17 minute read
Local, Pasture-Raised Turkey
BY WINTER CAPLANSON
After you confirm that your zoning regulations will allow you to add turkeys, one of your first choices will be whether to raise traditional or heritage turkey breeds.
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Traditional turkeys, like the Broad-Breasted White, are bred for rapid weight gain but may have difficulty walking, an inability to fly, and be more diseaseprone. They are a “modern” eating turkey, similar to what is found in the supermarket. If they are raised on pasture, though, they will taste far more flavorful than store-bought!
Heritage turkeys, on the other hand, closely resemble the wild turkey. They run, fly, forage, and have beautiful plumage. There are about a dozen heritage breeds currently available, but the most popular are the Bourbon Red and Narragansett. While heritage birds will be smaller in the same amount of growing time, their meat has more depth and complexity.
Heritage turkeys are also more active and intelligent, making them enjoyable to keep. The striking white-and-black Royal Palm are perfect if you desire a smaller (10- to 16-pound) turkey.
Place your hatchery order early. Unlike the slow rollout of spring across the nation spurring chick sales, everyone growing birds for Thanksgiving wants delivery of chicks at roughly the same time. Turkey poults are slower to feather out and more fragile than chicks. They’re more sensitive to temperature fluctuations, including exposure to chilly air conditioning during shipment. Report poults that are dead upon arrival, or ones that are lethargic and die within 24 hours, to the hatchery for credit or refund, or to request replacements be shipped ASAP. If you do end up with poults varying in age by a week or so for this reason, no worries: they will all get along fine and can be raised together.
Turkeys are large and require more space than the average chicken. For a flock of a dozen turkeys, you’ll need about an eighth of an acre of pasture (75 feet by 75 feet) secured by woven wire fencing or electrified poultry netting to keep out coyotes, foxes, raccoons, and even bears, all of whom would love a free-range turkey dinner. Turkeys need places to dust-bathe and roosts to fly up to at night. A moveable coop will be more secure and can be towed to fresh range as needed by a garden tractor or an all-terrain vehicle.
Ready a brooder area just like you would for chicks. Use a heat lamp to keep it between 90 and 100 degrees Fahrenheit for the first week, then slowly lower the temp by raising the lamp, cooling it by 5 degrees each week.
Turkeys are Curious, Graceful and Personable
Poults need a non-medicated, high-protein feed like Purina Game Bird + Turkey Startena. At 8 weeks, they can transition to an adult feed like Purina Flock Raiser. Feed consumption will rise from as little as a half-pound per bird, per week, at 2 weeks old to nearly a pound per day near maturity.
Raising turkeys and chickens together is not advised as chickens can harbor a disease called Blackhead which they are resistant to but is 100% fatal to turkeys. Clean adequate pasture, movable roosts, fresh water, well-formulated food, and protection from predators are what turkeys need to thrive!
Before your turkey raising adventure begins, however, you must consider the end.
If you’re going to have them processed then you need to find a processor willing to take them, which is not as easy as it sounds. Many facilities are at maximum capacity processing poultry during the Thanksgiving rush, and others hesitate to take turkeys because of the stress on machinery caused by the size of these birds. Some options to check into: Antonelli’s Poultry in Providence, RI; Baffoni in Johnston, RI; Impaoco in Feeding Hills, MA; and Westminster Meats in Westminster Station, VT. Expect to pay $10 or more per bird for processing and packaging, based on weight.
If you’re going to process them yourself, you must learn how to do it properly. The steps are much the same as slaughtering chickens but you will need a bigger killing cone and a scalding pot generous enough for your largest turkey. The perfect solution may be to pay someone experienced in backyard processing to teach you and work alongside you for your first time. “My first tries at slaughtering from only book knowledge were very poorly executed,” said Christopher Andrews of Hurricane Farm, “and then an old timer came over and showed me how to do it efficiently.”
Knowing that you raised that perfect, golden-roasted turkey on your Thanksgiving table could only be beat by also growing the potatoes, Brussels sprouts and squash…get planning, Homesteaders!
