Hey So. New Englanders...where are you buying your Thanksgiving Turkey this year?

[CapeCodGuy]

Anyone have a favorite market, farm stand, or web site for turkey? What do you prefer.....fresh, frozen, organic, free-range, or heritage?

[River19]

Just as a follow-up to my first post……my FIL had the turkeys processed the other day for Thanksgiving (at least the ones spoken for) and the largest was 48lbs and ours will be 42lbs for our family dinner. Yes 42 lbs…….so I believe organic free range prices are about $4/lb so this would be a bird north of $150……..he has about $60 of feed into the birds…..not bad.

[CapeCodGuy]

Holey Moley!....42 lbs.!? I'm not sure that would even fit in my oven...are you? What kind of pan will you use?

Last Q: is that $60 in feed for all 15 birds or just the one?

[River19]

I believe that he was quoting the per bird feed expense for using pretty good stuff for feed. I’m not cooking the 42lb bird, my MIL is, so I have to give her a call and figure out who is getting up at the crack of dawn to start cooking the thing.

My vote would be to cut the bird in parts, cook one breast and both legs and wings, freeze the other breast, heck it must weigh about 18lbs by itself. The kicker is she also cooks a porketta as my FIL is 100% Italian (I am 50%) but we only feed about 8-9 people……….hello leftovers…………

[CapeCodGuy]

I lol'd when I pictured pulling out a 42 pound bird to serve up 8-9 people....Oh yeah, can I have seconds on the porketta! Gotta LOVE Italians!!!

[River19]

Honestly, the porketta is the main even for most......the turkey is awesome, but we're talking friggin' good porketta here. She plans on cutting up the big bird to get it in the oven.

I'm deep frying the wild one, for an early thanksgiving dinner this weekend.

[harrie]

I'm going with Stone Gardens Farm in Shelton, CT. They do delicious chickens, so I hope that translates to a tasty turkey as well. This will be a standard bird - what is that, the Bronze or something? - but pasture raised with no antibiotics or growth hormones used. And super-local, since we live a couple of miles from the farm.

The past few (4? 5?) years I got organic heritage turkeys, but I guess that source has dried up or something.

[River19]

One wild one in the freezer from spring turkey season and the pick of about 15 huge birds my FIL has been raising..........the wild one will be deep fried and the huge teradactle will be done in the traditional method..............so I guess that counts as organic and free range for me...........

[Pipenta]

I'm going out of state for Thanksgiving this year. But I have just discovered Ekonk Hill Turkey Farm in Sterling, CT and if I was getting a turkey, this is where I'd get it.

http://www.ekonkhillturkeyfarm.com/

There were turkey pies too, and me there without an ice chest. Bummer.

I stopped there last week and sampled some of her wonderful ice cream. Alas, she is not making sweet corn ice cream because the season is over and she only uses fresh, but I had the best maple walnut ice cream I had ever had in my life and a really delicious black currant ice cream made from local currants. And, heaven help me, I had one of the cider doughnuts. Very nice indeed.

Ekonk Hill has organic chickens and heirloom breeds. There's a paddock of heirloom birds at the entrance, and I went nuts taking pictures. But I could see large fields out in the back where the majority of the turkeys were living. It is a beautiful place. Sterling, the town, is gorgeous. It's a pretty part of the state and makes for a nice drive. I happened to be up there for work, but I know I am going to have to go back. Mom is already campaigning. She's got a thing for maple walnut ice cream. If it were rum raisin, she'd already be dragging me out to the car. Hey, when we go, at the very least I'm gonna stock up on those turkey pies.

Gonna probably double post because I want to put up a mess of pictures...

[Pipenta]

Okay, here are some bird shots from Ekonk Hill.

[Pipenta]

I know this is getting redonkulous, but bear with me.

The pie is a peach pie. I did not sample it, more's the pity...

[Mr. Mxyzptlk]

I get mine at Market Basket - a butterball usually for $0.49/pound. I buy a few and stock up!!
Mr. M

[TrishUntrapped]

I'll likely buy a Kosher bird from Stew Leonard's in Danbury, CT this year.

[dordalina]

If I can get up to Duxbury, I'll get my turkey at Bongi's. Very good, non-injected turkeys. Not the strange yellow color of a lot of other turkeys. If not, I've had great luck ordering a fresh Bell & Evans turkey from Windfall Market in Falmouth. Roasted one two years ago and it was delicious.

[magiesmom]

Free range fresh turkey from a farm 5 miles down the road. YUm!!!

[T.Clark]

I get my Turkeys from Bongi's every year and agree they are great birds.

Edited to add: It is worth mentioning that you can't order an uncooked Bongi's Turkey, you have to wait in line starting the Sunday before Thanksgiving.

[CapeCodGuy]

Picked up my 26 pounder at Bongi's today. $3.29 per pound. In the fridge after a "dry brine" as I type. Mmmmmmmmm.........

[Joltingjoey]

I'll be getting my free-range Tofurkey from Trader Joe's, as usual.

[sbxstr]

Highland Park Market where we have for years -- fresh Plainville Farms turkey.

[trufflehound]

Outpost Farm in Holliston.