Transfer turkey to a platter. Let rest for at least 20 minutes before carving. Meanwhile, strain the juices from the roasting pan into a saucepan, reserving apples. Simmer over medium heat until juices have thickened, about 10 minutes. Serve the cider jus alongside the turkey and apples and garnish with extra star anise pods and cinnamon sticks. Nancy

No, you can go ahead and freeze it. I have some split turkeys, a whole one is too much for Elery and I and so I sometimes roast a half. I just did it last week, took out the backbone, brined both halves and put one half in the freezer, roasted the other half. It turns out fine. Hey, that's what Butterball does, injects the turkeys full of salt and water and then freezes them until the customer buys them, and pays that premium for the Butterball name and some salt and water. Annie