http://paperpalate.net/2006/11/08/so-many-turkey-choices-so-little-time/ Food and wine in magazines and newspapers, cookbook reviews Mon, 01 Dec 2008 17:33:13 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.0.4 http://paperpalate.net/2006/11/08/so-many-turkey-choices-so-little-time/#comment-1114 Sat, 11 Nov 2006 05:46:47 +0000 http://paperpalate.net/2006/11/08/so-many-turkey-choices-so-little-time/#comment-1114 The Bee article is a little misleading about heritage turkeys. That $10.00/lb. figure is daunting and, in my experience <em>quite excessive</em>. We have at least two local sources of heritage turkeys for $4.00 and $5.00 a pound here in Western North Carolina. As Cate points out on <a href="http://growersandgrocers.net/2006/11/10/turkey-talk/" rel="nofollow" rel="nofollow">Growers & Grocers</a>, if you cannot order a heritage bird locally, <a href="http://www.localharvest.org/store/item.jsp?id=510" rel="nofollow" rel="nofollow">Local Harvest</a> has them for $4.00 or so a pound (before shipping). The <a href="http://albc-usa.org/" rel="nofollow" rel="nofollow">American Livestock Breeds Conservancy</a> defines a "heritage turkey" as meeting <a href="http://albc-usa.org/news/aug31_05.html" rel="nofollow" rel="nofollow">the following</a> criteria: * "Naturally mating: the Heritage Turkey must be reproduced and genetically maintained through natural mating, with expected fertility rates of 70-80%. * "Long productive lifespan: the Heritage Turkey must have a long productive lifespan. Breeding hens are commonly productive for 5-7 years and breeding toms for 3-5 years. * "Slow growth rate: the Heritage Turkey must have a slow to moderate rate of growth. Today’s heritage turkeys reach a marketable weight in 26 – 28 weeks, giving the birds time to develop a strong skeletal structure and healthy organs prior to building muscle mass. This growth rate is identical to that of the commercial varieties of the first half of the 20th century." The Bee article is a little misleading about heritage turkeys. That $10.00/lb. figure is daunting and, in my experience quite excessive. We have at least two local sources of heritage turkeys for $4.00 and $5.00 a pound here in Western North Carolina. As Cate points out on Growers & Grocers, if you cannot order a heritage bird locally, Local Harvest has them for $4.00 or so a pound (before shipping).
The American Livestock Breeds Conservancy defines a “heritage turkey” as meeting the following criteria:
* “Naturally mating: the Heritage Turkey must be reproduced and genetically maintained through natural mating, with expected fertility rates of 70-80%.
* “Long productive lifespan: the Heritage Turkey must have a long productive lifespan. Breeding hens are commonly productive for 5-7 years and breeding toms for 3-5 years.
* “Slow growth rate: the Heritage Turkey must have a slow to moderate rate of growth. Today’s heritage turkeys reach a marketable weight in 26 – 28 weeks, giving the birds time to develop a strong skeletal structure and healthy organs prior to building muscle mass. This growth rate is identical to that of the commercial varieties of the first half of the 20th century.”

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