Just Curious - Turkey Prices Paid

[typhoonfish]

Since my office is crucifying me for my turkey I just bought , how much did you pay for a turkey?

Mine came from a farm in Vermont and it was $3.50 / lb

[MeffaBabe]

My $ .39 a pound, 23 pound Frozen turkey from Johnnies was delicious... juicy, moist, tender fall off the bone. I have tried all the fresh, frozen, free range, farm raised turkeys over the past 35 years and there is never enough difference in taste (not just by me but by other dinner guests) to require me paying anything over $.50 per pound for my turkeys. I really think the way to get a great turkey is by your method of cooking- even the most expensive birds can turn out dry if not cooked properly... I understand everyone loves the no chemicals, fillers and antibiotics of some birds but for one day I would prefer to spend less on the bird and more on the rest of the fixings.... (maybe it's because I really don't like turkey!- gobble gobble!)

[globalgourmand]

Bah, I think that's a fine price if you bought a fresh, happy bird. Just judging from your post, it was, at the very least, local and small-farm raised. Don't let them crucify you for that!

Mine also came from a farm in VT. Misty Knoll Farm and it was $3.89/lb. 12 pounds, processed fresh on-site, never frozen, dry-brined, compound butter; it was the best I've ever had (and I don't even like turkey!)

Honestly, when I think of what it takes to raise and process a bird, I don't think I'd want to pay less than $2/lb (in most, general cases) or I'd be saddened suspecting that someone, somewhere in that bird's life and death was being shortchanged-- usually the bird (and, consequently myself.)

[nightsky]

Another Stillman's customer here, I got a medium turkey (16.54 lbs) for $80, so about $4.80/lb. Pricey but very good. The best turkey i've had in a long time. It looked a little scrawny when i picked it up but then I realized all the butterballs and perdues I'm used to seeing in the grocery stores have been bloated up with saline solution.

I'll probably buy from Stillman's again next year. But I hope they have a better pickup system in place -- the JP setup was pretty chaotic.

[SeaSide Tomato]

I agree the pick u p was time consuming. But the turkey was delicious!!!

[jimkma]

Free. Had a problem at the self-service cash register at Shaw's, the manager swiped the card and said we were good to go.

[SmartChow]

Got a fresh 24 lb bird at McKinnon's in Davis Square for 41.03 so about $1.70/lb - what a great deal!

[xcptnl]

I think my Diemand Farm turkey was worth every penny. I followed the turkey recipe on this site (the basics) and it was excellent. I did purchase a digital therm - the kind that you have the wire with. I think I must have place it incorrectly though so ended up going by time. 20 lb turkey and cooked it 5 hours. Very good.

[Luther]

$3.95/lb at Owen's farm in Needham. I think I accidentally said it was $8.95 in another thread... that would just be silly

[meaganl]

Fresh from the family that raised them in Rhode Island for $3/lb. Even got to see them "in action."

[PinchOfSalt]

Chestnut Farm CSA had turkeys for members at $75, no matter the size. Mine was 22 pounds, which works out to a little less than $3.50/pound. The free-range, no hormones, no antibiotics, pseudo-organic (not certified) turkey was slaughtered the day before pick up. Their chickens are amazingly flavorful. I am really looking forward to dinner tomorrow.

[PinchOfSalt]

The turkey was very very good. Definitely more, deeper flavor than a supermarket bird. It was also nice and juicy, but that may be due to the wonders of brine and the Cook's Illustrated brined turkey roasting method.

[heathermb]

Picked up my fresh turkey from Stillman's yesterday at the Copley Sq market. Paid $100 for a 30.5lb bird - so about $3.28/lb

[SeaSide Tomato]

Jeepers-30 pounds!!!

[heathermb]

Yeah, that's what my mom said when I dropped it off at her house! But, my brothers want leftovers. I'm thinking turkey hash for breakfast...yummm

Scary thing is I could have gone even bigger...

[greygarious]

A friend in Wisconsin got hers from a turkey farm down the road. When she reserved it, she was told to expect between 35 and, if memory serves, 50 pounds. She got a "small" one and her husband sawed it in two so they could freeze half until Christmas.

