Where do you get your Holiday turkey from?

[ChefJM]

Was just wondering where everyone gets their turkey from?

Any suggestions?

[alkonost]

Thanks for all the turkey recommendations, I ran out an bought a mary's turkey yesterday.

Happy Thanksgiving!

[twinwillow]

Please report back and let us know if you enjoyed the Mary's turkey.

Our group of six had our Thanksgiving dinner catered by Bolsa Mercado. Everything was very delicious! And, very reasonably priced! "Soup to nuts" for $99.00 for food for eight
people. Leftovers for everyone.

[ChefJM]

They were the best turkeys I've ever tasted. I purchased two of the organic heritage turkeys that Mary's offers. Smaller breast than your normal turkey but had a generous amount of dark meat. They had more of a deeper turkey flavor also, richer in taste.

I did one with a wet brine and one with a dry brine. Both turned out perfect. I would (and will) purchase them again. Maybe even see if they have any tomorrow so I can freeze one for another time.

I'm making turkey pot pies from scratch on Saturday with the leftover meat. Also making some turkey stock overnight with the leftover carcass right now.

Yum!

[alkonost]

It was a very enjoyable bird. I went with the free range Mary's turkey since those were the only smaller birds available at central market (sadly not organic). I only had 3 people to feed, so a large turkey would have been overkill to the nth degree :)

My only complaint is that the bird was extremely lean and on the dry side (despite brineing and buttering under/over the skin). Otherwise very flavorful meat, out of all the Thanksgiving turkey I've eaten it would take second place. I wonder if I would have fared better with a larger heritage bird even though it would have been 10X more turkey than I needed.

We had plenty turkey left over, and we made pot pies and turkey soup with matzo balls for the next couple of nights.

[Sulan]

We've been getting 100% pastured turkey at Urban Acres in Oak Cliff for the past few years. We've been quite pleased. You're supposed to order in advance, but they usually have a few extras, too.

[Mike C. Miller]

Bear Creek Smokehouse. Great family run place that's been in business you years. If you like smoked turkey, and that's the only kind I like, you can't beat it.

http://www.bearcreeksmokehouse.com/

[Scagnetti]

We're having a Bourbon Red Heritage turkey. Not only is it certified organic free range but it has been home schooled as well.

[twinwillow]

I only like to eat educated turkeys. Sounds wonderful. Enjoy!

[foiegras]

Too funny. I remember going to church with a family who raised turkeys as a child. If it started to rain unexpectedly, the looks on their faces as they tore out of church were priceless. Apparently the run of the mill farmed turkey is so stupid that when it rains, they look up at the sky and drown.

Wild turkeys, and no doubt heritage turkeys like yours, are much brighter. We had a wild turkey escapee from Wild Texas at the zoo in our neighborhood. He was perched on my garage during a rainstorm once and looked completely miserable ... but he was *not* looking at the sky.

[twinwillow]

I had to run in and buy a few things at Natural Grocer's today and while there, I had an opportunity to look at the video they set up showing a visit to and, the history of Mary's Organic Free Range Heritage turkeys. These Heritage brand turkeys are totally 100% free range!

As a matter of fact, I think these turkeys live better than I do!

I'm going to a friends for Thanksgiving and I won't have a say in which turkey they buy. But given a choice, theres no doubt I'd buy a Mary's Heritage turkey. They're not cheap, though!

Play the video.
http://www.marysturkeys.com/turkeyher...

[foiegras]

Yes, I didn't realize till recently that 'free range' officially means for 51% of the bird's life. Geez ...

[ChefJM]

Well then that will be the turkeys I'll try this year. Thanks TW and FG.

[Florida Hound]

Central Florida has the Publix grocery chain. I don't think they've gone west to Texas.

Our turkey, as always, will be the traditional Butterball, even if the brand is so commonplace. Probably available in all supermarkets in America. Our family highly recommends!
We will probably baste it with our traditional Loupiac wine-butter, although I have some alternative suggestions coming in from the "Wine" thread that may just shake that piece up this year. And our cooking method is Reynolds turkey roasting bag. And if we can get twinwillow to do the carving, the day would be even more of a special holiday.

[twinwillow]

We don't have Publix stores in Texas but, I've heard good things about them. We're fixun to get HEB (the owners of Central Market) and Trader Joe's in Dallas, however.

[ChefJM]

They're going to build a HEB in North Fort Worth also real soon.

[KrumTx]

What's HEB like? I haven't heard of it.

[twinwillow]

They're the parent store of Central Market. Although not nearly as "gourmet" as CM, they're a good, large all around grocery store carrying premium products but not as expensive as CM. They carry many hard to find products not carried at Tom Thumb, Albertson's or Kroger stores. Good personalized service as well. When I visit my son in Austin, I stock up on some items I've enjoyed previously but not available in Dallas stores.
http://www.heb.com/home/home.jsp

[KrumTx]

That sounds great. Denton is getting a Natural Grocers in early 13. I'm interested in checking it out. And sorry to the original poster for hijacking your turkey thread. Wish I could guide you somewhere, but we buy ours smoked from a local BBQ guy - Texas Chow. Not cooking your own turkey takes some of the fun out of the day, I believe.

[twinwillow]

As I live alone, I find sharing Thanksgiving with my friends at one of their homes a true Thanksgiving blessing.

You'll love Natural Grocers! Their food items are all 100% certified organic, nitrate free and about 10-20% less than Wholefoods.

[CocoaNut]

Their frozen vegetable brand is very good -

[twinwillow]

You're talking about the HEB brand of frozen vegetables, correct?

[CocoaNut]

yes (as purchased at CM)

[ChefJM]

Has anyone ever had the never frozen Mary's Free-Range Organic Turkeys from Natural Grocers?

[twinwillow]

I haven't but I will say, anything from Natural Grocer's is 100% first rate! If I was doing the cooking, I'd probably be very interested in that brand of turkey from NG.

[foiegras]

Yes, Mary's turkeys are great. Also available from WF and CM.

[twinwillow]

Guaranteed to be less expensive from Natural Grocer's.

[foiegras]

Hmm ...

Natural Grocer's has prices posted for Mary's heritage, organic, and natural free-range ($2.29/lb.) Central Market says they don't have prices yet.

There are some items that are less expensive at CM than Fiesta (never mind fresher) ... if I were them, I wouldn't gouge on the turkey, but we'll see.

[twinwillow]

I shop them all and find NG to be consistently less expensive across the board. And, I doubt very much if Fiesta stocks Mary's Heritage Organic turkey.
.........Just sayin.

[twinwillow]

At Natural Grocer's, that $2.99/lb is only good for much larger birds over 15/lb's.
Mary's Heritage turkeys are $5.99b/lb for birds 8-10lb's.

[foiegras]

Here are CM's prices ...

$1.99/lb natural free-range (8 to 24 lbs)
$3.47 organic
$5.99 heritage

[twinwillow]

About the same for Mary's Heritage organic (totally) free range turkey from Natural Grocer's.

[twinwillow]

I usually have Thanksgiving dinner with a group of friends at another friends house. Our host normally buy's an organic Diestal brand turkey from Wholefoods.

[ChefJM]

Hey you can't go wrong there twinwillow! I hope they let you take home some turkey for a sandwich or two! =P

[twinwillow]

In our group, I'm the official carver. So, it's never a problem.

[randyjl]

I would love to do Thanksgiving with twinwillow. His posts are always so interesting. (makeing a gender assumption here)

[twinwillow]

Thank's, randyjl. Your gender assumption is correct.