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If you are ready to consider moving beyond the usual supermarket fare for your
holiday turkey, LocalHarvest farmers offer you many tender, flavorful options.
These include organic, free-range, pastured, and/or heritage birds: all are good,
and we think you and yours will be more than pleased with the difference.
Read on for an introduction to these different farming methods, or
click here to browse through the turkey
selections in our on-line catalog!
Certified organic turkeys are fed exclusively certified organic feed, and are
never given any antibiotics nor hormones. Pastured turkeys live mostly outdoors
where they forage for insects and seeds. Their diets are usually complemented
with grains. Pastured turkeys are considered "organic" if both the pasture and
the supplemental feed comply with the national organic standards and are certified
as such. Meanwhile, free-range turkeys are cage-free and are given plenty of
room to roam, though it may not be out of doors.
Heritage birds have been growing in popularity in recent years. Known for their
rich flavor, they are also prized by those who support the preservation of
biodiversity in our food system. Turkeys were originally domesticated in Mexico
by the Mayas and their ancestors. They then traveled to Europe in the early 1500s
with the Spanish conquistadors. A wide range of varieties was then developed
in Europe from the original Mexican stock, and many of these traveled back to
North America between the 16th and 19th centuries, where they mixed and matched
and even bred with some of their wild turkey relatives. These, now called "heritage"
breeds, were developed for their flavor and for their suitability to particular
geographic regions. For more information on heritage birds,
click here.
LocalHarvest farmers are committed to raising turkeys that taste good: they are
turning people from coast to coast into devout patrons of the farm-raised bird.
Celebrate the diversity of a true American native: the turkey.
farmers who raise organic, free-range,
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Photo: Mary's Turkeys
Turkeys
(from 9 to 24 lbs)
Heritage, pastured, and/or organic turkeys raised on family farms accross the USA.
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