Monday, November 14, 2011

Heritage Turkey, Anyone?

As Thanksgiving approaches, many people are thinking about what to make for dinner.  Many of our friends will go to the grocery store to buy a Butterball turkey from one of the factory farms.  The big-breasted, fatty turkeys are cheap.  If one takes a moment to imagine the lives of those turkeys, he or she would reconsider having a Butterball as the centerpiece of a very special meal.  This year, we will be eating one of our own heritage chickens raised in our backyard instead.

Next year, we have decided we want to raise our own turkey dinner and we want to extend that opportunity to our family, friends and neighbors as well.  Glenn will be placing an order with Porter's Rare Heritage Turkeys this week.  The poults will arrive on our farm in late May, and will be ready to eat during the holiday season.  We will raise the turkeys with kindness and respect.  They will be free to eat a normal turkey diet (bugs, mice, plants and anything else they forage) and will be supplemented with local feed.

How can you get involved?

1.  Email us at beneficialbee@gmail.com to let us know if you would like to purchase a turkey (please let us know ASAP!).  We are ordering:

Tiger Bronze

and Sweetgrass.
2.  If you give us a ten dollar deposit on your turkey, we will sell you a turkey for $6/pound in November.  The turkeys will be between 15 to 30 pounds.  Your turkey will arrive ready to put in the oven.

3.  Please visit your turkey!  We think this is a great opportunity for children (and adults) to learn about where their food comes from.  Turkeys are really friendly and children (and adults) love to hear their gobbling sounds.  Oh, and pony rides are free, too.

4.  Any turkeys not claimed will be sold at $7-8/pound in November and December.

Next year, consider helping out a local, family-owned farm, keeping rare turkey breeds from going extinct and sticking it to the "man."  Or buy a store turkey....
Thank you to PETA for the image.  I decided not to show the video.  I think you all get the point.
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3 comments:

  1. AnonymousNovember 14, 2011 at 10:41 PM

    Count me in! But my turkey may end up a pet.
    Mom

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  2. AnonymousNovember 16, 2011 at 8:58 AM

    I love the concept, and I wish more people around my area (Missouri) would raise their own turkeys (or food in general)!

    I am willing to pay more for a free range turkey than the common store bought ButterBall turkeys produced on an assembly line.

    However, unless my math is wrong, a 20 lb turkey at $6/lb would be $120. I don't think I'll be able to convince my wife to buy a $120 turkey.

    I suppose unless we start raising them ourselves, we'll continue getting a turkey from the local farmers market, which we hope are a little healthier than the processed ones?

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  3. The Beneficial BeeNovember 16, 2011 at 10:30 AM

    Thank you for your comment! I know, $120 is a lot of money. We did research and contacted other heritage turkey farmers to come up with a price. The going rate is actually $7-10/pound.

    Pasture-raised chickens at our local farmers market sell at $6/pound and they sell out every week.

    I'm sure your farmer's market turkey is better than the factory-farmed turkeys! But most likely they are the same white, flightless birds that are unable to reproduce. If you get a chance I would love to now how much they are!

    Thanks again, Jess

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