If you’re hosting Thanksgiving dinner this year, it’s time to pre-order your local turkey! If you read a lot of food magazines (or blogs) to prepare for your Thanksgiving feast, you’ve probably seen a lot of talk about brining the turkey in recent years. Soaking the bird in a saltwater is supposed to add succulence to the meat. But here’s a secret  - turkeys are naturally juicy. Conventional turkeys, like conventional chickens and other animals, are raised in confined quarters where they are stuffed full of grain and antibiotics to grow rapidly.

Turkeys who eat a natural diet of bugs, grubs and grasses will naturally produce meat that is juicier and more flavorful. And, birds who roam in fresh air lead happier, healthier lives.What is a Heritage turkey? Today, 99% of all turkeys raised in the

U.S. are the “Broadbreasted White” variety, which have been bred specifically to produce unnaturally large breasts. The breasts are so large, in fact, that these turkeys are unable to reproduce naturally! (Source: Sustainable Table/UN Food and Agriculture Organization)Sustainable turkey farmers raise various traditional species of turkeys, Heritage breeds such the Bourbon Red, to protect the genetic diversity and provide tastier options for your Thanksgiving table. Heritage birds take longer to reach market size — 24 to 30 weeks compared to 18 for supermarket turkeys — which is one reason why they more expensive. Wondering how to find a local, organic, free-range bird for your holiday meal? Here in the DC Metro area, organic turkeys are harder to find, but several local farmers and butchers provide heritage and or free-range turkeys. Organic birds will be the most expensive, but they are fed only organic feed, not treated with antibiotics or hormones, and required to have access to the outdoors. Ask your farmer or butcher what their free-range turkeys are fed. Organic grain feed is less important if they are truly free-range, as turkeys prefer to eat bugs and grasses anyway. Where “all-natural” is used below, it means turkeys are not treated or fed with any antibiotics, steroids or hormones.EcoFriendly Foods (

Moneta, VA)
type: all-natural, free-range, Heritage and hybrid breeds, 12-20lbs.
Fields of Athenry (

Purcellville, VA)
type: all-natural, free-range, Heritage, 15-35lbs.

Let’s Meat on the Avenue (

Alexandria, VA)
type: Amish-raised from Pennsylvania and Minnesota; organic from

Fauquier County VA; all free-range, all-natural, fresh

MOM’s Organic Market (VA and MD)
type: all-natural, free-range from Maple Lawn Farm (

Fulton, MD) and Eberly’s Organic

Smith Meadows Farm (

Purcellville, VA)
type: all-natural, free-range turkeys, 10-12lbs. or 13-14lbs., frozen

South

Mountain Creamery / Hillside Farm (

Thurmont, MD)
type: free-range, fresh

 

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