Heritage Turkeys Run, Fly, For Age . And have Beautiful Plumage
Turkey Buyer's Guide
When their time comes, our processing facility is less than 50 yards from their pasture. For the week of Thanksgiving, we hire a crew to work alongside us during processing. A family member or longterm, trusted employee does the dispatching quickly and properly, with little stress on the birds. In about 4 hours, the turkeys are cooled below 40 degrees, but not frozen, and are packaged. We then match the size of each turkey to a customer’s order as they go out the door. That’s a fresh turkey!
Our Thanksgiving turkeys come packed similarly to the ones you see at the grocery store, with head,
feet, and feathers all removed. Just because you’re buying from a small farm doesn’t mean we’re not going to work hard to prep your bird for you!
In addition to the weight range of your bird, you’ll need to decide whether you want a heritage or modern breed turkey. Most people want a broadbreasted turkey, whether they know much about the breeds or not. It has nice plump breasts and large legs, the turkey being almost as wide as it is long. This is the turkey most people picture when they envision the holiday bird. We raise almost 4000 broad-breasted white, and a handful of broad-breasted bronze, turkeys. These are modern breeds that grow well, both on pasture and in a commercial setting.
We also raise about 50 heritage breed turkeys each year: Narragansett, Bourbon Red, Royal Palm, Chocolate, Blue Slate, and Black Spanish birds - old varieties, more similar to wild turkeys. They forage and love to jump and fly up to fence railings, trees, even on a tractor if you leave it in the pasture awhile. By purchasing these birds, you are supporting genetic diversity and the conservation of heritage breeds. This sounds contradictory, but, because people buy them to eat, farms continue to breed and raise them, therefore conserving those genetics and making sure they don’t die off.
The shape of a heritage turkey is long and lanky, with less fat under the skin, and less meat than a modern variety. Their meat is more flavorful, though, and they have a greater ratio of dark meat to white. Most of our heritage birds go to people who reserve the delicacy year after year. Heritage breeds, plucked and packaged, range from about 8-14 pounds at Thanksgiving, while broad breasted birds run 10-40 pounds. The heritage breeds are more expensive per pound because they are a larger initial investment as day-old poults and aren’t nearly as fast or efficient at turning feed into muscle as broad-breasted varieties.
keep the birds protected from predators.
“Ekonk Hill Turkey Farm raisestheir turkeys like we want ours raised: on-pasture with free choice access to fres h water, all-natural grain, and shelter.”
Personally, I go along with the masses and prefer the broad-breasted turkey on my dinner table. Because of their improved feed conversion, the broad-breasted breeds are more sustainable in working to feed the world. All the breeds of turkeys we raise here a have great quality of life, but I’ve always been a softhearted person so I prefer to consume the one who had the most to give. And if the animal had to die to feed us a meal, I’m glad it only took one turkey, instead of three, to feed the lot of us around the Thanksgiving dinner table.
A truly fresh, local turkey has the ability to attract a customer who doesn’t typically shop local for their food. It’s a great gateway to becoming more interested in sourcing directly from farms. Because there’s such a strong market for pastureraised turkeys, they can be a vital part of a farm’s business plan.
We’ve raised our own Thanksgiving and Christmas turkeys for as long as I can remember. We always wanted a connection to our food, to know how the animal we were eating lived and what went into growing it. One year we raised 15 additional turkeys for friends and family, and other people began inquiring about them. The next year we raised 30 turkeys for sale, and each year added a few more. This season we’re producing just short of 4,000 pasture raised turkeys!
Turkeys don’t take up the amount of space on pasture that hoovestock do, allowing them to be raised without drastic initial investments. Because they are hatched in the spring and summer months and are processed in the fall through the holidays, they don’t require the expensive infrastructure for overwintering.
We’ve always processed our own birds, initially falling under an exemption for custom processing for the customer, and now are a state licensed facility. But we started with no equipment at all, just a knowledge of the animal’s anatomy and respect for its life. Our farm has grown from six to 360 acres, adding cattle and sheep in recent years. The slow and steady growth of our turkey business has made all of this possible.
One regret we have in the way things happen at Thanksgiving is that we don’t get to see many of our customers. Many people travel from New York City and Boston and only come to the farm once a year. It would be awesome to share our pride in the product we grew and be able to greet these customers who are supporting our farm during this incredibly busy week for us.
