It's Not Too Early

A few weeks ago, I saw an exasperated lament on social media about a notice to order Thanksgiving turkeys. “It’s September,” she posted. And I knew immediately this was a topic for Dishing the Dirt to tackle.Yes, if you want a locally raised holiday bird, reserve it now. But it’s only September you say. We’ve become an on-demand culture believing that everything can be ordered online and overnighted to our doorsteps. While most customers who shop at farmers markets get the concept of seasonality, there are those who fall short on understanding availability.Let’s talk turkey.If you are purchasing your Thanksgiving turkey from the farmers market, it’s coming from a diversified farm, meaning multiple species are raised by the farmers. Their flocks number in the hundreds, not thousands of birds as is with commercial growers meaning there is a limited number, often first come, first serve. Farmers with smaller flocks may require a reservation - even a deposit - in the spring when ordering poults (baby turkeys) since the young chicks can be costly - up to $15 per poult for some of the rarer Heritage breeds. This is a significant investment considering how quickly a flock of holiday dinners can be decimated by bad weather and predation.I mentioned Heritage breeds. These are the much sought-after varieties that have not had their physical traits tinkered with through selective breeding to create a fast-growing, big-breasted snow-white bird known as the Broad Breasted White. These birds, along with their cousins, the Broad Breasted Bronze, are the de facto standard in commercial turkey production. They have been bred for generations to produce extra-large breasts for lots of white meat which has also led to their inability to fly. This is why many pastured poultry farmers have shifted their production flocks to these two varieties.Although I no longer raise turkeys, for years I raised a small flock of Heritage birds - Bourbon Reds, Standard Bronze and Blue Slates. They were lovely birds, but I grew tired of clipping wings and explaining to customers why their Thanksgiving turkey had small breasts and lots of dark meat. One year I failed to clip their wings in time and returned home from a Friday night market after dark to find all 75 turkeys perched on top of the fence rail. They had free range not only of the farm, but of the entire neighborhood which did not bode well for my residential neighbors. After that I switched to Broad Breasted Bronze which still produced excellent flavor and texture on pasture without too rapid of growth, they looked pretty and most importantly, they did not fly.Unlike chickens, turkeys are very seasonal in their egg production. Heritage breed hens will lay only two to three eggs a week starting in early spring going through June. Because the Broad Breasted hens are unable to mate naturally (those big breasts get in the way), they must be artificially inseminated. This intensive husbandry allows for practically year-round access to poults from production breeds.The slow-growing Heritage breed turkeys require 25-32 weeks of growth to be ready for Thanksgiving harvest. That means starting poults in April as opposed to the Broad Breasted varieties that can reach harvest weight in half that time. The difference in growth rates is also why customers are most likely to have sticker shock when choosing a Heritage breed turkey. Twice the amount of time to grow means twice the amount of feed. Turkeys also require feed which is significantly higher in protein than chicken feed - read: more expensive.Now it’s half way through September and the farmers can see the back stretch, a sprint to Thanksgiving. From now until November, these birds will consume a fearsome amount of food and water, requiring daily attention. By the middle of October farmers hope to have reservations for the majority of their birds as they begin chanting a daily count-down to the week prior to Thanksgiving which is a Herculean task of labor and logistics.There’s always that person who shows up at the last-minute wanting the biggest or the smallest bird. Sorry, those went to the shoppers who called back in September and reserved what they wanted.Turkeys, fresh or frozen are not exactly easy to pack in coolers for storage or transport so when the farmers can get a fairly accurate estimate as to how many birds to bring, it makes their lives so much easier. Trust me, no farmer wants to back-haul fresh turkeys. Even worse, leftover fresh turkeys are a pain in the cloaca to freeze. Think about stacking large bowling balls in a freezer.So, if you are planning on serving a fresh turkey from your favorite farmer this year for Thanksgiving, talk to them in the coming weeks and make everyone’s lives a whole lot easier.