[heypielady]

Last night I had a dream that I walked into my parents' kitchen and a 40lb turkey was shoved into the oven and the oven was open because the door wouldn't shut with a turkey that big. I woke up and thought "that's ridiculous!" But I guess its not...

[BarmyFotheringayPhipps]

I swear you might have been a couple people ahead of me in line. I definitely saw someone walking off with a behemoth.

[heathermb]

If the person you saw looked worried about how she was going to fit this gigundo bird in her mother's oven AND about to tip over from the weight, then yes, it was probably me!

The debate now raging between my mother and I is "to stuff, or not to stuff" with a bird so large. But that's probably a question for the Home Cooking board.

On another note - are there any remaining Farmers' Markets open this week?

[BarmyFotheringayPhipps]

Seriously, I think that was you, then. Cool!

A bird that enormous, my gut instinct would be not to stuff.

And no, I don't know of any farmers markets left this week, or for that matter, until next spring.

[Allstonian]

You might call Stillman's Farm and see if they're continuing their Saturday market in JP. Last winter they ran it well into the winter, but I don't know how that went for them or whether they plan to do it again. In any case they may not be doing anything this Saturday!

[cutipie721]

My 10-12lb heritage fresh turkey came to $65 from K and M farm in North Andover.

[voodoocheese]

My first time buying a turkey, and I thought I was getting a bargain at $.99lb for a Jennie-o (fresh? from shaws)... didn't realize until I got home that it was pre-basted. There goes the recipe!
Next year, I'll do a little more research!

[MeffaBabe]

Johnnies Foodmaster... Frozen Shadybrook Farms @ .39 per pound... I spent less on the turkey than I did on the cheese/proscuitto stuff cherry peppers!

[hoohah]

20 pound Shady Brook frozen turkey from Stop & Shop for $.47/pound and it came out just perfectly with plenty of moisture and plenty of flavor. Right with you MeffaBabe, cheese and cracker plate cost more than the turkey!!!!!!!

[Allstonian]

Fresh from the farmer who raised it (Stillman's) - roughly $5.25/lb.

[SeaSide Tomato]

Same here for the 20.5 pounder I got from Stillman's. Also had theirs last year and it was wonderful!!

[xcptnl]

Fresh-never frozen from Western MA $2.99/lb

[teezeetoo]

since most of us do this just once a year, why worry? if you wanrt an organic, heirloom or heritage, never frozen, never injected, never antibioticed, etc., you'll pay from 2.50 to 3.99 a pound. If you don't mind a frozen, injected, and generally tasteless and unhealthy species, go for the .49 cent a pound one. It's a free country (well, not exactly.)

[ginnyhw]

A frozen Kosher Hen Turkey (Empire) at the Stop and Shop in Brookline went for $3.29 a pound. The ad promised 1.99 a pound with the card, but I was shocked at the full price.

[buffet king]

Fresh Shadybrook turkey from Market Basket $.69 a pound.

[tdaaa]

I'm not proud to say it, but I bought two frozen shadybrook turkeys at Shaws for $.47 - they didn't even charge extra for the 6% added salt solution. Wilsons is advertising for ~ $2.80 for fresh, unadulturated birds, and my mother generally bays 3-4$ per pound for a free-range, organic bird.

Despite my two turkeys, I am not cooking Thanksgiving dinner, but can't contemplate thanksgiving weekend without leftover turkey for sandwiches, casseroles and most important, turkey gumbo. I will probably cook one tomorrow, and keep the other in the freezer for a rainy day.

[soxchik]

We just picked ours up from Wilson Farms - $2.59/lb.

[makonna]

We also got Wilsons. Although we had gotten it from Whole Foods in prior years.

[gourmaniac]

Not doing the bird this year but if you want cheapest I've heard, Roche Bros has JennyO frozen turkeys for 39 cents a pound. Frightening!

[fesenjan]

Trader Joe's: $1.79/lb

[justbeingpolite]

Fresh never frozen from Western MA. $2.50/lb

[greygarious]

Someone posted on another board that last year TJ's in their area dropped the price to 99 cents/# the night before T-day. Does anyone know if this happens at all of them? If so, I was thinking of getting one this weekend, or a day or two after Christmas.