Because our turkeys are fresh, and we are processing them as they are handed to customers, we are so tied up in the back managing processing and packaging that the girls who work in our farm store usually take over during Thanksgiving and get to be the face of our farm. They do a great job, but I hope our customers know they mean the world to us. We are so lucky: as a family we have put in years of sweat and tears, but as a retail farm we wouldn’t be anywhere without our customers.
You can order an Ekonk Hill Turkey Farm fresh Thanksgiving turkey with a $20 deposit in the farm store in Sterling, via phone, mail, or at the Downtown Milford, Ledyard and Coventry Farmers’ Markets. Turkeys can be picked up at the farm any of the five days before Thanksgiving. The balance of the cost is paid at pickup, with the weight range requested matched as closely as possible.
Heritage turkeys sell out quickly, and we recommend ordering them in September. Our broad breasted varieties can generally be ordered until November. We also often have our turkeys, frozen, available in the farm store throughout the year, in addition to ground turkey and turkey pieces.
PRO TIP:
Adding a turkey as a pet or farm attraction? Heritage breed turkeys have a much longer lifespan. We lost our mascot here at Ekonk Hill Turkey Farm this past winter, a Narragansett Tom named Swabbles, who I had pardoned over 12 years ago. In contrast, the presidentially-pardoned turkey, a broad breasted white Tom, never lives much over a year after its pardon, before dying of natural causes. I so wish they would pardon a heritage breed or even a hen verses a tom, as the females have much longer lifespans!
Editor’s Note:
Ekonk Hill Turkey Farm raises their turkeys like we want ours raised: on-pasture with free choice access to fresh water, allnatural grain, and shelter. Electric fencing and their Anatolian shepherd dog ‘Blue’ keep the birds protected from predators. They raise Broad Breasted White and heritage turkey breeds including Narragansett, Bourbon Red, Royal Palm, Chocolate, Blue Slate, and Black Spanish.
The farm store offers their own ice cream and cider doughnuts, and they serve a Thanksgiving Sandwich made with roasted turkey breast, stuffing, cranberry sauce; and a Gobbler Sundae a mound of mashed potatoes topped with roasted turkey breast, stuffing, gravy, and topped off with a ball of cranberry sauce. Know what? It smells like Thanksgiving there as soon as you step out of your car.
We are so lucky
AS A FAMILY WE HAVE PUT IN YEARS OF SWEAT AND TEARS, BUT AS A RETAIL FARM WE WOULDN’T BE ANYWHERE WITHOUT OUR CUSTOMERS.”
Here are four other notable Connecticut farms producing hormoneand antibiotic free turkeys raised on pasture, without any additivesor preservatives added to your finished bird:
Radical Roots Farm
Radical Roots Farm in Canterbury raises Heritage Breed Narragansett turkeys that are fed produce and non-GMO grain from a local feed supplier, and high protein larvae grown on the farm to reduce food wastes. Turkeys can be ordered by phone at 931-241-3325, at the farm, at the Scotland Farmers’ Market, by email, and online. They accept cash, check, credit/debit, PayPal, and Venmo, and pickup is at the farm or a farmers’ market they attend. They offer local delivery for a modest fee. This farm also offers rendered lard for candle or soap making, produce, meats in smaller packages such as pork chops, ham, bacon, lamb, etc. Their livestock love visitors that will give them belly rubs!
Soeltl Farm
Soeltl Farm in Salem raises Giant White, New Holland, and Small New Holland turkeys that are milk and grain fed with generous servings of surplus garden veggies. Turkeys can be ordered by phone at 860-887-3329 or email for pickup at the farm where you can also purchase their milk fed beef, veal, pork, goat, chicken, duck, and goose, as well as eggs. Look forward to meeting their dairy goat and two friendly Guernsey cows.
Stone Gardens Farm
Stone Gardens Farm in Shelton raises Broad Breasted White turkeys that are fed non-GMO grain from Hiland Naturals, a Project Non-GMO certified company. Turkeys can be ordered at the farm or by email, for pickup at the farm. While there, you can also purchase their produce and other farm raised meats, and pre-made sides like gravy, stuffing, and mashed potatoes.
Truelove Farms
Truelove Farms in Morris raises Mammoth Bronze turkeys on a diet of grain, produce scraps from a local organic market, and maple leaves…their favorite! For information or to order, email them, stop by their farm shop, or visit their stall at farmers’ markets they attend. Turkeys can be picked up at the farm, where you can also buy meat, eggs, and pork sausage for stuffing.
