November 2005 | Conscious Dining
Heritage Birds for Your Table
There are more choices than the frozen
birds at your local supermarket
by Janine MacLachlan
In our quest to create a closer connection with our food and the people who produce it, we first sought out niche growers of heirloom vegetables for their palate-bursting flavor and sometimes-quirky appearances. Now, producers of heritage livestock breeds are capturing our attention. And with one of America’s favorite feasting days coming up this month, some diners are taking a new look at the centerpiece of the table and choosing a heritage turkey.
While some are seeking out this poultry purely for the flavor, others cite environmental concerns, biodiversity issues and/or a desire to feel a closer connection to their food sources. Heritage turkeys are direct descendants from the first domesticated flocks that only a few years ago teetered on the brink of extinction. They have names like Narragansett, Jersey Buff and White Midget.
John Caveny, of Caveny Farm in Monticello, Ill. near Champaign, produced a mere two dozen Bourbon Red turkeys in 2001. This year, he offers 560 birds. Caveny uses sustainable production practices. The healthier alternative of free-range, organically-fed turkey production involves much more care and labor.
Surprising Social Structure
It begins as soon as the turkeys are delivered from the hatchery in a ventilated box via the U. S. Postal Service in April. The turkeys remain in their groups of 80, forming a sort of clan as they peck on penned-in pasture. Some turkeys evolve into the role of guards, sticking to the perimeter of the pen and notifying the group when something’s not right, and taking shifts so others can sleep. The turkey groups will not be co-mingled. Because the individual turkeys haven’t bonded with those in other groups, clan warfare can ensue.
“I’m no psychologist,” said Caveny, “but part of raising these birds is understanding the social structure.” And so, at Caveny Farm, the turkey clans are kept apart, and their pens are moved every day to provide clean grass and fresh forage. They get a daily feed ration free from animal protein and antibiotics, and live this way for about seven months, compared to the 12-week age of an industrially produced turkey. Food experts credit not only the feed but also the longer production span for the deeper, richer taste.
Caveny has increased his customer base in part through a relationship with the Chicago chapter of Slow Food, an international organization that works to advance local food and small farms.
Patrick Martins, once executive director of Slow Food USA, helped initiate the Slow Food heritage turkey program, and now is a partner in New York-based Heritage Foods USA, a business that sells heritage foods online. Martins expects to sell about 10,000 American Bronze and Bourbon Red turkeys this season. The birds come from eight producers, predominantly centered in Kansas. Heritage Foods USA also has expanded into offering heritage pork, lamb and bison.
Costs and Cooking Tips
But all this extra care and high-quality feed doesn’t come cheap. A 14- to 18-pound tom turkey will set you back about $71, and an eight- to 10-pound hen about $43. And these turkeys also require a little more attention at the oven stage.
Being free-range means the turkeys develop muscle, unlike those produced in confinement facilities. And these birds haven’t been injected with water and oil to keep them moist, so proper cooking is key.
Where to Buy
Order a locally produced heritage turkey online at ChicagoCooks.com. Slow Food Chicago volunteers have established pick-up locations at Chicago’s Green City Market, which operates a pre-holiday market in Lincoln Park Zoo, as well as Geneva and Evanston. If you’d prefer to have a heritage bird delivered to your door, contact HeritageFoodsUSA.com or by calling 212-980-6603. Heritage Foods is selling American Bronze turkeys, and because shipping is involved, you’ll pay a bit more, from $59 to $99 per bird. That cost includes shipping.
Janine MacLachlan is the Conscious Choice dining columnist and co-leader of Slow Food Chicago.
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