Q: I'm hosting my first Thanksgiving this year. I usually try to eat organic and/or sustainably produced meat and would love to serve some to my (very recently acquired!) in-laws, but I'm at a loss for what kind of turkey to buy and where to purchase it.
I assume Whole Foods will have some good options, but I'm wondering what else is out there, especially for a newly married Brooklyn gal on a budget!
Sent by Diana
Editor: Diana, we'll be looking more closely at the Thanksgiving bird next week; we have a review of one brand of organic turkey, and we'll be giving more tips on tackling it too!
For now, though, as you plan ahead, our thought is to check your area through Local Harvest to see if there are free range, heritage birds available through a farmer close by. They are sometimes expensive but the demand has been rising so they are less rare these days. See this piece from a little while ago on heritage turkeys.
Here are a few more tips for planning your turkey.
Readers, any other suggestions for Diana?
Related: Recipe Review: Mark Bittman's Braised Turkey
(Image: Daylesford Organic)
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Diapolo Turkey Farm at the Grand Army Plaza farmer's market has great turkeys.
I've also ordered a turkey from Union Market that was delicious.
Good luck!
Maybe not the best for a tight budget, but we ordered our turkey from The Brooklyn Kitchen this year.
http://www.thebrooklynkitchen.com/web-store/turkey-for-thanksgiving/
I did Union Market last year - it was a bit of a fiasco, because I ordered ahead, and they ended up losing my order number. However, they finally got me a turkey, and it was a delicious one.
Williams Sonoma offers a free range organic bird I think.
Yeah I was gonna say some of the farmers markets stalls offer turkeys.
second dipaola turkey at the grand army plaza market. i don't eat meat anymore myself, but my parents have been buying that turkey for twenty five years and I remember it being goooood. At the market last week I noticed that they're taking thanksgiving orders now, you might want to put in your order soon...
I hope in the additional articles next week about free-range turkeys, you all mention the William and Sonoma Willie Bird that people can order online. My aunt buys from them every year because she knows I care where my meat comes from, but I also have wondered if they are actually as good (humane/eco-friendly) as they sound. I'll be interested to hear what you find!
Martha is selling turkeys now too. http://www.marthastewart.com/turkey
I second the LocalHarvest.org recommendation. It's one of the best and most comprehensive resources out there for oraganic/local. I use it constantly.
D'Artagnan sells great turkeys, both Heritage free-range & organic free-range. I think they do a discount (25%?) if you pre-order now. I get mine from them every year. The service is awesome too. http://www.dartagnan.com/
There are several turkey options at the New Amsterdam Market's Thanksgiving Market on 11/22, at the Seaport in Lower Manhattan: http://www.newamsterdammarket.org/vendors.html
Problem is, the pasture-raised and heritage ones will have been slaughtered on Friday 11/20 or even earlier, and will be refrigerated (not frozen) til the Sunday 11/22 pickup, and then til Thanksgiving. The vendors all say a 6-day old turkey is fine to cook, but that seems to conflict w/ what I hear otherwise ("cook your turkey within 2 or 3 days). The one place that will slaughter only 1 to 2 days before Thanksgiving, here in NYC, doesn't provide any information on what type of turkeys they are, and has no phone number.
Should I just revert to an organic Supermarket turkey? Any thoughts? Thanks!
Hi Diana,
WhatIsFresh.com has teamed up with the guys at Dipaola Turkey to let you order your turkey online this year. You can pickup the bird at 15 different locations around New York, and you don't pay until you get the bird.
Our family has relied on Dipaola for the last couple Thanksgivings and we've been very happy with their free-range, antibiotic-free turkeys!
You can find an order form and details at our site: www.whatisfresh.com.
Have a great Thanksgiving!
Mike
www.whatisfresh.com