How to roast a local turkey
By Katherine Hermonot & Chef Carlos PerezWinter Caplanson photos
Farm fresh turkeys cook faster than frozen or store bought birds because the high moisture level of the meat transfers the heat more readily during cooking. Be careful not to overcook the turkey as this will dry out the meat. Plan on 15 minutes per pound at 325 degrees for fresh turkeys. Oven temperature may vary, so adjust time accordingly and allow an additional hour just in case the turkey doesn’t comply with this time frame. Keep in mind that the turkey should sit for 30 minutes, after removing it from the oven, before you carve it, so the extra time also provides a cushion should the turkey need to roast longer.
Remove your turkey from the bag and place it in the sink. Pat dry any excess juices. Remove the giblets and neck.
Grease the turkey with a little soft butter before roasting and place it in a large roasting pan. Season with salt and pepper, and according to personal taste use rosemary, sage, thyme, or other herbs.
Cook the turkey breast side down for a little more than half of the roasting period, then turn it breast side up. Cover the bird loosely with foil until 1 hour before it is done, then remove the foil to allow the breast to brown up.
If you stuff your turkey, plan on about 20 minutes more cooking time.
A meat thermometer is the best way to test if your bird is ready. The thermometer should read 165 degrees in the thickest part of the inner thigh when the turkey is done. Begin checking the bird one hour before the end of your roasting time.
Encore Turkey Recipes
by Chef Carlos Perez
Never waste a turkey carcass…make stock from it! Roasted turkey stock is the base for wonderful soups and can be used in paella, jambalaya, risotto, pilaf, or wherever you would use chicken stock. Deliciously rich in vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants…all the cool kids are drinking it as “Bone Broth” now.
Bone Broth
1 leftover carcass from a 10- to 15-pound turkey
4 yellow onions, quartered
2 large carrots, scrubbed and cut in 2 inch pieces
4 celery ribs, cut in 2 inch pieces Olive oil (as needed)
2 cups white wine
2 cloves garlic, smashed and peeled
4 sprigs fresh thyme
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon black peppercorns
2 gallons water (you may not need all of it)
Roast carcass in 425 F until golden brown. Remove, break into pieces and place in a stock pot.
Over medium heat, also add to stockpot: onions, carrots, and celery. Sauté until slightly softened and fragrant, adding a little olive oil if needed and loosening any bits of turkey that stick to the bottom.
Add white wine, and lower heat to a simmer. Cook until liquid is reduced by half.
Add remaining ingredients to stock pot, cover with water, and simmer for 4-5 hours, skimming any foam, solids, or fat off the top of the broth as needed.
Strain broth, once through a colander to remove larger pieces of vegetables and turkey, and then through a chinois or cheesecloth to produce a clean, golden broth.
Let broth settle for 20 minutes, and then begin to skim off any additional fat that floats to the top. Broth may be used immediately at this point, or refrigerated for later use.
Make stock from it !”
Thanksgiving Leftover Pot Pie
This “next day” meal is a dish to look forward to in its own right!
1 stick butter
1/2 cup diced yellow onion
1/2 cup diced carrots
1/2 cup sliced celery 1
/2 cup All Purpose Flour
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp white pepper 2
1/2 cups chicken broth 1
cup heavy cream
1 lb leftover, cooked turkey meat
2 sheets puff pastry
optional additions: corn, cut from the cob butternut squash, roasted and diced turnip, diced
Preheat oven to 400 F
Melt butter in a sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add onion, carrot, and celery and sauté until slightly softened. Gradually stir in flour, salt, and pepper a little at a time, making sure to avoid clumps.
Gradually stir in chicken broth and heavy cream, reduce heat to low and let thicken.
Fold in turkey, and any optional additions. Set aside.
Line a 10” pie pan with one sheet of puff pastry. Using the tines of a fork, press holes into the pastry which will prevent it from rising.
Pour in turkey and vegetable mixture. Top with 2nd piece of puff pastry, seal the edges, and cut a small slit in the center to allow steam to escape.
Place pie on a sheet pan in the oven, and bake for 30-35 minutes until the puff pastry is golden brown and mixture is bubbling. Cool slightly before serving.
