The art of procuring a local thanksgiving bird: Pro tips from me to you.
Beautiful Bourbon Red turkeys from the one fateful year I did Thanksgiving birds.
We don’t gatekeep at New Roots Farm because I don’t believe in it. There’s enough good food and customers in this county to go around and I want everyone to enjoy what our agricultural community has to provide. I don’t keep secrets because life is not the KFC spice mix. I tell people how much things cost, the dumb or expensive mistakes I’ve made, and where to get the best local stuff be it potatoes, a diesel mechanic, insurance agent, or a dynamite taco. I also have taken a break from raising poultry so I don’t have a dog in the fight I’m about to give you the inside scoop on. That dog is the art/competitive sport of procuring a locally grown farm raised turkey for Thanksgiving. Consider this a public service announcement from someone who knows the ins and out of the local turkey game and is telling you WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW. Don’t let this heat wave fool you. You need to be thinking about your Thanksgiving centerpiece and November right now. Follow the recommendations below or like most Americans you will be enjoying a butterball Turkey from your local grocer. If you don’t want to think about turkey or don’t make plans until Sunday November 19th the farm-raised bird might not be for you. That is ok. Know thyself.
1) Do your research/know what you want.
Do you actually want a locally grown turkey? There is a small amount of logistics involved in getting one and it means making a reservation, picking it up at a specified time or location, and planning around defrosting or fresh bird prep times. You should also know roughly what size you want because you may be asked to make that choice at the time of your reservation. Are you hosting your whole family or having a small group? Time to figure that out or err on the side of caution and reserve the larger bird because the farmers know exactly how many birds they have and are going to assign them to pre-orders based on the size you requested. There might not be any last minute upgrades or downgrades they can do to accommodate you because they have a limited number of birds in their flock. This is the part where I recommend you have another meat available for a large gathering like one of our New Roots hams (also seasonally available) and lots of stuffing (made with our sausage). Is it just you or you and your plus one? Some farmers will sell you a leg or breast and you can still enjoy turkey without having a whole bird.
Your farmers may also have different offerings and different production systems. Do you care? I like my birds pasture raised, fed non-GMO grain, and I love a heritage turkey, but that is me. A farm fresh bird raised in a barn or on a lot fed a locally grown or milled ration is still going to taste way better than what you get at the store. Also heritage birds are smaller and are “built different” as they say. They don’t have as much breast meat and they won’t look quite the same as the traditional bird you might be used to. If you’re having a massive gathering the Bourbon Red turkey might not yield the servings or amount of white vs. dark meat you need. I love the flavor of a heritage bird, but will gladly serve up a pasture raised Broad Breasted White, which is more like a traditional commercial bird, especially if it came from a local farm when we are having lots of family come for the holidays.
2) Pick your farm.
This might be as easy as inquiring with the farm you already buy your locally grown poultry from or you might not know of a local farm and need to do a little research. Once you have found that farm SUBSCRIBE. That means following them on social media and signing up for their email list so you can know all turkey related happenings.
Here are some tips for finding a farm that raises Thanksgiving turkeys.
- Use a local guide. Anne Arundel County has an Arundel Grown reference with a list of farms, SMADC has one for Southern Maryland, and there is a Southern Maryland Holiday Farms Guide.
- Ask at the local farmers market or ask a farmer. I frequently get asked in November where someone can get a turkey in our farm store or if we will have them and that is why I wrote this guide.
I refer folks to farmers I know and work with that grow turkeys including: Morris Hill, Rawlings Farm, and Achterberg Acres. Check their websites and sign up for their newsletters.
- Search engine. Google or an Internet search with your county and some key words might bring you to a Facebook page or farm website that can help you out.
3) Make your reservation and place your deposit.
Lots of farmers do this online, but some want a reservation in person or take them at the farmers market. Basically make your reservation through whatever system the farmer asks be it online, web form, at market, or via carrier pigeon. Deposits are usually around $50, but vary from farm to farm. These are non refundable and deducted from your final bill. Your farmers have a lot in these birds including months raising these birds, hauling them to a processor or processing them themselves, placing their chick/poult orders early to ensure they get birds, and they need to know who is going to buy them and don’t want to have any not end up fulfilling their Thanksgiving destiny.
