A couple of years ago, when I decided we were going to get serious about eating locally for Thanksgiving, I discovered that finding a locally raised turkey was more difficult than I’d imagined. (What I didn’t know then was that local grocers can’t sell state-inspected turkeys, and Washington has no federal inspectors.) At the last minute, we lucked into a big bird from the folks from whom we buy most of our eggs and meat, Skagit River Ranch. That was the best, richest tasting turkey I’d ever eaten.
Last year, I signed up early for a Skagit River turkey. When we picked up the bird, Eiko told me that they wouldn’t be raising turkeys again. The increase in the price of organic feed, combined with the loss of birds to predators and illness, made turkeys unprofitable for them.
This year, I didn’t think turkey until the middle of October. I asked the folks at Stokesberry Farm, from whom I’ve been buying chicken since Skagit River stopped raising chicken, if they had turkeys available. They’d sold out… and suggested that I could put my name on their list for next year. I discovered that Eiko and George had decided to raise some turkeys at Skagit River Ranch, but they’d all been spoken for.
I was beginning to think that we’d be giving thanks over a California turkey this year… unless we could convince my father-in-law to cull a bird from the small flock of wild turkeys that live in his yard in southern Oregon. (He took the photo above on the deck of his house, where the turkeys share his bird feeders with chickadees, quail and the occasional skunk.) Not local to us, those turkeys, but definitely a heritage breed, pastured, and organic.
Then last Thursday, my google alert for “Seattle farmers market” paid off; a Seattle PI article mentioned that Thundering Hooves, a ranch near Walla Walla, would have some turkeys for sale on their website on Monday. When their turkeys were first offered in July, Thundering Hooves sold out in under a week. However, they’d had a good season, with fewer losses than expected, so a few more birds were available. At 8:00 on Monday, I clicked on their site; by 8:05, I’d ordered a 13-pound, broad-breasted bronze turkey. All 75 turkeys available were gone by noon.
On this date in:
2007: Baking with leftovers
2006: Kitchen Transformation: Books in the kitchen