4) Manage your expectations.
The birds may not come exactly as you expected, the packaging may be different than the store, or it may not be the precise weight you ordered. We never know exactly what a bird will weigh until after it is butchered and the farmers are going to do their best to match your order with a bird that meets your needs. Remember tip 1? This is not a butterball. If you chose a heritage bird it won’t be all breast meat and they tend to be smaller. Depending upon the farm your bird might come fresh or frozen, ask how it will arrive and then plan around it. Also please show up to your designated pick up time and place on time. If something happens to derail you on this glorious quest contact the farmer and find a time to get your bird that works for them.
5) Do not complain about the price.
This is not a grocery store bird. Generally a farm-raised bird is going to cost $7-10/lb. Grocery store turkeys are loss leaders. They want to get consumers in the door with sale prices on the birds and hope you will buy all the other ingredients and supplies you need while you’re at it. They hope to make their margins on the produce, desserts, paper plates etc. and your local farmer is schilling none of this stuff. They actually need to make money on turkey. Also these birds are NOT CHEAP to raise. I raised turkeys exactly one season and ended up completely upside down on it due to foxes getting my birds and me not having the right infrastructure in place to raise turkeys because I was still figuring out this farming thing. I lost several thousand dollars, but I also learned a lot about the margins of farm-raised birds and how I would do it differently if I ever recover from the emotional trauma. Right now grain prices are high, turkey poults (chicks) are expensive (I paid $12 a chick pre inflation) poultry takes a lot of labor, you have to manage for predators, pay processing costs, and transport the birds. Heritage birds have been on their respective farms for 7-8 months. For context—broiler chickens average 8 weeks. These are a specialty seasonal offering that involves a lot of time, expertise and degree of risk and the price reflects that. I raised heritage bourbon reds that decided that flying into the trees at night instead of going to their turkey house was going to be their thing so for MONTHS someone had to be home at dusk to make sure those birds went into their damn houses instead of the trees. I was ready to physically fight anyone who questioned my $8/lb price point by Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving is about many things, one of them being gratitude, and I am grateful for the farmers that do the hard work of raising poultry so I don’t have to while our customers still get to enjoy a locally raised bird for the holiday.
6) Don’t overcook your bird and use a meat thermometer.
Make sure you make your cooking plans based on your bird’s size and type. I find the smaller heritage breed birds can be treated more like a chicken and I like to start at a high heat and then reduce so I make sure I get a crispy skin. I also love to brine them in buttermilk (preferably from Nice Farms creamery). Give yourself enough time to research your plan of attack and properly prepare your bird. My grandmother used to get up at 4 or 5 am to put the turkey in the oven and it took forever to cook, but in retrospect I think it is because we had thanksgiving dinner at noon and the bird probably weighed 40 lbs. Now I tell my family the food will not be ready by lunchtime and our reasonably sized farm fresh bird will only take a few hours. I put it in mid to late morning, which inevitably causes my mother anxiety due to the 4 am precedent, and have dinner ready mid afternoon. Also get a meat thermometer. Use it for all your carnivore culinary adventures from poultry to steak. Cook that bird to proper food safe temps and don’t leave the food out too long. Epicurious has a nice guide for cooking and defrosting. USDA has you covered with the food safety piece. They have a Meat and Poultry hotline you can call or email. I’m not kidding. If you have a question about meat, poultry, or egg products, call the USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline toll free at 1-888-MPHotline (1-888-674-6854).
7) Enjoy!!
Glad you made it this far, but seriously enjoy that bird, the time with your family, and the satisfaction that comes from eating something grown and raised by those in your community. Don’t forget to tell your farmer how wonderful it was so they can remember your kind words in the dark times like when they are packaging birds late at night, moving the infuriating poultry netting, getting shocked by an energizer they are trying to fix, or tending to your thanksgiving dinner in the blazing summer heat and praying that they will sell out and won’t be eating turkey through next spring.